CENTRAL NEW YORK – All through the early part of last week the Westhill and Solvay baseball teams joined everyone else in Central New York waiting for the rain to stop, or at least ease up
In the Warriors’ case, it was supposed to face Christian Brothers Academy last Monday night as part of the “Tom Dotterer Night” festivities at Onondaga Community College but the game was abandoned in the second inning when the rain volume picked up.
From there it was idle until last Thursday, when it got in a game against fellow Class A contender New Hartford as part of the ‘Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease” Classic at NBT Bank Stadium.
And the Warriors beat the Spartans 3-1, with pitcher Anthony Sampo allowing a first-inning run but blanking New Hartford the rest of the way, only allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five.
Still down 1-0 in the top of the fifth, the Warriors tied it when Johnny Murphy walked and Tommy Hunt drilled a run-scoring triple. Dom Scarfino’s sacrifice fly scored Hunt and put Westhill out in front.
Sampo got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth and then watched the Warriors add an insurance run when Eric Holstein walked, moved around to third and scored on a wild pitch.
This happened as Solvay, engaged in its own close and low-scoring battle against Chittenango, did enough to push past the Bears in a 2-1 decision at Gutchess Park.
In the top of the first inning the Bearcats struck for both of its runs, driven in by Aaron Trendell and Sam Sardo after Cameron Cappetta and Max Overend reached base.
Overend would do the rest on the mound. Other than allowing a fourth-inning run Overend was quite sharp, limiting Chittenango to two hits and three walks while striking out nine. The Bearcats won with just two hits of its own.
Earlier in the week, Skaneateles went to Cazenovia and got a pitching gem from Sean Olley while taking just five innings to win this latest Lakers duel 10-0.
Olley surrendered just one hit and two walks, striking out 11. He got all the help he needed when Skaneateles erupted for seven runs in the top of the second to chase Cazenovia starter Nico Segall.
Hugh Carroll and Shea Musso both hit home runs and each finished with three RBIs. Musso added a pair of singles as Colton McDonald, Nate Latreille, Luke Ellis and Cody Crane drove in one run apiece.
Skaneateles struggled on Saturday in an 18-5 loss to Union Springs but rebounded in the rematch against Cazenovia, earning the series sweep by a score of 8-4.
Seven runs in the first two innings was all Skaneateles needed, Olley hitting a home run and Colton McDonald a double as they drove in three runs apiece. Hugh Carroll added a single, double, two walks, three runs scored and an RBI as Declan Pfau pitched six solid innings to earn the win.
