Webster Wins In Walkoff Fashion Again

By Paul Casey Gotham

(Webster, N.Y.) If first impressions mean anything, the summer of 2010 promises excitement at Basket Road Field.

Matt Delewski (Toledo) slashed a ninth inning one-out single just inside the third base bag plating Wes Winkle (Ball State) with the game’s only run as the Webster Yankees downed the Allegany County Nitros 1-0 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Saturday.

Delewski’s second hit of the day and seventh RBI of the young season broke the scoreless tie, and Michael Sandman (Ball State) earned the win with just two pitches.

Webster’s Bryant Guilmette (UMass-Lowell) and Allegany County’s Isaac Hicks (Nova Southeastern) locked horns for their second pitcher’s duel already this season. The duo combined for eight and half scoreless innings of baseball. Guilmette struck out three and walked one while inducing 14 ground ball outs on the afternoon. Hicks struck out two and held Webster to two hits through eight while not allowing a runner to third until the final stanza.

That was all it took.

Winkle, Monte Marrocco (UMass-Lowell) and Delewski strung together three singles in the ninth to do the damage. The speedy Winkle moved from first to third on Marrocco’s ground ball through the right side of the infield. Delewski left no doubt when he lined the two-strike pitch down the left field line.

Guilmette and Hicks dueled on Opening Night with the latter getting the better of it as the Nitros won 2-0 in Scio. Guilmette needed just 78 pitches that night to make it through eight innings. Today, Guilmette tossed 105 pitches – 67 percent for strikes.

“I was just throwing to contact today,” said Guilmette of all the ground balls. “Ollie (Webster catcher, Bertrand) called a great game. We are always on the same page. He always knows what I am comfortable throwing in different counts.”

The battery got into a comfortable rhythm as the game progressed. “It helps when I don’t have to shake off my catcher.”

In his second tour of duty with the pinstripes, Guilmette has allowed just two earned runs in 16 and a third.  Last season, he made 17 appearances in relief for the home nine. None more impressive than three-game stretch in June. In three relief appearances, the lefty allowed zero earned runs while striking out five and earning two saves. In his first appearance of the summer, he struck out the side on nine consecutive strikes. One night later, with the pinstripes clinging to a 1-0 lead, Guilmette entered the game with bases loaded and one out. Two pitches later, Guilmette extinguished the threat with an inning-ending double play. To round off his week, the southpaw came out of the pen with bases loaded and one out. The first batter Guilmette faced flew to left field. The next popped up to third base.

Guilmette got some help in the third. With two runners aboard, he induced the ground ball, and the Webster infield turned the inning-ending double play. It was one of ten put outs on the afternoon for Webster shortstop, Matt Boulter (So. New Hampshire U).

“Yeah, he was getting peppered pretty good out there,” said Guilmette of his teammate. Ironically, the two current teammates met four years ago as opponents in the first round of the Massachusetts State Tournament.

But for all their work, neither Guilmette nor Hicks earned the win. Instead, Sandman came out the bullpen with a runner on first and retired the next two batters on two pitches – a lazy fly ball to left and an easy play at third for Thomas Kufel (Mercyhurst).

Webster scored eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Elmira Wednesday. Friday, Webster plated five in the home half of the eighth to erase  a three-run deficit and beat Niagara, 5-3.

With the win, Webster improves to 3-2. The Yankees host Geneva Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at “The Basket.” It’s WAA Softball day at the yard. Teams from WAA will join the Yankees on the field prior to the game. Out-of-town fans can listen to the game on TEAMLINE – your internet home for the New York Collegiate Baseball League.