(Photo: Ty Vogel stops another bunt attempt by Medina to advance runners with a throw to Brennen Geffers)
Photos and story by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
GRAND ISLAND — Regardless of what loomed in the near future ahead for the Lions of Wellsville, this season will go down in history. All season long, since the very first pitch was thrown back in early April, they have been a force at the plate, their defense has been nothing short of spectacular and the pitching, absolutely exquisite.
Many victories have been accumulated and many records in the program’s history books have been rewritten. Their herculean efforts to transform what was a 10-12 season a year ago, to a 21-1 championship-winning campaign now, is simply extraterrestrial.
Because of it, they are now back in the cat bird’s seat in Section V for the second time in four years. Now the lingering question surrounding them going forward after their 1-0 no-hit triumph over Notre Dame-Batavia, is how far forward does the path lie?
The yellow brick road they traveled on since the start of Sectionals has been a glorious trek, but as time passes, the outlook ahead does not get any easier by any means. The next step they had to make was one that the program hadn’t been in since 2010 — the Far West Regional.
With a potential State Final Four trip waiting on the other side, the barricade idly sitting right in the middle of their path was a Section VI titan — the Medina Mustangs, winners of four Sectional titles in the last five years. On a Spring-esque Saturday morning, they would begin a long day of baseball on the confines of Grand Island High School, just a 20-minute drive away from the Rainbow Bridge at the Canadian border.
The Lions looked to their Class B Finals lionheart Ty Vogel to take care of business again on the mound. For a vast majority of the action, it was shaping up to be another close battle to the finish line. The two foes took it to the limit after multiple scoreless innings and a fourth inning breakthrough were traded on the scoreboard.
Momentum had to ride in the passenger’s seat with one team. With the game’s very first bases loaded situation arising down the homestretch, there was no mistaking the importance of the opportunity. Something had to give.
For Medina, they made the most out of every bit of it.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Mustangs roamed wild, as they jammed the bases behind the Wellsville defense on several occasions, using a mix of special teams and baserunning to set themselves up for success. An infield fly rule that wasn’t going to be called until the ball landed gave Medina the lead and a few first-of-the-season balls off the elevated plate on the turf accounted for three runs. When it was all said and done, the Section VI champions completed a seven-run offensive hemorrhage to turn a 1-1 tie into a catastrophic tide-turner, as they put a stop to a magnificent campaign authored by the Lions to win the Class B Far West Regional title with an 8-3 victory.
“We played five innings of tied baseball. In the sixth, we ran into a couple of really bad breaks. They got some guys on base, and we had a couple of pitches that hit the edge of the plate and shot above Alex (Green). They were able to score off of those, and that’s when the game turned,” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt. “We lost to a good team, and when you get this far beyond Sectionals, you’re facing another Sectional-winning team. They’ve won four of the last five in Section VI, and Medina’s a great program. Their pitching was the story today. (Brody) Fry went all seven and we had a hard time getting the bat on the ball against him. Give him credit, he wasn’t overpowering. He had a nice curveball, mixed his pitches and kept us off-balance.”
One thing was for certain in the contest: There was going to be at least a hit between each team, as opposed to the pair of no-hitters last weekend at Innovative Field. Following a 1-2-3 stand on defense conducted by both Wellsville and Medina to start the game, the offenses would then turn the knob and get their engines firing, with Cooper Brockway being responsible for the team’s lone hit before being congealed in another 1-2-3 Mustangs inning, paced by a 6-4-3 double play in the infield.
Vogel would help counter with a phenomenal sequence of his own right later on to help the Lions off in the bottom of the third, spearheading a throw to third to catch a lead runner off a bunt, before twisting around for a pick-off straight over to first base immediately after to catch the next runner off guard. Despite two additional runners for the Mustangs reaching, the Wellsville junior was able to hurl a big inning-ending strikeout to keep both on and exit the jam.
The momentum shifted over into the top of the fourth, where the Lions were the first team to provide a puncture into the ice. As for who did it? — None other than Brockway. With runners at second and third, they receive his connection on a base hit that drops into center field, leading Aiden Cowburn home to give them the 1-0 edge. Medina countered with an RBI of their own after a diving catch from Gavin Haggerty in left field saw the ball jar loose from his glove.
Medina worked around the bases until they cashed in their game-tying run off the strike. The score would allow the Mustangs to build a big head of steam entering the homestretch of battle.
Despite chances being missed across the fifth inning, and the sixth for the Lions, the Mustangs made the most of the opportunity ahead with the first loading and several reloads of the bases behind the Wellsville defense. When it was all said and done, Medina accounted for seven humongous runs to take a game-long deadlock and transform it into an 8-1 lead entering the final inning.
The Lions would attempt to work their way back into the game with RBI singles off the bats of Aiden Cowburn and Karson Grover in the top of the seventh, but the hole dug by Medina was too deep to climb out of in the end, as the Mustangs propelled their way to victory and the Far West Regional title, ending Wellsville’s campaign.
Wellsville garnered three runs off six hits at the dish, with Cowburn and Brockway each having two hits. Grover and Alex Green rounded off with a hit each. On the mound, Vogel advanced his start into the fifth inning, striking out four and walking two in his no-decision.
As for Medina’s Brody Fry, he went all seven innings to keep the Lions off-balanced at the plate, fanning nine and walking just one to secure the win.
Although the Lions weren’t on the winning side of things one more time, they did manage to pick up a few more wins elsewhere. As the team closes up a marvelous 21-2 campaign with a Class B Championship that was bolstered by the highest team batting average in the school’s history, coupled with their first Far West Regional appearance in 14 years, they would also garner a pair of added bonuses along the way — being recognized for their hard work in the classroom as a Scholar Athlete team, as well as winning the Sportsmanship award from the Allegany County Umpires Association.
Goals Delahunt hoped to have achieved in a season that he believes is the best one he’s ever been a part of.
“We didn’t give up and we came back from a lot of deficits this year, especially early on. This one was too big though. It was a big mountain to climb, but we had an incredible season. It’s one of the best seasons I’ve ever been a part of, player and coach,” he said. “We should be very proud of what we’ve accomplished and the memories we’ve been able to make. I told the kids that I would love to win a title, to have a Scholar Athlete team, and I was told last night that we won the Sportsmanship award from our county umpires. Three for three. We played great baseball, we did well in the classroom and we did things with class. I really couldn’t be any prouder of the kids, the coaches. We received tremendous support from the community that followed us around everywhere. I can’t say enough about that.”
The future remains bright for the Lions heading into next Spring, as they retain the majority of their championship-winning squad for yet another go-around back to the Finals and beyond. But, they will have to do it without their two Senior centerpieces — Alex Green and Cooper Brockway, who will both depart the program for Graduation in just a few week’s time.
As for No. 7 behind the plate, he will cement his legacy as one of Wellsville’s all-time offensive playmakers at the plate with his .541 batting average becoming the new standard this season — a mark that had not been eclipsed since Brad Graves last established the mark back in 1996 with his season batting average of .530.
Delahunt spoke about both his leaders and their endless contributions to the program.
“We have a really good group coming back next year, only losing two seniors. We need to put in the work to get even better and put us back into this situation next year,” he said. “Both of those two guys gave their heart and soul to this team. They are tremendous examples to every player in the program. They led us on and off the field, and they did everything the right way. We’re going to miss both Alex and Cooper both as players, but as well as great people. Their legacy will continue on because of who they are and who they were, around all these younger guys. That speaks volumes.”
Wellsville 000 100 2 – 3 6 1
Medina 000 107 X – 8 9 2
WLSV – Ty Vogel (4K, 2BB), Cooper Brockway (LP, 5) (2K, 2BB), Aiden Cowburn (6) (2K, 2BB) and Alex Green.
MED – Brody Fry (WP) (CG, 9K, BB) and Ryleigh Culver.
