Valley Sports Report
OWEGO — Endicott scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and then held off a Nichols-Tioga rally in the bottom of the inning to take a 10-9 win here in their first game of double-elimination championship round.
Yet again in a loss, Nichols-Tioga outhit its opponent (15-9), but came up short on the scoreboard.
The fourth-seed Nichols-Tioga squad took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Matthew Lounsbury scored after reaching base via an error.
After fifth-seed Endicott knotted the score at 1-all in the top of the third inning, Nichols-Tioga scored a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead. Nick Cotto started the rally with a single and Adam Layman, who was 4-for-5 at the plate on the day, doubled to put runners on second and third. Zack Krapf delivered both runners with a single.
Endicott responded with two runs in the fourth to tie the game at 3-3, but Cotto batted in Dylan Rockwell, who had reached base via a walk, to give Nichols-Tioga a 4-3 lead.
Once again Endicott rallied, this time scoring three runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-4 lead. Nichols-Tioga cut the lead to 6-5 on a single by Tyler Whitmore and an RBI double by Jake Evanek.
Endicott increased its advantage to 8-5 with two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but Nichols-Tioga scored three runs to force extra innings. Whitmore's single scored Layman and Gabe Hoose and a base hit by Dani Kindrew scored Krapf to tie the game.
Endicott scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 10-8 lead, and Nichols-Tioga was able to get Cotto across the plate, but couldn't manage to muster another run to tie the game.
Nichols-Tioga will face the loser of the first-seed Owego — eighth-seed Ithaca Dragons game Tuesday at 6 p.m.
