Gowanda Small Town Times

On Friday, June 13, the Gowanda Varsity baseball team was at Union-Endicott High School for a Class C Semi-Final game against Deposit-Hancock. D-H came into the game ranked 1st in the state and this always figured to be a very low scoring game. As it happened, the D-H pitcher tossed a 3-hit, 5-strikeout game that allowed just one Gowanda run. Gowanda would have needed a shutout to win. They came close to achieving that with just one 2 RBI single making the difference in the game. During the game D-H had 12 runners on base at one time or another and it took a lot of Gowanda heroics to keep the game close.

Gowanda initially got off to a fast start. Leadoff batter, Blake Herman pounded a shot that hit the pitcher’s leg and bounced all the way back across the 3rd base line into foul territory. Three straight outs followed stranding Herman on the basepath.

Defense prevailed on both sides through four quick innings. In the 3rd inning, D-H opened with a walk and a single. After one out, they had runners on 2nd and 3rd. The runner on 3rd base started for home as the pitch was delivered. The batter took a swing and missed trapping the runner between 3rd and home. That led to a second out. An intentional walk put runners on 1st and 2nd. That set up a third out as the runner on 2nd attempted, and failed, to steal 3rd.

The big inning of the game was the 5th. Jayden Fish opened the inning for Gowanda with a walk. After one out, Seth Geiger added a single to right field that got Fish to 3rd base. Madden Lay followed with an RBI while being thrown out at 1st. That put Gowanda up 1-0 going to the bottom of the inning. The Gowanda momentum was short lived.

Deposit-Hancock answered with a big inning of their own. With two runners on base by a single and a walk, and with one out, a hit to left center field got past two Gowanda players for a 2-RBI single. Gowanda finally closed out the inning with a fly out to center, two intentional walks and a final strikeout.

The one-run deficit would stick as Gowanda was unable to answer. They managed only a Carter Capozzi double in the 6th inning. While Drew Kota was walked in the 7th inning, that only set up a double play that ended the game.

While Gowanda made many impressive plays throughout the game, the fell just short of the flawless game they needed, 2-1