One team has won nine straight games. The other has won seven straight games.
Kendall and Gowanda (VI) will meet on Tuesday night with a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line. Here’s the breakdown:
KENDALL EAGLES (20-2/Genesee County I/No. 5 NYSSWA Class C)
vs.
GOWANDA PANTHERS (20-3/Chautauqua Cattaraugus Athletic Association/No. 11 NYSSWA Class C)
Tuesday, Hamburg HS, 4:00 pm
How they arrived here: Kendall started its run with an 11-0 win over Byron-Bergen and then defeated Perry 7-0 in the Class C2 semifinals. In the championship, the Eagles took down Genesee Valley-Belfast by a score of 3-1 to win a Section V title. The Eagles beat Gananda 6-3 in the regional qualifier game to book a spot in the sub-regional. Gowanda defeated Frewsburg (4-0), Brocton/Cassadega Valley (10-0), and Falconer (6-2) to win the Section VI Class C title.
Scoring offense: Kendall (9.7 RPG), Gowanda (8.5 RPG)
Scoring defense: Kendall (1.7 RPG), Gowanda (2.1 RPG)
Trends: Kendall is on an nine-game winning streak and has outscored its opponents 83-13 over that span. Gowanda has won seven straight games. They’ve kept their opponent to two runs or less in five straight games.
Players to watch for Kendall: Vinnie D’Agostino (Genesee County Player of the Year, threw perfect game in sectional semifinals), Jonny Conte (Genesee County All-Star), Nic Cole (Genesee County All-Star), CJ D’Agostino (Genesee County All-Star), Sammy Conte (Genesee County All-Star Honorable Mention)
Players to watch for Gowanda: Carter Capozzi (complete game in sectional final), Seth Gieger (two RBI in sectional final), Elliott Graham (two RBI in sectional final), Aidan Geiger, Tristin Luther
Coaches: Tige Noni (Kendall), Tim Smith (Gowanda)
History 101: These two squads met in the Far West Regional a season ago. Gowanda came away with an 8-1 win.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the NYS Class C quarterfinals to play the winner of Beaver River (III) and Charles O. Dickerson (IV) on Saturday.
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