HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

By Rob Centorani

Staff Writer

ONE

Contributed photo by Dan Lentz Chenango Valley shortstop Derek Stupski dives to tag second base for a forceout of Oneonta’s Dan Wood to end the fifth inning of Friday’s Southern Tier Athletic Conference game at OHS. The Jackets’ six-game winning streak ended with a 4-0 loss to STAC Central rival and division leader CV.

ONTA — Oneonta High’s performance at the plate Friday was akin to a dark, overcast sky that doesn’t produce a drop of rain.

The Yellowjackets threatened often, placing runners in scoring position in each of the first five innings, but lost a key Southern Tier Athletic Conference baseball game, 4-0, to Chenango Valley.

"They got clutch hits and that was the difference in the game," losing pitcher Kyle Donnelly said. "We got guys in[an error occurred while processing this directive] scoring position, but just couldn’t come up with that clutch hit."

These teams wasted no time on a comfortable but breezy day, completing a cleanly played game in less than hour and a half.

Winning pitcher John Moody threw 75 pitches in a seven-hitter. Senior Donnelly was equally economical until a 28-pitch seventh inning, which accounted for more than a quarter of his 99 pitches in a six-hitter.

"The game went by so fast, I haven’t had time to process it," said CV coach Dave Tidick, whose team improved to 5-0 in the Central Division, two games ahead of Oneonta (6-3, 3-2).

The Warriors (7-1) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Vince Palmieri turned on a Donnelly fastball, lining a shot down the left-field for a one-out double.

With Oneonta second baseman Lance Ratchford cheating toward second to keep the burly Palmieri close to the base, Terrance Walsh hit a bouncing ball to the right side. Ratchford couldn’t get back in time to field it as it rolled into right field.

"We talked about that after the game," said OHS coach Joe Hughes, whose team had its six-game winning streak snapped. "We probably didn’t need to keep (Palmieri) close (to second). I don’t think he was going to try and steal third."

Yellowjackets right fielder Mike Seroka made an accurate throw toward home that was cut off by first baseman Dan Wood about 80 feet from the plate. Wood turned to throw home, but fumbled the ball as he tried to get it out his glove, allowing Palmieri to score.

The Warriors scored two more runs in the fourth inning. Bryce Nugent, a first-team all-state player last season for Section Four Class B champion CV, pulled a single through the right side to lead off.

Derek Stupski followed with a line drive that went over center fielder P.J. McMullen, whose first step was in. Stupski wound up with an RBI triple.

It looked as if the inning would get worse for the Jackets when Palmieri drove a high, deep fly ball down the left-field line, but Don Potter made a diving catch near the line. Stupski tagged from third and scored the Warriors’ third run.

Oneonta had no such luck at the plate, failing to produce in RBI situations and stranding 10 runners.

Moody walked Donnelly and Cody Losie with two out in the first, but Dan Wood struck out to end the inning.

Potter led off Oneonta’s second by dropping an opposite-field single into shallow left. Ryan Pondolfino then placed a perfect bunt toward third for a single.

Ratchford’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third before Lane Potter popped out to catcher Nugent and Seroka popped out to Moody.

"We hit too many fly balls," Hughes said.

In the third inning, McMullen singled to deep short before Donnelly connected on a hanging curveball from Moody. For a moment, it appeared as if Oneonta had cut its deficit to 3-2, but the wind held the ball up and left fielder Corey Micha caught it about a step in front of the 365 sign in left-center.

McMullen advanced to second on a groundout by Losie, but Moody got out of the jam by striking out Wood.

After OHS stranded two more runners in the fourth, Losie singled with two out in the fifth. Wood followed with a grounder to third that Vince Dadamio bobbled for an error, giving OHS runners at first and second.

Potter followed with a sharp grounder up the middle that appeared to be a base hit the moment it left his bat. But shortstop Stupski, already shifted toward the middle, ranged to his left and dived to stop the ball on the second-base side of the bag. He scrambled back and tagged second base, forcing out Wood to end the inning.

"It helps when you know you have a good defense behind you," said Moody, who struck out two, walked two and hit a batter. "We played a solid defensive game."

Added Donnelly: "(Moody) made good pitches. He hit his spots and threw his curveball for strikes. We hit it, we just didn’t score. The defense is there and the pitching is there, we just have to string it together at the plate."

CHENANGO VALLEY 4, ONEONTA 0

CHEN. VALLEY (7-1, 5-0) ONEONTA (6-3, 3-2)

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Mohney 2b 2 0 0 0 Seroka rf 3 0 0 0

Biviano cf 4 0 0 0 Wolfnger ph 1 0 1 0

Nugent c 3 1 1 0 McMullen cf 4 0 1 0

Stpski ss 3 1 1 1 Donnelly p 3 0 1 0

Palmri dh 2 2 1 1 Losie c 3 0 1 0

Walsh 1b 2 0 1 1 Wood 1b 3 0 0 0

Langvin rf 2 0 0 0 Potter lf 3 0 1 0

NDdmorf 1 0 0 0 Pondlfino 3b 2 0 1 0

Moody p 3 0 0 0 Ratchford 2b 2 0 0 0

Micha lf 3 0 2 0 Potter ss 3 0 1 0

VDdmo3b 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 25 4 6 3 TOTALS 27 0 7 0

Chenango Valley 010 200 1 — 4

Oneonta 000 000 0 — 0

E — Lane Potter, Vince Dadamio. DP — Oneonta 1, Chenango Valley 1. LOB — CV 4, Oneonta 10. 2B — Palmieri. 3B — Stupski. CS — Micha.

Chenango Valley IP H R ER BB SO

Moody (W) 7 7 0 0 2 2

Oneonta IP H R ER BB SO

Donnelly (L) 7 6 4 3 3 6

HBP — Pondolfino (by Moody).