By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
WAVERLY — The Waverly baseball team stumbled early in Game 2 of the Section IV Class A best-of-3 championship series, falling to defending champion Maine-Endwell, 5-1, here Thursday.
The Spartans tagged the Wolverines for three runs in the bottom of the first inning and fought off Waverly’s comeback attempts to even the series at one game apiece.
Porter Daddona struck out the first batter he faced and walked the next, then surrendered four consecutive singles before registering another out. B Palmer walked and Max Policare, Mason Little, Lleyton Nytch and Matty Fuller picked up the hits with Palmer, Policare and courtesy runner TJ Hurba scoring for the 3-0 advantage.
Daddona closed out the inning with another strikeout.
“The first inning was bumpy,” said coach Kyle McDuffee. “They barreled the ball up. Got some big hits when they needed it and we just didn't respond. We left a lot of guys on base today and I think come tomorrow you'll see a whole different ballgame.”
Daddona didn’t let the first inning result affect him. He would retire eight of the next 12 batters, six by strikeout. He gave up a two-out triple to Policare in the second, and walked a batter in the third and another in the fourth. M-E also had a runner reach base on a dropped third strike in the third.
“Nope, he didn't. He kept competing,” McDuffee said. “Porter's always done that the whole year. He keeps competing. He's just a competitor on the mound and I'm really proud of the way he worked today, absolutely.”
Meanwhile, the Spartans defense held the Wolverines at bay.
Hogan Shaw drew a base on balls to open the game and Ronin Ault singled with one away, but Josh Mooney retired the next five batters, and M-E closed out the third with a double play.
Mooney walked Matthias Welles to start the fourth, then retired the next three batters.
Daltton Davis walked to begin the fifth, Hogan Shaw added a one-out single and Ault walked with two away, but the Wolverines left the bases loaded.
M-E added a run in the home half of the fifth with the help of two errors and two walks.
With Waverly down, 4-0, Justin Koenig would get hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth, and Axel Murray and Davis walked to load the bases, but a fly out and strikeout ended the threat.
Back-to-back singles by Palmer and Policare led to another insurance run in the M-E half of the sixth.
Jack Pipher smacked a double to right to start the seventh and advanced to third on an error, then Ault reached on an error, scoring Pipher. With one away, Koenig singled to center, but relief pitcher Luke Chapman retired the final two batters.
Waverly stranded a dozen base runners due to seven walks issued by Mooney, who checked the visitors on four hits through 6 ⅓ innings.
Shaw, Pipher, Ault, Koenig and Sam Cheresnowsky had one hit apiece for Waverly.
Daddona struck out nine batters in 4 ⅔ innings. He gave up five hits, five walks and four runs, three of which were earned. Griff Walter threw 1 ⅓ innings of relief, surrendering one earned run on two hits, He struck out one.
“We’ve just got to come back tomorrow and be ready to play baseball,” McDuffee said. “These guys are fighters, they're scrappers, and not one of these kids have quit.”
The decisive third game will be played at Waverly on Friday at 5 p.m.
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
