By Ted Waddell
LIVINGSTON MANOR — May 13, 2003 – No doubt about it. A total of 43 players scampering across the plate is a real slugfest.
In Friday’s non-league baseball game between the Wildcats of Livingston Manor and the Comets of Fallsburg, the home team Wildcats jumped out to a 15-0 lead after two innings. But the Comets fought back with 10 runs in the top of the third to make it a 15-10 ballgame.
At their turn at bat in the third, Manor (4-3) started to ice the game by sending four runners home to take a 19-10 lead.
The Comets were scoreless the fourth inning, but the Wildcats proved they had nine lives by scoring nine runs in their half of the frame.
Fallsburg (0-8) scored twice in the fifth, sent a couple of runners across the plate in the sixth and scored its last run in the final frame.
But no matter how hard you try, it’s tough to top 28 runs.
Victor Leventritt started for Fallsburg, but was relieved by Harris Seletsky in the bottom of the sixth.
Kyle Lackey picked up the victory for the Wildcats by pitching the entire slugfest.
Both teams repeatedly had runners at the corners on a combination of hits, errors and steals.
Manor catcher Brian Smith demonstrated his ability to track the game by calling into the dugout for updates on the opposition’s batting order and a quick review of what each player did their last time up.
Smith also led the Wildcat offense. He went 4-for-6 at the plate with six RBI. Lackey helped his own cause by recording three hits and five RBI.
Fallsburg was led by Seletsky, who had three RBI, and Chris Gates, who registered three hits and two RBI.
“We hit the ball well today, something we haven’t been doing this season,” Fallsburg Coach Brett Cancredi said.
“I’m very happy about the way we hit the ball, but our defense wasn’t there, and that’s the name of the game and that hurt us,” he added. “It’s hits versus defense.
“We’re a young team that has some kinks to work out . . . they’ve got to play hard for seven innings, [and] learn to keep chipping away.”
Manor Coach Rob Farrell said the game was “exciting, but confusing.”
“We were up 10-0, and I give Fallsburg a lot of credit for battling back,” he said. “They didn’t give up.”
Farrell said that while the Wildcats struggled a bit, he kept his starter, Lackey, on the mound because he had virtually nowhere else to turn.
Due to the late start of the season, teams around the region aren’t having enough time to give their hurlers a rest between games.
“It’s game after game, game after game,” said Farrell.