Warriors take two from Wildcats

Updated: May 14, 2011 7:42PM

Perhaps the Waubonsie Valley baseball team should consider playing a meaningful doubleheader every Saturday following prom.

With a vast majority of the team operating on just four hours sleep, the Warriors followed up Thursday’s 13-11 victory over Neuqua Valley with a doubleheader sweep of the Wildcats, improving to 16-11 overall and 15-7 in the Upstate Eight Conference.

“Focus,” said Warriors catcher Eric Josupait about how to beat a team like Neuqua on such little rest. “You have to focus more when you’re tired. Especially yesterday, I knew I was coming to the diamond to play 14 innings. I was just trying to stay focused and stay positive.”

Waubonsie took the first game 3-2, but not without a little bit of help from another tired senior. Neuqua had the tying run on third with one out in the top of the seventh inning, but centerfielder Chris Anderson caught a liner to center and threw home to Josupait in time to catch the tagging Neuqua runner for the final out.

“Fabulous play,” Josupait said. “Coming straight in, it’s arguably the toughest ball to catch and to judge, but he got it and he got me the ball and that’s all I can ask for. The runner, he tried to slide inside and I made the play.”

Neuqua (17-9, 9-9-1) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on an RBI double to left by Jack Amaro, only to have Josupait tie it in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single with two outs and a runner at third.

Then Waubonsie scored two in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single up the middle by Ryan Vega with the bases loaded.

“After that onslaught the other day, we kind of expected that it would just be another slugfest, but the wind was blowing in and our guys were just playing to hit the ball on the ground,” Vega said. “At their field it’s really windy (blowing out) so they kind of try more to hit it over the fence, like they did the other game. I think we were better prepared for it today.”

Wildcats catcher Jeff Samuel doubled home Chris Medhurst, who had singled, in the top of the seventh, setting up the senior-to-senior catch and throw double play to end the game.

Joey Cuzzone pitched six strong innings to get the win, while Kyle Limanowski came on for an inning to get the save. Vega finished game one 2 for 3 and Limanowski went a perfect 3 for 3.

In game two, Anderson showed he’s more than just an arm, singling home two runs from the 9-hole in a three-run third inning, as Waubonsie went on to win 5-3. Vega, Harry Vickers, Anderson and Josupait all recorded hits in the inning.

Neuqua would score two in the top of the fourth after a leadoff single by Tanner Giesel, a double by Ryan O’Keefe and a walk to Samuel loaded the bases for Nick Iarrobino, who singled up the middle with one out to rake in two RBI. A 1-6-3 double play, however, got Waubonsie out of the inning.

That proved to be a fortuitous defensive moment as the Warriors got the runs back in the bottom of the fifth when Josupait doubled and the speedster was singled home by Mike Murphy, who later scored on a wild pitch and finished the day with three singles.

O’Keefe hit a solo homerun to left in the top of the sixth, but Waubonsie starter James Palasz got three quick outs afterwards and the first two outs of the seventh before Limanowski came on for the final out and a three-pitch save.

“I can’t say enough about our senior group,” Warriors coach Dan Fezzuoglio said. “The senior leadership—Josupait, Vickers, Vega, Anderson—all those kids battled after getting off to a rough start (0-6 record) and now we feel confident and we’re playing to the level we thought we’d play at the beginning of the year. Pitching has been a strength for us all year. James has been throwing well all year and what can I say about Joey Cuzzone. He’s done nothing but throw great games this year.”

Amaro went 4 for 6 for the day for Neuqua, but the Wildcats never got the ultimate timely hit to jumpstart a big inning, leading to some unfortunate made history.

“This was not in the gameplan, dropping two,” Neuqua coach Robin Renner said. “If I remember correctly, that is the first time our team has been swept in a three-game series in the history of our school. Ever. I don’t ever remember being swept three games. I could be wrong, but I don’t remember it. It just seems like we don’t hit unless it’s 70 degrees. We had five hits in the first game, (seven) in the second. It’s just not enough to win games, not enough to beat them anyway.”

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