By Paul Gotham
WEBSTER, NY – Jordan Fuller (Seton Hill) turned in a workmanlike effort on the mound, and a quartet of teammates notched multi-hit games as the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs defeated the Rochester Ridgemen, 9-4 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action.
Fuller pitched into the sixth surrendering three runs on four hits for his first win of the season.
“Fuller hasn’t seen the mound yet,” Syracuse head coach Chris Haynes said. “This is his first time out there, and we’ve been out here for a week and a half. He did a great job.”
After allowing a first-inning walk, Fuller retired the next six before giving up a double to Taylor Empkey (Eastfield). Fuller retired the side on an easy ground ball to first.
Josh Davis (Whitworth) started the fourth with a double to right field, but Fuller, again, worked out of jam.
The right-hander gave his offense a chance to catch its stride.
Aaron Pigna (Ave Maria) got the Jr. Chiefs on the board with a one-out bases loaded single up the middle in the second scoring Brian Burns (Ithaca) on the play.
Syracuse added a run in the fourth when Nick Sinay ((Buffalo U of) plated Pigna with a one-out triple into the gap in left center.
The Jr. Chiefs stretched their advantage to four with two runs in the sixth off reliever Josh Flanders (Crown). Stanley Susana (St. Thomas Aquinas) brought home Pigna with a sacrifice fly to right. Kenny Hostrander (Eastern Kentucky) made it a 5-1 game with an RBI single to shallow left center.
The Jr. Chiefs appeared on their way to an easy win.
Then the Ridgemen chipped away at the deficit.
Ryan Logan (Christian Brothers) and Josh Turner (Patrick Henry CC) slapped back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the sixth closing the gap to 5-3.
Rochester had a chance to tie in the seventh. Empkey reached on an error to start the stanza, and Nick Oddo (Cal St. San Bernadino) tripled past the outstretched glove of Syracuse first baseman, Burns. But the Ridegmen could not capitalize, and Oddo was left stranded 90 feet from home.
Syracuse put the game away with a five-run ninth highlighted by a bases loaded double to deep center off the bat of John Cialone (Villanova).
“Ninety feet away from them tying it up, and we get out of that,” Haynes commented. “That’s the kind of inning I was expecting us to have the whole year, and we haven’t had one of those kinds of innings yet. We did the little things right. We didn’t swing at balls in the dirt or any bad pitches.
Zac Connelly (Tampa U of) came on and worked a perfect ninth striking out the side in order.
The names on the roster have changed, but this Syracuse eerily reminds fans of last year’s Jr. Chiefs which won the NYCBL Championship. Like their fore-runners, these Jr. Chiefs keep the pressure on opposing pitchers until they break open for a big inning.
Cialone and Pigna each had three hits on the night. Pat Wright (Le Moyne) went 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Sinay had two hits in five trips with an RBI and run scored.
The same two teams meet Wednesday afternoon at Hopkins Road Park in Syracuse. A 1 p.m. first pitch is scheduled.
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