By JOHN CORYER, Press-Republican
Press-Republican
---- — PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Senior Mariners baseball team took care of business Friday.
Robby Knowles pitched six shutout innings and the Mariners rapped out 12 hits in a 10-0 blanking of Norfolk Post 925 in the American Legion District 4 Playoffs at Lefty Wilson Field.
The Mariners (25-9), who won in seven innings by the 10-run rule, play a strong Saratoga Stampede squad at 4:30 p.m. today at Wilson Field, with the winner advancing to the finals in the double-elimination event.
“It’s now survive and advance,” Mariners coach John Flynn said. “We played well in all aspects of the game (Friday).”
Knowles struck out five Rovers and allowed two hits in going the first six innings for the win and Brandon Rabideau struck out the side in his one inning of relief.
“Robby pitched well, kept the ball down, and we got Brandon an inning of work in relief,” Flynn said.
Offensively, the Mariners scored in every inning but the first.
Kasey Favreau got it going with a two-run triple in the second inning, while Brian Latulipe hit a sacrifice fly and Will Flynn a two-run double in a three-run third.
Ben Weightman added a RBI single in the fourth, Tom Curran and Weightman RBI doubles in the fifth, and Knowles a RBI single in the sixth after the Mariners scored a run on a wild pitch.
“We swung the bats well,” John Flynn said. “We hit a lot of balls hard that were caught. We need to keep swinging the bats like that and be aggressive.”
Weightman finished with two singles, a double and an RBI, while Will Flynn added a single, double and two RBI, Knowles two singles and an RBI, and Favreau a single, triple and two RBI.
Curran chipped in with a double, while Kevin Russell and C.J. Worley contributed base hits.
The Mariners, who had a bye in the first round, will take on a Saratoga team that also had a bye in the opening round before recording a 9-1 victory over the defending district champion Tri-County Eagles in a game played at South Acres Field.
“We knew we were going to get Saratoga,” John Flynn said. “(Today) is a new day and we need to play well.”
In first-round games Friday, Tri-County defeated Granville Post, 3-1, in a well-pitched contest at South Acres Field, while Norfolk recorded an 8-2 decision over Malone Post 219.
In today’s elimination games, it will be Malone versus Tri-County at 9:30 a.m. at South Acres, and Granville against Norfolk at 9:30 a.m. at Wilson Field. The two winners of those games will play at 1 p.m. at Wilson Field.
The final game of the day has the Mariners against the Stampede at 4:30 p.m. in a winner’s bracket contest.
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Mariners 10, Rovers 0 (7)
Rovers 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
Mariners 023 122 x — 10 12 1
Short, Brock (4) and Buchanan. Knowles, Rabideau (7) and Worley. WP- Knowles. LP- Short. 2B- Weightman (M), Flynn (M), Curran (M). 3B- Favreau (M).
