CANTON — The Ogdensburg Free Academy baseball team has picked the right time to get hot, heading into the postseason on a five-game winning streak after closing the regular season with a 5-2 win over Canton in an Northern Athletic Conference Central Division game Thursday.
The Blue Devils (6-7 overall, 5-7 division) find out today when and where they start the Section 10 Class B playoffs while Canton (6-7, 6-6) will compete in Class C.
“We started swinging the bats, putting the ball in play, making the defense make plays and just trusting in ourselves,” OFA coach Brooks Brenno said. “They haven’t hung their heads. They started out 0-4 but they have not let down and it’s paid off. As with any sport, if you get hot at the right time you never know.”
OFA rode pitchers Tyler Sovie and Seth Sholette, as the duo combined to hold Canton to four hits.
Sovie threw the first four innings, allowing one run and one hit and Sholette threw the final three innings.
“We got a lead early, so that was good,” Sovie said. “It’s always been a good game between Canton and Ogdensburg. The curveball was working (well), but the fastball was (also) there today.”
Sovie also helped at the plate, lining a one-out triple in the top of the first inning and scoring on a groundout from Lucca LaBella.
OFA struck again in the top of the third when LeBella was hit by a pitch with two out, stole second and scored on a single from Camden Griffith.
“I just wanted to throw strikes and let the defense make the plays,” Sholette said. “It’s so big for us after the start we had to the season to be rolling hot into the playoffs.
“We are rolling right now and we’d like to keep going.”
The Blue Devils extended their lead to 4-0 in the fourth when Nicholi Ramsdell singled, followed by a walk to Logan VanGorden. Both scored on a single from Haydin McDonald.
OFA’s final run came in the top of the sixth. Sholette walked, moved to third on two wild pitches and scored on a single from VanGorden.
Canton was coming off a 3-2 win over division champion Salmon River on Wednesday, but the offense was not there for the Golden Bears on Thursday.
Canton scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when Oliver Dollman reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Canton also scored in the bottom of the sixth. Erich Zuhlsdorf was hit by a pitch, stole second, reached third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a single from Nate Romano.
“If you don’t hit, you don’t win,” Canton coach Matt Caufield said. “We are hitting .211 as a team. We played the best team in the league (Salmon River), supposedly, and we wracked up hits. I don’t understand it. It will come down to heart here in the playoffs.”
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