Blue Jays nip Orioles in playoff semifinals

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Grayson Prynn started on the mound for the Somerset Blue Jays and Sawyer Lilleby for the Medina Orioles in Monday evening’s Minor Division playoff semifinals at Somerset which was won by the Jays 5-4.

The Somerset Blue Jays pushed across a run in the seventh inning to edge past the visiting Medina Orioles 5-4 Monday evening in the semifinals of the Minor Division baseball playoffs.

Grayson Prynn singled and came home with the game winner on a hit by Kian Lawson.

Rory Harvey bangs out a hit for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays then survived a scare in the bottom of the seventh as Anthony Reese tripled with two out for the Orioles but was stranded as Jays hurler Cayvon Heigl registered a clutch game ending strikeout to preserve the narrow win.

The Jays also got off to a fast start scoring three times in the top of the first inning as Heigle singled, Drew LaGreca had a two-run double and Rory Harvey an RBI single.

The Jays made it 4-1 in the fourth as LaGreca doubled, Lawson singled and Harvey had an RBI single..

However, the Orioles battled back to knot the contest.  After scoring once in the first as Brennan Allen doubled and once in the fourth as Sawyer Lilleby tripled, the Orioles pulled even with two runs in the fourth as Reese, Steven Gobeli and Allen all singled.

LaGreca, Harvey and Lawson each finished with 2 hits for the Jays as did Reese and Allen for the Orioles.

The Blue Jays will now face the Lyndonville Twins in the championship game which is expected to be played at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Lyndonville.