By PAUL GOTHAM
BINGHAMTON, N.Y — Nick Smith’s original plans for the first week of June included a trip to Las Vegas.
Instead the fourth-year head coach of Arkport-Canaseraga baseball drew a royal flush at SUNY Binghamton.
With his Wolves holding a 5-0 lead after three innings over reigning state champ Chapel Field in Friday’s Class D semi, Smith pulled Micah Marvin to save the sophomore starter for Saturday’s championship game.
Marvin responded with a four-hit shutout, and Arkport-Canaseraga clinched the Class D state title with a 4-0 victory over Section III champion Oriskany.
“You have to trust your guys,” Smith said. “I could have reentered him, but when you have a freshman phenom (Caden Carey), it was a matter of believing in our guys.”
Marvin finished the weekend with 10 shutout innings as Arkport-Canaseraga (18-3) followed a program-first sectional title a couple weeks ago with the state crown.
Using 37 offerings in Friday’s outing, Marvin was available for full-time duty per the state pitch-count rules for Saturday’s matchup.
“He’s a machine,” Smith said of Marvin. “He’s literally a pitching machine. It just goes back to his upbringing. He has spent a lot of time with travel ball. His dad has given him the keys to something beautiful.”
Marvin surrendered a two-out single in the first and then retired the next eight batters he faced.
“No one is like Micah,” said his battery mate, Breyer Drake. “He throws hard. His fastball is great. His curveball is great. He has a splitter that no one hits.”
Tayven Lavetsky doubled to lead the third and eventually scored when Ben Leibham reached on an error for a 1-0 lead.
Lavetsky and Leibham later combined on a delayed double steal in the fifth. Lavetsky forced an errant throw to third and took advantage to score the Wolves second run.
“Usually if we score before the other team and Micah’s pitching, that’s all they really need,”
Smith said of the 6-foot-3 Marvin. “It’s just a confidence booster. He’s going to go the distance most of the time.”
Drake had an RBI single in the fifth. The Arkport-Canaseraga catcher also made three plays in foul territory for outs.
“Those pop-ups that are straight up are so difficult to catch,” Marvin said of his teammate. “He got every single one of them without fail. Not a single passed ball, he’s a phenomenal.
Oriskany starting pitcher, Eddie Wright tripled with one out in the fourth and A-C clinging to a 1-0 lead. Marvin responded and induced a pair of infield pop-ups.
“He’s always calm,” Drake said. “He never lets the game get to him. You don’t have say much to him. He knows.”
Smith was the starting catcher on the 2009 Arkport state championship team. Saturday’s win was a full-circle moment for him.
“It’s the whole the town. To me, that’s bigger than the game. That’s why it’s so beautiful where we’re from. It’s not just for the one through nine (lineup for the day). It’s one through the roster, coaches and families. They deserve it all. I’m the luckiest guy.”
Saturday’s win was the ninth straight for the Wolves which haven’t lost since May 7th.
“I think Section V is the deepest and most competitive section in the entire state,” Smith said. “ You have to prove yourself immediately. When we won Section V Class D, we knew we were battle-tested.
“The last month or so it’s just been, all right let’s keep playing until they tell us we have to stop. That’s been the mentality of this team. Once these kids start playing ball they’re not going to go home until they get 21 outs. You’re going to have to drag them off the field.”
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