CENTRAL NEW YORK – Having done most of what it needed to give itself a shot at another Section III Class A championship, the Jamesville-DeWitt baseball team now had to face the final playoff examination.
At least the Red Rams would do so holding the top seed in the sectional bracket, with a bye straight into Thursday’s quarterfinals, where it will host the winner of Tuesday’s opening-round game between no. 8 seed South Jefferson and no. 9 seed Oneida.
J-D entered last week with an 11-1 record, which it improved upon last Monday at Falcon Park when it overcame an early deficit and defeated Auburn 11-4.
The Maroons’ early 2-0 edge disappeared when the Rams netted three runs in the top of the third inning. Then it kept producing – two runs in the fourth, a run in the fifth and a five-run sixth that ultimately put the game away.
Ryan Walker’s pair of hits led to three RBIs. Eamon Giblin singled twice and drove in two runs, with RBIs also going to Luke VanMarter, Aaron Ko, Aidan McGuire and Samuel Ash as VanMarter scored three runs and pitched 6 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts to overcome six Auburn hits.
By that same 11-4 score, J-D prevailed over Central Square Thursday afternoon, overcoming an early 3-1 deficit with a decisive seven-run outburst in the bottom of the second.
Dylan Bertollini led the way, smashing a home run and finishing with four RBIs. Giblin also drove in four runs as Ashe and Ko got two hits apiece and Aidan Johnson added an RBI. Walker pitched six innings, limiting the Redhawks to four hits.
A far closer rematch with Central Square on Saturday still went 6-4 in J-D’s favor, with a three-run first inning getting the Rams in front and timely late rallies thwarting the Redhawks’ comeback attempts.
McGuire went four-for-five and scored twice, setting the tone. Bertollini singled and earned a pair of RBIs, while Giblin and Walker also drove in runs and Giblin pitched 6 1/3 innings, recording seven strikeouts.
East Syracuse Minoa was back on the field last Wednesday to face Fulton and led, 2-0, until the Red Dragons put across eight runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Ultimately, the Spartans lost, 11-3, with Trey Bova pitching 2 2/3 innings before relief stints from Grayson Virkler and Luke Liedka. Bova managed three hits and an RBI at the plate.Tommy Clonan, Chase Fredericks and Ryan Dabbock had two hits apiece.
A day later, in much drier conditions, ESM took an 8-4 defeat to Syracuse City, a game where it trailed 2-0 and 4-2 and both times caught up, only to have Syracuse go ahead for good with a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth.
A.J. Graham went three-for-four and scored twice, with Trey Borkowski adding two hits. Bova and Nick Commisso joined Borkowski in the RBI column as Commisso and John Reale pitched three innings apiece. Mason Greco led Syracuse with three hits and three RBIs.
The rematch with Fulton on Saturday was a tight one, but despite a furious Spartans comeback the Red Dragons again pulled it out in a 5-4 decision.
Single runs in each of the first four innings had Fulton up 4-0, but ESM rallied to tie it with three runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth as Clonan, Reale and Tyler Hildreth each got an RBI.
Trey Borkowski, pitching his third inning in relief of C.J. Fleet, could not hold that 4-4 tie, Fulton putting across a run in the top of the seventh and then recording the final three outs.
But ESM did win on Saturday, handling Syracuse City 8-1 as it scored twice in the first inning but needed a six-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth to get away.
Commisso and Mike Munger both drove in two runs, with Reale, Trey Borkowski, Troy Borkowski and Noah Diaz also earning RBIs. Munger and Trey Borkowski combined on a four-hitter that included 10 strikeouts.
ESM would earn the no. 9 seed in the sectional Class AA playoffs, needing to win a first-round game Monday at no. 8 seed Watertown to earn a chance at upending top seed West Genesee in the quarterfinals a day later.
