HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: STRONG PITCHING BY FUTURE D1 PITCHER THE DIFFERENCE AS HORSEHEADS FALLS IN REGIONALS (24 PHOTOS) (2023-06-01)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — Walkill came out swinging a hot bat, but Horseheads young pitchers were able to keep the game close the whole night giving the Blue Raiders a chance in their regional game at Mirabito Stadium.

In the end the pitching by Walkill left-hander Chase Hermance proved to be too much to overcome as Horseheads fell 5-0.

What made for an extra challenge for the Blue Raiders is that their roster has a lot of left-handers and they were going up against a D1 bound left-handed pitcher.

“We scattered some hits, had some decent at bats,” Horseheads coach Jeff Limoncelli said. “But, that kid (Hermance) is tough. He’s going to Radford for a reason, and he’ll pitch there as a freshman. We knew that, and we also knew a good lefty throwing, I have so many lefties in the lineup, we knew our work was going to be cut out.

“For me I’m just proud of the kids. I thought they played for seven innings. We were in the ball game against a good team, we just didn’t score runs.”

Walkill had runners on second and third in the first inning. They had the bases loaded with one out in the second and they again loaded the bases in the third inning.

While Walkill had chances, a pair of young Horsheads pitchers — Mason Holloway and Micah Hays — kept the game close throughout.

Despite all the base runners Walkill got just two runs in this first three innings and it was just a 3-0 game heading into the seventh when Walkill was able to tack on two more runs.

“They are sophomores in a big stage and they settled in,” Limoncelli said. “There was a couple innings there were they settled in and got big outs and I”m proud of them and I can’t wait for next year.”

With a strong senior class on the roster it’s always tough to say goodbye to that group for Limoncelli.

“It’s always hard to say goodbye,” Limoncelli said. “I told them I don’t get disappointed over losing, I get disappointed because I’m not going to coach the same group collectively ever again. That’s the thing about catching, you ask any coach, the finality of never being in that circle again, that’s tough.”

Holloway worked 3 2/3 innings for Horseheads striking out three and allowing four walks and eight hits, but she limited Walkill to just three runs, getting two strikeouts to end the first-inning threat, getting a strikeout and flout to end the bases loaded threat in the second and getting three flyouts to end the threat in the third.

Hays came in and got a strikeout in the fourth, pitched a 1-2-3 fifth with two strikeouts and then used a double play and strikeout to get through a scoreless sixth. In the seventh Walkill got two runs and Alex Daugherty came on to get the final out for the Blue Raiders with a strikeout.

Getting on the mound in a regional game will only help the Blue Raiders young pitchers in the future.

“It was big for them,” Limoncelli said. “It’s a great learning curve for them and I’m sure they are chomping at the bit to get back at it.”

Josh Stout had a double for Horseheads and Daugherty and Wert each had hits in the game.

Jackson Cook had two walks as the Blue Raiders drew five walks in the game.

Hermance threw 125 pitches for Walkill, striking out 15 and allowing three hits and five walks.
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IN TOP PHOTO: Horseheads’ Alex Daugherty leaps to try and make a play at third base. . . PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES.