Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Senior Ronin Ault did it at the plate and on the mound here Wednesday to lead Waverly in a 20-1 five-inning win over Seton Catholic in STAC Central Division baseball action.
"Ronin (Ault) was dominant on the mound tonight and even better at the plate," said longtime Waverly coach Kyle McDuffee. "He played a well-rounded game.
"We had good approaches at the plate as a team and hit the ball all over the field.
"Seton (Catholic) was coming off a big win (Tuesday) over Oneonta, so I wasn’t sure what to expect today, but Waverly came to play," added McDuffee.
The Wolverines plated multiple runs in each the four innings they came to the plate, beginning with three runs in the top of the first inning.
Senior Hogan Shaw led off the home half of the first inning with a ringing triple into the right-center field gap.
Sophomore Jack Pipher then reached on a dropped third strike, and stole second to put runners on second and third. Both runners scored on a line-drive two-run single by Ault, who later scored on an error to make it 3-0.
After Ault struck out the side in the top of the second inning, the Wolverines plated four more runs, with a two-run double by Ault and an RBI single by junior Matthias Welles doing most of the damage.
Ault pitched around a one-out walk in the top of the third, and Waverly put the game out of reach with five more runs in the home half of the inning to extend the lead to 12-0.
With one out, junior Ben Shaw, freshman Axel Murray, and senior Daltton Davis loaded the bases with consecutive singles.
The Wolverines took advantage of three Saint errors to plate four runs, and Hogan Shaw delivered a run with a sacrifice fly.
Seton Catholic put together their only two hits of the game in the top of the fourth inning to get on the board, but Waverly answered with eight runs in the bottom of the frame.
The rally featured a two-run home run to left field by Ault, a two-run double by pinch-hitter senior Derek Johnson, RBI singles by sophomore Sammy Cheresnowsky and Pipher, and a sacrifice fly by Ben Shaw.
Ault earned the win, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out seven and walking one in four innings of work.
Welles fanned two in a scoreless inning of relief.
Ault was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three runs scored, and six RBI to pace Waverly's 14-hit attack, while Ben Shaw doubled and singled, scored two runs, and drove in one run, and Murray singled twice and scored one run.
Cheresnowsky singled, scored three runs, and had two RBI in the win, while Pipher singled, stole two bases, scored three runs, and knocked in one run, Hogan Shaw tripled, scored two runs, and drove in two runs, and Johnson doubled, scored one run, and had two RBI.
Senior Porter Daddona doubled and scored one run for the Wolverines, while Davis singled and scored three runs, Welles singled and drove in one run, and Ahren McCarthy crossed the plate once.
Waverly, now 4-0, closes out its three-game series with the Saints Friday at Seton Catholic.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Ronin Ault. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Hogan Shaw is congratulated by third-base coach Taylor Skerpon after his first-inning triple. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
