Two teams enter the sub-regional round on long stretches of elite play. Haverling is outscoring its opponents by nearly 200 runs over its past 18 games, while Medina (VI) has hasn’t given up more than one run in 13 of its last 14 outings.
Something has to give when these two squads meet on Tuesday. Here’s the breakdown:
HAVERLING RAMS (21-3/Livingston County I/No. 5 NYSSWA Class B)
vs.
MEDINA MUSTANGS (19-2/Niagara-Orleans/No. 9 NYSSWA Class B)
Tuesday, Frontier HS, 7:00 pm
How they arrived here: Haverling took down Waterloo 20-0 in the opening round of the B1 tournament before getting past Hornell 3-0 in the semifinals. In the championship, the Rams picked up a 1-0 win over Wayland-Cohocton. Haverling defeated Wellsville 6-5 to clinch a spot in the state tournament. Medina took down Newfane (23-0), Fredonia (8-0), Southwestern (8-0), and John F. Kennedy (3-0) to win the Section VI Class B title.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM STEVEN TWARDZIK.
Scoring offense: Haverling (10.3 RPG), Medina (9.6 RPG)
Scoring defense: Haverling (2.5 RPG), Medina (0.8 RPG)
Trends: Haverling is on a 18-game winning streak and has scored 212 runs while allowing 29 runs over that span. Before their last game against Wellsville, the Rams had pitched three shutouts. Medina won 17 of its past 18 and has shutouts in seven of its past eight games.
Players to watch for Haverling: Gage Thomas Sr. P/INF (.479 BA, 34 H, nine XBH, 32 RBI, 33 R, 69.1 IP, 1.41 ERA, 8-1 record, 131 Ks), Mason Davis Sr. OF (.392 BA, 20 H, 21 RBI, 21 R), Parker Lafler Fr. INF (.397 BA, 23 H, four 2B, 13 RBI, 22 R), Dylan Wenban Sr. P/UTIL (.500 BA, 37 H, six XBH, 27 RBI, 42 R, 30.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 5-1 record, 28 Ks), Dayton Orlowske Jr. (.391 BA, 27 H, five XBH, 24 RBI, 19 R), Eric Carney-Hendrix Jr. (.429 BA, 25 H, three 2B, 16 RBI, 23 R, 24.2 IP, 2.84 ERA, 5-1 record, 37 K)
Players to watch for Medina: Aidan Papaj Jr. P (.532 BA, 33 H, 29 RBI, eight XBH, 36 R, 54.0 IP, 8-1 record, 0.52 ERA, 107 Ks, no-hitter), Preston Woodworth Jr. P (.387 BA, 24 H, 26 RBI, 13 2B, 48.1 IP, 7-1 record, 0.72 ERA, 100 Ks, two no-hitters), Vinny Gray Sr. P (.339 BA, 19 H, 13 RBI, six XBH, 33 R, 25.2 IP, 4-0 record, 0.27 ERA, 36 Ks), Hadrian Batista Jr. (.345 BA, 20 H, two XBH, 15 RBI, 18 R), Camden Fike Jr. (.300 BA, 15 H, seven XBH, 18 RBI, 15 R), Carlos Doval Jr. (.341 BA, 15 H, 14 RBI, 18 R)
Coaches: Sean Eighmey (Haverling), Chris Goyette (Medina)
History 101: Haverling is in the state tournament for the first season since 2009. That year, the Rams fell in the Far West Regional. Medina is looking to reach the state quarterfinals for the fourth time since 2022.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the NYS Class B quarterfinals to face the winner of Bishop Ludden (III) and Oneonta (IV) on Saturday.
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