Medina tops Barker to capture a share of the N-O diamond championship with Roy-Hart

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Julian Woodworth scores ahead of a tag by Barker catcher Aidan Voss during the Mustangs win over the host Raiders this afternoon.

Capturing a share of a third straight title, Medina bested host Barker 16-0 this afternoon to close out the Niagara-Orleans League baseball season.

Medina and Roy-Hart emerge as co-champions as the teams finish the league campaign with identical 10-2 records. The N-O title in the is the fourth in the last seven years for Roy-Hart which previously claimed three consecutive championships during the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. Medina followed up with titles during the 1019 and 2021 seasons. There was no spring season in 2020 due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Aidan Paul went the distance on the mound for Medina hurling a 2 hitter with 17 strikeouts including three in the second, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

Joe Cecchini banged out three run producing doubles, Xander Payne had a triple, double and single, Zach Fike a double and single and Brody Fry a pair of singles to lead the Medina attack.

Leading by a narrow 3-0 margin, the Mustangs broke the contest wide open by erupting for 8 runs in the sixth inning. The uprising included a two-run double by Fike, a two-run single by Payne, an RBI double by Cecchini and an RBI single by Tyler Kroening.

Medina capped off the win by scoring five times in the seventh capped off by a two-run single by Vinny Gray.

Earlier, the Mustangs gradually built up a 3-0 lead by scoring once in the third on back-to-back doubles by Payne and Cecchini, once in the fourth on a fielders choice play off the bat of Richard Keppler and once in the fifth on a double by Cecchini which followed a triple by Payne.

Barker did mount the game’s first scoring threat getting two runners aboard with one out in the first inning but Paul bore down to register to clutch strikeouts to end the frame. Paul later registered a clutch inning ending strikeout in the fourth inning as the Raiders stranded a runner at third base.

Barker finishes the N-O season at 2-10.

Barker’s Isaac Monaco gets a force out at second base on Medina’s Brody Fry.