ALTAMONT — Utica’s Notre Dame Jugglers extended their impressive postseason baseball run Saturday while New Hartford’s bat-and-ball teams had their seasons ended with losses to the same school from Section II.
Three of the last four teams competing from eastern Section III were in action for a busy day of regional play in baseball and softball as the state finalizes the lineups for semifinal and championship play next weekend in and around Binghamton.
The undefeated Oriskany baseball team had its game postponed Sunday and travels Monday to St. Lawrence University to play the game that will finalize the semifinal schedule. The Skyhawks’ opponent is Heuvelton, the Class D champion from Section X.
Notre Dame plays on in Class B baseball
The Notre Dame Jugglers made a surprising run to Section III’s Class C championship game last spring and have gone further this year. The Jugglers beat Bishop Ludden-Grimes in Section III’s Class B championship game Monday and have added two regional playoff victories to extend their win streak to seven games, improving their record to 13-12 following a 7-12 regular season.
Notre Dame defeated Section II Taconic Hills 7-5 Saturday at Amsterdam’s Shuttleworth Park. Owen Bougourd had two of the Jugglers’ 10 hits, Antonio Padula drove in two runs, and Michael Fitzgerald and James Synakowski each scored two runs. Synakowski got the final four outs to close out the win in relief of Josh Caruso.
The Jugglers never trailed Saturday in a game that saw all of its runs scored in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Scoreless through three, Notre Dame took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Each team scored three runs in the fifth, and the Jugglers went up 7-4 in the top of the sixth. Taconic Hills (20-3) got one run back in the bottom of the inning before Synakowski took the ball and recorded the final out.
Notre Dame had come back from a 2-0 deficit top beat Section X Canton 7-2 Thursday at St. Lawrence University. Bougourd pitched a complete game for the win, Thomas Carville and Jamison Young each drove in two runs, and Synakowski scored twice. The Jugglers took the lead with five runs in the fifth inning and added two in the top of the seventh.
The Jugglers play Friday at 10 a.m. against Section VI Medina in the first of four games at Binghamton University. Section X Chester and Section XI Center Moriches play other B semifinal at 1 p.m., and the winners advance to play again Saturday at 10 a.m. on the same field,
New Hartford shut out to end baseball season
Averill Park senior Anthony Decker pitched a six-hit shutouit at Keenholts Park Saturday and the Warriors earned their place in the state’s Class A baseball semifinals with a 4-0 win over New Hartford.
The Warriors (20-5) scored single runs in the second and third innings, and added a pair in the fifth. Defensively, Averill Park picked off two New Hartford runners, and Decker lef the bases loaded when the Spartans rallied with two outs in the sixth inning.
Trailing 4-0 in the sixth, New Hartford got a one-out single from Joe Mungari – his third hit – on a line drive that dropped in front of Averill Park’s diving left fielder. Ashton Palmer singled one out later, and Decker walked Johnny Vitullo to load the bases. Ben Fiorentino flied out to left field to end the inning.
Joe Perrotta started the seventh inning with an infield hit for the Spartans before Decker retired the next three batters to end the game.
Peyton Way had doubled to start the top of the fourth inning with New Hartford trailing 2-0. Decker then hit Luke LaFountain with a pitch, but he picked off a runner for the first out of the inning before Palmer walked. Decker ended the inning with a pop-up and a ground ball.
Averill Park got the scoring started when Dylan Rouleau walked, escaped a rundown and advanced to second base on a pickoff attempt, and Decker doubled. Two New Hartford errors led to another run an inning later.
New Hartford (17-6) had beaten Section X Massena 15-2 at Clarkson University Thursday for what had been the Spartans’ sixth consecutive win. Massena took a quick lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning but New Hartford took the lead with three in the third and added six more in the fourth.
Way had four of the Spartans’ 14 hits and scored three runs. LaFountain added three hits, Palmer had two, and each had a double and three runs batted in.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Notre Dame advances, New Hartford defeated in baseball regionals
Reporting by Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram / Times Telegram
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram | USA TODAY Network
