Fordians defeat Hilltoppers, 6-1

Waterford-Halfmoon takes home Bower Tournament crown

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald
FORT PLAIN – A day that started so well for the Fort Plain Hilltoppers came to an ugly ending.

After beating Canajoharie 10-0 in the Rich Bower Tournament semifinals, the Hilltoppers handed Waterford-Halfmoon six runs and the Fordians took the championship with a 6-1 win.

“We took advantage of their errors early and when you play a good team like that, that’s what you have to do,” Waterford-Halfmoon coach Bob Jesmain said. “That’s a great team right there and I tell you what, we’ve got a great team here ourselves.”

The Hilltoppers, the visiting team on their own field after losing the coin toss, wasted Adam Cutspec’s leadoff single in the top of the first. After he stole second and crossed to third on Dustin Baker’s fly ball to left field, Waterford-Halfmoon second baseman Wade Daus threw Cutspec out at the plate for the second out of the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Cutspec took the ball for the Hilltoppers and struck out leadoff hitter Kevin Terry before surrendering two straight walks.

Zach Lennon followed with an RBI single to left field and Ray Carmel scored when Cutspec’s pickoff throw hit Lennon on the head and rolled up the right-field line. The Hilltoppers made one more error in the inning, but Cutspec induced a pair of ground balls to get out trouble without further damage.

“They made mistakes and we didn’t,” Jesmain said. “That was the difference today.”

Things got worse in the second inning as Fort Plain coach Craig Phillips went to Dan Wiecek, who shut out the Cougars in the semifinals in five innings.

He walked the first batter he saw, Terry reached on an error and Wiecek hit Kyle Brisson to load the bases with nobody out. Wiecek followed by giving the Fordians (13-1 overall) a 3-0 lead when he walked Carmel forcing in a run.

With the bases loaded, Zac Lennon laid down a suicide squeeze in front of home plate. Wiecek got the out at first as Terry came home with the Fordians’ fourth run. Wiecek’s second balk of the inning brought home Brisson and Phillips went to Ryan Kane.

After a wild pitch scored Carmel giving Waterford-Halfmoon a 6-0 lead, Kane put out the fire with two strikeouts.

“If we continue to play like this, we’ll be eliminated in the first round of sectionals,” Phillips said. “Three hit batsmen, an error and two balks. I have never seen a Hilltopper program play like that my whole life. They’re not hungry any more.”

Kane allowed two singles in the third, but got out of it with two strikeouts and when he picked Terry off second base, Barhydt’s throw picked Walek off third base to douse the threat.

Justin Smith took the ball in the fifth and allowed only one walk in two innings, but didn’t surrender any runs.

“I liked the outstanding performance of the kids that never get off the bench,” Phillips said. “That’s the thing I like. Justin Smith took that ball and threw strikes. Jordan Rouse comes over and dives over there. Shayne Hinkle gets a base hit to right. That’s what I like to see.”

The Hilltoppers (12-2 overall) finally scratched a run across the plate in the third inning when Cutspec led off with a single and went to second on Baker’s single. Cutspec crossed to third when Barhydt grounded into a fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch. However, Terry got out of the inning getting ground balls from Jim Thomas and Kane.

“There hasn’t been clutch hitting all year,” Phillips said. “A guy will come up and get two hits, but we get runners on second and third and we have to get that run in, but we don’t get him in.”

Terry allowed base runners in each of the last four innings, but got the big outs when he needed to.

“Kevin Terry’s a senior this year and he went out there and played like a senior,” Jesmain said. “He’s been in a lot of big games throughout the summer and in his high-school career and he got the job done today for us.”

Zach Gardner was named the tournament’s Pitcher of the tournament after his shutout of Granville and center fielder Ray Carmel was named the best position player. It was a challenging tournament for the outfielders as any ball hit in the air got caught up in the wind. Balls hit to right and center field died in the air Sunday, but the wind blew the ball out to left.

“The whole weekend was like that,” Jesmain said. “I don’t know how they play every game up here. That wind is brutal. Both teams had to play with it and we won the battle with that one.”



Consolation Game

Canajoharie 9,

Granville 4

Zach Weaver hit a home run and Payton Stahler doubled and tripled leading the Cougars past Granville in the consolation game.

Bruce Loomis homered for Granville (14-4 overall), but it was ruled a single when he missed second base.

The Cougars improved to 12-4 overall.



Semifinals

Fort Plain 10, Canajoharie 0, 5 innings

Adam Cutspec homered and scored two runs leading Fort Plain to its second win over Canajoharie in three days in the tournament semifinals.

Elijah Braemer singled and drove in three runs for the Hilltoppers and Brad Bowers singled twice. Dan Wiecek threw a two-hit shutout.

Payton Stahler doubled for the Cougars.



Waterford-Halfmoon 2, Granville 0

Zach Gardner struck out 10 batters in the other semifinal game as the Fordians advanced to the championship game.



Rich Bower Tournament

Championship

Waterford-Halfmoon 6, Fort Plain 1

Fort Plain 001 000 0 – 1 8 3

Waterford-Halfmoon 240 000 x – 6 4 0

Cutspec, Wiecek (2), Kane (2), Smith (5) and Hudyncia, Baker (6)



Consolation

Canajoharie 9, Granville 4

Granville 101 002 0 – 5 6 6

Canajoharie 40 201 x – 9 6 1

Dirga and Loomis; Horning and Fleischer



Semifinals

Fort Plain 10, Canajoharie 0, 5 innings

Canajoharie 000 00 – 0 2 3

Fort Plain 211 15 – 10 7 0

O’Neil, Oeser and Fleischer; Wiecek and Hudyncia



Waterford-Halfmoon 2, Granville 0

Granville 000 000 0 – 0 3 0

Waterford-Halfmoon 011 000 1 — 2 5 0

Gravelle and Daigle; Gardner and Harder