By Paul Casey Gotham
WEBSTER, N.Y. — The New York Collegiate Baseball League has moved from the regular to the post-season, but nothing has changed for the Webster Yankees.
Matt Jimenez (Mercyhurst) and Jasvir Rakkar (Stony Brook) combined to allow two runs on six hits as Webster defeated the Geneva Red Wings in game one of the NYCBL West Division championship at Basket Road Field.
Jimenez held the Red Wings to three hits and two runs over five innings for the win. It was the third start of the summer for the right-hander who had surgery March 14, 2010 to repair his pitching elbow.
“It feels good to get back in the groove of starting,” Jimenez said. “My curve ball was biting pretty good. The ump had a pretty tight (strike) zone, but I was able to work my fast ball into a few batters.
Jimenez struck out four while walking three. Of the three Geneva hits, two came in the infield.
“His curve ball was dominant,” Webster pitching coach Bob Shaffer said. “He made the adjustments to the strike zone.”
Rakkar scattered four Red Wing hits over the final four frames. With a fast ball topping out over 90 miles per hour, the righty kept Geneva batters off-balance.
“This is the best I have thrown my change-up all year,” Rakkar noted. “It felt good coming out of my hand. That was the pitch that was working for me.”
“Both of those guys are high-level college players,” said head coach Dave Brust.
Webster’s offense hung a four-spot in the second inning and never looked back.
Zach Bricknell (Young Harris) led with a base on balls off Geneva starter, Sean White (Dickinson), and advanced on an errant pick-off attempt at first. After Tyler Huntey (Central Michigan) reached on an infield single, Kevin Johnson (Pittsburgh) loaded the bases with the second walk of the stanza. Dan Bick (Georgia College) plated Bricknell with an opposite field single over the outstretched glove of Red Wing second baseman, Kevin Knack (Oneonta State). Huntey scored on a wild pitch then Nick Flemister (Clark University) fought off ten pitches before driving a single through the right side of the infield scoring Johnson and Bick. Flemister fouled off six pitches in the at bat before finding the one he liked.
The Yankees added an insurance run in the eighth. Luis Diaz (North Carolina Central) slapped a one-out single to left field. After Diaz stole second base, Bricknell went inside-out and drove an opposite field single into left for the game’s final run.
Webster’s offense scored five runs on just six hits while leaving just four runners on base.
“That’s playoff baseball,” Brust commented. “You have to be efficient.”
Flemister had two hits and two RBI. In 13 games with Webster, Flemister has 22 hits and 11 RBI.
Diaz finished with two stolen bases.
“I like the playoffs,” Diaz commented. “All that winning in the regular season doesn’t matter now.”
The Webster nine continued adding to a club record with their fourteenth win in a row.
Webster takes a one-game lead in the best-of-three series. The scene shifts to Geneva Friday night. Webster took three of four from the Red Wings this season at McDonough Park. Joe Greenfield (Eastern Illinois) gets the start for the pinstripes. Greenfield is 4-2 on the season with an ERA of 1.80. He has pitched against the Red Wings twice this season. On June 13th he went six innings but took the loss in a 4-2 game. Greenfield took a no-decision in Webster’s 8-7 win on July 17th.
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