Strong pitching might carry the West Genesee baseball team a long, long way this spring, if its first four games were any indication.
Having beat Auburn 4-1 on April 6, the Wildcats went to Ithaca two days later and found itself in a marathon that stretched to 10 innings before it was able to prevail 1-0.
Over seven innings of regulation, WG’s Colin Crinnin was sensational, allowing just one hit while amassing eight strikeouts. Yet his teammates could not take full advantage, shut down for the most part.
Into the eighth inning it stayed 0-0, Jason Clifton relieving Crinnin and then tossing scoreless eighth and ninth innings to keep his side alive.
Then, in the top of the 10th, Landon Spencer walked, reached scoring position and reached home when Jared Jaeger singled, just the third WG hit of the afternoon. Then Clifton got the last three outs to help his side hang on.
Not on the diamond again until Wednesday afternoon, WG went to Murnane Field and, against Utica Proctor, pulled off another shutout, this time not waiting to get on the board on the way to an 11-0 victory over the Raiders.
Three first-inning runs was all the Wildcats needed, but it added four-run rallies in the third and fourth innings, eventually producing 17 hits.
Jaeger and Ryan Saroney had three hits apiece, with Saroney joining Spencer, Jacob Severson, Vince Firenze and Talon Elkins in getting two RBIs. Cameron Noce also drove in a run.
Elkins and Landyn Shaw each pitched three innings, the pair combining with Gabriel June to limit Proctor to three hits and combining for 10 strikeouts.
For its fourth straight road game Saturday, WG visited Section V’s Victor, near Rochester, and again got a tremendous performance from Crinnin in a 4-1 victory over the Blue Devils.
All of the Wildcats’ runs came in the top of the third, the key blow Firenze’s two-run single as Elkins and Joe Cavallo also drove in runs.
That was more than enough for Crinnin, who in 6 1/3 innings surrendered six hits but kept getting out of possible trouble, only allowing a run in the fifth as June recorded the final two outs for the save.
If the weather continued to cooperate, WG would begin league play with two games against reigning sectional Class AA champion Fayetteville-Manlius and a Thursday visit from Liverpool.
