By Kyle Conklin and Paul Gotham
GENEVA, NY – With the setting sun bleeding through patchy clouds beyond the outfield fence, Geneva’s Red Wings captured a magical sendoff to their 2013 season.
Andrew Gronski (Case Western Reserve) plated Zak Worsley (North Park U) with the winning run as the Red Wings rallied for a doubleheader sweep (4-2/4-3) of the Olean Oilers in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at McDonough Park, Tuesday night.
Gronski slapped a two-strike offering from John Chalupa up the middle and off the glove of a diving Tim Ravel (Bloomsburg). In the time it took the Olean second baseman to get to his feet and gather the ball from shallow center field, Worsley was able to score from second.
“I tried to hit his first pitch as far I could, but I fouled it off,” Gronski said. “When he put that fastball over the plate I went with it.”
Gronski’s hit completed the comeback as Geneva rallied from one down in its last at bat of the season.
“It’s really special to finish this way,” Gronski added. “I know how much it means to the people of this community.”
“He’s been out hottest hitter all season long,” said Geneva head coach Ross Trachtenberg. “He’s had a great summer here. He had a great season at school. He’s just a gamer. He’s a hitter.”
It was an inning where Trachtenberg pushed all the right buttons and even proved himself as a prophet.
Pinch-hitter John Dockins (Kutztown St.) chased Olean starter, Brandon Valentin (Nova Southeastern), with a base hit up the middle.
Chalupa came out of the bullpen, and Vernon Trice III (Oglethorpe) greeted him with a sacrifice bunt up the first base line. Once again, Trachtenberg went to his bench and brought on another pinch hitter. This time it was left-handed hitting Lee Miller (Davidson).
“He asked before the game if he should be ready to come off the bench,” Trachtenberg said. “I told him once they go to a righty, be ready. That’s the situation that came up, and he certainly was ready.”
“I saw when he (Chalupa) got up in the bullpen,” Miller stated. “I was watching what he was throwing.”
Miller got down 0-2 in the count before fouling off three pitches.
“I knew I wasn’t up there to just move the runner,” Miller explained. “I was there to drive him in.”
Miller got a pitch he liked out over the plate and drilled a shot that one-hopped off the fence in center easily allowing the speedy Dockins to score the tying run.
With the win the Red Wings finish the season at .500 with a record of 20 wins and 20 losses.
“It’s all about the experience for the kids up here in Geneva,” Trachtenberg added. “It’s a 40-game season, and we told the boys we’re playing 40 games one way or another. We wanted to go out on a high note. Definitely couldn’t go much higher than that.”
Fittingly, Zach Augustine (Johns Hopkins) came out of the bullpen and got the win. The three-year veteran of the Red Wings allowed a hit and a walk over two shutout innings.
“That was special,” Augustine said of the win. “That was probably the most exciting win I’ve ever been involved with. It’s great to do it with this group of guys. We have grown a lot this summer.”
The 2012 post-season All Star went 2-2 this year with three saves. In 18 appearances, he struck out 18 in 18.1 innings of work. Augustine walked just six batters on the campaign.
Jason Meger (North Park U) started and allowed just one hit over four shutout frames.
The Red Wings use a two-out rally to tally twice in the fourth.
Brian Weightman (St. Bonaventure) reached on an infield single and advanced on an errant throw to first. Aaron Tovsky (Davidson) walked. After a wild pitch moved the runners, Casey Fox (Haverford) loaded the bases with a walk. Cam Stimpson (Monroe CC) delivered with first-pitch RBI single through the left side of the infield. Kenneth Rabin (Pomona-Pitzer) made it 2-0 with a bases loaded walk.
Olean quickly responded. Max Beermann worked a one-out walk in the fifth. Kody Johnston (Brewton Parker) singled through the right side. Casey Gibson (Nova Southeastern) brought home Olean’s first run with an opposite field base hit to right center. Drew Pirritano (Clarion) kept the rally alive with an RBI base hit just past the glove of the diving Rabin at second. Tim Ravel (Bloomsburg) capped the inning with an RBI sacrifice fly, and Olean led 3-2 setting up the late-inning Geneva heroics.
Olean, the home team in the first game, jumped on Wings starter Nick Myers (St. Michaels College) right out of the gate scoring a run in the bottom of the first. The leadoff man Ravel doubled down the right field line to get the inning going. After a fly out, Ravel took third on a stolen base. A Lee Grosscup (Mt. Union College) ground ball brought in Ravel and gave Olean a 1-0 advantage.
In the top half of the third, Geneva scored four runs of their own. Weightman reached to start the inning on a base hit to right field. He then stole second to advance into scoring position. After a pop out, Dockins singled to right to make it first and third for the Wings. Worsley worked a walk after a full count to load the bases. The next batter for the Wings, Dustin Stuck (Alvernia University) would then work a walk to force in Weightman from third and tie the game at one. After a pop out for out number two, the Oiler defense would cost them a pair of runs. A pitch to Fox went over his head to the back stop, Dockins charged home to score while the throw back from the catcher to the pitcher got away allowing Worsley to come in and score and give the Wings a 3-1 lead. The Red Wings reloaded the bases thanks to two more walks, bringing Ricky Moses (Neumann College) to the plate. He worked yet another bases loaded walk scoring a run and giving Geneva a 4-1 advantage at the end of the inning.
Myers exited the game after four innings of work. The lone run in the first would be all he would surrender while striking out four and allowing just one hit. Red Wing reliever George Martin (Columbia University) would come in next and encounter some trouble against the Oilers. Martin would walk four batters total in the inning with the latter forcing in the second run of the game for the Oilers to make the score 4-2.
Red Wing reliever James Colgan (Alvernia University) would work a scoreless inning of work in the sixth inning setting the Oilers down 1-2-3. Justin Thigpen (Oglethorpe University) would come in a pick up the save in the seventh to close out the victory for the Wings.
It was the second time in as many years where the denizens of McDonough Park were treated to last-inning heroics to close the regular season. A year ago, Leon Stimpson capped a six-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth with a bases loaded single scoring the winning run as the Red Wings shocked the Adirondack Trail Blazers, 15-14 in front of 706 fans on Senator Mike Nozzolio Night.
Olean advances to the post-season. In Wednesday’s first round matchup, the Oilers will travel to Syracuse to take on the Jr. Chiefs. First pitch at Hopkins Road Park is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tomorrow’s game will mark the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
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