By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
GRAND ISLAND – The end came so abruptly for the Wellsville Lions.
From the euphoric high of winning the Section V Class B championship just one week earlier to a bitter 8-3 loss to the Medina Mustangs in the Far West Regional on Saturday morning.
Tied 1-1 through five innings, Medina scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth to turn what had been a pitcher’s duel into an insurmountable lead and a trip to the state semifinals next weekend in Binghamton.
For Wellsville, the loss ended a marvelous season, short-circuiting dreams of reaching the state Final Four for the first time since 1998. The Lions finished 20-2.
“We had a fantastic season with so many good memories,” Wellsville coach Tom Delahunt said.
Perhaps most painful for the Lions was the scene on the diamond following the game. After accepting the Far West Regional trophy, the Mustangs players rushed over to the fence near their dugout to say thanks to their fans.
“Our goal for next year is to be the team high-fiving our fans along the fence,” Delahunt said.
Medina pitcher Brady Fry was a big reason the Mustangs are moving on. He pitched a complete-game six-hitter, striking out nine. For all seven innings he kept the Lions off balance at the plate with a curveball that looked tantalizing but was nearly impossible to hit.
“That curveball did a number on us,” Delahunt said. “For him to get some of our hitters to chase, you have to give it to him, because I’ve got guys that can hit.”
Indeed, Wellsville had seven batters hit over .400 for the season. Three hit over .500.
But on Saturday morning, the Lions collected only six singles, and never more than two in an inning.
They did take a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Aiden Cowburn led off with a single, stole second and third and scored on Cooper Brockway’s single to right-center.
Medina (20-1), however, retaliated in the bottom of the fourth with an unearned run, driven home by the ultra-hot bat of Carter Woodworth. The Mustangs third basemen went 4-for-4 with three singles and a double and drove in three runs.
Two of Woodworth’s singles came in the seven-run sixth, the second of which drove home Medina’s final two runs.
Wellsville attempted to mount a seventh inning rally, using RBI singles by Karson Grover and Cowburn to slice into the lead, but Fry ended up striking out the side to seal the victory.
After clearing out of the dugout, Delahunt and his coaching staff spoke to the team.
“My message was I’m proud of them,” Delahunt said. “It’s sad to see our season come to an end but we also have a bright future.”
From a team that set a school record for hitting, just two players graduate: catcher Alex Green and Brockway, the shortstop and pitcher.
“Alex is a four-year starter and just an amazing kid, he’s been a tremendous leader for this team, and so has Connor,” Delahunt said. “They both hit over .500 and we part of a historic season.”
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