Robert Jeffrey
Sun Sports Contributor

Voces’s shut out leads to 5-0 win over Post 1194
NORWICH – Tommy Voces’ complete game shutout performance over Hillcrest Post 1194 propelled the Chenango Hellcats to a win on Friday, June 16.
The Hellcats displayed a sound defense anchored by the aforementioned work on the mound, who threw all seven innings of play, while only allowing two hits, five walks and six strikeouts on the evening.
However, with Voce on the mound, the Hellcats defense despite its two errors in the field in game created just enough offense to come away with the win.
With the game remaining scoreless after the first inning and a half, the Hellcats line-up got to work in the bottom of the second delivering all five of their runs in the game.
The Hellcats recorded three hits in the game with Voce helping his cause going 2 for 2 with a walk and KJ Ives picked up one hit going 1 for 2 with a walk. Delivering with an RBI each in the ballgame were Jon Heggie, Paden Burlison, Connor Graven-Briggs and Cristobal Cabellero.
“Tommy Voce had a dominate performance with his complete game shut-out,” said Hellcats head coach Ben Barnes. “(Voce) had guys off balance all night.”
With a solid victory on Friday night, the Hellcats shifted their focus to Saturday’s game with Binghamton Post 80.
 
Hillcrest: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0– 0 2 2
Chenango: 0 5 0 0 0 0 X– 5 3 2
 
WP- Voce, LP- Retzlaff
Triples- (Hellcats): Ives
 
Binghamton Post 80 dominates Hellcats in 15-0 ballgame
NORWICH – It was a hard day to be a Hellcat on Saturday, June 17 as Binghamton Post 80 came to town, bringing with them some of the elite baseball players in all of the Southern Tier.
It was night and day for the Hellcats defense who committed six errors while giving up 12 hits in a shortened five inning game, the Hellcats would ultimately fall 15-0.
Binghamton struck first in the ballgame as they put up five runs in the opening frame. While the hometown Hellcats managed to silence Binghamton’s bats in the second inning, it wasn’t too long before Post 80 prodded their way to a 13 run lead – aided by a monstrous eight run, third inning.
Once again the Chenango Hellcat defense proved equal to the task, showing poise and defensive mastery as the sandwiched another shut-out inning in the fourth, however the Hellcats defense would give up a pair of runs in the fifth and final inning.
Post 80 came into the game as advertised as the premiere Southern Tier team, with players from a New York State Final Four baseball team in Seton Catholic Central, a perennial state championship caliber program year in and year out.
The star-studded line up of Binghamton provided hearty helpings of hits as all but one Binghamton player recorded a hit, and all but three players recorded at least one RBI in the game. Leo Gallagher threw a complete game shut-out allowing five hits, while striking out seven in the shortened five inning game as he claimed the win.
As for the Hellcats, Connor Graven-Briggs, Mikey Graven-Briggs, Paden Burlison and Vince Caiati all had hits in the game, providing the only means of offense for the Chenango County team.
Defensively, Jon Heggie would pitch the complete five inning for the Hellcats, giving up 15 runs – in which six runs were earned. Heggie, walked six Binghamton batters, allowing 12 hits, while striking out five.
The Hellcats looked to rebound as the All-Chenango County team returned to the diamond on Sunday, June 18 to play the Oneonta Greenwave.
 
Binghamton: 5 0 8 0 2– 15 12 0
Chenango: 0 0 0 0 0– 0 5 6
 
WP- Gallagher, LP- Heggie
Doubles- (Binghamton): Wilson, Prudn, Matthews. (Chenango): Burlison.
 
Hellcats fall to Oneonta in back and forth ballgame
NORWICH- In what was a back and forth Father’s Day matinee, the Hellcats succumbed to three late inning runs by Oneonta, as the team from Chenango fell 6-4.
All was going to plan for the Chenango Hellcats as the score remained knotted at two a piece after the completion of the first frame. The Hellcats would take their first and only lead of the game in the third inning, grabbing a single to go up 3-2. Oneonta clawed back to tie the game at 3-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning from both teams, Oneonta closed the game by scoring two runs in the sixth and a final insurance run in the seventh to put the visitors up 6-3. As the Hellcats rallied back, delivering one run in the bottom of the seventh, the Chenango County squad ran out of steam – being forced to lie back and lick their wounds once again.
Playing a much cleaner game than the night before, the hellcats saw an improved offensive effort in the game matching their weekend total of eight hits in the game alone. In addition, the team matched the lowest number of errors over the weekend with two.
Austin Crawford would claim the loss for the Hellcats as he pitched one inning, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk. Hellcats starter KJ Ives who would get the no-decision pitched five inning, allowing two hits, three runs – one of which was earned, three walked while striking out three Greenwave batters.
Ives, Jon Heggie, Vince Caiati, Dylan Depew and Connor Graven-Briggs each scored for the Hellcats in the loss with Depew, Graven-Briggs, Nate Scheer and Tyler King each recorded an RBI for their offensive efforts.
“Today was a tough 6-4 loss to Oneonta,” said coach Ben Barnes. “We made some great plays, but just came up short. There was a couple of key plays where we bunted guys to second and third. But, we just couldn’t capitalize.”
The Hellcats return to the field when they play Vestal on Tuesday, June 20 at Veterans Field, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
 
Oneonta: 2 0 0 1 0 2 1- 6 5 5
Chenango: 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 – 4 8 2
 
WP- Carner, LP- Crawford
Doubles- (Oneonta): McGraw, Carner, Miklacky. (Chenango): Caiati (2), Depew.