Baseball

Otsenango Pony League Playoffs

Sidney I 6, Norwich I 5

NORWICH – Sidney I built a three-run lead in the first inning, and held on to beat previously-unbeaten Norwich on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Otsenango Pony League playoffs.

Norwich had a pair of golden opportunities to score the tying run fall by the wayside. Cody Brady belted a triple to lead off the sixth inning, but was stranded when winning pitcher Jordan Constable sandwiched two of his 14 strikeouts around a soft lineout to second base to end the threat.

Jake Walsh started the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single to left field, and with one out stole second base. Wyatt McKie made a fine sliding catch in short left field for the second out, but his throw back to second to nab Walsh scooted away allowing Walsh to move to third. Sidney continued to chase Walsh, and another errant throw bounced away. Walsh’s mad dash to home plate came up short as he was tagged out for the game’s final out.

It was the first – and only – loss for Norwich (9-1), who regrouped from a 3-0 deficit getting a two-run single from Kevin Stockwell in the bottom of the first. Sidney plated two in the third, and extended the lead to 6-2 in the fourth after Noah McKie’s RBI sacrifice fly.

Colin Fern’s two-run double in the bottom of the fourth sliced the four-run deficit in half, and Everett Thompson scored in the fifth inning after a Sidney infield error to draw Norwich within one run.

Constable picked up the victory, and left-handed reliever Zak Greene earned the save.

Norwich reliever Chris Trevisani pitched four strong innings striking out five, walking one, and giving up just one run.

Score by Innings R H E

Sidn. 302 100 0 6 6 2