5-20-2025 12:46am

BASEBALL: Saline, Skyline Split Doubleheader, SEC to be Decided Wednesday

John Townsend slides into home plate on Johnny Arvai's single to score the winning run in the ninth inning of the first game as Saline beat Skyline.

A great SEC Red race is going down to the last possible moment.

Saline and Skyline split a doubleheader at Saline High School Monday. Saline won 3-2 in a nine-inning affair and Skyline won a 2-1 game.

The winner of the Saline-Skyline game rubber match Wednesday will take the division crown. Saline is 16-4. Skyline is 15-5. If Skyline wins and both teams finish at 16-5, Skyline takes the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Saline is 25-9 overall.

(SEE THE PHOTOS)

Game 1

"Game 1 was as good as a high school game as you're gonna see," Saline coach Al Zeiher said. "The kid from Skyline (Caleb Raymond) was really good. I think he threw 75 percent strikes. I was really proud of Matt Mareno coming in and matching it, pitch for pitch."

Ryder Concannon, a freshman righthander, started for the Hornets. He got into trouble with a walk sandwiching an error in the second. (Senior) came into the game and allowed a single. One run scored on the hit and another on a throwing error.

Concannon made a running catch in left on the next batter and then threw to Hunter Easton at the the plate to gun down the runner trying to tag up. Mareno struck out the next batter. Saline escaped with no further damage.

Mareno looked as good as he's looked all year as he settled into a groove.

In the fourth, the Hornets tied the game.

Concannon led off the inning with a single to left. The next two batters popped out.

Austin Abbate doubled to center.

Freshman Mason Piazza, playing third base, singled to center. Both runners scored, tying the game at 2.

"If a dog will bite, he'll bite as a pup," coach Zeiher said of his youngster.

Saline threatened with runners on first and third in the fifth, but Raymond escaped with a strikeout.

Mareno got into some trouble in the sixth. With two out, Skyline had two hits and then Mareno walked a batter to load the bases. After a conference on the mound, Mareno got the K. The game was still tied at 2.

Rightfielder Austin Abbate got the Hornets out of potential trouble in the seventh. He had a running catch on a line drive and then threw out the runner at first.

In the bottom of the inning, Mareno doubled to center. Noah Reeves walked. Saline had runners at first and second with no outs. Colton Tousa line out to second, leading to a double play.

In the eighth, Skyline got a lead-off double and bunted him over to 3rd. With the game on the line, Mareno struck out the next two batters. In the top of the ninth, he got a pop out and then struck out two more.

In the bottom of the ninth, the pup bit again.

Piazza cranked a double to right with one out.

Johnny Arvai followed with a single to score pinch runner John Townsend.

Saline celebrated the walk-off win.

The Hornets had enough hits to win the second game - but Saline just couldn't bring the runners home.

Skyline scored in the first inning. With one out, an error allowed the batter to reach base. Jobe doubled to score him. Starting pitcher Noah Reeves struck out the next two batters.

Saline got the run right back.

With one out, Tousa reached on an error. With two out, he stole second. Cole Kreuzer singled to score Tousa.

Reeves hit a batter and allowed a single to start the second, but then he made a diving catch a on a little blooper and threw the runner out at second. Reeves struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Abbate walked to open Saline's second but was caught stealing. With two out, Arvai doubled to left. Brady Clark was hit by a pitch and then Reeves bunted for a single, loading the bases. Tousa grounded into a fielder's choice.

After Reeves set the Eagles down 1-2-3 in the third, Concannon singled to short to open the bottom of the inning. Devin Lilley bunted him to second but he moved no further.

The fourth was Reeves' second straight 1-2-3 inning. Arvai's single was all the Hornets mustered in the bottom of the inning.

Reeves set the Eagles down 1-2-3 again in the fifth. Despite a single by Concannon and a walk by Mareno, the Hornets could bring anyone home.

Reeves had set down 12 straight Eagles when they manufactured a run in the sixth. The lead-off batter singled to center and took second on a sacrifice bunt. The runner took third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly.

Clark's two-out walk was all the Hornets generated in the bottom of the inning.

Reeves set the Eagles down 1-2-3 in the seventh, punching out two more.

But the Hornets went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

BASEBALL: Saline/Skyline Split doubheheader 5-19-25 - thesalinepost