STAC BASEBALL: RED-HOT PERRY HITS TWO MORE HOME RUNS, LEADS WAVERLY TO 14-3 WIN OVER CHENANGO VALLEY (24 PHOTOS) (2024-04-12)

Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Senior Ethan Perry hit two more home runs, and turned in six strong innings on the mound to lead unbeaten Waverly to a 14-3 win over Chenango Valley, and a sweep of their three-game series here Friday afternoon in STAC Central Division baseball action.

“It’s hard to beat any team three times in a series,” said Waverly coach Kyle McDuffee. “I’m very impressed with how these guys are taking it one inning at a time.”

The Wolverines, now 7-0, have scored 89 runs in seven games, including 59 runs in the last four.

“The reason for the successful to start the season is due to hard, focused work,” said McDuffee. “We are swinging at strikes and also continue to have good at-bats, which equates to runs.”

Perry now has six home runs on the season, including five in the three-game set this week against the Warriors.

“Ethan has put in some extra cage work, and has focused on barreling the ball,” said McDuffee. “He’s having quality at-bats.

“In all my years of coaching, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.

Perry unloaded on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning, driving it over the left-field fence to score senior Jay Pipher, who singled on the first pitch of the frame, to give the Wolverines a quick 2-0 lead.

Senior Joey Tomasso, again on the first pitch, re-ignited the rally with a line-drive double to left field, and scored on a one-out RBI single by senior Jake VanHouten, who also connected on the first pitch he saw, to make it 3-0.

Senior Sean Bubniak, the sixth batter of the inning, then lined the sixth pitch of the inning from CV start Jim Fitzgerald to right field for a single, but Fitzgerald retired the next two batters to avoid further damage. (Fitzgerald faced eight batters, and threw 10 pitches in the inning.)

The Wolverines added a run in the home half of the third inning when freshman Matthias Welles ripped a double into the left-center field gap, and took third when the relay throw was mishandled. He scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of VanHouten to make it 4-0.

Perry cruised the first three innings without allowing a hit, and picking off the only base-runner at second base.

“Ethan lived around the plate tonight,” said McDuffee, “Having six strikeouts, one hit and one earned run, especially in the cold and rainy conditions, is exceptional.”

Perry ran into a little trouble in the fourth inning inning when Testani worked a lead-off walk, and Fitzgerald stroked a one-out single. Moments later, the duo worked a double-steal, with Testani swiping home to close the gap to 4-1.

Waverly then committed back-to-back infield throwing errors to plate two more runs, and trim the deficit to 4-3. Perry retired the next eight batters he faced, thanks in part to an inning-ending double play in the fifth inning, while his offense went to work.

In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Hogan Shaw and Pipher stroked back-to-back one-out singles. With two outs, Tomasso and Welles worked consecutive walks to force home a run, and load the bases.

VanHouten capped the rally with a clutch two-RBI single to left field to make it 7-3.

Waverly added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI groundout off the bat of Hogan Shaw to extend the lead to 8-3, then put the game away with six runs in the sixth inning.

Perry led off the sixth with another shot over the left-field fence to make it 9-3, then Tomasso and VanHouten walked, sandwiched around a single by Welles to load the bases.

After Bubniak knocked in a run with an RBI groundout, sophomore Ronin Ault walked to re-load the bases, and freshman Ben Shaw drove home two runs with a fielder’s choice groundout to extend the lead to 12-3.

The Wolverines finished off the scoring with an RBI double by Hogan Shaw, and an RBI triple by Pipher to make it 14-3.

Perry earned the win, allowing three runs — one earned — on one hit in six innings, while striking out six and walking one. Hogan Shaw closed out the game, striking out two and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of relief.

Perry homered twice, scored two runs, and had three RBI, and Pipher had three hits, including a triple, scored two runs, and drove in one run to pace Waverly’s 14-hit attack, which featured seven extra-base hits.

VanHouten singled twice, scored once, and had four RBI in the win, while Hogan Shaw doubled and singled, scored two runs, and drove in two runs, and Welles doubled and singled, scored two runs, and knocked in one run.

Tomasso doubled, and scored three runs for the Wolverines, while Ault doubled and scored one run, Bubniak singled and drove in one run, and Benny Shaw scored one run, and had two RBI.

Waverly, now 7-0, will host South Williamsport Saturday at 1 p.m., weather permitting.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Ethan Perry. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.