CHEEKTOWAGA, NY – Up against the second seeded JFK Knights, the Allegany-Limestone baseball team fell behind late, losing 9-4 as a comeback quickly slipped from their grasps.
Finishing 4-11 during the regular season, the Gators stepped into the Section VI Class B postseason with the 15th seed. Early on through the contest, A-L struggled, going three-and-out before the Knights drove in the first run of the night with a single and triple.
Although they would hold JFK through the next frame, the Gators’ defense proved unable to sustain a shutout in the third. A walk and back-to-back singles tacked on another JFK run before a fielder’s choice fly out would allow the deficit to grow to three.
A-L found life in the third, starting with a Caleb Strade homer that put the Gators within striking distance. Two batters later, with two outs, Collin Forest cracked another shot over the fence, giving A-L a slim 4-3 lead. They briefly held the lead with a shutout in the bottom of the frame but failed to add to the scoreboard during their next at-bat. However, the Knights would counter.
Leading off with a double and a walk, JFK quickly took back the lead with a two run RBI single. Following back-to-back walks, they would retaliate with a home run of their own, bringing three runners across home. Although the Gators kept the Knights away from home plate from then on, their offense ran dry. Unable to strike another comeback, A-L’s season came to an end.
Along with his six strikeouts through four innings, Strade ended with one hit in three appearances at the plate, driving in a pair while scoring once himself. Forrest also ended with the same stat line while Isaiah Fisher and Tayden Marge both scored one.
AT CHEEKTOWAGA
R H E
Allegany-Limestone 000 400 0 4 3 1
JFK 102 060 X 9 10 1
A-L: Strade (6 SO, 8 BB), Margeson (5) (0 SO, 0 BB) and Crowley
JFK: Pajak (13 SO, 0 BB), Werner (7) (1 SO, 3 BB) and Sikorsi
