Archive: Sports

The JV baseball team finished with a regular season record of 16 – 0.  Continuing to play with poise, confidence and discipline the team defeated the Eagles, Blue Devils and the Blue Raiders in the last matchups of this season.  They started the week with an assertive, 24 – 3, win over Whitney Point.  The boys then traveled to Moravia where they took the lead and never let it go.  For their final regular season game the Bobcats battled their rival across the lake, defeating them 15 – 8.   They earned the title of IAC Large School North Champions and the right to compete in the IAC Large School championship game against the Waverly Wolverines.

The Whitney Point Eagles soared into Lansing only to be hooded and sent away by a committee of Bobcat pitchers.  Relying on the solid defense behind them, Corbin Atkins, Greg Lee, Ben Kutler, and Dominic Tarallo combined for six strikeouts and allowed only three runs.  The offense was alive from the start of the game.  Kyle Arrison batted a thousand going 1 for 1 with a two RBI single.  Logan Osterman went 2 for 3 with a double and a single.  Atkins, Kutler, Mikula, Tarallo, Jesse Richardson, Jared Strait and Owen Davis all batted five hundred.

For their next game, Lansing headed down to the Moravia Blue Devils to steal more than just a golden fiddle.  Richardson took the start and the win, pitching five shutout innings.  He had 11 K’s, one walk and one hit.  Mikula came in for the sixth and seventh innings with a huge lead.  He had three K’s in two innings.   The defense allowed only five runs total.  For their first inning the Moravia pitcher came out strong.  The Bobcats quickly adapted and lit the ball up, scoring 23 runs on 14 hits and 12 walks.  Nate Bandler went 2 for 2 with two singles and an RBI.  Osterman joined Bandler in the thousand club going 2 for 2 as well.  They both made it on base three out of three at bats.  Grant Sterle batted five hundred with a two RBI single to right field and a walk.  Caleb Moseley made it on base three out of three at bats with three disciplined walks.  Everyone played and everyone hit.  Only four players were struck out and only three errors were committed by the Lansing team.

Trumansburg crossed the lake looking for retribution for the shutout that the Bobcats handed them in their first meeting.  Brandon Davis started on the bump and earned the win for the Cats.  He pitched four innings, with five K’s, three walks, four hits and four runs allowed.  Strait relieved Brandon D. and closed the game.  He struggled a bit at the start but settled in for the three innings.  Strait had seven K’s, three of which were the first and last three batters of the seventh inning.  He also gave up four runs, his first for the season.  The Raiders pitcher threw well, but not well enough to avoid the onslaught of hits from Lansing.  15 runs scored off of 15 hits and five walks.  Strait went 4 for 4 scoring three of those times with the help of six stolen bases.  Mikula went 1 for 1 with 2 walks crossing home plate all three times.  Stanhope went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Arrison, Atkins, Kutler and the Davis boys all batted five hundred.

The team’s regular season stats are very impressive.  16 wins, 0 losses, 674 at bats, 237 runs scored, 181 hits, 115 walks, on base 439 times, batting average above 0.300 and on base percentage above 0.600.  Defensively they allowed 59 runs to score on 67 hits and 59 walks.  They had 155 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.09.

With the regular season over it was time for the IAC championships.  The team made the long journey down south to combat the Wolverines.  It was an excellent game to say the least; the best game of the season.  Kutler led off with a sweet single to left center field for the Cats and immediately shot to second on an error made by the center fielder.  Mikula then hit the ball hard to the right side that scored Kutler and allowed him to make it to first due to an error by the second baseman.  Mikula stole second and third but, was left stranded as the Waverly pitcher settled in, striking three of the next four Bobcats out.  Atkins took the mound for Lansing.  He struck out two batters and hit a another and the Wolverines tied it up 1 - 1.

Owen D. got things going again for the Cats with a leadoff single.  Atkins lined one hard at the second baseman who dropped the ball but created enough confusion to get Atkins out at first.  Owen D. performed some fancy footwork to arrive safely back at first base.  Lee moved him around on a catcher interference call.  An infield fly and sharp play by the shortstop left the two stranded with the score still tied at one.  Waverly answered with three runs and Atkins pulled himself from the mound with a sore arm.  Coach Cheatham jumbled the fielders around and gave the ball to Strait.  He took the ball with two outs and a runner on second.  The next batter reached first on an error.  With runners on first and third, Strait zipped the ball to Osterman at first picking the runner off cleanly and upsetting the Wolverines coach.  The score was now 4  - 1 Waverly.

Stanhope wore a pitch and jogged down to first.  The next two batters popped out.  Strait hit a two out single moving Stanhope over and allowing him to score on a wild pitch.  Strait stole third and was driven in by an RBI single from Owen D.  With Lansing chipping away at their lead Waverly came out swinging.  Strait sent them back into the field with two K's and a ground ball that was handled well by Mikula.  In the fourth inning  both teams went down quickly, keeping the score close but still in Waverly's favor.


Brandon D. ripped a shot down the third base line to start off the fifth.  Coach Cheatham stirred things up by pinch hitting Arrison for Osterman.  Arrison crushed the ball to right field moving Brandon D. to third.  Strait helped his cause by fouling off six strikes in a row then hitting one hard up the middle.  The second baseman made a great play getting Arrison out at second but, it allowed Brandon D. to have his box filled in.  Strait, irritating on base, stole second and third.  He distracted the pitcher causing four straight balls to Owen D.  Strait then scored making the score 5 - 4, Lansing.

Having given up the lead the Wolverines came out snarling with a leadoff double hit up the middle and then a walk.  The next batter put down a nice bunt and made it to first safe but, he rounded towards second and was put out by the quick thinking Osterman and Strait.

The next batter hit the ball to Mikula who wisely threw it home to Stanhope who tagged the runner trying to score.  With two outs and a runner on first and second, Stanhope gave Strait the sign to pick the guy at first.  They caught him in a pickle between first and second, Strait to Osterman to Kutler, making the third out and maintaining their lead.

In the sixth inning Mikula and Stanhope both reached base and were driven in on a two RBI slam by Brandon D.  Going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Waverly was down by three runs but they would not give up.  They put together a few hits and mixed in a couple of walks to tie the score at seven.  The seventh inning went quick with both teams holding solid and causing extra innings.  Lansing had a glimmer in the eighth with Stanhope reaching base and Brandon D. battling off six strikes.  Still tied.  Two hits, an error, and a walk was all that Waverly needed to score, win, and end the Bobcats winning streak.  Final Score in the eighth inning, 8 - 7, Waverly.

All things considered, it was an awesome game between two great teams that deserved to be in the championship game.  The Lansing team was upset by the loss but held their heads high, as they should.  Coach Cheatham was overheard telling his boys that these two teams will meet again to battle another day.

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