SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Brian Witkowski (Alvernia) plated Daniel Carroll (Franklin) with a pinch hit walkoff base hit as the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs defeated the Geneva Red Wings, 7-6 in game one of the New York Collegiate Baseball League Eastern Division finals at Hopkins Road Park.
Witkowski’s hit didn’t come any too soon as the Jr. Chiefs twice took four-run leads only to watch those advantages evaporate.
Syracuse sent eight to the plate in a three-run second. Christian Knott (East Stroudsburg) worked a one-out walk and scored on an error. David Wolak (Elmhurst) reached on a fielder’s and came around on a Frank Salerno (St. Thomas Aquinas) double. Alex Sanchez Jr. (Ave Maria) capped the inning with a single scoring Salerno, and Syracuse led 4-0.
Geneva chipped away at the deficit.
The Red Wings took advantage of a pair of hit batsmen to push across a pair in the fourth. Brad Blumer (Cameron) and Brian Sullivan (Clark) led the frame with back-to-back HBP. Lukas Sokol (Toledo) loaded the bases with a base hit. Blumer crossed the dish on a passed ball. After Leon Stimpson (Alvernia) walked, Clark came home on a fielder’s choice.
Syracuse regained the four-run edge with single runs in the fourth and fifth.
Tim Locastro (Ithaca) drove in Wolak with a base rap. Salerno’s sacrifice fly delivered Knott in the fifth, and Syracuse led 6-2.
Cameron Stimpson (Monroe CC) cut the lead in half with a two-run home run. Geneva trailed 6-4 after Stimpson’s one-out blast brought home Sokol.
Cameron Stimpson walked to lead the eighth. The Philadelphia, PA native moved to second on a wild pitch and stole before coming home a double play.
Ricky Moses II (Southern) doubled to start the ninth. After Blumer moved the runner with a sacrifice bunt, Cameron Stimpson came through with a two-out single to tie the score.
Zach Lauricella (St. John’s) doubled and drove in Salerno in the first.
Dean Bonneau (Bates) pitched the eighth and ninth for the win.
John Scott (Edwards) allowed one run in two innings of work and took the loss.
Salerno had two hits in trips with two RBI and two runs scored.
Sanchez and Lauricella also added two hits for the winners.
Leon Stimpson led all with three hits. His younger brother, Cameron, had two hits and three RBI.
The best two-out-of-three series shifts to Geneva for game two on Tuesday.
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