CENTRAL NEW YORK – Now it was time for the Baldwinsville baseball team to really get to work.
From pre-season practices to a late-March trip to the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in Florida, the Bees had plenty of chances to break in new starters and discover what was good and what needed improvement.
With all of this behind them, B’ville took on its first Section III opponent last Tuesday afternoon and, against Syracuse City, put up plenty of early runs on the way to a 12-2 victory.
A two-run second inning and three runs in the third got the Bees out in front, but it really broke away in the fourth, when it went through the entire order and scored six times to extend its margin to 11-0.
Jason Oullette, Joey Gennario and Hudson Dziadula each scored twice, with Logan McIntyre getting a pair of hits. Jacob Penafeather and Shane Wellman joined Oullette in the RBI column.
With all that early support, pitcher Ben Leaton went 4 2/3 innings to earn the win, walking five but allowing just two hits before Nate Georger and Grady Hudson worked in relief.
A day later, the Bees had its home opener against Auburn, who was looking to bounce back from defeats to Liverpool and West Genesee, but B’ville would not let that happen, prevailing 4-3.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Bees put up three runs off Maroons starter Myles McBride, then added what turned out to be a pivotal run in the fifth on Tyler Hawthorne’s second RBI single after Auburn cut it to 3-2.
Joey Warner pitched five innings, limiting Auburn to two hits. Nico Wellman and Shane Wellman worked the rest of the way, and though the Maroons closed within one in the top of the seventh, B’ville was able to get the final outs.
As for Baldwinsville’s softball team, it went to Fayetteville-Manlius last Tuesday and, despite some pitching struggles, managed to defeat the Hornets 10-6.
Never trailing, the Bees scored three times in the top of the first and kept answering every time F-M tried to get close, helped by two-run rallies in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Alexis Hamilton did hit a home run for the Hornets.
Bella Hotchkiss and Julianna Gingrich led B’ville with three hits apiece. Mackenzie Southworth and Marissa McCloud each scored twice as Leah VerSchneider singled and drove in two runs, single RBIs going to Jenna Martin, Francesca DeSantis, Maddy Gulich and Layla Trendowski.
The softball Bees are set to host Cicero-North Syracuse and CBA before a Friday trip to Camden and two games Saturday at the Northstar Elite Classic at the Gillette Road complex facing Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa.
Depending on weather and conditions, B’ville baseball could have four games this week, hosting West Genesee, F-M and Rome Free Academy with a visit to Fulton in between.
