SANBORN — The Niagara-Wheatfield Falcons made things a lot easier on themselves Friday, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on visiting Lockport, then held on for a 9-6 Section VI Class AA baseball pre-quarterfinal victory.
Starting senior right-hander Dave Haseley and junior southpaw reliever Carl Graff had the deuce going effectively throughout, styming the Lions with a combined 12 strikeouts, while Bryan MacSwan and Reece Bedient had the hot bats for head coach Jim Hagerty’s 14-9 ball club.
“We absolutely talked before the game about getting ahead of Lockport early this time around,” Hagerty said.
“I didn’t want to see us in the position we were when we played them the first two times, having to come from behind to win.”
Haseley, a senior right-hander, fanned seven and walked five in five innings of work. He struggled in the middle innings with control as the Lions punched away at the Falcons lead, but buckled down when he needed to.
“I had a good deuce (curve ball) going today. I started strong, but couldn’t locate the strike zone in the third and fourth innings,” Haseley said.
“So I just kept throwing. My curve was dancing around, so I used it a lot when I was ahead in the count.”
The No. 4-seeded Falcons, who advance to host Hamburg in a quarterfinal game on Monday, darted out of the gates quickly in the bottom of the first.
Senior second baseman Bryan MacSwan (two doubles, two runs scored) doubled to right-center then moved to third on junior left fielder Paul Smith’s single. Following a walk to senior designated hitter Matt Attfield, a Lions infield error later plated Smith and Attfield, then Bedient (2-for-2, double, three RBIs, two runs scored) drove in Kevin Ogiba with a single and it was 4-0 N-W before the popcorn was done popping.
The Falcons plated two more runs in the second and it looked like a rout was on. MacSwan slugged his second consecutive two-bagger, but an infield error once again led to two N-W runs.
The No. 13-seeded Lions (5-15) bounced back with three runs in third. Junior right fielder Ryan Tinkham (run scored), junior left fielder Dom Cirello (2-for-4, run scored) and versatile (second baseman/catcher) Jake Chenez (RBI single) had the key hits.
But that’s as close as Lockport would get as the Falcons plated one in the third on a wild pitch and two more in the fourth thanks to a double by junior shortstop Chris Gruarin and two-RBI double from the sophomore first baseman Bedient.
Lockport made it interesting with two runs in their half of the fifth. Chenez walked and later scored on a wild pitch. Junior first baseman Tyler Gately (2-for-3, RBI, run scored) drove in Lockport senior starter Dan Greco (six innings, three strikeouts, 2-for-4, run scored) with the other run. Gately scored the Lions’ final run on a passed ball with two outs in the seventh.
“I think it looks better on paper than it actually was,” said Lions skipper Steve Styrzo.
“I had a great group of kids this year who never quit.”
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