Familiar foes meet on Tuesday when No. 2 Pittsford Sutherland and No. 6 Greece Athena decide the Section V Baseball Class A2 championship. Here’s the breakdown:
CLASS A2
NO. 5 PITTSFORD SUTHERLAND KNIGHTS (15-7/Monroe County Division IV)
vs.
NO. 6 GREECE ATHENA TROJANS (14-9/ Monroe County Division III)
5:00 PM Tuesday, Monroe Community College
How they arrived here: Pittsford Sutherland defeated No. 4 School of the Arts in the quarterfinals and No. 8 Wayne in the semis to clinch a spot in Tuesday’s championship game. Athena downed No. 11 Monroe in the A2 opening round. The Trojans then went on to be No. 3 Brockport and No. 2 Pittsford Mendon to reach Tuesday’s final.
Tempo and Trends: Sutherland scores 8.6 runs per game while allowing 4.0. The Knights have won five consecutive game heading into Tuesday’s matchup. Athena produces 6.2 runs per contest while giving up 4.3. The Trojans have won three in a row after dropping their last two games of the regular season.
What’s at Stake: The winner advances to the NYS Far West Regional qualifier against the Class A1 champion (either Webster Schroeder or Webster Thomas).
History 101: Sutherland has won 14 sectional titles since 1970 and is looking to claim its third championship under sixth-year head coach Brandon DeRosa*. Athena has six championships in program history with its most recent coming in 2007. Tim Sova is in his first year as head coach of the Trojans. Athena took the regular season meeting between the former Monroe County Division III rivals, 7-3.
Players to Watch for Sutherland: Paul Byrne Sr. RHP, IF (7-1, 1.1 ERA); Jake Fekete Sr. IF, RHP (.329 BA, .416 OBP, 5 2Bs, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 R, 27 RBI); Noah Littlefield Sr. IF, RHP (.316 BA, .524 OBP, 3 2B, 17 R, 14 RBI); Cole Mann Jr. IF (.284 BA, 3 2Bs, 27 RBI, 25 R); Tyler Mullin Sr. OF (.362 BA, .511 OBP, 2 3Bs, 11 RBI, 28 R); Cole Pringle Sr. IF (.356 BA, .524 OBP, 3 2Bs, 8 RBI, 19 R) and Jack Zawacki Sr. OF (.324 BA, 1.008 OPS – 10 extra-base hits, 5 2Bs, 3 HR 20 RBI, 23 R).
Athena: Riley Catena Jr. C (.294 BA, 7 RBI, 14 R); Aleks Englert Sr. C (.462 BA, 12 2Bs, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 17 R); TJ Kurtz Sr. RHP (4-1, 3.23 ERA); Jaden Madrid Jr. IF, RHP (.350, 15 RBI, 24 R, 6 2Bs, 1 3B, 29 SB, 3-1, 2SV 2.79 ERA); Connor Osier So. RHP, IF (2-3, 4 SV 2.22 ERA, 44.0 IP, 64 K, .342 BA, 3 2Bs, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R); Jayden Rapp So. IF, RHP (.300 BA, 9 2Bs, 11 RBI, 14 R, 9 2Bs, 1 HR, 2-2, 3.65 ERA) ; Sammy Saucke 9th-grade IF (.295 BA, 5 2Bs, 15 R).
Coaches: Brandon DeRosa (Pittsford Sutherland), Tim Sova (Greece Athena)
*Includes 2020 which was cancelled due to COVID-19. DeRosa has coached five seasons.
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