Courtesy of the Niagara Gazette
By Jason Patterson
WELLSVILLE, N.Y. — The Niagara Power baseball team punched a ticket to the 2012 post-season on Tuesday night with an 8-5 victory on the road in Wellsville. In the season’s final meeting between the two clubs, Niagara (20-15, 19-15 NYCBL) made sure that the Nitros (13-21), a team still pursuing one of the four coveted Western Division playoff berths, would be unable to catch them with only six games remaining for each team.
In a game which felt like a microcosm of the entire season, Niagara showed scoring potential from the start, but trailed early after surrendering a Grand Slam with two outs in the bottom of the first. The team then came to life, battling back on the mound, and overcoming adversity offensively. When two attempts at stealing home failed on very close plays to end both the third and fourth innings, the Power responded with a five run 5th to take a 7-4 lead. They never looked back. In the end The Boys in Blue secured a win for New York native R.C. Hubbard and a historic victory for the franchise.
The win guarantees the Niagara Power at least one home playoff game, another first in an already memorable season. With a six game winning streak, including a 5-0 mark since hosting the All-Star Game, the hottest team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League has positioned itself to pursue an even more desirable position.
Niagara now controls its own destiny as they chase the #2 seed, which would mean even more time by the shores of Hyde Park Lake during the closing days of this hottest summer in recent memory. The spot is currently occupied by the Olean Oilers. The Power have pulled even with Olean in wins and are only two back in the loss column. Two games remain between the teams, including Friday evening’s highly anticipated matchup here in Niagara Falls.
Should the Power take both contests, they would be awarded the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series over Olean. The Power are assured of at least a playoff spot, since they already hold the tiebreaker over Wellsville. Niagara has given its fans a classic baseball pennant race to keep a close eye on right down to the wire.
“There is a great deal of excitement surrounding this baseball team as we have really hit our stride at the right time,” commented head coach Garrett Shivley. His team is turning heads throughout the league and the region with the longest winning streak in the NYCBL this year.
In the players eyes, there is no limit to what can become of this late season run. As Lone Star product Chane Lynch, the team’s first baseman who hit his fourth Homerun of the season in Tuesday’s game, noted “We believe our team has the potential to do some special things. it’s a great group of guys, and we are finally beginning to play our best baseball.”
The Power head down the home stretch with three critical games at The Barber Shop this week. They will be in action at Sal Maglie Stadium Wednesday thru Friday versus Rochester, Geneva and Olean with games scheduled for 7:00 pm each night
General Manager Cal Kern, hopes the unique relationship that is forming between the city and this team continues to be strengthened, “the excitement around our team continues to build with each win, we invite folks to come out to the ballpark and see what this group of guys will do next. It will no doubt be a playoff atmosphere this week where so much will be on the line with every pitch.” His team will now have more than a playoff atmosphere, thanks to Tuesday, they will finally have a home playoff game.
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