Squaring off against one of the top teams in the nation in the first round of the NJCAA Region 3 playoffs, the Tompkins Cortland baseball season came to an end Saturday as the Panthers lost the first two games of a best-of-three series with Niagara County Community College, 6-1 and 11-1. The losses leave Tompkins Cortland's final record at 10-13. Niagara, the top seed in the Region 3 West Division and ranked #10 in the nation, improves to 27-8 with the wins.
Game One: Niagara 6, Tompkins Cortland 1
The Panthers entered the series on a hot streak, having won four straight to qualify for the postseason, but Niagara presented a stiff challenge. The Thunderwolves had won their last four games and 18 of their last 20, averaging more than eight runs a game while holding opponent under three per game. Early on, the Panthers were up to the challenge. Starting pitcher Caleb Thompson (Cortland H.S./Cortland) was strong out of the gate, allowing just one baserunner while striking out two in the first inning and setting Niagara down in order with another strikeout in the second. A solo home run for Niagara broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third, and the Thunderwolves banged out three runs in the fourth to push the lead to 4-0.
While Thompson was keeping the score close, the offense took some time to get going. Through the first two times through the lineup, the Panthers managed just two hits. In the sixth, the Panthers started a third time through lineup, and the third time proved to be the charm for Ethan Buckley (Bath/Haverling H.S.) as the sophomore blasted his first homer of the season, cutting the Niagara lead to 4-1.
Coming on in relief of Thompson, Hyeonho Cho (Daejeon, South Korea/Sekwang H.S.) kept Niagara off the board in the sixth and seventh, allowing just one runner on a walk. In the bottom of the eighth the Thunderwolves tacked on a pair of insurance runs, and when the Panthers couldn't scratch across any more runs, the final was 6-1.
Thompson pitched five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five. Cho finished with three innings, two runs, and two strikeouts.
Buckley's home run was one of two extra base hits for the Panthers – the other was a double by Taj Muhammad (Franklin Township, N.J./Franklin H.S.). The team finished with six hits in game one.
Game Two: Niagara 11, Tompkins Cortland 1 (6 innings)
Niagara jumped ahead early in game two, scoring once in the first and four more in the second. On the offensive side, the Panthers went down in order the first two innings before threatening in the third. The first base runner came when Jaden Nelomes (Rochester/Churchville-Chili H.S.) was hit by pitch with one out. After a groundout moved him to second, a single by Vinny Perrotta (New Hartford/New Hartford H.S.) put Nelomes in motion, but he was thrown out trying to score to end the inning.
The third and fourth innings were scoreless for each team. The fourth saw Niagara plate a run, but the Panthers answered in the top of the sixth when Buckley opened the inning and worked his way around to cross the plate and make the score 6-1. Things unraveled in the bottom of the sixth, with Niagara scoring five runs to move ahead 11-1 and end the game by the run rule.
Buckley was the starting pitcher and took the loss, allowing five earned runs over five innings.
Looking back
Buckley is just the second Panther to homer in the postseason (Storm Grant in 2018). This marked the third time the Panthers have made the NJCAA playoffs, and the first time while playing in the East Division. Due to some schools not fielding teams this year, the divisions were realigned for this season, with the Panthers moving to the East.