Webster Shocks Elmira

By Paul Casey Gotham

(Webster, N.Y) For eight innings the Webster Yankees toiled with little to show for their efforts. The home nine threatened but failed to bring home any runs while the Elmira Pioneers grabbed a seven-run lead.  Elmira pitchers dominated Webster for eight frames recording 13 strike outs.

Baseball, though, consists of nine innings with the winning team needing to get 27 outs for a victory. Elmira fell one out short of victory Wednesday night.

Corey Goeggleman (Waynesburg State) plated Matt Boulter (So. New Hampshire U) with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth as Webster came from behind to beat Elmira 8-7 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.

Boulter and pinch-hitter, Matt Delewski (Toledo) rapped back-to-back singles to start the rally as Webster batted around against a  pair of Pio pitchers in the final stanza. One out later, a second pinch hitter, Kyle Raleigh (Ball State) beat out a tapper in front of the plate when Elmira catcher, Brian Erie, threw the rain-slickened ball down the right field line. On the play, Boulter scored Webster’s first run of the game and season.

After Monte Marrocco (UMass-Lowell) was hit by a pitch, Blake Beemer (Ball State) followed with a two-out, bases-loaded single as Delewski crossed the dish. Chase Grissom (UNC-Pembroke) delivered the big blow scoring two with a double just inside the left field line. Webster trailed 7-4.

Webster loaded the bases again when Ollie Bertrand (Flagler) worked a base on balls. Boulter kept the rally alive scoring Beemer with a single to center as the home nine ran station-to-station.

Wes Winkle (Ball State) came on to pinch run for Bertrand. Delewski’s second pinch hit of the inning tied the game and set the stage for Goeggleman.

The Fairport, New York native was 1-4 on the night with a pair of strike outs, but his walk-off single brought home Boulter with the win.

“What an effort,” commented head coach Dave Brust. “We learned a lot about this team tonight. We don’t give up easily.”

Bertrand and Boulter paced the home nine with three hits a piece. Bertrand turned in a pair of sparkling defensive plays. One when he threw out a runner at second and another on a play at the plate.  Beemer assisted on the play at the plate when he quickly charged a single into right field and came up throwing a strike home. Beemer also robbed an Elmira hitter of a single when he charged a hit into right field and threw out the runner at first.

Boulter scored two runs in his first appearance with the Yankees. The Wrentham, Massachusetts native signed with the club over the weekend and arrived just in time to suit up for the game.

Chad Simendinger (St. Joe’s) struck out eight and walked one over six scoreless for Elmira. John Collela (Holy Cross) worked two innings striking out  five of the six Yankees he faced. Ryan Ferguson (Temple) paced the Pios with two hits, a walk, RBI and a run scored. Elmira scored a run in the second, two in the sixth and four in the ninth before relenting to the Webster attack.

Pat Corrigan (Mercyhurst) went two innings for the win. Jared Locke (Toledo) struck out four in his first start of the season for the Yanks. Michael Sandman (Ball State) tossed two scoreless stanzas for Webster.

With the win, Webster improves to 1-1 and travels to Hornell Thursday for their first meeting of the season with the Dodgers. Webster returns home for three games this weekend. The Niagara Power visit “The Basket” Friday night for a 7 p.m. first pitch. Webster hosts Allegany County on Saturday for a 4 p.m. start. Geneva comes to town Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Out-of-town fans can listen to all NYCBL games on TEAMLINE – your internet home of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.