SADALLAH SHOT LEAVES SKINS SEEING RED-NY MILLS 4 ORISKANY 3
John Sadallah #15 dances on the dish as teammates join in after 5th inning home run.
ZACH VENNARO GOES THE DISTANCE AS NY MILLS CLOSES IN ON CSC IV CROWN
5/15
Fred Miller-MHTS
Game notes: David Peroni
The Marauders are not state ranked…because? Good question…right? Oops another question…right? Enough all ready.
Speaking of questions, Monday’s dramatic 4-3 come from behind victory by New York Mills over state ranked #19 Oriskany leaves just a couple of unresolved questions for fans of Center States Division IV baseball.
Questions like…. did John Sadallah’s fifth inning big blast to left field help the Marauders clinch the D IV crown?
We will know the answer to that question by Wednesday, as the mad dash to the end of the regular season continues for the three contenders, NY Mills who remains unbeaten in league play at 7-0, 11-4, overall, Oriskany now 7-3 and 13-4 and Poland 6-1, 11-4.
Game two of today’s scheduled double dip, between New York Mills and Oriskany at DeLutis in Rome, was washed away by rain.
Zach Vennaro works his mound magic against Oriskany at DeLutis.
The Marauders have the game with the Skins left and then one more with Mount Markham on Wednesday.
Both teams will try to get the washed out game played on Tuesday at a site to be determined, depending on field conditions.
Oriskany has the game with New York Mills today and then a final matchup with Hamilton on Wednesday, left in their regular season.
For Poland, the regular season comes to an end on Wednesday, when they take on West Canada Valley.
Back to today’s tilt. This highly anticipated CSC DIV showdown did not disappoint.
New York Mills led, Oriskany led and then the Mills led, for good, when New York Mills first basemen John Sadallah blasted a towering home run over the left field fence to put the icing on the cake and give his team a leg up on the division crown.
Both starting pitchers acquitted themselves nicely as they worked their respective ways through both loaded batting orders.
The visitors, coached by Tom Meiss, sent Anthony Pickard to the mound to tangle with coach Gerry Fiorini’s Marauders, who answered with their main man, right hander, Zach Vennaro, who has been one of the most dominant starters in the league all season long.
Pickard lasted five innings, yielded 4 runs, 4 hits, walked 5 and struck out five.
Anthony was relieved by Nate Keating who worked the sixth for the visitors.
Coach Tom Meiss and his Oriskany infielders gather for late mound meeting
Vennaro was on top of his game, as usual, going the distance, allowing 5 Redskins hits, walking just 2 and striking out 8. Another great day at the office for Zach.
With only 9 hits allowed, in seven innings, by both teams, it came down to clutch hits and near misses.
Only one error was committed, by both teams, so you can see that these two rivals came to play and play well.
First impressions are often lasting ones and Zach Vennaro certainly made one by striking out the side in the visitor’s first.
It was K, K and another K as Austin Smith, Sam Martel and Nate Keating all struck out.
Pickard worked a little harder than Vennaro in the first frame, but got the same result, as he turned the Marauders away striking out Zach Vennaro and Shaun Kula with two men on base.
Down 1-2-3 went the Skins in inning two, as Vennaro and his infield mates made quick work of the visitors.
The scoreboard was not put into use, at DeLutis 2, until the Mills broke through for a run in the bottom of the third inning.
Here’s how it happened. Ryan Lupia walked to start things off, and later scored from third when Oriskany catcher Pat Manna could not find a low pitch, that he blocked, but lost, as Lupia raced to the plate to make it 1-zip, New York Mills. The run was scored without the benefit of a hit.
Mills catcher Terry Nichols pounces on a loose one.
The lead didn’t last long, as the Redskins plated two in the top half of inning four, as this one zipped by at a brisk pace.
Zach Vennaro got two quick outs as he induced Austin Smith and Sam Martel to ground out.
The flight at the Griff got bumpy, as center fielder Nate Keating laced one to, where else but, center field to start the Oriskany rally.
Noah Lupini then worked out a walk as the Redskins were in business with two on and two out.
Lupini and Keating moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and were then chased home on the strength of a 2 RBI single to center, off the bat of Cody Murphy, who came through in the clutch.
The big hit put the Skins up 2-1 and gave them some much needed momentum.
Oh yeah…said the Mills. Right back at you…the Marauders said, as they plated two more runs of their own to regain the lead at 3-2.
Addison Wolanin hustled his way to first, beating out an infield single, to open the inning.
Jordan Wilcox tried to lay down a sac bunt to move Wolanin into scoring position.
The Marauders got some help in the form of a throwing error to put two men on and the pressure on Oriskany.
Oriskany starter Anthony Pickard # 5 heads home.
Joe Pacini walked to load the bases with no outs. Terry Nichols earned an RBI as he worked out a walk to send Wolanin to the plate with the tying run, to make it 2-2.
JT Ross earned a run batted in of his own, as he lofted a fly ball to right, as Jordan Wilcox scored to put the Marauders up 3-2.
As these two teams would have it, the lead did not last long. Oriskany rallied to tie, as Dan Buehler doubled to left to lead off the frame.
With two outs and one on, Austin Smith came through in a big spot by singiling to left to send Buehler to the plate with run number three for Oriskany.
The game changed for good as John Sadallah led off in the home fifth. The first basemen turned on a Pickard pitch that found way too much of the plate.
A few seconds later as Sadallah watched his blast make its way over the fence in left, he and his elated teammates celebrated what would be the game winning run, as New York Mills led 4-3. A lead they would not surrender.
Tyler O’Bryan took one for the team as he was hit by a pitch from Vennaro and then put himself in scoring position by swiping second.
Unfortunately for the visitors, second is as far as O’Bryan would get, as Vennaro retired the next two Redskins to seal the deal.
The Marauders are unranked…because?
New York Mills 4 Oriskany 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Oriskany 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 5 1
NY Mills 0 0 1 2 1 0 X 4 4 0
Offensive Leaders:
Oriskany:
Nate Keating-1-3-1 run scored
Austin Smith-1 double-1 RBI
Cody Murphy-1 single-2 RBI
Dan Buehler-1-3-double-run scored
New York Mills:
John Sadallah-1 single-1 home run-1 RBI-1 run scored
Addison Wolanin- 2 singles-1 run scored
Ryan Lupia-1 run scored
Jordan Wilcox-1 run scored
