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Immaculate Heart vs Tioga: Class C Regional Recap

June 5, 2016

Joe Mags
Greater Watertown Area, Section 3

Will Magovney once again took the mound at Onondaga Community College, and delivered a performance that will stay with his many Cavalier brothers, past and present, for ages.

Magovney tossed a complete game shutout for Immaculate Heart Central baseball on Saturday, allowing just two hits against Tioga, the No. 1 ranked team in the state, in a 2-0 victory for the Class C regional championship.

IHC (21-3) advances to the state final four to play North Salem (Section 1) on Saturday, June 11, at 10 a.m. at Conlon Field in Binghamton. The Cavaliers won the state title in 2006, and the team last made the state finals in 2010.

“I had a Magovney on the mound in 2006, then in 2010 and now in 2016,” said IHC baseball coach Mike Delaney. “So there’s a correlation. They make me look good.”

Five days after sealing the Section 3 baseball title with a seventh inning save (http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/sports/ihc-baseball-defeats-utica-notre-dame-to-win-section-3-class-c-title-video-20160530), Magovney took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and the Tigers stranded seven runners on base, lost in an array of spotted fastballs and hooks.

“The energy of a regional game, when you’re fighting for a chance to go to the final four, there’s nothing like it,” Magovney said.

IHC has won 14 straight games since losing to South Jefferson on May 3 (http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/sports/high-school-baseball-south-jefferson-rallies-in-fourth-to-beat-immaculate-heart-central-20160504). On May 19, Magovney secured a second straight Frontier League “A” Division title for the Cavaliers behind a two-hit, complete game shutout of Watertown (http://wdt.me/Lhh9Xb).

Magovney has made four pitching appearances in the team’s five postseason wins, accumulating 19 innings and allowing just three runs. He lost his no-hit bid on a single by Tanner Folk, but buckled down to end the inning, striking out Tyler Whitmore chasing a high fastball out of the zone.

“He had such great command of his pitches,” Delaney said. “He was able to spot his fastball in and out. He kept the ball out of the middle of the plate for the most part. … He handled the composure of losing the no-hitter and keeping the bigger goal in mind.”

The Tigers (20-2) reached base in each of the first three innings, but Magovney was convincing mixing his speeds between his fastball and curveball, recording three of his six strikeouts early.

Nick Cotto reached base on an infield error in the top of the third, and advanced to third on an overthrow after stealing second. But Magovney forced Folk to ground into a fielder’s choice, with Vincenzo Alteri ranging left and flipping the ball to Jake Fusilli to strand two runners.

“We know he’s going to throw strikes and pound the zone,” Alteri said. “They’re going to put the ball in play, and we held them to two hits. We know we have a great defense. Feels great when we have a great pitcher out there.”

In the bottom of the third, Fusilli slapped a single between the second and first basemen. Alteri moved Fusilli to third on a single into center field, and Joshua Navarra scored Fusilli on a sac fly.

“It’s been happening all year,” Alteri said. “And that’s what we’re going to continue to do — the three of us, the big three. Jake gets on, I’ll get him over and Josh will hit him home.”

With two outs, Magovney knocked a single into right field, scoring Alteri and giving himself additional support. Tioga starter Jesse Manuel, who threw six innings and allowed five hits for the back-to-back Section 4 champs, entered the game having not allowed an earned run all season.

“We’ve played in a number of 2-0 or 2-1 ball games,” Delaney said. “You have to make the plays and get the hits at the right time.”

Alteri was electric at shortstop for the Cavaliers. In the fourth, Alteri fired off his backfoot ranging toward third to nail Jake Evanek up the line. Alteri made the final out of the game, scooping a hard hit ball from Parker Hendershot, one of the top players in the state, and firing to Navarra at first.

“Our defense plays so unreal behind me,” Magovney said. “I know I don’t have to strikeout a ton of people, because I know we’re going to make plays (in the field). Cenzo made a couple phenomenal plays at short, tough balls in the hole he made a play on.”

“There’s nobody any better in the north country than (Alteri),” Delaney said. “Maybe not many better down this way, either.”

The Magovney family, including four former Cavaliers and three state champions, could be seen taking photos with the regional championship plaque in the postgame celebration.

“I’ve had four brothers all win sectional titles,” Magovney said. “They all (went to) states. To get back, it means a lot because I have one brother who didn’t win it, but they lost in the final, and it would be nice to win just so (Anthony) was the only one without (a state title).”

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