STAC BASEBALL: WAVERLY PULLS AWAY FROM FORKS FOR 12-6 WIN; IMPROVES TO 10-0 (11 PHOTOS) (2024-04-16)

Valley Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — Chenango Forks kept the game close for three innings, but unbeaten Waverly kept scoring, and pulled away for a 12-6 win here Tuesday afternoon in STAC Central Division baseball action.

The Wolverines, now 10-0, scored four runs in the top of the first inning, and led from wire-to-wire.

Senior Jay Pipher led off the game with a hard groundball single into left field, stole second base, and scored on a line-drive RBI single by senior Ethan Perry to give Waverly a quick 1-0 lead.

Perry stole seconds, and scored on an RBI single by senior Joey Tomasso, who took second on the throw home.

After a walk to freshman Matthias Welles, senior Jake VanHouten was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

With one out, sophomore Ronin Ault stroked a line-drive RBI single to left field to make it 3-0, and freshman Ben Shaw capped the rally with an RBI groundout.

Forks answered with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to close the gap to 4-3.

Perry belted a one-out double in the second inning, and scored on a two-out RBI single by Welles to make it 5-3.

The Blue Devils took advantage of a Waverly error in the bottom of the second inning to trim the deficit to 5-4.

The Wolverines scored two more runs in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. Consecutive two-out base on balls to sophomore Hogan Shaw, Pipher, and Perry forced home senior Sean Bubniak, who led off the inning with a walk to extend the Waverly lead to 6-4. Moments later, Tomasso was hit by a pitch to force home another run to make it 7-4.

Forks loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning on three consecutive errors by the Wolverines, but Bubniak pitched out of it allowing just one run to keep the Wolverines ahead 7-5 after three innings.

With two outs in the top of the fourth inning, Ault ripped a double to right field, and Ben Shaw worked a walk. After Ault moved to third on a wild pitch, and courtesy-runner Jack Pipher stole second, Hogan Shaw stroked a two-RBI single to center field to put the Wolverines up 9-5.

Forks scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 9-6.

The Wolverines finished off the scoring in the top of the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Perry, and an RBI groundout off the bat of senior Jake VanHouten.

Sophomore Porter Daddona pitched the seventh inning, and struck out the side in order.

Bubniak earned the win, allowing six runs — three earned — on four hits, while striking out one and walking three in six innings.

Perry had three hits, including a home run — his seventh of the season — and a double, three runs scored, and four RBI, and Ault had three hits, including a double, one runs scored, and one RBI to pace Waverly’s 11-hit attack.

Tomasso singled, scored two runs, and drove in two runs in the win, while Hogan Shaw singled, scored one run, stole two bases, and knocked in two runs, Jay Pipher singled, scored two runs, and stole two bases, and Welles singled, scored one run, and had one RBI.

Bubniak singled and scored one run for the Wolverines, while VanHouten and Ben Shaw each had one RBI, and Jack Pipher swiped two bases.

Waverly wraps up the three-game series against Chenango Forks Friday at home.

——————

IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Ethan Perry. … PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHELA BUBNIAK.