OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Dunkirk's Josh Lemanski dives home safely to score on a sacrifice fly before Fredonia's Jack Frame can apply a tag during Saturday's CCAA Division 1 doubleheader in Gowanda.

GOWANDA — After an ugly 10-4 loss to rival Dunkirk in Game 1 of a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 baseball doubleheader Saturday, Fredonia had about 15 minutes to regroup and earn a split.

It took them a little longer than that, but the Hillbillies found a way.

Fredonia scored seven runs during a wild sixth inning and held on for an 8-5 win over the Marauders in Game 2.

“To not make any errors and not panic, being down 5-1 in the second game,” Fredonia head coach Tim Cowan said Saturday evening, “it really took something from every guy in our lineup to contribute to such a significant comeback so late in the game.”

With one out in the top of the sixth, the Hillbillies’ Rocco Muscarella and Luka Paoletta hit back-to-back singles. Max Hazelton then walked to load the bases and Issiah Ruiz was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Henry Conroy hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. Marauders starting pitcher Josh Lemanski then threw a wild pitch with Matt Cowan at the plate leading to a pitching change and an intentional walk to load the bases again.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Dunkirk's Anthony Cosme delivers to the plate during Saturday's CCAA Division 1 doubleheader against Fredonia in Gowanda.

Alex Biscaro relieved for Dunkirk (6-2, 3-2) and was greeted by Brady Crawford’s bases-clearing double over the bag at third base.

“We left the foot off the gas at the end of the second game,” Dunkirk head coach Alberto Benejan-otano said. “It takes one pitch to change the outcome of the game and that’s what happened.”

Before the inning was over, Colin Luce added an RBI infield single and Pauly Tabone hit an RBI triple.

Tabone, who threw 5 â…” innings of effective relief with four strikeouts, pitched around a one-out single in the sixth by Aries Cheverez and a one-out double by Dylan Ott in the seventh to earn the win for Fredonia (7-3, 5-3).

“We have 11 seniors. It hit them pretty hard,” Benejan-otano said of the Game 2 loss. “They knew it was going to be the last time they were going to be involved in a rivalry like this.”

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Dunkirk's Aries Cheverez throws to first base during Saturday's CCAA Division 1 doubleheader against Fredonia in Gowanda.

Dunkirk took a 5-1 lead with single runs in the first and fourth innings, plus a three-run third inning. Lemanski, Biscaro and Cheverez had RBI singles while Lemanski also had an RBI double for the Marauders.

The Hillibillies’ first-inning run came after Cowan led off with a walk, Crawford singled and Luce laid down a sacrifice bunt before Tabone’s RBI groundout.

In Game 1, Anthony Cosme set the tone for Dunkirk.

Three batters into the bottom of the first inning, Fredonia had runners at second and third with one out, but Dunkirk’s left-handed ace struck out the next five Hillbillies as the Marauders built a 6-0 lead.

A pair of errors and two passed balls from the Hillbillies helped Dunkirk go up 2-0 in the second. In the Marauders’ half of the third inning, John Bache led off with a swinging-bunt single before an error and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. With the infield pulled in, Fredonia tried to throw out a pair of runners at the plate on groundballs, but were unsuccessful as Dunkirk’s lead grew to 4-0.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Fredonia's Issiah Ruiz makes a catch in right field during Saturday's CCAA Division 1 doubleheader against Dunkirk in Gowanda.

Then, sacrifice flies from Ott and Biscaro made it 6-0.

“I love situational hitting, moving guys station to station and putting the ball in play,” Benejan-otano said. “You are putting 10 times more pressure on them with a ball in play.”

That was plenty of support for Cosme, who ended up throwing 5 â…” innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts and six walks.

“Anthony’s presence in general, even if he’s not on the mound, all the kids are excited to be on the field with him,” Benejan-otano said. “It gives them an edge and a good sense of clarity that they are going to be in the game no matter what.”

After Cosme loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter in the sixth, Bache relieved and picked up a strikeout for the second out of the inning. But Hazelton came through with a two-run double to make it 8-3.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Fredonia's Matt Cowan delivers to the plate during Saturday's CCAA Division 1 doubleheader against Dunkirk in Fredonia.

The Marauders got two of the runs back in the top of the seventh on another error and two passed balls before the Hillbillies scored their final run of the game on an error in the bottom of the seventh.

“Anthony is a great pitcher and he did what he needed to do on the mound today. We kept him at a good pitch count,” Benejan-otano said. “Everything went well the first game.”

Cowan took the loss in five innings of work, even though none of the eight runs he allowed were earned because the Hillbillies defense committed eight errors. The left-hander struck out seven.

“We’re really pleased to get out of it with a split considering how poorly we played the first game,” Coach Cowan said. “We made eight errors in the first game, which is incredibly uncharacteristic.”

Fredonia will return to league play Tuesday and Thursday with a home-and-home series with Silver Creek/Forestville (4-5, 2-4).

“It’s certainly not how we would’ve scripted this to go today, but we feel fortunate to get out with a split against a good opponent,” Coach Cowan said. “It’s definitely an emotionally draining afternoon for both teams, but it could be a springboard for us to some more positive stuff as we head down the back stretch of our league season.”

Dunkirk will play a home-and-home with first-place Olean (8-1, 7-1), also Tuesday and Thursday.

“We have to be prepared like every team is the best. We like the competition. We know Olean is going to be tough for us. We’re just going to battle. We’re going to do what we always do, come in nice and relaxed and just play Dunkirk Baseball,” Benejan-otano said. “We’re a pretty good hitting team, we’ll put the ball in play. Olean will be tough, but baseball is baseball. We have to get on base, limit the walks, limit the errors. We can come out on top if we put our minds to it.”