By PAUL GOTHAM
ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Isaac Wilcox drove in the go-ahead to cap a come-from-behind victory, and Fillmore (20-2) clinched a spot in the New York State Public High School (NYSPHSAA) Class D championship game with a 5-4 victory over Oriskany (20-1), Friday at Pete Sylvester Park at Union-Endicott High School.
Wilcox, who was the third straight Fillmore batter to reach with two outs in the sixth inning, drove in Malcolm Nusbickel with the eventual game winner.
“We know we can score some runs once we get rolling,” said Eagles’ head coach Kaiden Bowers. “That just shows what we’re made of right there.”
Trailing 4-2, Blake Washburn reached on hit by pitch to lead the decisive frame. One out later, Washburn stole second and moved to third when Wade DeRock beat out a bunt.
Avery Potter cut the deficit to one with an RBI sacrifice fly. Nusbickel knotted the game with a single through the right side, and Jared Boon drew a walk to set the stage for Wilcox.
The opportunity provided redemption for Wilcox who started and gave up three runs in the first inning before being pulled after getting just three outs.
“That shows a lot of heart from Isaac,” Bowers said of the right-hander who came into the game with a 6-1 record including a win in last Friday’s state quarterfinal. “He was hoping to be the winning pitcher, right? And he struggled at the plate early, struggled on the mound, and then he comes up huge for us in a big moment, late in the game.”
The win avenged a loss from a year ago when Oriskany beat Fillmore in the semifinals before going on to win the state championship.
It looked like Friday’s game would follow a similar script. The Skyhawks added a run in the second against reliever Jared Boon. Fillmore escaped a bases-loaded situation in the second when Boon fielded a comebacker and threw to battery mate Connor McCumiskey to get the force at the plate. McCumiskey then fired a strike to first for an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.
Oriskany then put the first two aboard in the third before Boon was able to escape another jam.
“You throw the game plan out in the first inning and you just, I don’t know, you roll with it,” Bowers said. “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m speechless right now. I haven’t wrapped my brain around all of it yet.”
Fillmore put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the fourth.
Washburn drew a one-out walk. Braylon Hatch blooped a single into right center. DeRock sacrifice bunt was mishandled, and Washburn scored on the play. Nusbickel walked and the final pitch of the at-bat went to the backstop allowing Hatch to come home.
The Eagles had cut the deficit in half.
“We had we had to play a little bit of small ball, which we haven’t had to do this year a whole lot,” Bowers said. “So it kind of just shows how versatile we are and we can get wins in a lot of different ways.”
Boon struck out six over six innings to pick up the win. The left-hander scattered six hits and two walks without allowing an earned run.
Eddie Wright drove in a run, and Oriskany took advantage of three walks along with a wild pitch to score three times in the first.
Wright tripled and scored in the second to make it a 4-0 game before Fillmore rallied with five unanswered.
Fillmore will face Duanesburg of Section 2 in Saturday’s championship game. A 1 PM first pitch is scheduled at Binghamton University.
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