Hannibal Crushes Cazenovia to Advance in Sectional Tournament

By Kenny Copps

Chad Burridge pitched a complete game, and Hannibal’s offense delivered a knock-out blow with an eight-run second inning as the host Warriors cruised to an easy 11-4 win over the Cazenovia Lakers in the opening round of the Section 3 Tournament.

Burridge scattered seven hits during his seven innings of work. He struck out seven and hit a batter but did not issue a walk. Two of the four runs Burridge allowed were unearned. After allowing a one-out single in the first inning, Burridge retired the next 11 Cazenovia batters before giving up a lead-off single in the fifth.

Ben Shortslef contributed a similarly dominating performance with his bat for the Warriors. He went 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple, three singles, two RBIs and a run scored.

Ryan Sweeting also had a big day offensively for Hannibal, as he went 2-for-3 with a triple and 3 RBIs.

The Warriors took advantage of a pair of bunt singles, a bases-loaded walk, a dropped fly ball and a wild pitch in their eight-run second inning. Hannibal sent 13 batters to plate in the inning.

The Warriors also scored a run in their half of the first and fourth innings and led 10-0 going into the fifth inning. Cazenovia scored its first run on a wild pitch, which was one of the few mistakes Burridge made in the game.

The Lakers added three more runs in the top of the sixth thanks to some sloppy Hannibal defense. A sun-induced double to right field sparked Cazenovia’s one-out rally, and it was followed by a misplayed line drive to left field and a ground ball through the second baseman’s legs. As a result, Cazenovia would go on to score two unearned runs in the inning to pull within six runs, 10-4.

Hannibal added its final run in the bottom of the sixth when Shortslef’s ground ball single through the left side drove in Shane Crandell, who had led off the inning with a triple.

After a long double to open the top of the seventh, Cazenovia went down quietly and Hannibal won by the score of 11-4. The Warriors’ next game in the sectional tournament will be Thursday, and their opponent is yet to be determined.

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