ON TO THE NEXT: No. 2 GV/Belfast grounds defending State Final Four Finalist No. 7 B-R in walk-off fashion, Davenport survives pitcher’s duel with Barkley in 4-3 C2 Quarters win

BELFAST — You could sense immediately Saturday at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast that Bolivar-Richburg and Genesee Valley/Belfast were engaged in the ultimate fight for their lives.

You would have thought at times that they were playing for the Class C2 Championship brick itself. It was safe to say that both teams were beyond well-represented, with the collection of fans that wrapped around the diamond under a multitude of propped-up tents due to the ongoing rain to go along with a jam-packed crowd from behind the plate in the grandstand.

The two Allegany County rivals had already met twice before, with the Wolverines claiming a 5-2 win in late April in Bolivar before Genesee Valley/Belfast shifted gears back to Belfast nearly a couple of weeks ago to record a six-inning win to split the series down the middle.

Now in the almighty rubber match, this was the most important game of them all.

Everything hung in the balance.

As for the scene itself, it was now set in stone inside the artist’s studio for both of the County’s top pitching virtuosos — Bolivar-Richburg’s Landon Barkley and Genesee Valley/Belfast’s Ethan Davenport, to begin painting on their canvas. When the two hurling dynamos last went head-to-head, it was a clash that saw Barkley survive Davenport through a seven-inning battle that the Wolverines squeezed their way out of down the stretch.

This time, it was going to come down to that very last stroke of the brush.

It was a Class C2 Quarterfinal battle that saw a congruent pattern develop right from the start, as far as the offenses were concerned. As one team jumped the wagon first, the other followed right behind with an equal rebuttal, as Bolivar-Richburg and Genesee Valley/Belfast travelled through the level playing grounds until they met their final destination — the seventh inning.

With the deadlocking stalemate continuing to linger into each team’s final at-bats of regulation play, something had to change. After Bolivar-Richburg was kept at bay with one final rapid fire inning from second-seeded Genesee Valley/Belfast, the hosts were now given the spotlight to end the game on their terms. Mason Thomas served as the first domino, reaching base on a strike into right field. He then used his judgement and poise to work his way into scoring position.

He now stood 90 feet away from a trip to the Semifinals.

With Genesee Valley/Belfast now within striking distance of ending the game, a conversation on the mound between Wolverines head coach Dustin Allen and his infield then ensued. Ian McKenzie was the next to approach the plate, and on the very first pitch he received from the Wolverines and their senior ace? — Instant pandemonium.

On his one swing of the bat, McKenzie belted a pitch straight into the infield and without hesitation, Thomas made the full b-line straight for home plate. Upon the ball’s recovery, a throw was made to home plate in an attempt to catch him off-guard. But it did not reach the catcher’s mitt of Ryder Iantorno in time as Thomas slid home.

As a result, every single Genesee Valley/Belfast hitter raced out of the dugout and made the b-line straight up the first base line and into right field to mob McKenzie and celebrate another magical walk-off victory in Belfast, this time eliminating No. 7 Bolivar-Richburg — Section V’s defending State Final Four Finalist in Class C, by a 4-3 final count.

“This was a big crowd we had, both sides. Tents everywhere, beautiful music. The kids will probably remember this game for a long time,” GV/Belfast coach Dennis Miles said. “You have to hand it to Bolivar-Richburg, they’ve lost so much talent from last year to this year. Not only kids from graduation, but two of their key players got injured and they’re not playing. I use this saying all the time: Never count the champion out until the champion’s out. They’ve won four out of the last five years? They had a stud on the mound, and (Landon) Barkley lived up to the hype. He pitched a whale of a game, and he has that presence that you want to see out of a pitcher. Ethan Davenport’s arm was tight from the word go, but he gutted it out to stay right alongside him.”

It did not take long for the Wolverines to apply some pressure on Genesee Valley/Belfast (20-1) right away by loading up the bases behind Davenport with two outs on the boards, as they looked to become the first team to capitalize on the first of many prime opportunities both teams brought to light. But the hosts were able to keep them all loaded off a grounder to the right side of the infield to escape the early jam.

The momentum shifted at the plate in the bottom half that officially helped put Genesee Valley/Belfast on the scoreboard first, courtesy of their best hitter all season long: Ryan Daciw. It was no exception once again with two runners on base, as he brought one of them home on a rocket to deep right field. Although they were able to capture the lead, no further damage was applied, as the Wolverines halted the brief bleeding with back-to-back strikeouts from Barkley.

With one base-runner between both teams making their way on in the midst of a scoreless second inning, the Wolverines overcame some early adversity and tied the game at one following a two-out walk issued to Ryder Iantorno, as Maddox Davison clobbered a line drive straight past the glove of Ben Cater at third base and into left field, scoring Landon Barkley easily from third. Iantorno was then caught stealing between second and third moments later by Cater with a tag to exit the jam.

The two teams traded back and forth scoreless barbs before Genesee Valley/Belfast countered with another go-ahead response right in the bottom of the fourth behind another burst of timely hitting. Shelling out two runners on base with two outs and the top of the order re-approaching the plate, Ethan Davenport made the most of his chance by giving the hosts the 3-1 lead back with a base hit into left field to send the Genesee Valley/Belfast into a craze.

But the excitement of jumping back out ahead was tabled in exchange for another quick response from the Wolverines, who went to load the bags twice. The deficit was carved down to a run following a short chopper past the mound by Iantorno before level ground was reached off a passed ball straight to the backstop.

Bolivar-Richburg maintained the momentum with another go-ahead threat in the top of the sixth inning, with Waide Karnuth and Jimmy Day both reaching base along with an intentional walk to Barkley at the top of their order to load the bases behind the Genesee Valley/Belfast defense. It would be the final chance they would receive with one out to try and break the stalemate once again, but the hosts somehow managed their way out of it with a 5-3 double-play ball that ended with a magnificent stretch by Ryan Daciw at first to end the inning.

“I was hollering out home and I don’t know why we didn’t go to home, but he chose the runner at third and still had enough to get the kid at first. That was a huge play. And then another time, a wild pitch goes to the back of the screen and their kid doesn’t score. Those two plays kept us in the ball game,” said Miles. “We practically start five sophomores, and they haven't been put in this position before. Ethan, as good as he is, has never been in a situation like this before because he was on JV last year, and then was with Friendship/Scio the last couple of years before that. Barkley, he’s been there every year and he’s been on Varsity since he was a freshman. He showed a lot there, and hopefully we can continue to mature from this.”

The pendulum now shifted in Genesee Valley/Belfast’s favor after another magnificent round of defense in the top of the seventh to keep the Wolverines at bay one more time to return to the plate. Following a Mason Thomas single into right field to lead off their final term, he then used his legs to work his way around the bases until he landed 90 feet away as the game’s winning run.

It was at this very moment in time that Genesee Valley/Belfast had to take matters into their own hands.

To take the game away from the Wolverines for good.

“We had to take the game away from Barkley the best we could,” said Miles. ”We tried to bunt a couple of times and nothing seemed to be working. We had to get aggressive on the bases. When Mason came to third, that was the theory. And so bang, bang play there, and then we were just going to go. They had the infield drawn in. Any ground ball put down, we were going to score. I was pleased that we were able to hang in there tight, and it was just a tough game all around.”

And so, two at-bats later, Ian McKenzie was presented with an opportunity to become the hero. On the very first pitch he witnessed cross the plate, the junior put the lumber down on a grounder into the infield that saw Thomas sprint home towards the plate. With a throw to the plate to try and catch him, it did not make it in time, as the magnificent battle between two of Allegany County’s baseball stalwarts concluded in walk-off fashion for the No. 2 seeds in Class C2, as they sent home the defending State Final Four Finalists in one of their earliest postseason exits in recent memory.

Genesee Valley/Belfast collected seven total hits at the plate, with Thomas earning two of them. On the mound, it was Davenport that won the back and forth pitcher’s duel with Barkley for the Wolverines, as he struck out eight and walked four in his complete game six-hitter. For Barkley, he countered with six strikeouts of his own for the visitors in black and red in his complete game performance.

At the plate for the No. 7 seeds, Mason Baldwin and Jimmy Day each had two hits to fuel their seven-hit outing.

The Wolverines season on the diamond this Spring has reached its conclusion, as they wrap up with a record of 12-9 overall. The team will graduate five seniors in Barkley, Davison, Karnuth, Tavyn MacDonell and Charlie Millitello.

As for Genesee Valley/Belfast, they now move into the Class C2 Semifinal round, which is set to begin at Maple City Park in Hornell on Wednesday, as they take on No. 3 Gananda in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Bolivar-Richburg 001 020 0 — 3 6 0

Genesee Valley/Belfast 100 200 1 — 4 7 1

B-R – Landon Barkley (LP) (CG, 6K) and Ryder Iantorno.

GVB – Ethan Davenport (WP) (CG, 8K, 4BB) and Evan Turybury.