Kannon VanDuzer (Sayre, Penn./Sayre Area H.S.) put on quite a show Tuesday as the Tompkins Cortland Community College baseball team nearly staged an amazing comeback against Jamestown Community College. After losing the opener 11-1, the Panthers rallied from down 20-4 before coming up just short in the wild nightcap, losing 22-19. Tompkins Cortland is now 2-8 overall and 2-6 in the West Division. Jamestown improves to 5-15 overall and 4-6 in the West Division.
Game One: Jamestown 11, Tompkins Cortland 1 (6 innings)
Jamestown scored four runs in the top of the first to set the tone for game one. The lead grew to 6-0 before VanDuzer provided the lone bright spot, lifting a towering shot over the right field fence to lead off the bottom of the second. It would prove to be one of just three hits for the Panthers in game one as Jamestown tacked on runs in each inning before getting to the ten-margin and ending the game after six innings
Game Two: Jamestown 22, Tompkins Cortland 19
The two teams combined to nearly break the scoreboard in a wild game two. The Panthers got on the board first, with VanDuzer blasting a two-run homer with two outs to make the score 2-0. The Jayhawks responded with two in the second and then blew the game open with 12 runs in the third. The Panthers put two across in the bottom of the third, but Jamestown appeared to put the game away with six runs in the top of the fourth to take a 20-4 lead. But the Panthers didn't give up, and started to claw back in the bottom of the fourth.
Seven of the first eight batters in the fourth inning reached base, with VanDuzer again providing the highlight with another two-run homer, bring the score to 20-11. After keeping Jamestown off the board in the top of the fifth, the Panthers had another big rally in the bottom. After a pop out to start the inning, the next eight Panthers reached, with seven crossing the plate for the second straight inning. Heading to the sixth, what was once a 20-4 blowout had become a 20-18 thriller.
The Jayhawks put a stop to their bleeding with two runs in the top of the sixth, but the Panthers came back with another run in the bottom of the frame. After a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, the home team had one last chance in the last of the seventh, but the rally ran out of gas and the game ended with a 22-19 final.
Several Panthers had big stat lines, and none bigger than VanDuzer. The freshman became just the second player in program history with two homers in one game (Dustin Sandberg, 4/7/10) and the first with three homers in on doubleheader. His six RBI was one short of the program record, and the most by a Panther since 2015.
Mitch Shipman (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBI. Dan Mrowinski (Syracuse/Solvay H.S.) finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI, and two doubles. Ledy Alvarez (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Americano) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and a double. Nazier Smith (Williamsport, Penn./Saint John Nuemann Regional Academy) added a 2-for-4 effort with three RBI and two runs scored.
Looking ahead
The Panthers play at Corning Community College Thursday.