Whitehall closes with three baseball wins

Whitehall clinched the second seed in the TCML playoffs with a sweep of a trio of games, taking down Warrenburg, Fort Ann and Argyle to close the regular season.

Fresh off impressive wins over Argyle and Salem-Cambridge and a tie with Hartford, the Whitehall TCML baseball team stayed hot with a dominant 11-1 victory over Warrensburg in a TCML contest last Monday.

With the playoffs just around the corner, the Railroaders seem to be peaking at the right time. Warrensburg is the defending league champion and its varsity team accumulated 18 wins this season.

Whitehall took command right away. Five of the first six batters to come to the plate in the first inning scored to give the Railroaders a 5-1 advantage. It turned out to be more than they needed.

Camden Woodruff and Mason Cigana had back-to-back doubles in the frame to spark Whitehall.

Whitehall increased its margin to 7-1 with a pair of runs in the second. A run in the third, two in the fourth and another in the fifth put the game away.

Meanwhile, Jack Best was cruising on the mound. Best tossed a two-hitter and walked just one.

Steven Mattison was 3 for 3 with a triple and two singles for Whitehall.

Kole Plude added a pair of hits. Anthony Towle doubled.

Best had a single and stole three bases. Patrick Egan added a single.

Whitehall also topped Argyle 7-2 and Salem-Cambridge 14-1.

Whitehall is now 6-1-1 on the season.

On Tuesday evening Whitehall kept pace with Hartford in the battle for the top spot in the TCML playoffs, rolling past Fort Ann 14-4. The Railroaders and Tanagers both have one loss and one tie in the final week of the season and appear to be on a collision course.

The Cardinals stayed close early, trailing only 5-3 after an inning. However, Whitehall plated five runs in the third and four more in the fourth to blow the game open.

Porter Silva, Mason Cigana and Patrick Egan combined for the win on the bump for the Railroaders.

Kole Plude was 3 for 4 for Whitehall. Jack Best was 2 for 3 with a double and single. Steven Mattison also had a double and single.

Anthony Towle added a pair of hits for the Railroaders. Patrick Egan contributed a single.

Whitehall improved to 7-1-1.

On Wednesday Whitehall topped Argyle 13-7 in the season finale. The Railroaders will be the second seed in the TCML playoffs. Hartford earned the top seed by virtue of collecting a win and a tie in their two meetings with Whitehall.

Against Argyle, Whitehall found themselves in a battle for a few innings. The Railroaders led just 3-2 after three innings.

A five-run fifth extended the Whitehall led to 8-2, and they pulled away from there. The Railroaders put the contest away by plating two runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh.

Patrick Egan had a double and single for Whitehall.

Kole Plude and Porter Silva had a pair of singles.

Whitehall split the pitching duties up among Seth Arquette, Anthony Towle, Steven Mattison, and Mason Cigana.

Whitehall is 8-1-1.

Hartford win streak at 10 games

Hartford avenged its only loss of the season last Tuesday, defeating Salem-Cambridge 13-1 in TCML baseball at Salem. Salem-Cambridge edged the Tanagers 7-5 in the season opener. Hartford has gone unbeaten in 10 straight games since the loss with the only blemish being a tie with Whitehall.

The Tanagers clinched the number-one seed in the TCML playoffs and are scheduled to meet No. 8 Argyle in the opening round.

“It’s going to be an interesting finish,” said Hartford coach Ken Whitney. “I believe we will be right there in contention.”

Joe Allen led the way for the Tanagers against Salem-Cambridge. Allen tossed a three-hitter with nine strikeouts while helping his own cause with a 2-for-3 day at the plate and four RBIs.

Braden Whitney had a solid day as well, going 3 for 3 with four RBIs. Kile Whitney, Joey Happy, and Logan Jensen added singles.

Stephen Yakubec was 2 for 3 with a double for Salem-Cambridge.

Hartford moved to 10-1-1. Salem-Cambridge fell to 5-5.

On Monday Hartford kept its unbeaten streak alive by topping Argyle 16-1 in TCML baseball.

The Tanagers put this contest away early, plating six runs in the first and four more in the second.

Hartford closed the scoring with a six-spot in the seventh.

Kile and Braden Whitney combined on a complete game three-hitter for the Tanagers. Kile Whitney went three innings and struck out seven. Braden Whitney pitched four innings and recorded six strikeouts.

Jace Venner paced the Tanager offense with a three-hit game.

Braden Whitney and Logan Earle had three RBIs each. Happy drove in a pair of runs.

Hartford was 9-1-1 after the win.