5-10-2007
Coop baseball bounces back from first loss
By ERIC AHLQVIST
Editor
The Cooperstown baseball team rebounded from its first loss of the season with a pair of victories over good teams Monday and Tuesday.
With the wins, the Redskins improve to 11-1 overall and will host Morrisville-Eaton today (Thursday) at Doubleday Field.
On Monday, Cooperstown shellacked a solid Canastota team, 10-3, behind a complete game from Luke Banner and a home run and two doubles from catcher Philip Pohl. Banner struck out six and walked one in earning his fourth win of the year without a loss.
The win moved the Redskins to 5-0 in league play and dropped Canastota to 8-2 overall.
On Tuesday, Cooperstown traveled to play Richfield Springs and won, 15-5, as Jim Fort picked up the pitching win, striking out 6 with two walks and allowing no earned runs. Frank Petroskey was 3-for-4 with two doubles and Kyle Liner was also 3-for-4 while Brian Segit added a double.
``We bounced back well from our loss to Oneonta, and that was really not a bad loss for us,’’ said Cooperstown baseball coach Frank Miosek.
On Saturday, CCS fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 7-6 loss to Oneonta in a terrific ball game.
Oneonta took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and threatened to break the game open in the bottom of the fourth when Cooperstown starter Zack Sittler allowed three walks and a single. With the score 3-0 and the bases loaded, Fort relieved Sittler and retired the next batter on one pitch, a fly ball to center.
The Redskins finally broke through against Yellowjackets’ starting pitcher Jon Wolfganger in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Sean Gates singled up the middle, and leadoff man Luke Banner followed with a walk.
Petroskey singled hard to left, loading the bases for Pohl, who doubled down the left field line on the first pitch, scoring Gates and Banner. Clean-up man Kyle Liner followed with a sacrifice fly to score Petroskey, and Tyler Combs added a clutch two-out single to score Pohl and give Cooperstown a 4-3 lead.
Oneonta responded again in the bottom of the inning, as a walk, an error and a single scored one run. With two outs, rightfielder Kyle Liner made a diving attempt at a short blooper, but as he rolled the ball came out of his glove and another run scored, giving Oneonta a 5-4 lead. OHS scratched across an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, and took a 6-4 lead to the top of the seventh inning.
Petroskey, who has nine hits in his last 10 at bats, led off with a single up the middle, his third hit of the game, and Pohl singled to left, putting the tying runs on. Liner followed with a one-hopper back to the mound, but Oneonta pitcher Lance Ratchford threw the ball into centerfield while trying to get the force at second. Petroskey scored, and Pohl advanced to third base. Combs followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 6-6.
Pohl relieved Fort in the bottom of the seventh, and gave up an opposite field double to lefty hitting Ryan Lynch leading off the inning, and Wolfganger followed with a sharp single to the left-center field gap to score the winning run.
``Both teams showed a lot of heart,’’ Miosek said. ``They had the last at bat, and took advantage.’’
Cooperstown hosted Mt. Markham at Doubleday Field last night (Wednesday) and travel to play the Mustangs next Tuesday in two big Center State Conference games.
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