SKANEATELES - Statistically, it wasn't a perfect game. But it would be almost impossible to play better than Skaneateles did on Thursday.

In the first round of the Section III Class B-1 baseball playoffs, the Lakers were relentless at the plate and flawless on defense against South Jefferson. The Spartans went through four pitchers as the Lakers ripped 18 hits to win 16-0.

Sam Sarofeen pitched far better for the Lakers than his pitching line showed. He had just one strikeout and allowed four hits and a walk, but he threw a complete game with just 63 pitches, a career low for him.

“Sam was unbelievable,” Skaneateles coach Michael Flood said. “He had good command out there. He kept the ball low so we had a lot of ground ball outs. I couldn't ask for more than that.”

The standout senior also had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning until South

Jefferson's Caleb Taylor hit a bloop single just over first baseman Mike Pesarchick and barely inside the foul line.

“I think I did pretty well and that's all I cared about. It's exactly what I wanted to do when I came out here today,” Sarofeen said. “I was thinking about (the no-hitter), but I wasn't upset about it. We got the 'W' and that is what's important.”

For the second time this season, the Lakers played an errorless game and not a single Spartans' batter reached third base. Josh Sherman caught five put-outs in right field and Eric Schaeffer was a vacuum cleaner at shortstop, grabbing every ball that came near him. Pesarchick also played well at first base; he got the last out of the game when he effortlessly grabbed a line drive foul ball.

In his five years as head coach, Flood could not recall his team earning a more lopsided sectional win.

The Spartans were able to retire Laker batters in order in the first and fifth innings, but could not control them at any other point in the game.

Skaneateles jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second when John Dougherty hit a deep RBI single to center field and Spartans starting pitcher Tim Lanigan later walked Andrew Bojko home.

Eleven Skaneateles players had at least one hit, but Dougherty led the team with three singles and including four RBIs. He also scored once.

Skaneateles collected three more runs in the third and six in the fourth. Already ahead 11-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, Flood had no intention of running up the score when he decided to put several JV players into the game. But Phil Weiss, Devlen Murphy, Tim Conan, Adam Gadra and Dan Sherboneau combined for two of the four hits and scored four of the five runs in the inning.

“We took the opportunity to get the JV players into the game to take the nervousness out of a sectional game for them,” Flood said. “We wanted them to get the jitters out now so that maybe they would feel a little better about getting in the game later on down the road.”

For most of the game, it was hit or get hit at the plate for the Lakers. They didn't strike out until Spartans' pitcher Matt Rudd fanned Conan with the Lakers' last at bat. Skaneateles batters were hit by six South Jefferson pitches. Pesarchick was on the receiving end of two, as was Weiss, who took two from Caleb Taylor in the sixth.

Despite the two beans, Pesarchick (three hits, two stolen bases) scored three of the five times he got on base.

Also making a lot of noise offensively was Shaeffer with two doubles, two RBIs, a stolen base and two runs scored.

“This was our best game of the season,” Flood said. “We did well with the sticks, played really good defense and obviously did a great job on the mound.”

The second-seeded Lakers will host the winner of No.3 Utica Notre Dame-No. 6 Solvay at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Skaneateles has already defeated league rival Solvay twice this season, but Utica Notre Dame (16-5) would likely pose a larger challenge.

“We take it one game at a time, Utica is a very good team,” Flood said. “But if we play like we did today and keep the ball down, it will at least give us a good chance.”