In a true character game, the Baldwinsville Bees fought through some adversity to knock off the Auburn Maroons on Monday afternoon, 5-3.
Once again, Cody Kaestle kept the Bees in the game with some excellent pitching, highlighted by incredible control and keeping the Maroons off balance most of the afternoon on five hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. Only two of the three runs scored off Kaestle were earned. The win was Kaestle's third of the season, accounting for all of the Bees' victories.
Baldwinsville fell behind 1-0 in the top of the third, as three consecutive singles, only two of which cleared the infield, and a sacrifice fly produced one run for Auburn. Kaestle was able to keep the damage at one when he got the Maroons' third hitter to line to David Marsell at third base.
It looked like the Bees would respond in the third inning when designated hitter Anthony May connected on a double to right field. Tom Scarfino executed an excellent bunt to get May to third with only one out. However, with the infield playing in, Sam Mahar grounded out to the second baseman and with two outs, Pat Dubiel lined a shot toward right center, which was snagged on a leap by the second baseman to end the Bees' threat.
The Bees were finally able to score on Auburn starter Mike Charles in the fifth inning, when the Bees started to square up on hits.
First, Niko Mirizio worked a walk and stole second base. Then, May got his second hit of the afternoon (he finished with three) when a hard hit ball took a bad hop on the first baseman. Tom Scarfino executed a squeeze bunt which Charles threw over the catcher's head, resulting in the first Bees' run. Mahar then followed with an opposite-field double down the left field line, which scored May. Mahar scored two batters later when Marsell lined a double over the center fielder's head.
In the top of the sixth, however, Auburn responded with their own rally on a hit by the the leadoff hitter. When the Bees failed to execute a double-play on a ball hit to the right side, Auburn had a runner on second with one out.
The Maroons' best hitter, who earlier lined into an inning-ending out in the third, did not disappoint Maroons' fans this time, as he doubled into right center, bringing home one run. Kaestle seemed to escape the inning with just one run when he got the hitter in the five-hole to seemingly ground out, but the ball was missed and a second run scored.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bees responded immediately, as Andrew Chajkowski walked and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Charlie McAllister. Mirizio came up big with the game-winning RBI when he doubled into the left center gap, bringing home Chajkowski for a 4-3 lead. The Bees padded that lead when May hit an RBI single up the middle to score Mirizio, making the score 5-3.
Relief pitcher Nick Borek entered the game in the top of the seventh to try to shut down the Maroons and immediately got two outs with a strikeout and groundout to second. Auburn then got a runner on second with a double, but Borek got the leadoff batter, who already had two hits in the game to line out to himself to end the game. Borek finished with the save.
