The Panthers string of four straight doubleheader splits came to an end on Tuesday when Cayuga swept both games at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex, topping TC3 by scores of 13-3 and 13-5. The Panthers are now 4-8 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-State Athletic Conference. Cayuga improves to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the MSAC.

Game One: Cayuga 13, Tompkins Cortland 3 (six innings)

Starting pitcher Keegan Prior (Cheyenne, Wyo./Central H.S.) set the Spartans down in order to open the game on a good note for the Panthers. Dominic Zona (Rochester/Greece Arcadia H.S.) led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second, and came around to score on a double by Logan Meerburg (Whitby, Ont./Saint-Charles-Garnier) to put the Panthers up 1-0. When Prior set down the first two batters in the Cayuga half of the second things looked to be going smoothly for the Panthers, but that's when things went sideways. A hit-batsman gave Cayuga its first baserunner and an infield error on the next play opened the door. By the time the inning had come to an end the Panthers had committed three errors and allowed four unearned runs.

Now trailing heading into the bottom of the second, Jason Winstanley (Lewiston/Lewiston-Porter H.S.) led off the bottom of the second with a hit and eventually came around to score thanks to an error and wild pitch, making the score 4-2. After a scoreless third, both teams scored one run in the fourth to make it 5-3. Cayuga added a single run in the fifth before erupting for seven runs in the sixth to put the score at 13-3. A scoreless home half of the sixth ended the game due to the ten-run rule.

Meerburg was the lone Panther with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3. Prior was tagged for the loss on the mound, victimized by some bad luck while allowing just three earned runs and striking out four over five innings of work.

Game Two: Cayuga 13, Tompkins Cortland 5

The Panthers were behind from the start of game two, with the first three Spartans batters all coming around to score. After the Panthers responded with a two-run homer by Parker Seeley (East Rochester/Northstar Christian Academy) in the bottom of the inning, the score was 3-2 heading to the second. In the second the Spartans again put up three runs, and then added another in the third to take command at 7-2. The Panthers fought to the end, scoring two in the third and then adding a solo home run by Naseer Harris (Austell, Ga./South Cobb H.S.) in the sixth, but Cayuga kept adding on to make the final score 13-5.

Seeley and Keelan Marren (Skaneateles/Skaneateles H.S.) each had two hits in game two, and Harris had a sac fly in addition to his homer to total a team-best two RBI.

Looking ahead

The Panthers open West Division play by hosting Onondaga Community College on Saturday. The doubleheader starts at noon at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex in Cortland.