By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY — Determined. Methodical. Relentless.
A quartet of pitchers surrendered just one run on three hits, and Angel Rosario (Bridgeport, CT/ Bullard Havens) paced a prolific offense as the Monroe Community College Tribunes (30-12) swept (11-1/10-0) the Ontario Terriers in non-conference action on Tribunes Field, Sunday afternoon.
Rosario drove in four with four hits in six trips for the afternoon. The freshman outfielder finished a home run shy of the cycle in the first game.
“He just puts the ball in play,” said Monroe head coach Mike Kelly. “It’s not always hard contact, but he doesn’t strike out.”
Hitting in his usual spot at the bottom of the order, Rosario slapped an RBI single in Monroe’s four-run second of the opener. In his next at bat, he tripled home Brett Sanders (Greece, NY/ Greece Olympia) as MCC took a 6-0 lead after the third inning.
“He’s very pesty in the nine-hole,” Kelly added. “That’s what you want. Someone who just doesn’t make easy outs.
Rosario is hitting .419 on the season with 12 extra-base hits.
“People think I’m crazy,” Kelly laughed. “He’s hitting over .400 in our nine-hole, but it’s just a perfect spot for him. He’s a scrappy kid.”
The Tribunes added single runs each in the fourth and fifth. Brad Kaczka (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) tripled and scored in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Vinny Bomasuto (Dunkirk, NY/ Dunkirk). Danny Mendick (Pittsford, NY/ Pittsford Mendon) doubled and came home one inning later.
Mendick doubled home Chris Manes (Oakfield, NY/ Oakfield-Alabama) and Troy Jones (Holland Patent, NY/ Holland Patent) in the following stanza. Following a passed ball, Sanders delivered with a ground ball to the right side of the infield scoring Mendick.
Monroe’s offense did not rest.
Kaczka slammed a one-out ground rule in the first of the night cap and eventually crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Angel Diaz (Humacao, PR/ Geneva) plated Mendick with a base rap, and the Tribs were off and running.
Monroe put a run on the board in the third, and Rayshelon Carolina (Willemstad, Curacao/ St. Jozef Secondary) added two in the fourth when he doubled home Cam Stimpson (Philadelphia, PA/ Friends) and Rosario.
Bomasuto, Monroe’s leading hitter, took to the mound in the second game and tossed six shutout stanzas. The right-hander retired the last eight he faced and 17 of 18.
“Vinny hasn’t pitched in over a month,” Kelly stated. “It’s good to see him locked in throwing strikes and ready to go for next weekend.”
Manes tossed a scoreless seventh striking out two.
Kyle McKay (Webster, NY/ Webster Thomas) surrendered one run on two hits over five innings for the win in game one.
Zack Melino (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili) retired all six batters he faced.
“Very good job, very pleased,” Kelly said of pitchers’ performances. “It was good. We just threw strike after strike, and our defense made some good plays. Good things will happen when you’re throwing strikes.”
Carolina finished with three hits, four walks, three RBI and run scored.
Mendick had two hits three RBI and three runs scored.
Diaz went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
AJ Kehlenbeck (Oakfield, NY/ Oakfield-Alabama) crossed the plate twice.
Monroe moves on to the regional tournament, Friday afternoon.
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