Hornell and Pal-Mac meet in B1 championship

One team is looking to win a third straight sectional title. The other seeks its 10th championship in program history but first in more than a decade. Dwyer Stadium is the setting when Livingston County Athletic Association meets Finger Lakes East as Hornell takes on Palmyra-Macedon for the 2023 Section V Class B1 title. Here is the breakdown:

CLASS B1
NO. 4 HORNELL RED RAIDERS (13-5/Livingston County I Division)
vs.
NO. 2 PALMYRA-MACEDON RED RAIDERS (18-2/ Finger Lakes East Division)
4:00 PM Saturday, Dwyer Stadium 

How they arrived here: Before beating No. 8 Waterloo in the semifinals to earn a spot in the championship, Hornell downed No. 5 Batavia in a one-run victory in a quarterfinal matchup. Second-seeded Palmyra-Macedon took down No. 7 Bishop Kearney before beating No. 3 Livonia to earn a its third straight trip to the finals.

Tempo and Trends: Hornell scores 6.0 runs while allowing 4.3 runs per game and has won 10 of its last 13 games heading into the final. Palmyra-Macedon has won 16 consecutive games and hasn’t lost since April 11th. The Red Raiders average 7.4 runs per game and allow 2.6.

What’s at Stake: The winner advances to the Class B Regional Qualifier on May 30th to take on the winner of the Class B2 championship.

History 101: Hornell has won nine sectional championships since its first in 1960. Hornell’s most recent championship came in 2011. Palmyra-Macedon has won three sectional championships and defeated Hornell in 2021 B1 championship.

Players to Watch for Hornell: Jake Ponticello Sr. C (.353 BA, 18 RBI, 5 2B); Wyatt Argentieri Sr. OF (.328 BA, 10 SB, .500 SLG, 5 3B); Gates Miller Sr. OF (6-1, 1.78 ERA, 51.0 IP, 44 K, 13 BB, .286 BA, .478 OBP, 20 R, .346 SLG); Charlie Oyer Jr. INF, P (3-1, 2.15 ERA, 26.0 IP, 18 K, 3 BB); Shawn Rose Sr. INF (.265 BA, 5 RBI).

Palmyra-Macedon: Noah Brooks Sr. C (.422 AVG, 27 H, 2 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 18RBI, 31R, 12BB, 24 SB); Caleb Carr Jr. IF,OF (.300 AVG, 15H, 1 2B, 16 RBI, 14 R); Ian Goodness Sr. P, IF (.407 AVG, 24 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI, 24 R, 12 BB/ 56 IP, 7-0,  24 H, 9 R,  6 ER, 7 BB, 116 K, .750 ERA, .126 BAA); Tino LoPresto So. P/IF/OF (.303 AVG, 10 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 6R); Christian Morrison Sr. P/IF (.333 AVG, 19 H, 2 2B, 1 3B,12 RBI,  24 R, 16 BB); Brennan Pipitone Jr. P/IF (.250 AVG, 14H,  2 2B, 14 RBI, 13 R, 12 BB); Isiah Stephens Jr. IF/OF (.255 AVG, 14H, 4 2B, 15 RBI, 11R); Tyler Wolcott Sr. P (36 IP, 5-0, 19H, 8 R, 2 ER, 14 BB, 31K, .389 ERA, .143 BAA.

Coaches: Joe Flint (Hornell), Bryan Rodman (Palmyra-Macedon)