Eldred squeaks by Spartans to gain sectional slot

TED WADDELL
Posted 5/24/17

ELDRED, NY — Some folks say the game of swats is pretty simple, in that it boils down to three key elements:“throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball.” But in reality it’s …

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Eldred squeaks by Spartans to gain sectional slot

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ELDRED, NY — Some folks say the game of swats is pretty simple, in that it boils down to three key elements:“throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball.”

But in reality it’s a whole lot more, as the game is an ever-changing contest of strategy fueled by the hopes and dreams of the “Boys of Summer.”

On Wednesday, May 10, the home team Yellow Jackets of Eldred (5-6, 4-4 OCIAA) took on the visiting S.S. Seward Spartans (8-6, 4-1 OCIAA) in a game that saw the lead switch back and forth and the deck stacked several times, with runners at the corners eager to cross the plate.

The Spartans took to the field with a record of losing four games by a single run, and as the fates would have it, that trend continued as they lost to Eldred 7-6 in a hard fought OCIAA Division VI game.

It was a game that locked in a sectional berth for the Yellow Jackets, fueled by Patrick Kinney breaking a 6-6 tie with a scoring hit in the bottom of the sixth, giving the home team the victory.

Chett Kelty drove in a couple of runs, while teammate Anthony Banghart posted two hits.

Seward’s Matt Stam and Chris Rahm each had a pair of hits, James Smyth doubled and Jason Harty had an RBI ground out.

Eldred’s starting pitcher Anthony Strasser, a 17-year-old senior, earned the win, and after switching positions with his catcher Noah Curreri late in the contest, Curreri saved the game for the home team.

Jason Harty hurled the entire game for Seaward.

“We started off good, [but] Seward came back to tie up the game, taking the lead a couple of times,” said Strasser.

“We never gave up, that’s why we won the game… every time they took the lead, we came back a little stronger… we got the lead back, and we kept it!” he added.

What was 17-year-old senior Noah Curreri’s take on the game?

“I though it was great… we made a good decision on the mound,” replied the relief hurler.

He noted that while his team “lost steam” in a few early season games, they are getting stronger in the home stretch.

“We kept our hopes up, stayed positive and got the ‘W,’” added Curreri.

Seward opened up the scoring with a run in the first frame, followed by a big four-run fourth inning, and finished up with a score in the sixth.

Eldred’s big inning was the third, as four runners crossed the plate, followed by a couple of runs in the fifth and the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the sixth.

“It was another one-run loss”, said Spartans coach Bill Steele.

“We’re not doing a very good job of closing out… we left 12 runners on base.”

Eldred’s athletic director J.J. Gas, who was standing in for coach Joshua Santoro for the game, summed up the seesaw win.

“It was a great game… our guys had the lead and then gave it away, [but] we fought back.

His take on Eldred’s big inning of the game?

“Noah Curreri hit a monster shot off the fence, a triple to drive in the fourth run of the inning.”

For more photos visit www.riverreporter.com or our Facebook page.

ELDRED, NY — Some folks say the game of swats is pretty simple, in that it boils down to three key elements:“throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball.”

But in reality it’s a whole lot more, as the game is an ever-changing contest of strategy fueled by the hopes and dreams of the “Boys of Summer.”

On Wednesday, May 10, the home team Yellow Jackets of Eldred (5-6, 4-4 OCIAA) took on the visiting S.S. Seward Spartans (8-6, 4-1 OCIAA) in a game that saw the lead switch back and forth and the deck stacked several times, with runners at the corners eager to cross the plate.

The Spartans took to the field with a record of losing four games by a single run, and as the fates would have it, that trend continued as they lost to Eldred 7-6 in a hard fought OCIAA Division VI game.

It was a game that locked in a sectional berth for the Yellow Jackets, fueled by Patrick Kinney breaking a 6-6 tie with a scoring hit in the bottom of the sixth, giving the home team the victory.

Chett Kelty drove in a couple of runs, while teammate Anthony Banghart posted two hits.

Seward’s Matt Stam and Chris Rahm each had a pair of hits, James Smyth doubled and Jason Harty had an RBI ground out.

Eldred’s starting pitcher Anthony Strasser, a 17-year-old senior, earned the win, and after switching positions with his catcher Noah Curreri late in the contest, Curreri saved the game for the home team.

Jason Harty hurled the entire game for Seaward.

“We started off good, [but] Seward came back to tie up the game, taking the lead a couple of times,” said Strasser.

“We never gave up, that’s why we won the game… every time they took the lead, we came back a little stronger… we got the lead back, and we kept it!” he added.

What was 17-year-old senior Noah Curreri’s take on the game?

“I though it was great… we made a good decision on the mound,” replied the relief hurler.

He noted that while his team “lost steam” in a few early season games, they are getting stronger in the home stretch.

“We kept our hopes up, stayed positive and got the ‘W,’” added Curreri.

Seward opened up the scoring with a run in the first frame, followed by a big four-run fourth inning, and finished up with a score in the sixth.

Eldred’s big inning was the third, as four runners crossed the plate, followed by a couple of runs in the fifth and the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the sixth.

“It was another one-run loss”, said Spartans coach Bill Steele.

“We’re not doing a very good job of closing out… we left 12 runners on base.”

Eldred’s athletic director J.J. Gas, who was standing in for coach Joshua Santoro for the game, summed up the seesaw win.

“It was a great game… our guys had the lead and then gave it away, [but] we fought back.

His take on Eldred’s big inning of the game?

“Noah Curreri hit a monster shot off the fence, a triple to drive in the fourth run of the inning.”

For more photos visit www.riverreporter.com or our Facebook page.

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