By Paul Gotham
WELLSVILLE, NY – By the time Jimmy Gutowski (Eckerd) took the mound Friday evening, the Hornell Dodgers were well on their way to victory. Gutowski only needed to keep the Blue and White on its chosen course.
The right-hander did just that, and the Dodgers advanced in the New York Collegiate Baseball League playoffs.
Hornell’s Dodgers sent 11 to the plate in the top of the first and scored eight on the way to a 16-5 thrashing of the Wellsville Nitros in the NYCBL semi-finals at Wellsville Central School.
One day after jumping to a five-run lead after two innings, Hornell roughed up Wellsville starter, Tanner Delahoy (Mercyhurst) in thier first at bat. Steven Goldstein (SUNY Stony Brook) highlighted the first-inning outburst with a grand slam as the Dodgers scored seven runs with two outs.
“These guys came out swinging it both days,” said Hornell head coach Tom Kenney. “They were ready to go and jumped all over them. What else are you going to say? It’s a lot of fun to watch when you’re standing there in the third base coach’s box.”
Goldstein started the barrage with a single and a stolen base. One out later, Aaron Haag (Southeastern Louisiana U) plated the first run with an RBI single. Anthony Renz (Mansfield) and Sean McCracken (Southern Nevada) loaded the bases with back-to-back base hits, and Delahoy came unglued issuing three consecutive base on balls.
Goldstein followed that with a four-run blast. Gutowski and Hornell had all the runs they needed.
“Obviously the eight runs before you go out there makes the nerves go away,” Gutowski stated. “It becomes pitching to contact and trying to get guys out. I knew if I threw my game, we would win.”
The Rochester, NY native struck out three and walked two over five innings for the series-clinching win.
“He’s been real consistent all year,” Kenney said of his starter.
Gutowski gave up his lone run in the bottom of the first. Scott DeJong (Felician) led the home half with a single and a stolen base. After Alec Bahnick (Bellarmine) moved the runner with a ground ball to the right side, David DeWolfe (Francis Marion) brought home the run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Gutowski retired the last eight batters he faced.
“Nothing changes with an eight-run lead,” Gutowski explained. “It’s easier if you give up a hit or if you give up a walk to know you got the eight runs. You’re not trying to pitch for a shutout. You’re trying to keep them off them off the board, but you know you have a cushion.”
Michael Simmons (Montevallo) doubled home a run in a three-run Hornell fourth. The Dodgers added two more on a wild pitch and a passed ball stretching the lead to 11-1.
DeWolfe sparked a three-run Wellsville sixth with a two-run home run.
But any possible momentum was short-lived. McCracken connected on a three-run blast in the next inning for a 15-4 Hornell advantage.
“We’re a real good offensive team,” Kenney commented. “You can look at any numbers, but when we got rolling this year, whenever we’ve had everyone healthy like we’ve had the last few days, we can score a lot of runs. That’s no huge surprise. Obviously, you don’t expect eight in the first all the time. But the fact that it was going to take a bunch of runs to beat us, doesn’t surprised me.”
“It was a good season,” Wellsville head coach Anthony Barone said. “You never want to see it end this way. It’s tough. I commend the guys for a great season. A lot of positives came out of this summer.”
Goldstein and McCracken each collected four hits for the Dodgers. Goldstein drove in four and scored three times. McCracken added five RBI.
Steve Stoklosa (Monroe CC) worked two scoreless innings of relief for Hornell.
DeWolfe drove in three for Wellsville. Thad Johnson (St. Bonaventure) had three hits in four trips to the plate.
The Nitros were without starting shortstop, Aaron Brill (Felician) who was injured legging out an infield single in the ninth inning of game one.
Wellsville finished the regular season 22-18 before eliminating the Syracuse Salt Cats in the first round of the playoffs.
Hornell advances to the NYCBL Championship for the first time since 2009. They will meet the winner of the Olean – Oneonta series. The Oilers forced a third and deciding game in their series with a 6-4 win, Friday. The championship series begins Monday. The Dodgers last won the title in 2005.
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