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One player sat in the dugout and cheered his teammates, waiting for an opportunity to contribute. The other was in the game from the outset and did everything he could to lift his team. In the end, they both did.
Jarrod Williams hit a pinch-hit, RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game and Anthony May hit a double and scored the winning run in the seventh to help the Bees escape with an 8-7 win on Saturday afternoon over visiting Fayetteville-Manlius.
Things didn't start off that well for the Bees, however.
F-M scored in the first inning off starter Cameron Morrissey and added four more in the second inning.
The Bees responded in the bottom of the second as Cam Williams singled, moved to third on a double by David Cerqua, and later scored on a groundout by Alex Robinson.
F-M tallied one more run in the fifth inning to make the score 6-1.
That was when the Bees' offense exploded.
After one out, Robinson singled to deep right and Tommy McKee followed with a single to center. Frank Levanti reached on an error by the third baseman to load the bases.
Zach Bush walked to bring home one run and May singled to bring in two more. With runners on second and third, Billy Clifford ripped a double to left center, scoring two more runs to tie the game 6-6.
In the top of the sixth, F-M touched Morrissey for one more run to take a one-run lead. Nate Valentine relieved Morrissey with a runner at first and the heart of F-M's lineup coming up. With a slick move, Valentine picked off the runner at first for the second out of the inning. Against one of F-M's most dangerous hitters, Valentine got the batter to ground out to second baseman, David Cerqua.
But the Bees weren't going to go down quietly in the bottom of the sixth.
Pinch-hitter Carson Hayes singled to lead off the inning and Nate Johns pinch ran for Hayes. Robinson followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Johns to second. After the second out, the Bees turned to Jarrod Williams to try to even the score. With two strikes, Williams stroked a single up the middle to allow Johns to score from second base, tying the game 7-7. The momentum swung to the Bees.
Cody Kaestle, normally a starter, entered the game in relief in the top of the seventh against some dangerous hitters. After a single by the first batter and two stolen bases, Kaestle buckled down and struck out two tough hitters. With two outs and another dangerous hitter up, Kaestle got the last batter to fly out to right fielder Alex Robinson.
That set up the final late game heroics of the afternoon (the Bees' JV team walked off against F-M earlier in the day).
May, who already had two hits on the day, stepped to the plate against F-M's reliever and promptly hit a double to right field. With Billy Clifford up, May took off for third base when a ball bounced off the catcher. The catcher, trying to throw out May at third, threw slightly wide and off the glove of the third baseman, allowing May to score the winning run.
Kaestle, who relieved in the game, got the win for the Bees.
The Bees play again on Monday against Liverpool, at home.
