Baseball
S-E 8, Mount Markham 4
WEST WINFIELD – Sherburne-Earlville won its eleventh straight game, and clinched its first Center State Conference division title since the 2003-2004 season with a road win Monday against Mount Markham.
S-E (9-0, 14-3) spotted the Mustangs a three-run lead over the first two innings, but controlled the game after a three-run third frame to tie the game. “We were down early, but the kids have a confidence about them,” said S-E coach Brian Hicks. “They think it’s just a matter of time before we’ll score enough runs, and (the other team) won’t score anymore.”
Winning pitcher Jake Sampson allowed four hits – just two after the first inning – to pick up the win. Sampson had three hits and four RBI as well, and Stephen Buddenhagen finished with three hits. Mike Doscher and Joe Moses contributed two hits apiece.
S-E can complete an unbeaten league schedule today when it hosts Waterville. “Once we got on a roll and beat everyone in the league the first time we played them, we realized we could run the table and win the division,” Hicks said. “We believed we could beat anyone in our league if we played well, but we also realized we needed to bring our ‘A game’ every game because any team can beat us if we don’t.”
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Jake Sampson (W) and Caleb Brown. Bartle (L), Drake (6) and Newman. Doubles: (SE) S. Buddenhagen, triples: (SE) Derek Ferris.
Norwich 9, Sidney 1
NORWICH – Norwich received another strong pitching performance, played nearly spotless defense as well, and won its third straight game in a non-league matchup against Sidney Monday afternoon.
Norwich opened a seven-run lead plating five runs in the second frame to support winning pitcher Mike Moon. Tim Clark had a two-run single in the second, Josh Borfitz added an RBI double, and Richie Bonney scored one run with a single.
Clark, Bonney, and Christian Hotaling had two hits apiece. Clark and Bonney each drove in a pair of runs, and Hotaling scored three times.
Moon surrendered just three hits and a single run in the fourth inning. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter. “You take away the fourth inning (when Sidney scored), and Mike almost threw a perfect game,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We put runners in scoring position today, and our bats were hot at the right time.”
Norwich (6-9) plays at Oxford today.
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Mike Moon (W) and Thomas Kalicicki. Tyler Kane (L), Andy Kozak (5) and Zach Finch. Doubles: (N) Timmy Clark (2), C. Hotaling (2), Josh Borfitz.
Stockbridge Valley 5, Otselic Valley 4
SOUTH OTSELIC – Otselic Valley dropped its second game to Stockbridge Valley this season, and the third one-run defeat of the season on Monday.
SV’s Alex Dickerman tripled and scored on an error to draw his team even in the fifth inning. The Indians went ahead for good in the sixth after a two-run single, and Dickerman added what proved to be the winning run walking to lead off the inning, and eventually scoring on an infield error.
“We’ve had plenty of hits this season, and it’s the best we’ve hit the ball in a long time,” said OV coach Dave Loomis of his team’s season. “We just have not been getting them at the right time in close ballgames.”
OV closed a two-run gap in the seventh to 5-4 when David Cerasani tripled with one out, and scored on Adam Duell’s single. Brad Wentworth followed with a single putting runners on the corners, but the Vikes were unable to push across the tying run.
Cerasani went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. The Vikings (8-5) play Madison Wednesday.
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Tanner Bluewolf (W) and M. Clark. Dylan Comfort (L) and Dave Cerasani. Triples: (OV) Cerasani, (SV) Alex Dickerman.
Softball
