Early runs hold up as Lansing tops Chenango Forks, claims second straight Section 4 title
One striking streak was halted but a burgeoning and far more significant one shifted into higher gear Friday as Lansing secured Section 4’s Class B baseball championship by defeating Chenango Forks, 7-3.
The Bobcats’ 4-0 lead through 2½ innings wasn’t seriously threatened in the game on Maine-Endwell’s sun-splashed turf despite wonderful fielding through five innings giving way to a brand of defense that’ll in no way suffice come intersectional play.
Forks came up with two sixth-inning runs and another in the seventh before the No. 6 seed went ahead and celebrated in mitts-tossing, sprint-to-center-field fashion.
The Bobcats came into the final off four successive shutouts and seven in their most recent eight outings. So goes that, but how about the larger deal: A second consecutive sectional championship, last year’s coming in Class C. Oh, and the title grabbed by a squad with one senior.
Bodes well for the future of baseball in Lansing, no?
“This is absolutely incredible,” said Bobcats coach Brett Hotchkiss. “A little change of pace for us this year coming from Class C to Class B, not really knowing the landscape here it was definitely going to be a challenge. And we faced a very competitive ‘C’ bracket last year.
“But in terms of what it means, we’ve got one senior and a very young group right now, went through our battles and struggles early in the season. To be playing our best baseball his time of the year, I think it just goes to solidify what we’re doing as a program now and how much progress we’ve made in the last 2-3 months.”
Next Up
Lansing’s next test will come in a state quarterfinal against Section 3’s champion, 10 a.m. June 3 at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton. The winner of that one will play a June 9 semifinal at Union-Endicott High.
Bobcats produce early
Lansing summoned two-out production − with aid of less-than-stellar Forks defense _ to put up two second-inning runs. Most critical were a double by Logan Mayo and a two-run triple by Alex Boles on a ball misplayed in the outfield.
The advantage was extended to 4-0 with help of an error and Bode Petrich’s run-scoring single hooked down the left-field line in the third.
The Bobcats made it 5-0 on Cooper Ouellette’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Sperger on his game, mostly
Lansing’s ace pitcher, leadoff batter and the team’s lone senior, Zach Sperger, held Forks scoreless through five innings. In the fifth, after allowing an oops of a check-swing single to right by Stephen Samsel (2-for-3), he got out of the inning unscathed by striking out the final batter on a 3-2 fastball.
Final tally: Five hits, no earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts.
Sperger permitted two sixth-inning runs and one in the seventh, with mild control issues and defensive lapses contributing.
“Pitching was good, wish there was a shutout up there, we’ve got to make more plays in the field, obviously,” Sperger said. “I left a couple pitches middle, but … Just go out there and throw strikes normally, you know? Teams hate strikes.”
An absolute beauty early
Defensive gem of the game, which may be lost in the shuffle as it transpired in the first inning, was turned in by Lansing catcher Korbin Lovejoy.
And what a piece of scrap and willingness it was.
With a runner at first via an opening base on balls, Forks’ Keegan Watson bunted but the ball was directed on a low trajectory nearby down the third-base line. Lovejoy went on a horizontal dive to somehow snare the catch for out No. 1, sprang and gunned a throw to first base to double off the runner.
Simply exquisite, is what it was.
Etc., etc.
** On its way to the final, fourth-seeded Chenango Forks defeated No. 5 Windsor and No. 1 Oneonta_ by 2-1 in eight innings.
** Sperger, on the meaning of Lansing’s championship: “Freshman year for me, COVID. Sophomore year, lost in the section final to our rival, Trumansburg. Won in Class C last year and this year in Class B we were faced with all new challenges. No. 6 seed, everyone said we were bad, no one thought we were going this far.
“People would be surprised how far pitching can take you. Winning back-to-back in different classes means everything to us, everybody stepped up.”
** Hotchkiss, on the Lansing defense that was so sound most of the way before lapsing late. Which is the real view?
“We probably fall somewhere in the middle, to be honest, he said. “When Zach’s going on he can almost lull you to sleep out there when he’s inducing soft contact and getting strikeouts. At the end of the game, he’s relying on his defense to make plays. Obviously moving forward, we’ve got to come up with a few more of those.
“The offense gave us more of a margin of error today than we’ve traditionally had but it was nice to have that.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Lansing tops Chenango Forks in Section 4 Class B baseball final
