The baseball team played four games against Finger Lakes on Saturday and Monday, contending in all but losing in all, bringing the season to a close.
The Hornets visited the Lakers for a doubleheader on Saturday, falling 3-1 and 4-2 in those games. Broome returned home on Monday to host the final two games, which were 12-5 and 7-2 finals. In all four games, the Lakers used middle or late-game heroics to put their slim leads out of reach of the Hornets.
Lakers pitcher Bruno Cergol threw a gem in game one on Saturday, tossing a no-hitter and striking out nine Broome batters. The Hornets saw Kobe Dela Cruz draw a walk and come around to score on a Finger Lakes error in the top of the sixth for their lone run. Peyton Farrell was just as effective on the mound for Broome, limiting the Lakers to five hits over 6.0 innings, and allowing just two earned runs while striking out four batters and walking just one. With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Lakers scored two decisive runs.
Daniel Crowley pitched well for the Hornets in game two on Saturday, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out five over 4.0 innings. Broome would not be no-hit in the second game of the day, mustering up five hits to Finger Lakes' seven.
Joseph Miller was 2-3 and scored a run, Thomas Contrata was 1-3, Thomas Ricci was 1-2, Crowley was 1-3 with an RBI. Nathan Moses had another Hornet RBI and Dela Cruz scored a run in the contest. The score was notted at 2-2 when Finger Lakes scored a run in the fourth and the fifth to go up 4-2 and stay ahead the rest of the way.
Returning home on Monday, the Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Finger Lakes in the bottom of the first. The Lakers went ahead 3-2 after the top of the second, and tacked on another run in the third for a 4-2 advantage. Broome answered with a run in the fifth to make the score 4-3, but four Lakers runs in the sixth and seventh brought the advantage to 12-3 before the Hornets scored two in the seventh and arrived at the 12-5 final.
The home team exploded for 11 hits in the contest. Dela Cruz starred with three hits in four at-bats, including a double, and scored three runs. Miller was 1-4, Kaden Grayson was 1-2, Jacob McTigue was 2-4 with an RBI, and Crowley starred with three hits in four at-bats as well, one being a double, and two RBIs. Anthony Thatcher was 1-1 with an RBI single. Despite going 0-2 in the game, Contrata also had an RBI.
In game two on Monday, Finger Lakes took a 3-0 lead before Broome made it 3-2 after four innings. The Lakers came right back in the top of the fifth, however, and put up a four spot to increase their lead to 7-2. That would remain the final score.
Securing six hits as a team in this contest, Broome saw Dela Cruz go 1-3 with a run scored, Moses go 1-4, Contrata go 1-3 with a run scored, McTigue go 2-4, and Ricci go 1-2 with a two-RBI double. Pitching wise, Grayson kept the Hornets in the game through the fifth inning. McTigue and Ricci followed in relief with a scoreless inning each.
After the unfortunate 0-4 mark against Finger Lakes where the Hornets had their chances at a victory in all four, Broome will end the season with an 8-27 record. This marks a three-win improvement from last season, and the eight wins are the Hornets' most since the 2014 season. Broome finishes the year ranked #10 nationally in all of NJCAA Division III baseball for stolen bases, with 141.
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