SYRACUSE – To the last out and the last strike, the Cazenovia baseball team battled, and by doing so nearly claimed the Section III Class B championship.
True, a five-run deficit proved a bit too much to overcome as the Lakers fell, 5-4, to Westhill in Monday’s sectional title game at Onondaga Community College.
But the mere fact that it was that close, and that tense, was a tribute to Cazenovia’s resilience, built through an up-and-down early portion of the regular season and then culminating with a rise from a no. 8 seed in a memorable post-season run.
Having already knocked out top seed South Jefferson in the quarterfinals on May 26, the Lakers took it further by making it through last Saturday’s semifinal, holding off no. 12 seed Marcellus 4-3.
Both pitchers – Jack Byrnes for Cazenovia, John Francesconi for Marcellus – were on three days’ rest. But it was the Lakers getting the jump in the bottom of the first as, with two on and nobody out, Jack Donlin singled and an error in right field allowed both runs to score and Donlin to reach third, where he would score on a sacrifice fly.
Marcellus got one back in the top of the third and scored again in the top of the fifth to cut it to 3-2. But Cazenovia answered in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Byrnes’ fly-ball double and three ground balls, the last of which Jacob Grevelding beat out which allowed Byrnes to score.
Still down by two in the top of the seventh, Marcellus had one more chance. Sullivan drew a four-pitch walk and then, with two out and Tyler Szalach pitching in relief, a botched grounder allowed Sullivan to score. With the tying run on base, Szalach coaxed Hunter Byrne to fly out to end it.
Two days later, Cazenovia would go after the sectional title, pitching Donlin, who had faced Westhill back on May 11 and, hurt by lots of poor defense around him, took an 11-1 loss.
In the first, third and fourth innings, the Lakers put two runners on base, but could not turn them into runs against Warriors pitcher Mike Madigan, who would ultimately go six innings and accumulate 10 strikeouts.
Also, in the bottom of the first Madigan delivered a triple and scored when Taden Chester beat out an infield hit after Aiden Kerr’s single, two grounders and a passed ball produced the game’s first run.
It was still 2-0 when, with two out in the bottom of the fourth and two on, freshman Anthony Sampo, Westhill’s no. 9 hitter, hit a triple to the gap that scored both runs and then ran home on a wild pitch.
Donlin would not allow any more runs, and in the top of the sixth, A.J. Rothfeld sparked a comeback with his patience – and then his daring on the base paths.
Rothfeld and Jacob Grevelding reached base, then went to second and third on a double steal. Then Rothfeld pulled off a rare straight steal of home, getting the Lakers on the board as, moments later, Szalach singled home Grevelding.
That was a prelude to a lot more drama in the seventh inning.
Tyler Campbell, relieving Madigan, got Taven Reilley to fly out. But then Byrnes tripled and, with two out and the Warriors one strike away from victory, a wild pitch scored Byrnes, making it 5-3.
Rothfeld then walked again, moved to second on a wild pitch, reached third when Grevelding singled and scored off yet another pitch.
Campbell walked Clarke, and the tying and go-ahead runs were on base. But Campbell regrouped and, against Szalach, made him look at a called strike three, ending the game and the Lakers’ memorable championship quest.
