CENTRAL NEW YORK – Whether it was close or otherwise, the Cazenovia and Chittenango baseball teams dealt with some early-season adversity.
The Lakers were poised for another big victory at Central Square last Tuesday afternoon, only to see it get away late in a 6-5 loss to the Redhawks.
Boosted by a four-run second inning, Cazenovia quickly got in front, only to have Central Square strike for three runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull within sight.
They traded runs in the fifth. Then, clinging to a 5-4 advantage going to the bottom of seventh, the Lakers got the final two outs, but were unable to close it out.
Cy Abbott walked both Anthony Miga and Michael Baker. Miga reached third base, then scored on a wild pitch before Nico Garlic singled home Baker with the decisive run, Central Square bouncing back after blowing a 7-1, seventh-inning lead to Bishop Ludden in its previous outing.
Jack Donlin, Taven Reilley and Joey Awald each got credit for RBIs , Abbott working two-plus innings of relief after Donlin went 4 2/3 innings, striking out 11 but allowing four hits and three walks.
Chittenango got its season underway last Tuesday against Mexico and contained the Tigers most of the way, yet still lost by a score of 3-0.
They were 0-0 until the top of the fifth, when Mexico got all of its runs off Kyle Peryer, who had accumulated 10 strkeiouts against four hits allowed. Evan Tianello worked in relief as Chittenango had just four hits against Brayden Mack, two of them from Zailor Caras as Ryan Thousand and Mason Corlis had the other hits.
Games against Mexico, Oneida and Phoenix were all postponed for the Bears as it hoped to make up the Mexico game this week along with a two-game series against Homer and a Saturday trip to Oswego.
For its part, Cazenovia saw its two-game series with Solvay pushed back, one of them to get made up May 11, and a series with Marcellus was set for early this week before the Lakers traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for games during next week’s school break.
