Baseball

Called to a halt

Number-seven seeded Onteora rides pitching of ace Yerry and capitalizes on Bulldog errors to shock SW in Class B quarterfinal

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — All the stars seemed aligned for number-two seeded Sullivan West to make history as it prepared to host number seven Onteora on June 2 in a Section Nine Class B baseball quarterfinal.

With a Division IV title in tow and ace Brad Reimer heading to the hill in front of a large and supportive home crowd, the agenda was to quickly put the Indians in the rearview mirror and then host another game two days later against either Burke or Marlboro.

Visions of a Section Nine title seemed far from illusory.

Rather, they seemed well within reach. “If we play good defense like we can, we’ll be in every game,” coach Kurt Scheibe had told his team in the days leading up to the tourney opener.

As it turned out, that was easier said than done. The Bulldogs committed five errors and allowed five passed balls to open the door to an Onteora 9-0 win, ably abetted by senior southpaw ace G.C. Yerry, soon bound for Stony Brook on a full ride scholarship. The SW error total surpassed that of the last six games combined.

Yerry came in with 97 strikeouts and a 6-2 record against the tough teams Onteora has played. He soon showed himself to be the real deal and was a stunning foil to the normally dominant Reimer.

Reimer would fan seven and induced the grounders that his team should have readily gobbled up.

When they didn’t, it put more pressure on him, both on the mound and at the plate. It just wasn’t his day. He struck out three times.

Yerry would strike out 14 Dawgs on his way to completing a two-hit gem. Mixing his pitches, speed and planes, he baffled Sullivan West batters, who helped him out by swinging at pitches out of the zone. By the time the Bulldogs came to bat in the bottom of the first, they were already down 3-0, courtesy of a pair of errors, passed balls and two singles. Onteora wreaked havoc on the base paths, too, stealing bases to move runners up all afternoon.

For Onteora, that first inning provided a jolt of confidence that never abated. By contrast, Sullivan West looked unsteady and tentative at the plate and frustrations mounted as they flailed away at Yerry’s fast balls, curves and change ups.

For Sullivan West seniors, who dreamed of finally making it through sectionals, this was a devastating way to finish their careers. Logan Grishaber had hoped to start the next game. Instead, he was called in for mop-up duty in the sixth. Onteora got him for a trio of runs over his two innings of work. By game’s end, he, Reimer and fellow seniors Eric Minton, Gaston Owen and Harold Smith, were left to ponder the prospect of no more high school games.

This wasn’t how it’s supposed to end, but as coach Kurt Schiebe noted, every team except the state champion ends its season with a loss.

Onteora sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and all three runs were unearned. By comparison, Sullivan West did not register a hit until the third inning, when Grishaber beat out a slow roller to the mound. Yerry had fanned seven batters by that point and would match that total the rest of the way. The only other hit was registered when Mark Tesseyman had a booming double in the seventh. A walk to Austin Sauer gave the Dawgs runners at first and second with one out, but down nine runs with Yerry still throwing gas, it was already a done deal.

A short while later, the Bulldogs had to watch a sea of red-and-black clad players celebrate on the Dawg pound mound. No wonder tears were already streaming down faces as the team headed to the outfield grass for a final confab.

Onteora coach Scott Via added to the background information about Yerry that this writer had already begun to acquire from Onteora spectators, including the pitcher’s mom. She noted his affinity for baseball began when he was a toddler and has never abated.

Via noted that Yerry has come a long way. “He can come in there and put the ball in the right place. He kept the ball that had registered his 100th strikeout. When he’s not on the mound, he plays first base,” said Via. Onteora lost to Marlboro in the next round. Pine Plains emerged as the Class B champion.

Scheibe credited Yerry’s pitching. “He threw strikes and kept us off balance.

Some people wondered why Scheibe had started Reimer, but the coach knows when it comes to sectional play, you can’t look ahead.

Onteora had a losing division record but they played tough teams along the way.

Scheibe summed things up thusly: “Our youth in spots showed today. This is one of the best groups I’ve worked with. I give Lucas Bauer and Michael Durkin credit. They came up and helped us out by filling out our bench. I hope it will help them next year having been around these guys.”

Sullivan West players wondered what they would do now that there was no more baseball season left. But life goes on and as tragic as things seemed following the disappointing loss, the tragedy is minor in the larger context.

Sullivan West’s 16-4 record was the best ever recorded by a Westie baseball squad. Marlboro improved to 11-8.

Livingston Manor’s baseball team sole Sullivan County Section Nine champion

Livingston Manor defeated S.S. Seward 6-3 behind the complete-game pitching of Ross Abbott. With a bye into the state semifinals, the Wildcats are only two wins away from a state championship. Manor has had runs at the state title in softball in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but never was able to win the final prize.

The win was especially sweet for Livingston Manor, which lost two of three to the Spartans during the regular season. Manor reached the finals by ousting defending state champion Chapel Field. Manor has vastly improved since going 1-15 in 2007 and 6-10 a year ago. Manor (14-8) will play at Union Endicott High School on June 13. Since there are no Class D teams in the tourney from Sections 1, 8, or 11, Manor advances directly to the semifinals.

Seward edges Manor in softball Class D final

In a pitching battle for the ages, Livingston Manor’s Marissa Diescher locked up with S.S. Seward’s Michelle Dugan in a 2-1 10-inning classic. Diescher struck out 22 batters and allowed just one hit, a bunt single. She finished her season with 303 Ks. Dugan struck out 13 and allowed just four hits. Manor won both regular season games by the scores of 5-2 and 1-0, but Seward, which has been fire tested in state tournament play in soccer and basketball, did not rattle. With international rules at play in extra innings, each team began with a runner on second. Seward scored twice in the top of the 10th and Manor was able to get only one run back in the bottom of the frame.

The Lady Wildcats finished their season at 16-4. Seward gets a bye in the first round of the state tournament and will play on June 13 against the winner of the Section 3 vs. Section 4 matchup.

Lady Bulldogs ousted in opening round loss to Pine Plains

Hopes of making it past the first round of this year’s Class B Section Nine tourney vanished for the Lady Bulldogs as they fell to Pine Plains 7-2 on June 1. Sullivan West finished its season at 9-11.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of photos from the Sullivan West/Onteora baseball sectional.