Little Falls, Oriskany baseball seek advancement to state final four in regionals Saturday
The Little Falls Mounties and Oriskany scaled the pinnacle of Section III baseball this past week in Class C and D.
Now, one win remains for each between being one of the four best in the Great State of New York.
The Mounties will travel to Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton for the NYSPHSAA Class C Regional against Section IV champion Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour. First pitch flies at 1 p.m.
An hour earlier, Oriskany welcomes Section IV winner Deposit/Hancock to Onondaga Community College in Syracuse for a Class D Regional showdown.
Here is what you need to know about both games
Class C: Little Falls vs Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour
The team, residing on the southern edge of Seneca Lake, is known locally as the Schuyler Storm.
WG/O-M did storm through the Section IV postseason. It ended the regular season on a six-game losing streak. As a six seed, though, the Storm cruised with three straight wins, capped off with a 6-4 section final win over Bainbridge-Guilford.
Daniel Lewis will likely receive the ball for the Storm. The Alfred State commit hurled 6 1/3 innings against B-G with just one earned run. Brady Cannon tallied four hits for the Storm in the championship.
Chase Regan expects to counter on the mound for the Mounties. The normal LF starting catcher yearned for the start against Bishop Ludden in the Section III Final and took advantage of the opportunity.
Regan threw a complete game against the Gaelic Knights and allowed one run.
Little Falls does appear to be peaking at the right time.
In its three semifinal wins, the Mounties outscored opponents 29-7.
Class D: Oriskany vs Deposit/Hancock
Down on the shore of Delaware River near the Pennsylvania state line sits a baseball power in Deposit/Hancock. The Eagles won last season’s Class D state title with a perfect 23-0 record.
This season, D/H suffered two hiccups but still cruised to a second straight section title with a 9-1 win Friday over Charlotte Valley.
Blake Fortunato went the distance for the Eagles as he acquiesced four hits and struck out 10.
On their way to a state title last season, D/H defeated 2022’s Section III champion, Morrisville-Eaton. The team M-E beat in the Section III Final – Oriskany.
Oriskany bounced back from that defeat as a seven seed, driven primarily by its pitching.
The squad allowed just 12 runs over the four games of sectionals, including Anthony Kernan’s shutout of Belleville-Henderson in the title bout.
Kernan or freshman Eddie Wright could get the ball for Oriskany, and both ranks as viable options.
Offensively, Oriskany offers a diverse lineup, but Jack Tamburino’s senior leadership could come in handy. He’s driven in a run in each sectional game.
Noah Ram is the sports reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Noah Ram at nram@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Little Falls and Oriskany look to earn spots in state final four Saturday
