By Gina Papineau
WEBSTER, NY — The Rochester Ridgemen put up quite a fight against the Wellsville Nitros as the regular season of the New York Collegiate Baseball League came to an end, Tuesday. Nine innings of back-and-forth baseball ended with the playoff-bound Nitros coming out on top with an 11-9 win.
Nitros leadoff hitter, Scott DeJong (Felician), walked to start the game and later advanced to second on a stolen base. Aaron Brill (Felician) plated DeJong with a double as the Nitros took an early lead in the first.
The Ridgemen fought back in the bottom of the first and pulled ahead of the Nitros after getting three runs in. Josh Turner (Patrick Henry) made it to first with a dropped third strike, and then scored on a double by Josh Davis (Whitworth). Nick Wolyniec (Siena) tripled home Davis, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Oddo (Cal St San Bernardino).
After Alec Bahnick (Bellarmine) scored on a single by Kevin Herren (Bellarmine) in the second, the Nitros tied up the game in the third. DeJong drilled a double deep into left field and then scored off a David DeWolfe (Francis Marion) sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.
The Nitros took the lead after four batters were walked by Ridgemen pitcher Josh Flanders (Crown) in the fifth. The Ridgemen retaliated once again and tied it up at four after K.C. Simons (Covenant) scored off Josh Turner’s huge triple in the bottom of the fifth.
Wellsville gained two more runs in the sixth to pull ahead from the Ridgemen. Herren walked, and DeJong and Brill both singled to load the bases. DeWolfe’s hit bounced off Ridgemen pitcher Clint Brown’s (Mary Hardin-Baylor) foot, which allowed Herren and DeJong to score.
“It was a great testament to the guys for battling back,” commented Nitros Head Coach Anthony Barrone, “That’s the type of team we have, we don’t give up.”
Taylor Empkey (Eastfield) gained another run for the Ridgemen in the bottom of the sixth off the bat of Chris Kemp (Pittsburgh Bradford). The Ridgemen then tied the game up, again, in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded single by Oddo.
With the bases still loaded, the Ridgemen seventh inning continued. Taylor Empkey singled and brought in two runners, bringing the Rochester team ahead 8-6. Patrick Kinney (Lindenwood) hit a sacrifice fly, plating Oddo, and giving the Ridgemen one more for a four-run seventh inning.
The Nitros were down by three runs going into the ninth inning. Tyler Lau (Illinois Springfield) started off the ninth for the Nitros with a line drive up the middle, earning himself a single. Christ Conley (Canisus) singled and Kevin Herren walked to load the bases. DeJong singled on an error by the Ridgemen third baseman and Lau scored with the bases loaded once again. Brill reached on an error by the Ridgemen, bringing in another run. With the Nitros only down by one run, a bases-loaded walk tied the game. Alec Bahnick drove in the two game winning runs with a single.
“In the top of the ninth we were down by three against one of the best pitchers in the league (Tim Knesnik), Barrone said, “We started off with a nice base hit from Tyler Lau and we just continued to have good at bats from there.”
The Ridgemen were not able to capitalize in the bottom of the ninth, leaving the Nitros with a 11-9 victory in the final game of the regular season.
When asked about Nitros making the playoff cut, Barrone added, “I like our chances. We’re gonna battle, that’s the type of team we are, and we’re gonna be in the ball game. It’s good to be on this type of high note going into the playoffs.”
Wellsville hosts the Syracuse Salt Cats in the first-round of the NYCBL playoffs. A 4 p.m. first pitch is scheduled at Wellsville Central Schools.
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