By Paul Casey Gotham
(Webster, N.Y) Fifteen hours removed from a thrilling come-from-behind extra-inning victory, the Webster Yankees sat in the dugout watching the rain coat the turf at Basket Road Field. The dreary mood might have misled some into thinking the home nine lacked the energy needed to compete. But make no mistake, Dave Brust’s crew came to the yard armed and ready.
Blake Beemer (Ball State) and Matt Francis (U of R) paced the pinstripes with bases-clearing triples, and Jason Gardner (Tusculum) tossed seven shuout innings in his first appearance of the season as Webster downed Allegany County 12-7 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.
Webster tagged Nitro starter, Justin James (Ave Maria) with eight hits and six runs. The Yankees put two across in the third. Evan Wexler (Niagara) led with a double. Francis followed with an infield single – his first of four hits on the afternoon. Wes Winkle (Ball State) plated Wexler with another infield single.
Corey Goeggleman (Waynesburg St.) loaded the bases with a bunt single when he caught Nitro third baseman, Sam McGill (Ouachita Baptist), behind the bag. Matt Delewski delivered witha sacrifice fly to right field.
The pinstripes added four in the fifth. Delewski’s hard hit ball was mishandled in the infield scoring Francis. That opened the door for Beemer who just missed the first home run of the season at “The Basket.” Delewski, Goeggleman and Ollie Bertrand (Flagler) came home on the play.
The home nine greeted Nitro reliever, Jason Roth, with six runs in the seventh. Francis delivered the big blow with a one-out triple to left center. It was his second extra-base hit in as many days. Beemer, Monte Marocco (UMass-Lowell) and Chase Grissom (UNC Pembroke) touched the dish for the 12-run lead.
Webster’s bullpen struggled in the eighth and ninth allowing seven runs on six hits, three walks and two hit batsmen. The big story of the day was the recently signed Gardner. The right-hander struck out seven over seven and a third while walking four and allowing four hits in his first outing of the season. He left with a lead of a dozen.
“I felt good,” said Gardner. “I was throwing in ABC when Coach Brust gave me a call.”
Gardner pitched for the Webster organization in 2006 when the team was known as the Rochester Royals. Since then former MCC star underwent Tommy John surgery and sat out two college seasons before returning to competition this past spring.
Francis finished 4-4 on the afternoon. Delewski ran his season RBI total to a team-leading 11. Beemer drove in four with a pair of hits.
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