Medina ‘9’ tops Barker to near N-O title

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Xander Payne follows through on a swing as Nathan Heidemann catches for Barker. The action took place during the Mustangs win over the Radiers this evening at Vets Park.

Reducing the magic number for clinching the title to one, Medina bested Barker 9-3 this evening in a Niagara-Orleans League baseball game at Vets Park.

The Mustangs improve to 9-2 heading into Saturday’s 5 p.m. N-O finale against Wilson at Vets Park in the annual Jeff Evoy Memorial game.

Aidan Paul delivers a pitch for the Mustangs.

Medina scored in each of the first four innings to build up a commanding 9-0 lead.

Back-to-back run producing doubles by AJ Seefeldt and Chris Goyette in the first inning got the Mustangs off and rolling.

Medina quickly tacked on three runs in the second on a triple by Brian Fry, a double by Nate Sherman and an error.

A sacrifice fly by Trevor Luthart plated one run in the third for the Mustangs which added three more in the fourth on an error and fielders choice plays off the bats of Goyette and Joe Cecchini. A leadoff triple by Fry ignited that uprising.

Barker’s runs came with two out in the seventh inning on hits by Preston Harris, which plated two, and Zach Richbart which drove in one.

Goyette, Aidan Paul and Cecchini shared in the pitching chores for the Mustangs combining for a 5 hitter and 14 strikeouts.

In one other N-O game that was completed Akron (6-4) downed Wilson (5-3) 9-3. That result puts defending champion Roy-Hart (5-2) in sole possession of second place. However, the Rams still have five league games to play over the next seven days before the sectional seeding meeting on May 22.