Getting its best win of the season so far, the East Syracuse-Minoa baseball team used the long ball to knock off OHSL Freedom division leader Christian Brothers Academy 9-5 Friday at St. Denis Field. The Spartans never trailed, blazing to a 5-0 lead by the third inning and building the margin as large as 8-1 before the Brothers made a belated comeback. Peter Gigliotti took the win, with Brandon Lansing working in relief. However, the big story involved ESM’s bats. Nick Eisenbeck and James Russo took full advantage of the heavy tailwind, as they both connected for a pair of home runs. Russo finished with three RBIs as Bobby Worden and Josh Judge also drove in runs. Before getting its shot at CBA, the Spartans warmed up by going to Phoenix and seeing everything click in an 8-0 shutout of the Firebirds. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open and made the work easier for Lansing and Jake Curtis, who teamed up to allow just three hits. ESM took full advantage of Phoenix’s six errors. Neil Delaney doubled and drove in three runs, while Lansing and Eisenbeck each had one RBI. Just as quickly, though, it turned around in a bad way as everything went wrong on Tuesday in a 24-6 loss to Jamesville-DeWitt. Apparently not agreeing with cold weather, the Spartans traded four-run rallies in the first inning before J-D erupted for 10 runs in the top of the second, adding seven-run fifth inning for good measure. Worden took the loss, as he, along with Joe Greco and Delaney, gave up 15 hits and got hurt by five Spartan errors. Worden, Greco, Chris Banaszek, Russo and Alex Watkins all drove in runs at one point or another. The course reversed again on Wednesday afternoon, when the Spartans handled the Fowler Falcons 12-2. Banaszek starred at the plate with a double, triple and four RBIs as ESM used a five-run third inning and four runs in the bottom of the fourth to get away. Billy Sullivan doubled twice, driving in two runs as Worden, Lansing and Travis Oot earned one RBI apiece. Neil Delaney pitched most of the way, with relief help from Russo and Jake Curtis. Even the CBA win didn’t guarantee long-term health, as ESM went back home Saturday and took a 9-5 loss to Mexico. Here, the Spartans jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, and were still up 4-1 when Mexico came back with five runs in the top of the fifth off Lansing to jump ahead for good. Eisenbeck hit another home run, a solo shot. Lansing finished with a triple and two RBIs as Russo and Delaney also drove in runs.