QUINTIN JAMES
Special to The Leader
With the Fredonia baseball team needing to win out and get help from others to make the playoffs, they had their work cut out for them. They could have called it a season and packed it up, but no. They fought and clawed and somehow clinched a berth in the 2015 SUNYAC playoffs. A double-header vs. Brockport and a trip to Oneonta were the only games left on the schedule, and they ended up going 4-1 in their last five to clinch a berth.
Game one against Brockport saw the Blue Devils come back from down 2-0 to win 3-2. They were fighting for their playoff lives, and it showed, as the winning run was scored in the seventh inning of a three-run comeback.
Senior Zachary Jordan won his fifth game of the season, as he went seven innings, striking out five. In the top of the fifth inning, senior Ryan Carmody doubled in two runs to tie the game. The tie would stay like that until the seventh inning, when freshman Mike Prentice scored on a balk.
Game two saw senior Joe DiLeo go seven innings allowing three runs on six hits, but striking out eight. The Devils came back to score three runs on back to back home runs by junior Dan Cecilia and then by senior Kenny Johnston. Brockport scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and won the game by one.
With the heartbreaking loss that hurt their playoff chances, the Blue Devils needed to win out against Oneonta on the road. They weren’t rattled at all, though, and came out with a big 13-5 win which saw freshman Bailey Gauthier get his first college win.
The Blue Devils started early with three runs in the top of the first inning. The game was very sloppy, as nine errors, five committed by Oneonta, gave the teams more runs and elongated the game. Junior Jake Horford started for the Blue Devils, but was not sharp, as he only pitched four and a third innings, giving up six hits. Gauthier relieved him and tossed two and two thirds innings, striking out two.
The two teams finished out the SUNYAC schedule by playing a double-header the next day. They needed to win two out of the three games on the weekend, but they completed a full sweep winning the double-header by the scores of 10-5 and 11-8. In game one, the Blue Devils scored five in the first inning, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of junior Dan Cecilia. Zachary Jordan earned his sixth win of the year, going seven innings.
In game two, the scoring was early for the most part. Fifteen runs were scored in the first two innings, with Fredonia leading 8-7. A two-run double by Ciro Frontale capped off a six-run second inning, fueled by two Oneonta errors. Fredonia had 13 hits in the second game, and the offense looks good heading into the playoffs. Gauthier picked up his second save of the season.
Fredonia returns to the SUNYAC playoffs after a one year absence. In 2013, they were one inning away from the championship game, a place in which they hope to visit this season. They finish the regular season against Penn St.-Behrend in their final game and home game of the year. Fredonia plays first place Cortland in the first round of the playoffs this upcoming weekend.