By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
BOLIVAR — Bolivar-Richburg and the game of baseball go hand-in-hand harmoniously.
Dating back to 2013, there is no team that is more synonymous with winning in the Spring time than the Wolverines, who have come away victorious with the coveted championship block eight times in a span of 10 seasons.
Thursday night, Class C2’s number one seed, after three straight victories to eclipse the 20-win plateau for the season, now found themselves one more win away from going back to the familiar realm for a sixth straight season. No. 4 Kendall was the lone obstacle separating them from Maple City Park in Hornell this weekend.
When it was all said and done, it was another night at the office.
The top seeds struck all offensive chords across the board to set the tone on the Eagles, as they garnered a sizeable advantage and continued to add more fuel to their fire as time went on, all while Landon Barkley maintained command of the pitcher’s mound from start to finish to aid Bolivar-Richburg in yet another trip back to the Finals this weekend with a 13-2 victory on their home field for the very last time this Spring.
“It was a total team effort,” Wolverines coach Dustin Allen said. “We put every phase of baseball together tonight. Landon was outstanding, and Aydin (Sisson) was consistent behind the plate, not letting anything behind him. Our fielding, we were making plays left and right. My kudos go to Maddox (Davison), he gave us a stellar stay at third base. We got the hits when we needed it, and we were aggressive on the bases. It all worked out for us to go back to the Finals.”
Following a scoreless 1-2-3 inning handed out by both parties across the first inning, the Wolverines (21-2) went to work breaking their offense open against Kendall in the bottom of the second with a 4-0 lead, generated by an early bird bases-loaded term behind the Kendall defense.
With it, Kingston Loucks was able to strike gold with a single that crawled just enough into right field to bring a pair of runs home to help break the ice in a big way.
More damage was done in the next inning for the top seeds after Barkley kept the Eagles at bay for a third straight inning, as their advantage grew to six behind a beautiful display of base-running on a ground into the turf, with Kendall firing the throw to first to record the out. They would not get it, but noticed Sisson making a jailbreak run for home, sliding in before a tag could be placed to finish off a wonderful play to help extend the lead.
The Eagles would work their way back into the mix with their two lone runs — one on a towering single into right that sailed over the head of Kingston Loucks, gaining enough distance to plate a run from third. But with their bats remaining red hot, the Wolverines got those runs back and then some, posting a five-run bottom of the fourth to pull away and out of reach at an instant, with Reiss Gaines, Trey Buchholz and Caden Allen all recording an RBI to power up the frame.
The Wolverines would conclude the festivities with 13 runs off eight hits. Leading the way were Allen and Barkley, each scoring two total hits and two RBI. Buchholz and Tavyn MacDonell each had a triple, with Buchholz recording two more RBI in addition.
On the mound, Barkley struck out five and walked one in his complete game four-hit gem.
Bolivar-Richburg now navigates their way into the Class C2 Finals, which will take place Saturday night in a 4 p.m. first pitch at Maple City Park in Hornell, as they prepare to rendezvous with a Sectional rival in years past — No. 2 Geneseo.
“We’ve had some great battles with Geneseo in the past, and this year will be no different,” Allen said. “They have one of the best pitchers in Section V, and we’ve got some solid pitchers ourselves to put up against them. It will be another one of those classic battles, so we’ll get back to it tomorrow with practice and then hope for the best on Saturday.”
Kendall 000 200 0 – 2 4 1
Bolivar-Richburg 042 520 X – 13 8 1
KEN – Nick Cole (LP) (3K, 2BB), Gavin Braun (4) (2BB), James Swift (4) (6K, BB) and Colby Hughes.
B-R – Landon Barkley (WP) (CG, 5K, BB) and Aydin Sisson.
