The Cicero-North Syracuse baseball team was kept in check for the majority of its clash versus Utica Proctor on Friday.
Once the matchup hit the later innings, the Northstars came alive.
C-NS plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break away for a 6-3 victory over Utica Proctor.
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"It was a big one and good for us to be in that position," C-NS coach Stephan Bailey said. "It was exciting. The guys never lost faith. They stepped up."
Utica Proctor was up 3-1 in the fifth inning. C-NS scored a run in the bottom half of the fifth to cut it to 3-2.
Bailey said the Northstars came together in the bottom of the sixth with some base runners and timely hitting. The big hit came from senior Mason Mingle, who singled in two runs to make it 4-3 C-NS.
From there, the Northstars tacked on some insurance runs to secure the win.
"We were down and out, but came up big when we needed to," Bailey said.
Battista Wood, who picked up the victory on the mound, made sure the Northstars kept their late lead intact with two scoreless innings in relief. The senior allowed just two hits and struck out three.
Bailey noted that Wood has embraced the closer role for the team.
"He did a phenomenal job to get the last six outs of the game," Bailey said. "He's comfortable in those late-game situations."
Hunter Corkran started on the bump and tossed five innings. He gave up seven hits, three runs and two walks. Cochran fanned three batters.
Wood also had a run-scoring single for the Northstars. Andrew Davis and Kaden Kalfass each knocked in a run with a hit. Kyle Gancarz and Jaden Zimmer both singled and scored a run.
C-NS, now 13-6 on the season, has won six of its last seven games.
"We're playing our best baseball at just the right time. I'm confident in the teams' ability," Bailey said.
For Utica Proctor, Jaadiel Romero tallied a double, single, an RBI and a run. Genero Clemente chipped in an RBI single, while Anthony Marino singled and scored. Joshua Martinez walked twice and scored a run.
C-NS and Utica Proctor (12-5) will now prepare for the Class AAA sectional tournament next week. Bailey said the tournament will be "clumped up at the top" with other teams like Liverpool, Baldwinsville and Rome Free Academy as competition.
"We're excited," Bailey said. "Any team could come away with a sectional title. It's all about who will win those close games and who's going to step up."
