ONONDAGA COUNTY – Having fallen one victory short of a Section III Class AAA title last spring, the Cicero-North Syracuse baseball team returned for 2025 bent on getting all the way to the top.
A strong core of players returns for the Northstars, and they wasted little time standing out as in last Thursday’s season opener at the Gillette Road Complex where C-NS defeated Syracuse City 10-2.
Landon Cook got the start on the mound and, after giving up single runs in the first two innings, blanked Syracuse the rest of his five-inning stint before Kaden Kalfass and Jeremy Palmer worked the last two innings in relief.
A four-run third inning erased the Northstars’ 2-0 deficit, and it added two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth led by Palmer and Jaden Zimmer, who had three hits apiece.
Shacory Williams’ pair of singles led to three RBIs, with Palmer, Lucas Aiello and Chris Williams also driving in runs. Zimmer scored three times and Ben Watkins scored twice.
Liverpool had its opener against visiting Auburn a day later, and it proved a tight one, requiring eight innings for the Warriors to gain a 4-3 victory over the Maroons.
Twice, Liverpool had to come back in the late stages. Auburn led 2-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Warriors tied it when it loaded the bases and Nico Leone coaxed a walk which scored Sam Benzinger.
When the Maroons countered in the top of the eighth with a tiebreaking run to go up 3-2, Liverpool immediately retaliated, with James Kelly getting a walk and Dylan Wiggins crushing a double that brought Kelly home.
Ryan Spaganola, pinch-running for Wiggins, stole third base. Then Maroons pitcher Jacob Morrell threw wild and Spagnola dashed to the plate to win it.
Zach Zingaro got the win on the mound, pitching four innings of relief after Wiggins started. Zingaro struck out six as three Auburn pitchers held the Warriors to five hits, two of them by Cayden Nappa.
