STAC BASEBALL: WAVERLY HOLDS OFF FORKS IN 6-4 WIN; IMPROVES TO 11-0 (13 PHOTOS) (2024-04-19)

Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — In its 10-0 start to the season, Waverly had just one game decided by less than six runs.

On Friday, senior Jay Pipher retired the final batter with the tying run on second base in a 6-4 win over Chenango Forks in STAC Central Division baseball action.

With the win, the Wolverines improve to 11-0, and completed their third three-game sweep of the season.

“Beating a good team three times in a three-game series is really hard,” said Waverly coach Kyle McDuffee. “But, we kept grinding and did it tonight.”

The Blue Devils took advantage of two base on balls, and two hit batsmen in the top of the first inning to plate a run for a 1-0 lead.

Waverly answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. With one out, senior Ethan Perry walked, senior Joey Tomasso followed with a single, and freshman Matthias Welles tied the game with an RBI single to left field.

Senior Jake VanHouten beat out an infield single, and a walked throw on the play allowed Tomasso to score, giving the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.

Jack Curtis led off the top of the third inning with a double, but was thrown out at third base trying to stretch it into a triple.

“Our defense had some big plays, but one of the best plays of game was when (Curtis) led off with a hit into the gap and got thrown out at third,” said McDuffee. “It was a great relay from Hogan (Shaw) to Ronin (Ault) to Jay Pipher — it was just perfect execution.”

Forks tied the game with a run in the top of the fourth inning, but Waverly answered with three runs in the home half of the inning.

Sophomore Ronin Ault and freshman Ben Shaw triggered the rally with back-to-back base on balls, and sophomore Hogan Shaw beat out a bunt for a single to load the bases.

With one out, Perry stroked a two-RBI single to make it 4-2, and Tomasso plated another run with an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 5-2.

Forks had two hits and a walk in the fifth inning, but catcher Ben Shaw gunned down one runner attempting to steal second, and Perry finished off his outing with a strikeout to strand runners on first and second.

Waverly added an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead.

Forks scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but Jay Pipher, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases registered a strikeout to end the game, which was called after 5 1/2 innings due to darkness.

Perry doubled and singled, scored one run, and drove in two runs, and Tomasso singled twice, scored one run, and knocked in one run to pace Waverly’s eight-hit attack, while Welles singled and drove in one run, Hogan Shaw and Ault each singled, and scored one run, and senior Jake VanHouten added a single. Ben Shaw and senior Sean Bubniak each scored one run.

Perry earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out eight and walking six in five innings.

Waverly, now 11-0, hosts Montoursville Saturday at 1 p..m.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Ethan Perry. … PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHELA BUBNIAK.