By Kevin Smith
WEBSTER, NY — Ridgemen starter Dustin Cowart (Montevallo U) pitched seven innings of efficient ball as Rochester routed Niagara 12-2 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field Wednesday night.
The Ridgemen hitting frenzy began in the third inning and certainly solidified the lead that grew throughout the game.
“We tried to win every inning and show them what we’re made of,” Coach Taylor Hargrove said. “It was great to see team spirit out there tonight.”
Rochester got things started in the third with back-to-back singles by shortstop K.C. Simons (Covenant) and catcher Taylor Empkey (Eastfield). Third basemen Joshua Davis (Whitworth) followed with a scorching two-run double to knock in Simons and Empkey and give the Ridgemen a 2-0 lead.
After the Power issued a walk to center fielder Patrick Kinney (Lindenwood), first baseman Nick Oddo (Cal St San Bernardino) chopped an RBI single to right to bring in Davis and make it 3-0 Ridgemen.
With Oddo on third and Kinney on second, second baseman Matthew Graben (Montevallo) followed through with a two-run single to drive in Oddo and Kinney and bump the Ridgemen lead to 5-0.
“Graben came off the bench and delivered,” Coach Hargrove added. “He definitely saw the ball well enough to get put the bat on the ball.”
The scoring continued into the fifth. Rightfielder Matthew Simmons (Hendrix) hit a gapping two-run triple to score Graben and the designated hitter Nicholas Wolyniec (Siena) to climb the Ridgemen lead to 7-0. But the Ridgemen weren’t done and tacked on another run for an 8-0 lead.
Davis continued his extra base hitting stride with a two-run triple in the seventh to bring home Simons and Empkey for an 11-0 Ridgemen lead.
Davis passed the baton to Wolyniec as the DH traded places with Davis on a run-scoring triple to imprint the hitting clinic of the Ridgemen.
“We got a bunch of Wazowski’s (in reference to Monsters, Inc.), a bunch of grinders,” Coach Hargrove added. “These guys play their hearts out and never gave up.”
Ridgemen starter Dustin Cowart was dominant on the mound. The lefty pitched seven innings, allowing four hits while sacrificing one run and striking out three batters. He didn’t allow a hit until the second batter he faced in the top of the fifth and the first five innings he pitched were scoreless. Cowart also recorded his first win with the Ridgemen.
“It was a key pitching matchup for Cowart tonight,” Coach Hargrove added. “I was little worried when he walked the first batter of the game but after that he pulled through and pitched well for us the rest of the way.”
The Ridgemen also extended their win streak to four games Wednesday night. During their four game win streak, Rochester has scored 39 runs.
A couple of the Ridgemen hitters had solid nights in the batters box. Joshua Davis went 2-for-5 at the plate with four runs batted in and two runs scored. Matthew Graben went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Nick Oddo clubbed three hits in five plate appearances while knocking in and scoring a run.
The Niagara Power scored their runs in the sixth and ninth innings. In the top of the sixth, designated hitter Benjamin Pickard (Delta St. U) knocked in their first run with an RBI single to bring in third baseman Cameron Wilkie (Brown U).
In the top of the ninth, first baseman Buddy McCoy (Texas Tyler) scored on a fielder’s choice to score the Power second run of the game.
Rochester (9-17) travels to Oneonta (15-10) on Thursday for a 7 p.m. start with the Outlaws. Niagara gets a day off before hosting the same Outlaws, Friday night at Sal Maglie Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Leave a Reply