CAZENOVIA – All that the Cazenovia baseball team wanted was exactly what it had when it welcomed undefeated, defending Section III Class B champion Westhill last Thursday to Robert S. Dubik Field.
Riding its own six-game win streak, and a perfect 5-0 against local competition, the Lakers were set to try and get the best of the same Westhill side that denied them a sectional title one year ago.
What happened, instead, was that Cazenovia got a full dose of tremendous pitching as Westhill ace Ryan Campbell put together a no-hitter and, helped by a late-game getaway, the Lakers took an 8-0 defeat.
All game long, Campbell maintained his control and frustrated Cazenovia’s batters, only allowing two walks, one each to Jack Byrnes and Taven Reilley, while amassing 14 strikeouts.
Opposing Campbell, Jack Donlin pitched well, too, only surrendering first and third-inning runs, one of them earned, before an increased pitch count forced him out in the sixth and Westhill responded with six runs in the top of the seventh off Cy Abbott and Jacob Szalach.
Two days earlier, hosting Phoenix, Cazenovia found itself behind early and still in a tight contest late before a late breakout led to an 11-3 win over the Firebirds.
Phoenix got to Byrnes for three runs in the top of the first, two driven home by Anthony Guglielmo’s single, but from there Byrnes blanked the Firebirds and accumulated 12 strikeouts.
The Lakers scored twice in the first and second innings, but it remained 4-3 until the bottom of the sixth, when Cazenovia batted around and plated seven runs.
Jacob Grevelding went four-for-four, earning an RBI. Nico Segall’s pair of hits led to three RBIs as Donlin drove in two runs. Izaak Gilbert and Sully Clarke joined Byrnes driving in single runs.
The loss to Westhill still left Cazenovia at 8-2 overall going into Saturday’s game against visiting Bishop Ludden, which got rained out, the Lakers hoping to resume this week with three games at Dubik Field against Bishop Grimes, Homer and Clinton.
