By Paul Gotham
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Sometimes taking the whole and breaking it into parts offers understanding. That’s how Frank Jagoda asked his Wellsville Nitros to approach their 40-game season.
After dropping seven of their first ten, the Wellsville coach advised his team to break up the schedule into four ten-game mini segments.
Judging by the results, the approach has merit. Things are going so well for the Nitros lately that even when they are wrong it works out for the better.
Evan Robaczewski (Misericordia) tossed a complete game and for the second time in as many nights the Nitros scored in their final at bat,this time to defeat the Rochester Athletes in Action 3-2 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field, Monday.
Robaczewski struck out four, walked one and allowed seven hits for his first win of the season.
“Evan has been good for us all year,” Jagoda said. “He really came out and battled today. I went out there in the ninth after he gave up the run and the two base hits. He said: ‘I want it.’ I have full confidence in him.”
The right-hander from Plymouth, PA. gave up a leadoff triple to start the bottom of the ninth. After a ground ball scored a run and another hit, Robaczewski closed the game with a strike out and a fly ball.
“He wasn’t taking me out,” Robaczewski said.
After giving up a run in the first, Robaczewski settled into a groove retiring seven of the next eight batters he faced.
“I started getting down in the zone,” Robaczewski explained. “The first couple of innings I was up. They were hitting my mistakes. Once I was down, they were rolling the balls over. My defense made the plays.”
With Robaczewski holding Rochester’s offense in check, the Nitros’ bat had a chance to get going.
Chris May (Florida International U) greeted AIA reliever, Dominic Porretta (Otterbien) with a single to left center to lead off the ninth. Jason Webb (Texas Pan American) grounded into a force before Michael Fries (Butler), Sunday night’s hero, worked a base on balls. Chandler Sidwell (Concordia) delivered when he slapped a two-strike pitch into right center and plated Webb. Kory Wan (St. Leo) brought home Fries with the eventual winning run and Wellsville led 3-1.
Rochester rallied in the bottom of the frame. Joel Belk (Azusa Pacific), the NYCBL’s Pitcher-of-the-Week, tripled inside the first base bag to lead the home half of the ninth and scored on a ground ball by Nick Flanagan (Martin Methodist). Rochester put the tying run aboard when Josh Davis (Whitworth) reached on an infield single, but Robaczewski ended the threat with a strike out and a fly ball.
“Later in the game I was going for the change up a lot,” Robaczewski explained. “That was keeping them off-balance.”
Winners of their last three, Wellsville improves to 6-8 on the young season.
“After our first ten-game segment, we’ve certainly played a lot better baseball,” Jagoda commented. “It just started with a spark. Our guys are starting to gel, not only on the field but off the field. That’s really starting to show. You can hear it in the dugout. There is more going on in terms of a team atmosphere. We got kids from 15-16 states. So does everyone. It’s no excuse to start off slow, but it took us a little bit longer. We’re finding our stride.”
Trailing by one, the Nitros got on the board in the third.
Sidwell worked a one-out walk. After a fly out, the Alexandria, Iowa native stole second and moved to third on an infield base hit by Trent Whitcomb (Eastern Illinois). With runners on the corners, Whitcomb broke for second and got himself in a rundown and allowed Sidwell to come home.
“We actually confused the sign a little bit,” Jagoda said. “It worked out in our favor. I knew we had a smart base runner at third base and a fast and smart base runner in Trent. I felt that it was good time to put something in motion. It really kind of jump started us. We were kind of flat up to that point. It was a good opportunity for us to scratch a run, and we did. It worked out great.”
Rochester starter, Patrick Woemer (Illinois Springfield), allowed six hits and one run in seven innings of work.
Belk tossed seven shutout frames at Wellsville last Friday to earn league Pitcher-of-the-Week. Monday night, he doubled and scored in the first and tripled and scored in the ninth.
Wellsville loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth, but AIA reliever, Jonathan Breneman (Westmont) worked out of the jam inducing a force play at the plate and double play.
Whitcomb led all with three hits.
Fries had the game-winning hit Sunday night as the Nitros defeated the Olean Oilers.
Wellsville travels to Geneva on Tuesday for a double-header with the Twins (4-6).
Rochester travels to Hornell for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Dodgers.
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