P'burgh denied in regionals
"We rode Cody hard through sectionals," Vikings coach Dave Ekis said. "He pitched 25 of 28 innings to get us here. We reached our goal, so this game was kind of icing on the cake."
BY COLLIN WRIGHT THE LEADER

WAYLAND - The Prattsburgh Vikings entered the Section V, Class D baseball tournament with a record of 6-8 and drew the No. 7 seed. Despite being the lower seed in three of their four sectional games, the Vikings captured their first sectional championship since 1998 - an improbable run that came to an end on Saturday, June 2, at the hands of Section V, Class DD champion Genesee Valley.

The Jaguars scored 11 runs in the first inning and never looked back, winning 22-3 to advance to the Far West Regional championship.

Prattsburgh almost opened the scoring in the top of the first. Dylon Dibble reached on a single, and then advanced to second on an overthrow with one out. Jake Socola followed that up with a frozen rope into deep left field, but with the out field playing deep against Prattsburgh's hard-hitting third baseman the ball was caught on the run and Dibble was only able to move up one base, where he was stranded.

With ace Cody Gray getting some well-deserved rest after throwing a complete game in the finals the day before, Prattsburgh handed the ball to Garrett Parker on the mound. Unfortunately for Parker, he ran into a buzz saw of an offense from Genesee Valley.

The Jaguars were completely zoned in from the get-go, racking up eight hits in the first - high lighted by a three run homer by Christian Reynolds. Of the eight hits, six went for extra bases, while Genesee Valley sent 15 batters to the plate. Parker was relieved by Jake Socola with two outs.

Although the game was out of reach from that point on, the Vikings continued to play with heart and determination - diving for balls in the infield, making jumping catches in the outfield, and hustling all the way on the base paths.

"The mentality of this team really showed," Ekis said of his teams effort throughout. "This is a very talented, very intelligent group of ball players."

All of that hardwork payed off in the top of the fourth, when Prattsburgh found it's way onto the scoreboard. Matt Hilsdorf drew a one out walk and advanced to second on a while pitch to get things going. After Parker flew out to center, Nate King pinch hit and slapped a single to left, scoring Hilsdorf.

Prattsburgh scored it's final two runs in the top of the fifth. Logan Wheeler was hit by a pitch, and Dibble popped up to second base, but a collision with the umpire caused an error on the play. With two on and one out, Dustin Drake's grounder scooted between the legs of Genesee Valley's shortstop, scoring Wheeler. Dibble scored later in the inning when Gray beat out the throw from second on a fielder's choice.

The Vikings ended the year with a 10-9 record and will return next year with eight starters.