One team is looking for a second title in four years and 15th in program history. The other looks to continue its quest back to the state semifinal and win its 12th Section V title. Class B heavyweights Wellsville and Notre Dame Batavia clash to decide a champion. Here’s the breakdown:
Class B
No. 1 WELLSVILLE (20-1 / Independent)
vs.
No. 2 NOTRE DAME BATAVIA (Genesee County II)
Saturday, Innovative Field, 10 a.m.
How they arrived here: Top-seeded Wellsville opened up the postseason with a 15-0 win over Marcus Whitman. The Lions then beat Livonia (11-1) and Dansville (13-3) to reach the Class B title game. Notre Dame Batavia defeated Hornell (6-0), Le Roy (3-2) and North Rose-Wolcott (16-4) en route to the championship.
Tempo and trends: Wellsville averages 11.76 runs per game and allows 3.71 runs. Notre Dame Batavia scores 8.29 runs and allows 1.43. Wellsville has recorded 16 straight wins and five shutouts, while Notre Dame Batavia has won 17 straight and posted eight shutouts.
Players to watch for Wellsville: Alex Green Sr. 1B/C .565 AVG; Aiden Cowburn Jr. INF/P 3-0 W-L, 30.0 IP, 38 K; Cooper Brockway Sr. 3B/P 5-0 W-L, 35 K, 29.0 IP, .519 AVG, two 3B, 22 RBI; Karson Grover Jr. INF/P .407 AVG, three XBH, 25 RBI; Trenton Green So. UTIL 2-0 W-L, 1.37 ERA, 29 K, .441 AVG, 27 RBI; Matthew Ritter So. C/OF .415 AVG, eight 2B, 18 RBI; Gavin Haggerty Jr. P 5-0 W-L, 20 K, 2.44 ERA, .275 AVG, 17 RBI.
Notre Dame Batavia: Ryan Fitzpatrick Sr. 38 IP, 6-0 W-L, 0.37 ERA, two ER, 53 K, .347 AVG, 13 RBI, 19 R; Chase Antinore Fr. .477 AVG, six XBH, 28 RBI, 27 R; Jaden Sherwood Sr. .414 AVG, 11 XBH, one HR, 28 RBI, 27 R, 6-1 W-L, 1.67 ERA, 42 IP, 73 K; Jay Antinore Sr. 23 IP, 3-0 W-L, 0.91 ERA, 17 K, .354 AVG, seven XBH, 10 RBI, 27 R; Chase Cummings Jr. .365 AVG, 17 RBI, 13 R; Evan Fitzpatrick Fr. 4-0 W-L, 22 IP, 0.00 ERA, 36 K, .264 AVG, five 2B, 12 RBI, seven R.
Coaches: Tom Delahunt (Wellsville), Rick Rapone (Notre Dame Batavia)
History 101: Wellsville is aiming for its second sectional title in the last four years. The Lions last won in 2021 with a 10-2 win over Penn Yan. Wellsville sits in second place in Section V with 14 titles, one behind Pittsford Sutherland who holds the top spot. Notre Dame Batavia is looking for a second-straight sectional title and 12th in program history. The Fighting Irish defeated Bolivar Richburg 3-0 in the 2023 Class C final and Sodus 17-4 in the Regional Qualifier. Notre Dame Batavia appeared in the NYS Class C Semifinal last season.
What’s at stake: A spot in the Class B Far West Regional against the Section VI winner.
Leave a Reply