Sweet Home still looking for first win of season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

They're getting closer but Sweet Home baseball team has yet to win a game this season.

The Panthers are 0-9 in ECIC Division I, 0-10 overall.

"Obviously, our record is what it is , but the kids have stayed positive and given every ounce of effort that they can," said Sweet Home coach Derek Zgoda. "It's not like we're laying down for other teams, and I'm proud of them for that. To their credit, they've stayed strong through adversity."

If the Panthers had timely hitting last week, they could have won several of the games they lost. In a 1-0 defeat against Jamestown on Monday, April 30, Sweet Home had runners on second base three times but could not score. Travis Denman and Aaron Klein were the only Panther batters who hit. Denman pitched a complete four-hitter, allowed the only run of the game in the third inning, struck out three, and walked four.

In 6-3 losses against West Seneca West on Wednesday, May 2 and Orchard Park on Thursday, May 3, the difference was Sweet Home left more runners on base and their opponents capitalized on scoring opportunities. Sweet Home left seven runners on base to West Seneca West's three and six more runners than OP.

"I'm happy with the progress of our hitting, but we're not capitalizing when we have runners in scoring position," said Zgoda.

Sweet Home led West Seneca West 3-0 after the second inning after Ryan Maxwell singled and scored on a Chris Hammer fielder's choice, Brandon Hudson scored on a double steal, and Ryan Gutt scored on a passed ball.

Derek Wiser finished with two base hits and two stolen bases. Craig Young also singled. Maxwell only gave up five base hits pitching.

Sweet Home led OP 3-2 after the top of the third before OP answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Gutt (3 for 4, stolen base, RBI) and Maxwell (3 for 3, RBI) led the Sweet Home offense. Sophomore Casey Kacz allowed nine hits in the loss.

Sweet Home faced OP on Friday, May 4 and lost 10-9 in eight innings. Sweet Home outhit OP, 13-10, and battled from a 9-5 deficit to tie the game at 9-9 with a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.

In the sixth, Pappagallo reached base on an error and scored on a fielder's choice by Mile Wolcott. In the seventh, Maxwell walked and scored on a Pappagallo single, Hudson scored on a Young sacrifice fly, and Pappagallo scored on a two-out RBI single by Gutt. Gutt finished with three hits, scored twice, and stole a base. Maxwell was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Klein was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

After a rough start, Wiser, who allowed seven hits and five runs over the first two innings, settled down and gave up one more run in his time on the mound.

Sweet Home played at Williamsville North on Monday, May 7 but results were unavailable before The Bee went to press. The Panthers host Lancaster, Jamestown, and Frontier, from Wednesday, May 9 to Friday, May 11.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com