CATO - If the rest of the year goes anything like the first game, the Weedsport baseball team is in for a long season.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Weedsport pitcher Josh Fatcheric winds up to deliver a pitch during the second inning Monday at Cato-Meridian High School. Fatcheric pitched a no-hitter in the game.
Weedsport pitcher Josh Fatcheric winds up to deliver a pitch during the second inning Monday at Cato-Meridian High School. Fatcheric pitched a no-hitter in the game.
Not that the Warriors' opening day didn't go well - in fact it couldn't have gone much better in the 2.5 hours of play against Cato-Meridian on Monday. Weedsport racked up 12 hits, 18 runs and senior Josh Fatcheric threw a no-hitter in the team's 18-0 win at Cato-Meridian High School.
“This was definitely exciting,” Weedsport's second-year head coach Nick Wilson said. “I told the guys that last year, in the first game of my first year, we turned a triple play. Now, we start off with a no-hitter. I don't know many coaches that have that happen to them.”
The righty tossed an impeccable game - nine strikeouts, three walks in the complete game. It was his first career no-no.
“It was a lot of mixing curves and fastballs,” Fatcheric said. “I just threw a good game, I didn't know what to think, (the defense) definitely contributed.”
Though he didn't strike out the side in any inning, Fatcheric assisted in all three 1-3 plays in the fourth inning. Even having a few walks, and one hit batter, didn't blemish his efforts on the mound.
“It seemed like they were pretty close to where I wanted to put the pitches,” Fatcheric said. “I just didn't get the calls I was expecting. This feels great, though.”
Junior Andy Wegman got the loss for the Blue Devils, going five innings, striking out seven and allowing six hits, three walks and three earned runs. After a 2-0 lead in the third inning, courtesy of a Justin Rose two-run single, the game remained close. The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth, scoring five runs. Two of Weedsport's first seven runs came on third strikes that just got passed Blue Devils' catcher Don Rodriguez. Cato-Meridian committed several errors overall to contribute to the score.
“They didn't play very well in the field and that helped our kids,” Wilson said. “We were able to hit the ball pretty well, too.”
After Wegman exited the game after one batter in the sixth, three more Blue Devils pitchers spent time on the mound in the sixth as the Warriors racked up 11 runs in the inning to put the game out of reach.
Senior shortstop Bryce Leitten led the Warriors with a 3-for-5 day (two doubles and a triple), scoring two runs and five RBIs. Third baseman Jordan Stott also contributed to the offensive effort in the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4, with three runs and four RBIs. Dave Pratt totaled two runs and two RBIs, while Nick Topichak (two runs) and Fatcheric (one run) each hit an RBI.
For a team that will not have a home game this season due to construction going on at the Weedsport baseball field, this was as good of a way to begin the season as any other for the Warriors.
“You always want to start off good,” Wilson said. “I don't think anyone envisioned seeing this today, but it was a great way to start this season.”
Weedsport (1-0) heads to Pulaski Thursday. After a close loss to Hannibal to kick off their season last week, Cato-Meridian (0-2) will regroup and head to Port Byron on Wednesday.
“They just didn't have it today. (Weedsport's) pitcher pitched a great game, though, he went out there and threw an incredible no-hitter,” Cato-Meridian coach Matt Chalanick said. “We'll hopefully learn from our losses, learn from today and hopefully come back and get a win against Port Byron.”
Warriors 18
Blue Devils 0
“This was definitely exciting,” Weedsport's second-year head coach Nick Wilson said. “I told the guys that last year, in the first game of my first year, we turned a triple play. Now, we start off with a no-hitter. I don't know many coaches that have that happen to them.”
The righty tossed an impeccable game - nine strikeouts, three walks in the complete game. It was his first career no-no.
“It was a lot of mixing curves and fastballs,” Fatcheric said. “I just threw a good game, I didn't know what to think, (the defense) definitely contributed.”
Though he didn't strike out the side in any inning, Fatcheric assisted in all three 1-3 plays in the fourth inning. Even having a few walks, and one hit batter, didn't blemish his efforts on the mound.
“It seemed like they were pretty close to where I wanted to put the pitches,” Fatcheric said. “I just didn't get the calls I was expecting. This feels great, though.”
Junior Andy Wegman got the loss for the Blue Devils, going five innings, striking out seven and allowing six hits, three walks and three earned runs. After a 2-0 lead in the third inning, courtesy of a Justin Rose two-run single, the game remained close. The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth, scoring five runs. Two of Weedsport's first seven runs came on third strikes that just got passed Blue Devils' catcher Don Rodriguez. Cato-Meridian committed several errors overall to contribute to the score.
“They didn't play very well in the field and that helped our kids,” Wilson said. “We were able to hit the ball pretty well, too.”
After Wegman exited the game after one batter in the sixth, three more Blue Devils pitchers spent time on the mound in the sixth as the Warriors racked up 11 runs in the inning to put the game out of reach.
Senior shortstop Bryce Leitten led the Warriors with a 3-for-5 day (two doubles and a triple), scoring two runs and five RBIs. Third baseman Jordan Stott also contributed to the offensive effort in the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4, with three runs and four RBIs. Dave Pratt totaled two runs and two RBIs, while Nick Topichak (two runs) and Fatcheric (one run) each hit an RBI.
For a team that will not have a home game this season due to construction going on at the Weedsport baseball field, this was as good of a way to begin the season as any other for the Warriors.
“You always want to start off good,” Wilson said. “I don't think anyone envisioned seeing this today, but it was a great way to start this season.”
Weedsport (1-0) heads to Pulaski Thursday. After a close loss to Hannibal to kick off their season last week, Cato-Meridian (0-2) will regroup and head to Port Byron on Wednesday.
“They just didn't have it today. (Weedsport's) pitcher pitched a great game, though, he went out there and threw an incredible no-hitter,” Cato-Meridian coach Matt Chalanick said. “We'll hopefully learn from our losses, learn from today and hopefully come back and get a win against Port Byron.”
Warriors 18
Blue Devils 0
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