Caz baseball again falls just short of sectional title

By PHil BlACkWEll

Generous applause, congratulations and hugs were all around as the Cazenovia baseball team left the turf at Onondaga Community College at the end of last Monday’s Section III Class B championship game. But it was not in celebration of a landmark title.

The championship that was supposed to finally land in Cazenovia instead went, again, to those other Lakers from Skaneateles, who continued an unlikely postseason run from a no. 9 seed to prevail 7-5 in Monday’s sectional final at Onondaga Community College.

This win culminated a remarkable turnaround. Skaneateles was 3-7 through 10 games before going on a 12-1 run culminating in this title game where it earned another sectional title to go with the ones it earned in 2019 and 2021 Cazenovia seemed to have several factors working in its favor. Not only had it won both regular-season meetings between the two Laker rivals, it had rolled through its semifinal 10-1 over defending champion Westhill as Skaneateles had to endure 10 innings in the other semifinal before ousting Cortland.

Jack Donlin, who had won the first encounter with Skaneateles April 20, was a bit wild in the top of the first inning, hitting Carter Corbett and Casey Kenan and watching a throwing error bring home the game’s first run.

Cazenovia quickly tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the first with two singles, a passed ball and a Jacob Grevelding groundout, but Keelan Maren’s diving catch of a Donlin line drive prevented a bigger rally.

In the top of the third, Skaneateles seized control. Chad Lowe was hit, and raced to third on a groundout before scoring on Kenan’s single. Then Kenan stole second and raced home when Marren singled. With two out and a runner on second, Cal Anna singled down the line, making it 4-1, More followed in the fifth, starting with a walk to Patrick Herr and an infield hit by Kenan. It continued when Marren’s sacrifice bunt and a bad throw turned into a run. Hugh Carroll followed with a perfect squeeze bunt that brought Kenan home.

Down 6-1, Cazenovia made up some ground in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out before Donlin hit a sacrifice and Grevelding hit an RBI single. But Patrick Herr answered with an RBI single in the top of the sixth, making it 7-3, an extra cushion that would prove important.

With one out and one on in the bottom of the seventh, Donlin tripled home Jack Byrnes, then scored on a wild pitch, cutting the Skaneateles lead in half.

Grevelding walked and Joey Awald singled to put the tying runs on base with two out, but Jacob Szalach hit a grounder to third, where Kenan ‘s force play ended it.