Norwich tennis team repeats as Class B champion
Evening Sun Report
Boys’ Tennis
OWEGO - The lesson for Norwich Saturday afternoon is that every match counts, every point counts.
The Tornado, without the benefit of a tournament champion, repeated as Section IV Class B champions scoring 40 points to outlast runners-up Maine-Endwell and Owego, who each polled 36 points.
The sectional title follows up a STAC Central division title that was clinched last week. NHS head coach John Stewart said it was the first time since 1992 that Norwich swept division and sectional titles.
“I really didn’t think we could win this tournament without winning the doubles,” Stewart said. “In the end, a lot of things right had to happen, and to win all four of our opening matches, that’s what set this up.”
Norwich was the lone team among the nine schools in the tournament to have all four of its entries win their opening-round matchups. Billy Whaley, playing singles for the first time, defeated Owego’s Joshua Raftis, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. NHS’s second entry in doubles, Sal Cole and Roman Cwynar, also won in the opening round downing Oneonta’s McKenna Rowe and Erin Earl-Richardson, 6-7 (8-10), 6-0, 6-1.
Those two wins were worth three team points apiece, Stewart said. “If Billy loses the opening match, Owego wins the team title and we finish in second,” the NHS mentor said.
Norwich sophomore Matt Craig performed at a high level for the second straight year placing third in singles. He beat Maine-Endwell’s Aaron Weintraub, 7-6, 6-1 for third place. Again, a reversal of that outcome would have sent M-E into the winner’s circle. “The last two years, Matt has had that pressure on him to win the match, and we needed him to win again,” Stewart said. “He has proven consistently that he can take that pressure.”
Norwich’s top doubles team, Colin and Zan Stewart, placed second for the second straight year. The NHS sophomore duo won their first three matches before losing in the finals a second straight season to Owego’s Tommy West and Tyler Stickler, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
“Last year we had more of a clear path to victory,” Stewart said. “All of our kids are competitors and everyone fought and played hard. We either won our match or forced the opponent to win. Certain things were not in our control, but when we had the opportunity, it worked in our favor. We had some critical matches from the first round, and one loss anywhere along the way, and we’re out. That made this much more of a team event, and everybody’s victory counted toward the win.”
Craig returns to action Wednesday in a challenge match against the third-place finisher from the Class C tournament. The winner of that match advances to the state qualifier later this month at the Binghamton Tennis Center.
Class B team scores: Norwich 40, Maine-Endwell 36; Owego 36; Oneonta, 30; Chenango Forks, 21; Johnson City, 19; Chenango Valley, 15; Windsor, 12; Susquehanna Valley, 6.
Baseball
Norwich 8, Unatego 5
NORWICH – On senior recognition day, Norwich snapped a two-week winless streak beating Midstate Athletic Conference champion Unatego Friday afternoon.
Cody Barnes and John Yacano led Norwich with two RBI apiece, and the Tornado took the lead in the fifth plating five runs. Yacano’s two-run single was the key blow for the Tornado.
Ben Barnes pitched five innings for the victory, and Cody Barnes tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the save. “Everyone was putting the ball in play, and we fought back against a very solid team,” said Norwich coach John Martinson.
The Tornado play at Waverly Thursday in the first round of the Section IV Class B playoffs.
Unat 100 220 0 5 8 4
NHS 100 250 x 8 9 1
Ben Barnes (W), Cody Barnes (6, Sv) and John Yacano. Kellen Komenda (L), Williams (6) and DeJoy. Doubles: (N) Cody Barnes
S-E 6, Ilion 4
SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville knocked off its second state-ranked team this month Saturday on senior day, and finished in second place in the Center State Conference, one-half game behind Clinton.
Mike Wilson pitched a complete-game victory striking out four and scattering six hits. Mick Khoury finished with three hits and two RBI, Wilson helped his own cause with two hits, and Felix Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. “The kids played unbelievable, and Mike pitched a great game,” said S-E coach Brian Hicks. “We had a ton of fan support, and it was a nice way for the kids to end the regular season.”
Carter Cole and Jake Bohnert added single ribbies for S-E (8-2, 10-5).
Ilion 000 220 0 4 6 4
S-E 300 201 x 6 8 2
Mike Wilson (W) and Jake Bohnert. Brian Maine (L) and Ryan Gookins. Doubles: (SE) Mick Khoury.
S-E 6, Mount Markham 5
MOUNT MARKHAM – Sherburne-Earlville grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth to defeat Mount Markham on Friday.
Felix Rodriguez led off the seventh with a double, and scored the tying run on Carter Cole’s RBI single. With two outs, Cole came in with the winning run on Mick Khoury’s double.
Matt Smith pitched the final four innings to pick up his fourth victory of the season.
Smith and Mick Khoury each had 2-for-3 days at the plate.
Score by innings R H E
S-E 400 002 0 6 9 3
MM 012 100 0 5 5 3
WP–Matt Smith. Doubles: (SE) Rodriguez, Khoury
Deposit 7, Oxford 5 (8 innings)
OXFORD - Deposit plated three runs in the top of the eighth inning to defeat Oxford Friday afternoon.
Zach Decker polished off a 5-for-5 day with an RBI double to give the Lumberjacks a 5-4 lead. An outfield error scored Decker, and Doug Raymond added an RBI single.
Oxford’s eighth-inning at-bats yielded just a single run as Adam Pierson scored on an error.
“Decker was a huge factor, and really it was the top of (Deposit’s) lineup that did most of the damage,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer.
The Blackhawks’ Andrew Golden had an RBI triple in the second and an RBI single in the fifth, each time scoring Cameron Heggie. Ryan Moore added an RBI basehit in the fifth, and Pierson’s RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth briefly gave the Blackhawks the lead, 4-3.
Dep. 120 000 13 7 11 5
Oxf 100 021 01 5 9 5
Ernie Allen, Zach Decker (4), Derek Lenio (6,w) and Evan Thomas. Nate Head, Cameron Heggie (8, L) and Ryan Moore. Doubles: (D) Decker (2). Triples: (O) Golden.
Softball
Susquehanna Valley 6, Norwich 1
CONKLIN – Susquehanna Valley took advantage of six Norwich errors and multiple walks to pick up a season sweep of the Purple Tornado Friday.
In the first meeting, the Sabers had double-digit hits. This time around, Norwich pitcher Jaime Berger allowed just three hits, and struck out a season-best 14 batters.
SV pushed four runs across in the fourth collecting two of its hits. Abby Godbout doubled and scored on a throwing error. After back-to-back walks, Casey Petrysyzn smacked a three-run homer.
Berger went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple to lead NHS’s hitters. Molly Moore tripled in the fifth, and scored Norwich’s lone run on a Katie Callahan single.
NHS 000 010 0 1 5 6
SVA 101 400 x 6 3 1
Laura Knight (W) and Lindsay Haskell. Jaime Berger and Molly Moore. Doubles: (SV) Abby Godbout. (N) Berger. Triples: (N) Berger, Molly Moore. HR: (SV) Casey Petrysyzn
Mount Markham 9, Sherburne-Earlville 8
WEST WINFIELD – Mount Markham scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, and hung on to beat Sherburne-Earlville (3-12) Friday afternoon.
S-E had one of its best hitting games of the season banging out 17 hits. Cori Bergeron was 3-for-4 with a double and a triple to finish with three RBI. Destinie Holmquist, Alexis Paul, Grace Dunshee, Brooke Wright, and Chelsea Beaudoin all had two hits. Paul also drove in a pair of runs.
Amanda Drake doubled and drove in two runs for Mount Markham.
S-E 310 022 0 8 17 2
MM 060 003 x 9 6 2
Cori Bergeron, Destine Holmquist (4,L) and Alexis Irwin. Michaela Waite (W) and Amanda Drake. Doubles: (SE) Bergeron, (M) Emily Barrettt, Drake. Triples: (SE) Alexis Paul, Bergeron.
Golf
Walling qualifies for Section IV team
ITHACA – Norwich senior Eric Walling will once again represent Section IV in the state golf tournament later this month.
Walling made the nine-person cut Saturday at Cornell University Golf Course shooting a second-round 77 over the par-72 course. Walling finished alone in sixth place with a 160 total.
“Eric said he drove it exceptionally well, and he did a nice job around the greens with his chipping and putting,” said Norwich coach Bob Branham.
Walling avoided the prevalent trouble on the Cornell golf course – especially the long rough – and had a single birdie on the par-five 13th hole to highlight his round.
Branham said that in his 20-plus years of coaching at Norwich, Walling is the first two-time state team qualifier. “Eric has been a great leader for us in a lot of ways, and he is excellent with the younger kids,” the NHS coach said. “He’s been (to the state tournament) before, and we’d like to think he’ll be one of the team’s main cogs.”
Norwich junior Ryan Hagen finished with a two-day total of 179 to miss the nine-man cutoff by 10 strokes.
Section IV State qualifiers
Luke Tetreault (H’heads) 74-76–150; Dan Lapp (T’burg) 79-74–153; Pat Milkovich (Vestal) 78-77–155; Chris Stricek (Windsor) 77-79–156; Josh Dimon (H’heads) 81-75–156; Eric Walling (Norwich) 83-77–160; D.J. Griffiths (Sus Valley) 82-82–164; Austin Thomas (Un. Springs) 85-84–169; Kris Saxe (Edison) 82-87–169.
Boys’ Tennis
OWEGO - The lesson for Norwich Saturday afternoon is that every match counts, every point counts.
The Tornado, without the benefit of a tournament champion, repeated as Section IV Class B champions scoring 40 points to outlast runners-up Maine-Endwell and Owego, who each polled 36 points.
The sectional title follows up a STAC Central division title that was clinched last week. NHS head coach John Stewart said it was the first time since 1992 that Norwich swept division and sectional titles.
“I really didn’t think we could win this tournament without winning the doubles,” Stewart said. “In the end, a lot of things right had to happen, and to win all four of our opening matches, that’s what set this up.”
Norwich was the lone team among the nine schools in the tournament to have all four of its entries win their opening-round matchups. Billy Whaley, playing singles for the first time, defeated Owego’s Joshua Raftis, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. NHS’s second entry in doubles, Sal Cole and Roman Cwynar, also won in the opening round downing Oneonta’s McKenna Rowe and Erin Earl-Richardson, 6-7 (8-10), 6-0, 6-1.
Those two wins were worth three team points apiece, Stewart said. “If Billy loses the opening match, Owego wins the team title and we finish in second,” the NHS mentor said.
Norwich sophomore Matt Craig performed at a high level for the second straight year placing third in singles. He beat Maine-Endwell’s Aaron Weintraub, 7-6, 6-1 for third place. Again, a reversal of that outcome would have sent M-E into the winner’s circle. “The last two years, Matt has had that pressure on him to win the match, and we needed him to win again,” Stewart said. “He has proven consistently that he can take that pressure.”
Norwich’s top doubles team, Colin and Zan Stewart, placed second for the second straight year. The NHS sophomore duo won their first three matches before losing in the finals a second straight season to Owego’s Tommy West and Tyler Stickler, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
“Last year we had more of a clear path to victory,” Stewart said. “All of our kids are competitors and everyone fought and played hard. We either won our match or forced the opponent to win. Certain things were not in our control, but when we had the opportunity, it worked in our favor. We had some critical matches from the first round, and one loss anywhere along the way, and we’re out. That made this much more of a team event, and everybody’s victory counted toward the win.”
Craig returns to action Wednesday in a challenge match against the third-place finisher from the Class C tournament. The winner of that match advances to the state qualifier later this month at the Binghamton Tennis Center.
Class B team scores: Norwich 40, Maine-Endwell 36; Owego 36; Oneonta, 30; Chenango Forks, 21; Johnson City, 19; Chenango Valley, 15; Windsor, 12; Susquehanna Valley, 6.
Baseball
Norwich 8, Unatego 5
NORWICH – On senior recognition day, Norwich snapped a two-week winless streak beating Midstate Athletic Conference champion Unatego Friday afternoon.
Cody Barnes and John Yacano led Norwich with two RBI apiece, and the Tornado took the lead in the fifth plating five runs. Yacano’s two-run single was the key blow for the Tornado.
Ben Barnes pitched five innings for the victory, and Cody Barnes tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the save. “Everyone was putting the ball in play, and we fought back against a very solid team,” said Norwich coach John Martinson.
The Tornado play at Waverly Thursday in the first round of the Section IV Class B playoffs.
Unat 100 220 0 5 8 4
NHS 100 250 x 8 9 1
Ben Barnes (W), Cody Barnes (6, Sv) and John Yacano. Kellen Komenda (L), Williams (6) and DeJoy. Doubles: (N) Cody Barnes
S-E 6, Ilion 4
SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville knocked off its second state-ranked team this month Saturday on senior day, and finished in second place in the Center State Conference, one-half game behind Clinton.
Mike Wilson pitched a complete-game victory striking out four and scattering six hits. Mick Khoury finished with three hits and two RBI, Wilson helped his own cause with two hits, and Felix Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. “The kids played unbelievable, and Mike pitched a great game,” said S-E coach Brian Hicks. “We had a ton of fan support, and it was a nice way for the kids to end the regular season.”
Carter Cole and Jake Bohnert added single ribbies for S-E (8-2, 10-5).
Ilion 000 220 0 4 6 4
S-E 300 201 x 6 8 2
Mike Wilson (W) and Jake Bohnert. Brian Maine (L) and Ryan Gookins. Doubles: (SE) Mick Khoury.
S-E 6, Mount Markham 5
MOUNT MARKHAM – Sherburne-Earlville grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth to defeat Mount Markham on Friday.
Felix Rodriguez led off the seventh with a double, and scored the tying run on Carter Cole’s RBI single. With two outs, Cole came in with the winning run on Mick Khoury’s double.
Matt Smith pitched the final four innings to pick up his fourth victory of the season.
Smith and Mick Khoury each had 2-for-3 days at the plate.
Score by innings R H E
S-E 400 002 0 6 9 3
MM 012 100 0 5 5 3
WP–Matt Smith. Doubles: (SE) Rodriguez, Khoury
Deposit 7, Oxford 5 (8 innings)
OXFORD - Deposit plated three runs in the top of the eighth inning to defeat Oxford Friday afternoon.
Zach Decker polished off a 5-for-5 day with an RBI double to give the Lumberjacks a 5-4 lead. An outfield error scored Decker, and Doug Raymond added an RBI single.
Oxford’s eighth-inning at-bats yielded just a single run as Adam Pierson scored on an error.
“Decker was a huge factor, and really it was the top of (Deposit’s) lineup that did most of the damage,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer.
The Blackhawks’ Andrew Golden had an RBI triple in the second and an RBI single in the fifth, each time scoring Cameron Heggie. Ryan Moore added an RBI basehit in the fifth, and Pierson’s RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth briefly gave the Blackhawks the lead, 4-3.
Dep. 120 000 13 7 11 5
Oxf 100 021 01 5 9 5
Ernie Allen, Zach Decker (4), Derek Lenio (6,w) and Evan Thomas. Nate Head, Cameron Heggie (8, L) and Ryan Moore. Doubles: (D) Decker (2). Triples: (O) Golden.
Softball
Susquehanna Valley 6, Norwich 1
CONKLIN – Susquehanna Valley took advantage of six Norwich errors and multiple walks to pick up a season sweep of the Purple Tornado Friday.
In the first meeting, the Sabers had double-digit hits. This time around, Norwich pitcher Jaime Berger allowed just three hits, and struck out a season-best 14 batters.
SV pushed four runs across in the fourth collecting two of its hits. Abby Godbout doubled and scored on a throwing error. After back-to-back walks, Casey Petrysyzn smacked a three-run homer.
Berger went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple to lead NHS’s hitters. Molly Moore tripled in the fifth, and scored Norwich’s lone run on a Katie Callahan single.
NHS 000 010 0 1 5 6
SVA 101 400 x 6 3 1
Laura Knight (W) and Lindsay Haskell. Jaime Berger and Molly Moore. Doubles: (SV) Abby Godbout. (N) Berger. Triples: (N) Berger, Molly Moore. HR: (SV) Casey Petrysyzn
Mount Markham 9, Sherburne-Earlville 8
WEST WINFIELD – Mount Markham scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, and hung on to beat Sherburne-Earlville (3-12) Friday afternoon.
S-E had one of its best hitting games of the season banging out 17 hits. Cori Bergeron was 3-for-4 with a double and a triple to finish with three RBI. Destinie Holmquist, Alexis Paul, Grace Dunshee, Brooke Wright, and Chelsea Beaudoin all had two hits. Paul also drove in a pair of runs.
Amanda Drake doubled and drove in two runs for Mount Markham.
S-E 310 022 0 8 17 2
MM 060 003 x 9 6 2
Cori Bergeron, Destine Holmquist (4,L) and Alexis Irwin. Michaela Waite (W) and Amanda Drake. Doubles: (SE) Bergeron, (M) Emily Barrettt, Drake. Triples: (SE) Alexis Paul, Bergeron.
Golf
Walling qualifies for Section IV team
ITHACA – Norwich senior Eric Walling will once again represent Section IV in the state golf tournament later this month.
Walling made the nine-person cut Saturday at Cornell University Golf Course shooting a second-round 77 over the par-72 course. Walling finished alone in sixth place with a 160 total.
“Eric said he drove it exceptionally well, and he did a nice job around the greens with his chipping and putting,” said Norwich coach Bob Branham.
Walling avoided the prevalent trouble on the Cornell golf course – especially the long rough – and had a single birdie on the par-five 13th hole to highlight his round.
Branham said that in his 20-plus years of coaching at Norwich, Walling is the first two-time state team qualifier. “Eric has been a great leader for us in a lot of ways, and he is excellent with the younger kids,” the NHS coach said. “He’s been (to the state tournament) before, and we’d like to think he’ll be one of the team’s main cogs.”
Norwich junior Ryan Hagen finished with a two-day total of 179 to miss the nine-man cutoff by 10 strokes.
Section IV State qualifiers
Luke Tetreault (H’heads) 74-76–150; Dan Lapp (T’burg) 79-74–153; Pat Milkovich (Vestal) 78-77–155; Chris Stricek (Windsor) 77-79–156; Josh Dimon (H’heads) 81-75–156; Eric Walling (Norwich) 83-77–160; D.J. Griffiths (Sus Valley) 82-82–164; Austin Thomas (Un. Springs) 85-84–169; Kris Saxe (Edison) 82-87–169.
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