By Paul Casey Gotham
(Webster, N.Y.) It’s only June, but Sunday afternoon’s New York Collegiate Baseball League game at Basket Road Field carried playoff implications. Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees and Dave Herbst’s Geneva Red Wings both entered play with seven wins as teams approach the mid-season mark. The winner of the NYCBL Western Division game could gain an early advantage in the playoff chase. Both managers looked to their starting pitcher for a strong outing.
Brust’s starter delivered.
Bryant Guilmette (UMass-Lowell) held the Wings to three hits tossing a complete-game shutout as Webster downed Geneva 2-0 in NYCBL action at “The Basket.”
“The defense bailed me out,” said Guilmette. “I am not a strike out pitcher, so I count on the guys behind me to make plays.”
Webster flashed the leather from the beginning. Right fielder, Blake Beemer (Ball State) made a diving catch to start the game. Geneva’s Brantley Miller (UT Permian Basin) led with a slicing fly ball that looked destined to fall in for a single. Beemer charged, as he has so many times this summer, and fully extended for the the out.
The freshman from Dayton, Ohio already has three assists from right field. He gunned down a runner at the plate in Webster’s 1-0 victory over Allegany County on June 12th. Twice he has thrown out runners at first who hit what appeared to be singles. Instead, Beemer quickly charged and came up throwing for the out.
Webster got all the runs they needed in the first. Johnny Brill (Rollins) led with a single and advanced to third when Corey Goeggleman (Waynesburg St.) dropped a sacrifice bunt and the throw sailed past first base. With runners on second and third, Matt Delewski (Toledo) collected his team-leading 12th RBI of the season with a single to left field. Goeggleman eventually came home on a double play.
Brill finished the afternoon with three hits and a stolen base. He also made a spectacular diving catch in the sixth taking away a hit.
Guilmette threw 100 pitches on the afternoon, 71 for strikes.
“He struggled early,” commented catcher Ollie Bertrand (Flagler). “After the fourth he settled down. He was hitting his spots with the change up , and they were rolling it over. Once he gets ground balls, you know he’s in a groove.”
Geneva threatened in the eighth with runners on first and second and two outs when Stephen Wadsworth (Holy Cross) came to the plate. The Red Wing catcher hit Guilmette hard three times earlier in the game. The southpaw needed just one pitch to retire the side.
“Yeah, I threw him a fast ball low, and he chopped it out,” said Guilmette. “Bolt (Webster shortstop, Matt Boulter) made the play.
Guilmette came into the game 0-2 in three starts. He took the opening-night loss at Allegany County when he allowed two runs over eight frames in a 2-0 loss. He tossed eight shutout innings a week later, but came out of the game before Delewski 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 Yankees downed the Nitros.
Last season, Guilmette 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 lefty 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.
Webster hosts a double-header with first-place Hornell on Tuesday. First game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Out-of-town fans can listen to the game on TEAMLINE.
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