CENTRAL NEW YORK – Plenty of excitement and anticipation surrounded the Cazenovia baseball team going into the 2022 season, for good reason.
The Lakers went 15-2 a season ago and were a perfect 8-0 in the OHSL Liberty American division, and brought back most of its lineup, including a good portion of its pitching rotation.
Now seeking greater glory, Cazenovia began its season last Monday with a trip to Cortland’s Gutchess Field, where it promptly took a setback in a 4-3 loss to Homer.
The Trojans netted a second-inning run, and though Cazenovia rallied to go in front 2-1 in the top of the third, Homer countered with three runs in the bottom of the third off Jack Donlin, Tristan Allen getting a pair of RBIs.
Jack Byrnes pitched three scoreless innings of relief, but the Trojans limited the Lakers to a single fifth-inning tally and held on late, overcoming Byrnes and Donlin getting two hits apiece as A.J. Rothfeld added an RBI.
Rain kept Cazenovia from taking on Chittenango last Thursday, so the Lakers would head down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a week of spring-break competition before resuming league play April 20 against Altmar-Parish-Williamstown.
Moving from Class A to Class B might actually increase the level of competition for the Chittenango softball team, given the amount of quality teams in the area B ranks.
Still, the Bears, who were 13-2 a season ago before a sectional semifnal defeat to eventual champion Auburn, seem ready for it, as indicated by last Tuesday’s season opener where big bats made a big difference in a 10-1 romp over Skaneateles.
Of Chittenango’s 10 hits, three each were secured by Lily Callahan and Stephanie Huckabee, the pair combining to score a trio of runs.
Olivia Jackson brought the power thanks to a home run and double as she, along with Avree Salce and Allison Soulier, also scored a pair of runs.
The Cazenovia softball team opened at Solvay last Tuesday and had its own narrow defeat, falling 5-4 to the Bearcats.
In the first two innings, the Lakers accumulated a 3-0 edge, and pitcher Mya Skeele maintained it until the fifth, when Solvay struck for four runs.
Though Cazenovia pulled even 4-4 in the top of the seventh, the Bearcats won it with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Lucy Bliss walked twice, got hit by a pitch and scored three times.
