CENTRAL NEW YORK – What was already a pretty good season for the Jamesville-DeWitt baseball team got even better last Friday afternoon when it won a clash of two reigning Section III champions.
West Genesee, who won Class AA a season ago to end a 47-year sectional title drought, arrived with a perfect 7-0 record and no. 10 state AA rankings – and the Red Rams spoiled that unbeaten mark, prevailing 4-1 over the Wildcats.
J-D’s own 6-1 record had propelled it all the way to no. 2 in the first state Class A rankings of the spring, and it was eager to get back in action after last Tuesday’s showdown with state no. 12-ranked Cortland was postponed by inclement weather.
Luke VanMarter started and was greeted by WG’s Nick Meluni with a first-inning solo home run, the only run the Wildcats would produce.
VanMarter lasted three innings until Jack Pole took over in the fourth. Combined, the pair only gave up six hits and recorded six strikeouts, waiting for some help from the bats.
It came in the bottom of the fifth when the Rams got all of its runs off Gerard Shattell and Braeden Kazmirski. Eamon Giblin, Cole Jordan and Anthony Ricciardello each had run-scoring hits in the decisive rally.
East Syracuse Minoa faced all kinds of late drama in last Monday’s game against Oswego but had the last word of it in a 4-3 victory over the Buccaneers.
Through six innings it was a 1-1 pitcher’s duel, the Spartans scoring in the second and Oswego answering in the fourth. Luke Liedka pitched well, only allowing one hit and striking out nine.
But in the top of the seventh the Bucs got to reliever C.J. Fleet and scored twice for a 3-1 lead, only to have ESM absorb it and, in the bottom of the seventh, stun Oswego for three runs to pull it out.
Trey Borkowski was the only player on either side to pick up two hits. Chase Fredericks, Tommy Clonan and Kyle Nissen joined Liedka in the RBI column.
The second game with Oswego was far different, a 10-0 defeat where Bucs pitcher Mario Garabito one-hit the Spartans, Trey Borkowski getting the lone hit. Oswego used four runs in the fifth and sixth innings to pull away.
ESM lost again on Friday in another 4-3 decision, this one to Chittenango, who scored three runs in the top of the fifth to erase a 2-0 lead the Spartans built in the first two innings.
A run in bottom of the fifth tied it for ESM but the Bears scored in the top of the sixth and A.J. Valente got the final six outs pitching five innings of relief after Reagan Poland started. Borkowski had two of the Spartans’ five hits as he and Ben Fricke drove in runs. Evan Tianello’s two RBIs paced Chittenango.
