By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
CLYMER, NY – In their first taste of playoff action, the Portville baseball team was up against a wall.
After watching their 3-0 evaporate, the Panthers were now in the top of the seventh, tied 3-3 and in desperate need of some clutch hits. Dylan Chudy had pulled a single, then stealing his way to third on a timely steal and subsequent overthrow, but since then, Portville had picked up their second out. The weight of their season now fell on the shoulders of Cole Keesler, who in his lone bat on the day, had failed to produce a hit. However, this time he seemed determined to find some way to keep the Panthers in the game.
With a full count, Keesler continued to battle, rattling off constant foul balls as he searched for that one perfect pitch. Finally, he found it, cracking a ground ball to CSP’s shortstop who made a costly error on a throw to first. As the ball soared over the Wolf’s first basemen, Mekhi Muhyee, who came in as a pinch runner, rounded home to put the Panthers up by a single score.
“That’s just (Keesler) not wanting to go home tonight,” said Portville head coach Joe Pleakis. “Full-count, two outs. He struggled at the plate but there’s no one more we’d want there. That was huge.”
Out No. 3 came two batters later and now it was up to Portville’s defense to seal the win. Early in the bottom of the seventh, it looked like the surging Wolfpack was bound to even the score. Finding a single, a steal and a sac-grounder that put a CSP base runner on third, the Wolves added another on base with a walk before a steal to second would continue to add to Portville’s pressure. One base hit could bring in the pair and eliminate the sixth seeded underdogs. However, after Brady German tallied the second out of the frame via strikeout, the seven-inning ace pulled it off again and although it came by way of a dropped third strike, a quick and defiant tag-out at first retired CSP for good. Portville had prevailed, 4-3.
“We played seven full innings. That’s kind of been our goal the last few games, play seven good innings and we’d be in a good spot,” said Pleakis. “I thought we did that well.”
Before all the drama came anticipation. Entering the Section VI Class C quarterfinal matchup, it was bound to be a dog fight. Despite the three-versus-six seeding, both squads held similar records, with CSP narrowly holding an advantage on their record at 10-5 to Portville’s 9-7. Both teams also had postseason experience with trips to the Sectional semifinals a year before – CSP in Class C and Portville in Class B.
Ty Kosinski makes a play at first as the Panthers’ held CSP scoreless through the first two frames of Tuesday’s Section VI Class C quarterfinals matchup. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“It’s playoff baseball. We expected them to be ready. We expected them to take it to us,” said Pleakis. “They looked good on paper and they were. They didn’t back down.”
Although both the Panthers and Wolves would find contact in the batter’s box out of the gates, neither would end up in the scoreboard through the first frame. Portville produced back-to-back fly outs and a third at first, while CSP managed to put a man on first with a single, but was dispatched before being able to bring him home. In the second, however, the Panthers broke through.
Shortstop Cole Keesler fields an incoming grounder during the Panthers’ dramatic win over the Wolfpack on Tuesday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Earning back-to-back walks to open the frame before suffering their first out, Izayah Edmund tallied an RBI with a single that drove in Ty Kosinski. Although that would be the totality of the action in the top of the second, they would again send the Wolfpack back to dugout with staunch defense that left another runner stranded. In the third, Portville continued to put the ball in play as Aidan DeFazio rattled off a lead off single before being joined on base by German via walk. Eventually loading the bases with just one out, Keesler hit a deep shot into the outfield and although it was caught, DeFazio tagged up on third before sprinting across home plate. An overthrow on the same play allowed German to join him in celebration.
“I couldn’t have been more pleased with our demeanor the whole game. In the field at the plate, I would just say we were unrattled,” said Pleakis. “They played our game. We had a gameplan, we stuck to it and I thought they were just dialed in all game. I was impressed that we got out of a couple jams that got some guys on. We’ve been leaving guys on the last few games so it was nice to flip the tables. I thought we got guys home and on the flip side, have them leave guys stranded.”
Then it was CSPs turn to respond. Having one Wolf on first and facing one out, a sac-fly put them on the scoreboard. This one run would turn the tide. From then on, the Wolfpack continuously stunted the Panthers while they slowly chipped away at the deficit.
A Wolfpack baserunner beats the throw to second during Portville’s win in the Class C quarterfinals. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
In the bottom of the fifth, CSP found another single before moving their man to third before a sacrifice grounder would score a second run. Dispatching Portville with a man on first and second in the sixth, the Wolfpack finally evened the score with a bunt and unforced wild Panther overthrow that pulled the air of out Portville’s dugout. But only momentarily.
“We had to settle down. It was frustrating. (CSP) had at least two of their runs that they scored (should have been called) out at first,” said Pleakis. “We don’t get those calls and it’s frustrating in a game like this. It’s easy to get rattled and let it come undone.”
The Panthers’ steel nerves would return and 11 combined batters later, they emerged victorious.
Chudy came away with a team-high two hits during his four appearances at the plate, while DeFazio and Isaiah Edmund both ended 1-for-4 with Edmund tallying an RBI. Keelser’s clutch day on the road produced a run and an RBI while on the mound, German tallied four strikeouts through a full game.
Moving on to semifinals once again, Portville now faces a familiar face: Gowanda. Meeting twice in the regular season, albeit early on and before the Panthers’ late hot streak, Gowanda had come out on top both times, winning 9-0 in the season opener and 10-3 four games later. Despite the disparity on paper, Pleakis is ready for another battle, as well as a chance to play in the championship game.
“We’re not going to change much. We feel solid in our game plan and our team,” said Pleakis. “(Gowanda) handed it to us early and there’s part of us that wants them back. We’re hungry, it’s playoff baseball and these kids don’t want to go home yet.”
AT CLYMER
R H E
Portville 012 000 1 4 5 1
Clymer/Sherman/Panama 001 011 0 3 7 5
PV: German (4 SO, 4 BB) and Chudy
CSP: Hinsdale (4 SO, 4 BB) and White
