ONONDAGA COUNTY – While the Baldwinsville baseball team had found success against one main challenger to its Section III Class AA throne, splitting two games with West Genesee, it has proven more elusive against Cicero-North Syracuse.
That was the case again last Monday at the Gillette Road complex, where the Bees were close most of the way, but two key swings helped the Northstars secure a 5-1 decision.
It was 1-0 when these two sides first met April 22, a single run making the difference as B’ville ace Kai Girard dueled with C-NS ace Bryce Zicaro.
In the rematch, Gavin Miller was pitching for the Bees against Zicaro and got a quick 1-0 lead when Cameron Brennan singled home Matt Carner in the top of the first inning.
Miller kept it that way until the bottom of the fourth, when C-NS got two runners on base and Jake Lukasiewicz drove them home with a single.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth, it was still 2-1. Again the Northstars had two on base, and this time Logan Karwowski turned on a Miller pitch and sent it over the fence, a three-run home run.
And after allowing that first-inning run, Zicaro blanked the Bees, striking out five and giving up just four hits, one each by Brennan, Carner, Girard and Logan McIntyre.
A day later, at Fayetteville-Manlius, B’ville turned it around, beating the Hornets by that same 5-1 margin as Carner turned a pair of hits into three RBIs.
It took two-run rallies in the fifth and seventh innings to put F-M away as Colin Ray pitched four innings and allowed just four hits, Girard going two innings in relief and Carner also seeing a mound stint.
On Saturday, B’ville honored its seniors, but could not quite pick up a victory against St. Joseph’s (Buffalo), taking a 9-5 defeat to the Marauders.
The Bees led 5-4 through three innings as Jacob Penafeather doubled and drove in two runs, with Brennan and Aiden Milburn adding single RBIs. But St. Joseph’s scored three runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to move in front for good as Ray took the loss, splitting pitching duties with Girard, Carner and Reid Rachwal.
B’ville would get one more opportunity to try and knock off C-NS Monday night at Gillette before hosting Liverpool and facing West Genesee Thursday at Onondaga Community College to close the regular season.
