Spartans drop season series to Chester, 2-1

Florida - It has a nice ring to it: Season series. This year the OCIAA is trying a Major League-type schedule with teams playing three games against their division rivals. It’s already made for some interesting and spirited games. In Division V, long-time rivals Seward Spartans and Chester Hambletonians hooked up in their three-game set in one week with the Hambletonians winning the first two and the Spartans hanging on to win game three. Game one last Monday in Florida, the Spartans’ first league game, was not a treat for the hometown fans as Chester went ahead 8-0 in the first inning and romped to a 20-3 win. Chester hit well, and Florida fielded poorly. The lone bright spot for the Seward offense was Mickey Collins two hits and two RBI. The second game on Tuesday in Chester was closer but the end result was the same. Chester 11, Florida 5. The Spartans did lead after four and a half innings, but Chester went ahead in the bottom half to go up 5-4. Florida scored two in the first inning, two in the fourth and one in the sixth but couldn’t match Chester’s late surge. Collins had two hits and two RBI, Bryan Folkl went 2-3 with an RBI, and Dylan Gaucher contributed two hits. Kyle O’Sullivan drove in two runs with a single. Collins took the loss on the mound. In game three on Thursday at the Alex F. Paul Field in Florida, the Spartans prevented a sweep by winning 7-6. It wasn’t easy. Steve Sinisi’s RBI-single in the first gave Florida a quick lead. The Spartans added three more in the third on hits by Collins and Folkl, and Sinisi drove in another run in the fourth with another base hit. In the bottom of the fifth Folkl led off with a line drive double. Lee Buelta walked with one out and both runners scored on a double by Kevin Gaucher. Chester cut the lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning and scored two more in the top of the seventh. With one out and runners on first and second a tired but game Brenden Myers got Chester to fly out to center for the second out and a nice play by Bryan Weslowski at second resulted in the game-ending force out at second base. The win leaves Florida with and 11-3 overall record and 1-3 in Division V. That division race, featuring Class C teams, is shaping up to be a real close one. If the Spartan defense tightens up a little, coach Bill Steele’s team should be right in the thick of things.