A column by JOHN ANDERSON
In sports, it’s common to remember the losses over the wins, especially in big games. The ‘what if’ game is not just in life, it’s in athletic competition.
Looking back at the Wellsville baseball program over the years, there are so many ‘what if’ moments that could have led to several more sectional titles and maybe even state championships. It hurts when those moments are things you can’t control, weather, officials, scheduling and injuries.
Rarely do you lose a game and say “we did everything perfectly.” But that’s what happened to Batavia Notre Dame on Saturday in the Section V Class B baseball championship game at Innovative Field, the stadium home to the Rochester Red Wings.
Not only did Notre Dame do everything perfect, the team displayed an act of sportsmanship that was not expected, but took place during the lowest emotional point of a career for a senior in high school.
Wellsville beat Notre Dame for the title. That would be a simple headline in any newspaper across the country after a game.
However, what happens when Team A throws a no-hitter and Team B throws a no-hitter? And the final score is 1-0? If that’s not a state and national record, it ties a state and national record. The only thing that could have made it a fraction better if one team threw a perfect game.
To understand the sportsmanship moment, you have to understand some history and what happened in the game.
Let’s start with the game, because the biggest question all week was, ‘How do you win a game and get no-hit?’
After three innings, Notre Dame had all the momentum without a lead.
FIRST INNING
The Fighting Irish reached on an error in the top of the first and the batter stole second on a strikeout. It was almost the second “strike-’em out-throw-’em-out” in as many games for Wellsville senior catcher Alex Green.
With two outs, a pitch in the dirt was blocked perfectly by Green and the speedy runner took off for third. Green made a perfect throw. The ball hit the glove right before the base and the sliding cleat came in and the force of the clean slide was just enough to jar the ball loose. The runner was safe.
The third baseman charged with the error was sophomore Brennan Geffers. A sophomore who went through the pressure of a football season as QB1 for the Lions and played that position as well as pitched a couple huge victories during this 21-1 campaign.
His head never went down.
The next ball was a weak hit to shortstop. A sure infield single and a run for the Irish. Suddenly, Geffers appears, sprinting across the diamond. He cuts the ball off four feet from shortstop and on the run fires to first baseman Karson Grover. The runner is out by half a step and the inning is over, 0-0.
The scouts behind home plate report Vogel is popping an average of 84 miles per hour on the radar gun.
THIRD INNING
Jaden Sherwood is on the mound for Batavia Notre Dame. The senior has thrown 85-86 at some showcases and pitched on a few days rest here and there all season. Today, he is on around nine days rest.
His fastball is registering between 86 and 88. He has a perfect game going with 9-up-9-down.
FOURTH INNING
Wellsville junior Aiden Cowburn has two strikes then fouls off two pitches. He hits a shot down the first base line. The ball is hit so hard, the first basemen couldn’t get a glove on it. It was first ruled a hit, then correctly changed to an error.
Cowburn gets to second on a good jump and a ball in the dirt. Ty Vogel then takes a mighty swing at a chest high fastball and missed. The radar gun showed the magic number: 90.
The next pitch is a curve and Vogel isn’t thinking about being a hero and hitting a line drive shot. He has one job, make contact to get Cowburn to third. He does just that with a groundout, as Sherwood comes off the mound, cuts it off and makes the throw.
Alex Green hits the first pitch to shortstop and Cowburn did something that is hard to do, wait to see the ball past the infield. He was off base enough that the shortstop had to start to run at him then fired to third. The tag went down. The call went up … safe. Green is on first, Cowburn is on third with one out.
Senior Cooper Brockway who spent the 2023 season as a leadoff hitter is now up. He is now a cleanup hitter chasing the school record for highest batting average in a season. Coop drops a bunt between the third baseline and the pitchers mound. Sherwood, a tremendous athlete who was Section V MVP in basketball when the Irish won a title, hops off the mound and freezes Cowburn at third before throwing to first to nab Brockway.
But Cowburn knew this was his chance. He watched three innings of three-up-three-down. He raced for home and slid. The ball hit the catchers glove just after he was called safe.
1-0 Wellsville and the only run needed.
SEVENTH INNING
Vogel takes the mound to face one of the best in the Notre Dame lineup. There’s a reason people pay the biggest money to see a heavyweight fight. And that’s where we were. Power vs. power. Fastball after fastball, the pitches were being fouled off.
Then came the last one. Strike three. The radar gun registered 86.9. Vogel’s fastest pitch of the game was his 91st of the game in the 7th. A groundout to Cowburn and a pop up to Cowburn and the game is over. 1-0 win, two no-hitters.
SPORTSMANSHIP
It’s not everyday someone wants to write about Notre Dame and sportsmanship. It’s not a question of character, it’s the age-old argument of having private schools in the public school tournaments. In Section VI, the private schools have their own leagues and post-season tournaments and participate in states as well.
In Section V, private (Catholic or religious) schools go up and down from Class A to Class D as committees try to determine which classification to place them in based on the talent of students attending the school in any given year.
If you know the Rapone’s, you enjoy talking to them, watching them coach basketball and baseball the right way. Fundamentals, hustle, great athletes and winners. The Rapone’s also have no issue making sure they let an official know a 50/50 call may have tipped in the wrong direction.
At the Section V finalist luncheon, a few veteran coaches were talking when Rick Rapone, the coach of the Notre Dame baseball team, walked up. One of the committee members said, “Coach, did you REALLY question a call at first base with a 19-run lead in the semifinals?”
Rick quickly snapped back, “That’s a lie!!” He then said, “We were only up 16 runs.” We all had a good laugh and Rapone wasn’t lying. A player slid into second hands-up and Rapone felt it was interference.
In the Section V finals, there were only a couple close plays, but mostly incredible plays and even better pitching.
Full disclosure, I am an assistant coach on the Wellsville team. One of our assistants turned to me and said we had six more outs to get. It felt like we had only been playing for 25 minutes. That’s how dominant Sherwood and Vogel were.
After the final out, it didn’t feel like a win. We didn’t get a hit. Sherwood and Vogel combined for 14 innings pitched, 20 strikeouts, 1 walk, zero hits, one run.
Both teams lined up on the baselines and Notre Dame received their second place medallions. Again, it just felt they deserved more. Now I know what it’s like to tie 0-0 in soccer and one team has to advance on penalty kicks.
As soon as the last player and coach had their award, rain and hail came down with ferocity. The parents and fans who were watching in the stands, holding cell phones out to capture the moment of the Wellsville award ceremony, ran for cover in the concourse. The media rushed for cover in the dugout.
The crowd for the game was 572 spectators. It was now two lonely people with an umbrella. The announcer in the dry press box started announcing 15 Wellsville players and coaches.
In the driving rain, the entire Notre Dame team stayed on the third baseline clapping. For each player. For each coach.
The announcer had to announce Wellsville as the No. 1 seed.
Notre Dame, the No, 2 seed with the same 20-1 record, clapped.
Wellsville coach Tom Delahunt was then announced as Section V Class B coach of the Year.
The rain was barely letting up and they clapped.
And then the MVP award. Ty Vogel.
The clapping continued.
(Story continues after short video of the rain)
Video as the rain starts and Notre Dame waits out the awards
Finally, Wellsville was given their championship trophy, the brick, to hold high and walk toward the fans who were watching 50 yards away piled up five rows deep in the concourse staying dry.
Notre Dame left the field and went to their dugout.
An astonished Rapone gave some last well-wishes to Wellsville coaches and Sherwood finally flashed a quick smile when he was notified scouts had him at 90 miles per hour on a radar gun. But then the sullen looks continued.
Notre Dame may have lost, but so did Rocky Balboa in the first movie. Wellsville moves on to represent Section V, and battle tested thanks to Notre Dame.
And somewhere in heaven, Mr. Cub Ernie Banks caught part of the game and said, “Let’s Play Two.”
