by TYLER HATHAWAY
HORNELL, N.Y– The Haverling Rams left their early-season Myrtle Beach trip with a 3-3 record.
They dropped two of the four games they played down south, their games being against elite competition from other states.
“We played the number two team from Ohio, we played the number 12 team from North Carolina,” said Haverling head coach Sean Eighmey. “We lost to those two teams, but we were in both of those games. And we beat the number two team from West Virginia at the time.”
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But while getting tested against the best of the best is always a positive, it wasn’t the best thing that came from the trip. It was the bonds that strengthened during it.
“I just felt like Myrtle Beach really brought us together,” Eighmey explained. “It’s a lot of the camaraderie that we got. They developed down there, and getting to do fun activities with the kids, and they get to see (the coaches) on a different level too.”
“We had a lot of bonding as a team,” said pitcher Gage Thomas. “We had beach days, we’d all get dinner together, just bonding. If you want to be a good team, you got to bond.”
Fully tested and tighter than they were before the trip, the top-seeded Rams (20-3) returned to New York and rampaged through Section V, taking a 16-game win streak into the Section V Class B1 title game on Saturday afternoon before finishing the job with a 1-0 win over No. 3 seed Wayland-Cohocton.
“It feels great,” said Thomas. “We won it my eighth grade year when me and the other seniors got pulled up. But to get this feeling again in my senior year, it feels amazing.”
Thomas, a Mercyhurst commit, tossed a complete game on the rubber with 14 strikeouts.
“I just wanted to get ahead,” Thomas said of his approach on the mound. “In the first inning I realized they couldn’t touch my fastball very well, so just get ahead with a fastball and if I had to, go to the slider or the curveball.”
In the third inning, the senior help deliver the game’s lone run when he put a sacrifice fly into the deep centerfield grass and score Asher Phenes to give the Rams the lead.
“That kid is the first one there, and is the last one to leave,” Eighmey said of his pitcher. “That’s why he’s as good as he is, and that’s why he’s going D1.”
Haverling didn’t allow a run in its three sectional games, and has only given up 24 runs since returning from Myrtle Beach.
“We have a bunch of seniors,” said Eighmey. “We have a freshman at second and we do have some underclassmen that are playing as well, but with the nonstop ground balls that we take and fly balls, I just think that we’re prepared to play in the game.”
Wayland-Cohocton threatened the Rams’ lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting the tying run 90 feet away. Eighmey went out and talked to his ace with two outs, and the right-hander responded with a strikeout to shut the door and strand a pair in scoring position.
“I just needed him to get focused,” said Eighmey of what the discussion was in the visit. “Their (Wayland-Cohocton’s) top of the order has historically hit well against us compared to the bottom. I just wanted him to get focused and go after them.”
It’s the eighth title in program history for Haverling, their last coming in 2022.
“This is my tenth year as coach,” said Eighmey. “We’ve had good teams in the past, but since ’22 these kids have really bought more into what we’re trying to get accomplished. I’m pretty proud of the kids and what we’re trying to do. There’s another good young group coming, I’m excited to keep it going.”
Phenes singled in addition to scoring. Dayton Orlowske and Eric Carney-Hendrix each had a base hit. Thomas, Dante Nealy, and Mason Davis walked.
For Wayland-Cohocton (13-8), Orion Walker pitched four and a third innings. Ethan Loop tripled, drew a walk, and struck out a batter over an inning and two thirds of relief. Alex Fedorchuk and Paetyn Michaud each singled. Ethan Mehlenbacher and Ricky VanCuren each got on base once via a walk.
The Rams advance to take on B2 winner Wellsville on Monday.
“We just need to keep hitting the ball,” said Thomas. “The past two games, we haven’t been scoring as many runs as we usually have. We’re hitting the ball, just right at people. We just got to keep grinding, keep poking that ball, and we’ll get it down eventually.”
“We’re gonna have to have the next guy step up,” said Eighmey of how they can make a state run. “We’ve been able to use Gage, but it’s going to take one of our other pitchers, and probably another. But as long as they do what they do, I think we’re gonna be alright.”
We are so impressed with the boys of Haverling ,Awesome job boys ! And so very Pround of our Grandson Gage Thomas .He has always been so dedicated to the sport of Baseball ⚾️ He loves all his sports but loves this game and always has .Go get it Boys ! Congradulations!