Things didn't start out great for Rhinebeck ace Ben Hoynes but the Hawks quickly rebounded to hand visiting S.S. Seward High School a 6-2 defeat in a Section 9, Class C semifinal contest played at Rhinebeck in sweltering heat on Wednesday evening.The game was pushed back just over an hour because the heat index had reached as high as 104 during the afternoon. State law mandates that play can not start until the heat index lowers to 94 so the Hawks had to sit around and wait for the game's beginning.
When the action did start out, Seward went to work against right-hander Hoynes. The first three batters reached base when the lead-off hitter doubled. The second hitter then reached on an error before a single plated to runs and quickly gave the visitors a 2-0 advantage.
From that moment on, Hoynes was nearly perfect and unhittable. He retired the next 20 batters in a row, at one point striking out five consecutive hitters, before the Spartans collected a bloop single in the last inning. Hoynes finished the day with seven strikeouts.
Rhinebeck got its first run in the second inning when Hoynes unloaded a long homer to make cut the deficit in half. The third inning is where the Hawks bats took flight.
Reed Fox started the uprising witha double that was followed by another double by Eamon Graziano that drove home Fox. Designated hitter, Sean Fitzpatrick, then singled in front of a Hoynes walk. Brian Hanson then delivered the big blow of the game when he cranked a bases-loaded double to right field that plated all three runners.
Nick Martin was then issued a walk, setting the stage for Keenan Farrell's RBI basehit. When the inning was over, the Hawks had scored five runs and given Hoynes all the run support he would need on this day.
Rhinebeck will now play Pine Plains in Saturday's Section 9, Class C final at Gruner Field in KIngston. Game time is slated for 1pm.
