STAC BASEBALL: WAVERLY CHRISTENS NEW TURF FIELD WITH FIRST STAC WIN — 18-1 ROUT OF NORWICH (16 PHOTOS) (2024-03-28)

Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Waverly christened its new turf, and its entrance into the Southern Tier Athletic Conference was a success with an 18-1 rout of Norwich here Thursday afternoon in non-divisional baseball action.

“It was really nice getting our first STAC win on our new field,” said longtime Waverly coach Kyle McDuffee. “This field is outstanding … the Norwich coaches were also excited to play on it.

“We have the best athletic facilities,” added McDuffee.

The Purple Tornadoes took the early lead with a run in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Zack Turner, but Norwich only managed one hit the remainder of the game.

Seniors Jake VanHouten and Sean Bubniak led off the bottom of the second inning with base on balls. Moments later, VanHouten scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1, then freshman Ben Shaw gave the Wolverines the lead for good, at 2-1, with an RBI double.

Three more walks — the third to senior Ethan Perry to force home a run — put Waverly up 3-1 after two innings.

In the third inning, Bubniak belted an RBI double to score VanHouten, who led off with a base on balls, to make it 4-1. After a walk to sophomore Ronin Ault, Ben Shaw and sophomore Hogan Shaw stroked back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 6-1.

Senior Jay Pipher kept it rolling with a two-RBI double to left field to make it 8-1, and senior Joey Tomasso knocked home Pipher with an RBI grounder to give the Wolverines a 9-1 lead after three innings.

Ben Shaw’s two-RBI single in the fourth inning put the Wolverines up 11-1.

Eighth-grader Jack Pipher, Ben Shaw, and Hogan Shaw each delivered RBI singles in the fifth inning as Waverly extended its advantage to 14-1.

The Wolverines added four more runs in the sixth inning.

Ben Shaw paced Waverly at the plate with four hits, including a double, one run scored, and five RBI, while Hogan Shaw was 2-for-2 with three walks, one run scored, three stolen bases, and three RBI, and Bubniak was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and one RBI.

Jay Pipher doubled, scored one run, and drove in three runs in Waverly’s 13-hit attack, while Jack Pipher singled, scored two runs, and knocked in two runs, VanHouten singled and scored four runs, Tomasso singled, scored one run, and drove in one run, and freshman Matthias Welles singled and scored two runs.

Perry had two RBI in the win, while Ault scored two runs, and junior Lincoln Sharpsteen, and sophomore Porter Daddona each crossed the plate once.

“Ben Shaw had an outstanding day at the plate,” said McDuffee. “He hit the ball with authority … big game for him.

Bubniak earned the win, allowing one run on two hits over four innings, while striking out five and walking one.

Jack Pipher struck out one, and walked one in a hitless inning of relief, and Daddona fanned five and walked two in two innings of hitless relief.

“Our pitching did a nice job tonight between Sean (Bubniak), Jack (Pipher), and Porter (Daddona),” said McDuffee.

Waverly returns to action Monday at Seton Catholic in the first game of a three-game series next week.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Ben Shaw. … PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.