By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY – When it was needed, leather gave the offense a chance.
On three separate occasions, the Genesee Community College Cougars threatened to mount nearly insurmountable margins. Each time the gloves of the Monroe Community College baseball team thwarted their opponent.
“All year long we’ve played well defensively,” noted Monroe head coach Mike Kelly.
Thursday afternoon proved no different.
Or was it?
Thursday’s glove work by the Monroe infield was something special.
Genesee put multiple runners on base in the second, fifth and sixth innings. The Cougars managed a combined two runs in those frames as the Tribune infield minimized the potential damage.
No play better represented this work than the nifty double play turned by first baseman Spencer Scorza (Penfield, NY/Penfield) and catcher AJ Kehlenbeck (Oakfield, NY/Oakfield-Alabama) in the sixth inning. With bases loaded, a run in and GCC’s heart of the order on deck, Scorza tip-toed along the first baseline and fielded a bounding ball. The sophomore captain alertly fired to the plate for the force and in one motion backpedaled to the bag for a return throw from his catcher.
Rally extinguished. One run on three hits. Two left on base.
“We preach to our pitchers to pitch to the defense, and they do,” Kelly explained. “We might strike out three, four, five guys a game, but we’re going to need the routine plays made. Every now and again we’ll make a spectacular one, and that’s usually the difference in the game.”
The double play came one inning after Jalen Dennis (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) nearly single-handily snuffed out a Genesee surge. Twice the third baseman went to the turf and used a backhand to take away sure hits down the line.
“Jalen was a wall over there,” said Monroe starter Cass Roberts (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua). “Nothing got by him.”
With one out and one on, GCC’s two-hole, Brandon Collins (Toronto, ONT) took a Roberts offering and drilled it down the third-base line. The ball looked destined for the left field corner. Dennis went to his knees and snared the pill just over the bag, got up and fired across the diamond where Scorza neatly took the ball off one hop for the out.
“I was just trying to stay in front of the ball,” Dennis explained. “Anything I can do to stop those runs from scoring.”
Dennis nearly repeated the effort one batter later when Zach Ranta (Stoney Creek, Ontario) turned on a Roberts breaking ball. This one the sophomore infielder went farther down the line to corral and keep the Cougars from scoring.
“I was surprised he got out in front of it as much as he did,” Dennis continued. “If that one scores, we’re probably tied up and still playing.”
The late-game heroics were matched in the early innings when Danny Mendick (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) stuffed the Cougars. With two on and two out, Josh Maier (Brockport, NY/Brockport) hit a shot between third and short. Mendick went deep in the hole to keep the ball from getting into the outfield and prevented a run from scoring.
“We eliminate big innings by little things,” Kelly explained. “Knocking balls down, so they can’t advance. Those are the routine plays.”
One batter later, Roberts retired the side with three left on base and zero runs scored.
“It was a team effort,” Mendick commented. “Everyone knew we had to keep the ball in front of us with the runner at second because that is going to be a big run.”
With the game still in reach, the Tribunes strung together three hits to lead the bottom of the seventh. Two walks, an infield single, a passed ball and Cameron Scalzo (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) came home with the fourth run of the stanza and a 5-4 win for the Black and Gold.
“We are as resilient as they come,” stated Dennis. “We’re not taking no for an answer, and we’re trying to get every win possible.”
With the comeback the Tribunes (27-11/7-3) clinched the top spot in the upcoming Region III Tournament.
Monroe rounds out the regular season this weekend facing the same GCC Cougars on Saturday in Batavia before returning to face the Ontario Terriers, Sunday.
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