By Anthony Moscaret, Director of Baseball Operations & Public Relations/Geneva
WELLSVILLE, N.Y. – The Geneva Twins (12-14) split a twinbill with the Wellsville Nitros (12-12) Sunday in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Wellsville Central Schools.
The Nitros claimed game one 11-5 while the Twins earned an 18-5 victory in game two. Geneva combined for 23 runs on 26 hits, and Wellsville tallied 16 runs on 23 hits in the double header. Today’s double header was the continuation of a four-game series that started yesterday with Geneva sweeping both games. The Twins captured the four-game series with a 3-1 series win going into the All-Star break.
In the opener, the Nitros scored 11 runs on 14 hits to defeat the Twins. Wellsville was paced by their leadoff hitter and first baseman Scott DeJong (Felician College) who finished the game hitting 2-for-5 with seven RBI and a pair of runs scored. He also belted a grand slam in the second-inning and a three-run homer in the seventh-inning. In doing so, the Nitro first baseman established a new NYCBL standard for home runs.
The Twins jumped out early in the first inning when first baseman Zac Fowler (Alabama Southern CC) singled home Daniel Iturrey (Emory) and Tommy Mazurkiewicz (Wagner) to put the Twins up 2-0. Iturrey finished the game with a run scored, an RBI and a walk while Mazurkiewicz went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Wellsville claimed both runs back and tacked on two more in the bottom of the second to take a 4-2 lead. DeJong cleared the bases with a grand slam giving him his ninth home run of the season. Alec Bahnick (Bellarmine) singled to start the inning while Cameron Friess (Texas St.) singled and moved Bahnick to third. Shortstop Cody Trinch (Thiel) walked to load the bases for the Nitros.
In the top of the fifth, the Twins tied the game at four on two hits and two sacrifices. Catcher Jon Lynn (Wagner) singled while teammate and second baseman Michael Roman (St. John Fisher) doubled him home. Andrew Goldstick (Washington U.) continued his production on the weekend as he moved M. Roman to third on a sacrifice hit to the first baseman. Iturrey picked up his only RBI on the game as his sacrifice fly to center scored M. Roman.
The tie didn’t last for long as Wellsville reclaimed the lead and grabbed a 6-4 lead after five-innings of action. Two back-to-back singles by David DeWolfe (Francis Marion) and Tyler Lau (Illinois-Springfield) started the bottom of the fifth for the Nitros. DeWolfe was picked off at second by Twins’ pitcher David Anderson (Muhlenberg). Shane Barley (St. John Fisher) singled to put runners on first and second again for the Nitros with one out. Back-to-back wild pitches scored Lau and put Barley on third and give Wellsville a 5-4 lead. Friess sacrificed home Barley as he flied out to center.
Geneva scored one more time in the game as Kirby Campbell (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), and Lynn both walked to start the top of the sixth. Mike Roman would pick up his second RBI on the day as he singled to score Campbell and bring the Twins within one run. Roman finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored to go along with this two RBI. Campbell closed out the contest with three walks and a run scored.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Nitros put the game away as they scored four runs on five hits. DeJong picked up second home run of the game as he belted a three-run homer to make it 10-5. Prior to DeJong’s productive inning, Dominic Zaher (Fisher College) doubled with one out while Bahnick singled Zaher home to put the Nitros up 7-5.
Wellsville tacked on one more run in the eighth-inning as Friess singled home Lau who was hit by a pitch to open the inning.
Chance DuCharme (Francis Marion) picked up his fourth win of the season while Nick Anderson (San Diego St.) earned his first save on the year for the Nitros.
In game two, the Twins came out swinging as they posted 11 of their 18 runs in the top of the third.
Campbell’s hot bat continued in game two as he went 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Tommy Haas (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) pushed his average over .300 as he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI. Ryan Johns (Hanover) connected for his first home run of the season and three RBI while teammate Zac Fowler finished the day going 1-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
First baseman Zac Fowler got the Twins on the board early in the top of the first as his sac fly to right allowed Iturrey to tag up and score from third. The Nitros tied the game in their half of the inning as DeJong connected for his third home run of the day and league leading 11th on the season.
The Twins scored 11 runs on seven hits and error in the top of the third as they batted around. This is the most runs they have scored all season in a single inning. Haas opened the inning with a single while shortstop Goldstick walked and Iturrey followed with a single to load the bases. Trey West’s (Le Moyne) single drove in Haas and reloaded the bases for Fowler who reached on an error by the shortstop, the error allowed Goldstick to score. Campbell picked up two RBI as he singled, which allowed Iturrey and West to score and move Fowler to second. Centerfielder Johns parked a three-run homer down the left field line to put the Twins up 8-1. The Twins would score seven of their 11 runs in the third with no outs. Geneva chased Nitros’ starting pitcher Kevin Herren (Bellarmine), who only lasted two innings.
Wellsville brought in relief pitcher Ryan Chamberlain (Pitt-Bradford) and on his second pitch in the third, he plunked Twins’ third baseman Josh Cassidy (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and after getting designated hitter Zach Nadolny to ground out for the first out of the top of the third. Chamberalin plunked his second batter on five pitches, which allowed Haas to reach base for the second time in the inning. Goldstick kept the inning alive as he singled to load the bases. Iturrey picked up his 13 walk and eighth RBI of the year on four straight balls. Later in the inning West drove in Haas with a sac fly to left to put Geneva up 10-1. Fowler singled to load the bases and got caught in a 9-6-4-3 run down, which allowed Iturrey and Goldstick to both score to cap off the inning.
In the Nitros half of the inning, Trinch walked and advanced to third on a single by DeJong and later scored after Aaron Brill (Felician College) hit into a 6-4-3 double play. DeWolfe single to keep the inning alive before Lau struck out swinging to end the inning; the Nitros got one run back to make it 12-2 after three.
Wellsville scored two more runs in the fourth and tack on their fifth run of the game off a home run by DeWolfe in the bottom of the fifth. The Nitros made it 12-5 going into the seventh, before the Twins scored six more runs to push the lead to 13.
Karney Boff (Mass.-Dartmouth) picked up his second win of the season while striking out a season-high five guys.
With 11 home runs, DeJong breaks the old mark of nine set in 2012 by four players: Eric Baker (Adirondack), Cody Campbell (Adirondack), Jon Kemmer (Olean) and Zach Lauricella (Syracuse Jr. Chiefs).
The Twins are back in action after the All-Star break on July 11 as they head to Olean, New York to face the Oilers at 5 p.m. eastern.
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