ONONDAGA COUNTY – If anyone needed a prime example of the fickle nature of baseball, Fayetteville-Manlius offered it.
Winless so far in 2022, the Hornets hosted 6-0 Cicero-North Syracuse last Monday – and promptly went out and earned its first victory of the season, knocking off the Northstars 5-4.
F-M struck for a pair of first-inning runs off C-NS starter Sam Shaw and added two runs in the fourth after the Northstars cut the deficit to 4-1.
As it turned out, a fifth-inning tally that made it 5-1 was needed, for C-NS would score once in the sixth and twice in the top of the seventh before Sam Kuss, in relief of Max Danaher, was able to record the final out.
Danaher had gone six innings, only allowing five hits and two walks. At the plate, Robert Mason tripled, singled twice and drove in two runs, with Seth Albert adding three hits and an RBI as Tom Woodridge also drove in a run.
A day later, F-M stepped back, taking an 11-1 defeat to Liverpool. Kai Warner drove home Woolridge with the Hornets’ lone run in the top of the second, but the Warriors got four first-inning runs and were never caught.
But in a rematch with C-NS Wednesday in the “Strike Out ALS” event at NBT Bank Stadium, F-M struck early and late to beat the Northstars by a bigger 11-2 margin.
The Hornets got four runs off C-NS ace Bryce Zicaro in the first inning, then knocked him out in the fifth as it scored twice there and six times in the sixth to pull away.
Kuss, Michael Dutch and Ethan Powell each earned two RBIs, with Woodridge getting three hits as he, along with Danaher and Stephen Wratney, drove in single runs. Dan Swift pitched four innings to earn the win, combining with Kuss to hold C-NS to four hits.
F-M again fell back on Thursday, falling 7-1 to Baldwinsville. Mason drove home Albert with his team’s lone run in the fourth inning, while Danaher got two hits, but the Hornets had just four hits against Bees pitcher Kai Girard.
But going head-to-head with Jameville-DeWitt on Saturday afternoon, the Hornets made it three wins on the week, knocking off the Red Rams 6-2.
A three-run first inning set the tone as the Hornets got to J-D starter Luke VanHarter. Then it tacked on three runs in the fourth as Danaher got a pair of RBIs, with Chris Hoalcraft driving in a run as he and Woodridge both scored twice.
Meanwhile, Danaher threw 104 pitches in six innings, giving up a pair of runs in the sixth to break up the shutout, but still handing a healthy lead to Kuss, who closed it out.
