There is something about the post-season that seems to bring out the best in the Oriskany Redskins (16-5) varsity baseball team. There is also something that seems to bring out the best performances of the season when the Skins happen to see the blue and orange of the New York Mills Marauders.
After today's semi-final 14-5 dismantling of the New York Mills Marauders (14-5) coach Tom Meiss should be able to get a good night's sleep until Tuesday.
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Talk about a fight that should have been stopped. If this were a fight instead of a basebrawl between two long time rivals, the official time of the TKO would have come at the end of the second inning when 14 Redskins came to the plate waiting to devour and deposit Marauders offerings to just about every area of the park. Fourteen hits and fourteen runs add up to a trip to the Class D Final.
(Jim Fellone delivers in first inning action today at DeLutis.)
The hit and run parade started when Nate Keading stepped up to the plate in the visitor's second. Keading reached on an error, on a ground ball by Mills usually sure handed, short stop, senior Eddie Schulze, who pulled 6'4" first basemen Jeff Albright off the bag to start the wild and wooly inning.
Today's win was the second in three tries this season against New York Mills.
The miscue seemed to rattle Marauders starter Jim Fellone, who had worked his way out of a jam in the first inning limiting the aggressive Redskins to a single run, after Mike Bunal blasted a triple to deep centerfield to lead off the inning and the ball game. Bunal scored on a ground out by Noah Lupini,
Brad Sahl fell victim to a beauty of a breaking ball from Fellone and struck out for the first out of the frame. After Matt Higgins worked out a walk he got gunned down at second while trying to steal to get into scoring position.
NY Mills backstop Justin Stevener put the throw right on the money to end the inning.
(Mike Bunal finds his way home just like 10 other Redskins did in inning two.)
Now back to the infamous second. Oriskany then sent 14 batters to the plate in the second. Starting pitcher Joe Doolen and centerfielder Nate Keating each had two-run doubles off Fellone.
To make matters worse Rhett Kallassy drove in two runs with a single and a double in the same inning .
Travis Tyler jumped into the deep end of the stat pool wrapping out two hits in the sensational second, including an RBI single.
Matt Higgins ripped a two-run single before Fellone was done for the day. Pat Manna added an RBI single off reliever Justin Stevener that gave the Redskins an 11-0 lead and all the momentum they would need to coast home to their 13th win in their last 14 starts. How is that for being on a roll at the right time?
How's this for a hit parade? Travis Tyler-single to left, Rhett Kallassy RBI single to left, Joe Doolen 2 RBI doubles to deep center, Matt Higgins 2 RBI doubles to left center, 2 RBI doubles to left by Nate Keading, Travis Tyler RBI single, Rhett Kallasay RBI double, Pat Manna RBI single. All in one inning. The Skins might want to bottle and sell that at bat.
(Shane Joswick tries to rally the troops.)
Despite the never say die attitude of the Marauders, you knew this one was done. After all, even Joe Frazier knew when a fight was over.
In the home third the Marauders scratched out a run to dent the DeLutis scoreboard as Jonathan Ross came around to score after he laced his second straight hit of the game.
The freshman rightfielder looks like the real deal, especially at the plate where he has a sweet looking swing. Ross later tripled for his third hit of the game.
In the third, New York Mills loaded the sacks but could only manage the one run as Oriskany starter dug down deep to end the threat.
Doolen went five innings to earn the win, scattering 5 hits, striking out 4, walking 3 and allowing just 2 earned runs.
It was more of the same in the fourth, as the Marauders added one more when Justin Stevener drove home Jon Ross with an RBI safety. Stevener was solid at the dish all day with two hits and two runs batted in.
(That's a table for two for Doolen... 7:00PM.... perfect, thanks.)
Speaking of runs, Oriskany made sure to remove any doubt from the mix by plating 3 more runs when Noah Luppini turned on one that left the DeLutis yard in a hurry in the top of the fifth inning for 3 quick RBI. Joe Doolen and Mike Bunal had singled prior to Lupini's big blast.
The Marauders scratched out one more run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to close out another successful season. New York Mills beat Hamilton 2-1 on Thursday night to make it to today's tilt with their longtime rivals.
In the sixth Eddie Schulze walked, stole second and later scored when Justin Stevener ripped an RBI single to center. Schulze's run made it 14-3.
If you play for coach Jerry Fiorini you don't quit. The Marauders did not and they went down swinging by plating two more runs.
Playing his last game for the orange and blue, Eddie Schulze made his mark by driving in runs 4 and 5 with a 2 RBI single to make the final scored 14-5.
Sophomore Mike Bunal had a big day going 3-3 and scoring 3 runs for the winners and Travis Tyler also had 3 hits for Oriskany who now gets set to take on a very good Copenhagen team on Tuesday night at 7:00PM at Alliance Stadium in Syracuse.
(Running Rhett Kallassy motors home with another Oriskany run.)
Copenhagen is (18-2) and state ranked at #6 so if the Redskins want to play on they will have to stay on top of their game, or to make things easy, have another inning like today's second inning.
Oriskany will be looking to claim its first Section III title since 2007.
Oriskany 14 New York Mills 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Oriskany 1 10 0 0 3 0 0 14 14 2
New York Mills 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 5 8 1
