PIPHER, BEEMAN LEAD WAVERLY IN 11-1 WIN OVER CV, INTO FIRST CLASS B TITLE GAME SINCE 2013
By: Tim Birney | Waverly Athletics | May 25, 2022 | Photo courtesy Tim Birney
WAVERLY — Sophomore Jay Pipher pitched a complete game, and junior Ty
Beeman had a big day at the plate to lead Waverly to an 11-1 six-inning
win over Chenango Valley here Wednesday afternoon in the semifinals of
the Section IV, Class B baseball playoffs.
The Wolverines will
face Oneonta Friday at 4 p.m. at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton for the
Class B title. It’s Waverly first title game appearance since 2013 when
it beat the Yellowjackets for the program’s first-ever Section IV title.
Longtime Waverly coach Kyle McDuffee said Pipher’s and Beeman’s efforts were instrumental in the win.
“We
had a goal tonight to win innings, and put up some crooked numbers,” he
said. “When Ty (Beeman) hit the home run, and we won the first inning,
you could see us start evolving.
“And the hustle Beeman showed on
that play (his two-run triple), scoring on their mistake, and putting
up the crooked number was really big.
“And Pipher on the mound
was dominating,” noted McDuffee. “He was pounding the strike zone, and
we played good defense behind him — no errors.
“CV struggled with
Jay … he changed his speeds effectively,” he added. “He really did his
job, and got us into the Section finals.”
After Pipher struck out
the side in the top of the first inning, Beeman gave the Wolverines a
1-0 lead in the home half with a two-out solo home run over the
left-center field fence.
CV’s first two batters in the second
inning reached base — on a single and an error, but Pipher picked the
runner of second base, then notched his fourth strikeout, and induced an
infield pop out to escape unscathed.
Senior Brennan Traub
reached base on an error to start the bottom of the third, and junior
Bryce Bailey ripped a one-out single up the middle to put runners on
first and second.
Beeman then pulled a 2-1 pitch down the
left-field line for a two-run extra-base hit. He took third on the throw
home, and hustled home on an overthrow at the plate to give Waverly a
4-0 lead.
Pipher re-ignited the rally with a base on balls, but
was immediately replaced on the bast paths by sophomore Joey Tomasso by
virtue of a fielder’s choice.
Tomasso took third on a hard-hit
single to right field by senior Caden Hollywood. He scored on a balk
when Hollywood broke for second as the CV pitcher went into his motion,
but stopped and turned to throw to second, giving the Wolverines a 5-0
lead.
The Warriors used a hit batsman, a walk, and two singles to
close the gap to 5-1, but Pipher limited the damage, and left the bases
jammed.
“(Pipher) pitched out of a couple jams early — one with
the bases loaded, and the other with guys on first and second,” said
McDuffee. “He went at them … basically, he threw it over the plate and
said ‘go get it;’ that’s what high school baseball should be — put it
over the plate and hope the guys behind you make the plays.”
Beeman
worked a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning,
moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single by Pipher
to make it 6-1. Pipher later scored on a throwing error, extending the
Wolverines’ lead to 7-1.
Pipher pitched around a two-out walk in
the top of the sixth inning, then the Wolverines closed out the game via
the 10-run “mercy rule” with four runs in the home half of the frame.
Bailey’s
two-RBI single was the key hit in the rally, while senior Jack Barrett
knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder, and Damien McConnell
finished the game with a walk-off RBI single to make it 11-1.
Pipher earned the win, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out nine and walking two in six innings of work.
Beeman
homered and tripled, scored four runs, and had three RBI, and Bailey
stroked three singles, scored one run, and drove in two runs to pace
Waverly’s 12-hit attack, while Pipher singled twice, scored one run, and
knocked in one run.
Traub singled twice and scored one run in
the win, while Hollywood and McConnell each singled and drove in one
run, Barrett had one RBI, and senior Thomas Hand and Tomasso each scored
one run.
The Wolverines improve to 12-9 on the season. They lost
seven of their final eight regular-season games, but those losses were
Class 6A Williamsport, South Williamsport (playing in District 4, Class
2A finals Saturday), Athens, Sayre, Notre Dame twice (in Class C finals
Friday), and Horseheads (Section IV, Class AA champs). Their only win
was against Notre Dame.
McDuffee says their brutal schedule during the second half of the season is paying dividends.
“I think it’s played a really big part in our postseason success.
“At one point, I was worried,” said McDuffee. “We were losing, and I didn’t want to get into that rut — you can’t accept losses.
“But
now, we’re seeing quality at-bats … we saw some really good pitching
this season, especially from those team down in (District 4)
Pennsylvania, and that’s helped us a ton,” he noted. “I think these guys
are locked in and focused, thinking opposite field, and barreling the
ball.
“I think the strong schedule was a huge help for us,” added
McDuffee. “I think that Horseheads game was a springboard for us. Even
though we lost in nine innings, I think that was the game that launched
us.”

About the Author
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020). Southern Tier Sports Report is set to launch in 2021.
