FORT PLAIN 9, LITTLE FALLS 5
LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. — An error-filled first inning got the Mohawk Valley Babe Ruth League’s “B” Division championship game off to a shaky start at Veterans Memorial Park Saturday. Top-seeded Fort Plain settled down first and defeated Little Falls 9-5 to take home the title.
Each team was charged with a pair of errors in a first inning that ended with Fort Plain leading 2-1. Fort Plain would not commit another error while Little Falls would be charged with four more, most of which led to additional runs for the out-of-towners.
Fort Plain scored three times in the bottom of the third inning to take a 5-1 lead. An infield hit, a stolen base and a ground out put Zack Sweet at third base with Marcus Failing coming to the plate. Failing hit a ground ball to the drawn-in first baseman and Sweet slid safely under the tag on Tyler Baumeister’s throw to the plate for the first run of the inning. Failing stole second and came around to score on a single by Dakota Nemecek. Nemecek also stole Second base and scored from there on a wild throw on Ray Ponte’s bunt.
Little Falls came back with a run in the top of the fourth when Nick Luppino scored as Sean Ward’s blooper dropped in for a hit. Little Falls left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and Fort Plain answered with two runs on a double by Failing in the bottom of the inning.
Another Little Falls run crossed the plate in the top of the fifth, an inning that ended in back-breaking fashion for Little Falls. Mitchell Baumeister drew a walk leading off and scored one out later on a double by his brother Tyler. Frank Anelli hit the next batter, putting th tying run in the on-deck circle with one out. Anelli struck a batter out for the second out and Sweet, Fort Plain’s catcher, hopped out of his crouch and picked a runner off first base on Strike 3 to complete an inning-ending double play.
Fort Plain tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and Anelli went to the mound for the seventh leading 9-3. Theo Wind drew a walk to start the inning and Michael Stehnach singled with one out. Tyler Baumeister, who had driven in two of Little Falls’ three earlier runs, brought home two more with his second double of the game.
Baumeister’s hit was the end of Anelli’s night on the mound and Chris Hanifin took over with one out. Hanifin fanned the first batter he faced then walked the second before the game ended with a pop fly to third base.
Sweet, Failing and Nemecek each had two hits for Fort Plain. Failing and Nemecek drove in two runs each while Sweet and Hanifin both scored twice.
Tyler Baumeister had three of Little Falls’ five hits in the championship game and drove in four of the team’s five runs.
CHAMPIONSHIP
FORT PLAIN 9, LITTLE FALLS 5
Little Falls 100 110 2 — 5 5 6
Fort Plain 203 211 X — 9 7 2
Nick Luppino, Mitchell Baumeister (4), Michael Luppino (6) and Michael Stehnach. Frank Anelli, Chris Hanifin (7) and Zack Sweet. W — Anelli. L — N.Luppino. 2B — Little Falls, Tyler Baumeister 2; Fort Plain, Sweet, Dakota Nemecek, Marcus Failing.
FORT PLAIN 4, HERKIMER 0
LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. — Left-hander Marcus Failing pitched a two-hit shutout in Fort Plain’s 4-0 semifinal win against Herkimer in Saturday Mohawk Valley Babe Ruth League “B” Division playoffs. He struck out nine batters and picked two runners off.
Failing wiggled out of his only jam in the top of the fourth inning. An error and a double by Brandon Oldfield put Herkimer runners at second and third with nobody out and Fort Plain leading 1-0. Failing struck out the next batter, caught a bunt in the air for the second out and ended the inning with a called third strike.
Fort Plain had struck for the game’s first run in the previous inning. Adrian Viscomi walked Billy Logan leading off. An errant pickoff throw and a wild pitch moved Logan to third base. Frank Anelli then hit a ground ball to shortstop; Ryan Holt, playing in, fielded the ball cleanly and threw home ahead of the runner. Logan was ruled safe, a disputed call that signified the runner had gotten to the plate before he was tagged.
The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth when Viscomi walked two batters with one out. Dakota Nemecek then drilled a pitch into the left field corner for a two-run triple. Nemecek would score on an error on Ray Ponte’s grounder to first base.
Viscomi allowed only three hits while pitching a complete game for Herkimer. He walked five batters and hit one.
SEMIFINAL
FORT PLAIN 4, HERKIMER 0
Herkimer 000 000 0 — 0 2 3
Fort Plain 001 003 X — 4 3 1
Adrian Viscomi and Joey Aiello. Marcus Failing and Zack Sweet. W — Failing. L — Viscomi. 2B — Herkimer, Brandon Oldfield. 3B — Fort Plain, Dakota Nemecek.
LITTLE FALLS 3, CANAJOHARIE 1
LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. — Michael Izzo struck out the final batter of the game with the tying run at the plate and Little Falls earned its spot in Saturday’s Mohawk Valley Babe Ruth League “B” Division final with a 3-1 win over Canajoharie.
Izzo carried a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning and got the benefit of a disputed call going his way. Joe Horning led off the seventh inning with a double to left-center. The relay from left fielder Sean Ward arrived at third base along with Horning who was called out as he attempted to stretch his hit.
The next batter walked and Izzo notched a strikeout for the second out of the inning. Zach Razkowski moved to second base on a wild pitch and scored when Zach Folts singled. Izzo then squared off against Dan Brownell who had doubled earlier in the game and retired him to end the game.
Little Falls got all three of its runs in the fifth inning. Michael Luppino’s pop fly dropped in for a hit leading off and Michael Stehnach drove him home with a two-out double, his third hit of the game. Tyler Baumeister drew a walk and Little Falls got a run home with some aggressive base running on Izzo’s ground ball. Canajoharie’s shortstop ranged to the right of second base to field the ball hit by Izzo but fell down before he could make a throw to first; Stehnach kept running around third base and raced home to score for a 2-0 lead. Nick Luppino followed with another hit to drive home Baumeister.
Izzo struck out five batters. He retired 10 batters in a row after hitting the first batter of the game.
SEMIFINAL
LITTLE FALLS 3, CANAJOHARIE 1
Canajoharie 000 000 1 — 1 4 0
Little Falls 000 030 X — 3 10 1
Bill Winsman, Joe Horning (6) and Horning, Zach Razkowksi, Michael Izzo and Michael Stehnach. W — Izzo. L — B.Winsman. 2B — Canajoharie, Dan Brownell, Horning; Little Falls, Stehnach, Mitchell Baumeister.
Compiled From Times Staff Reports
