By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sjaghbar Martis (Willemstad, Curacao/Trinity Christian Academy) and Angel Rosario (Bridgeport, CT/Bullard Havens) combined for four hits in the past six games. The duo produced half that in one inning Sunday afternoon.
Martis plated Rosario to cap a late-inning rally as the Monroe Community College Tribunes (16-11/2-2) swept (5-3/7-6) Genesee Community College’s Cougars in WNYAC action at Tribune Field.
Martis delivered a pinch-hit walk-off single as Monroe won for the third time in as many games.
“I was looking straight fastball for something to drive,” Martis said. “He threw me two change-ups, and I knew I needed to adjust.”
Martis drilled a two-strike offering from Enty Lourens (Willemstad, Curacao/SKAI) up the middle past a drawn infield.
“It gives me more room,” Martis said of the defensive adjustment. “He threw me a change-up again, so I just went with it.”
Monroe almost didn’t need the efforts of Martis. Rosario missed a walk-off round tripper by a few feet as the sophomore outfielder blasted a one-out triple off the fence in right field.
“He was throwing good, so I just tried to stay back and drive it up the middle,” Rosario explained. “It was a 2-0 count, and I knew he didn’t want to put a runner on base. I was thinking he was going to throw a fastball. I guessed right and hit it pretty good.”
It was Rosario’s second hit of the game after going hitless in the four previous contests.
“Sometimes guys go through spells like this,” Monroe coach Dave Brust said. “It’s nice to see him back to what he can do.”
Plagued by sloppy defense the Tribunes wasted a 5-0 lead. Genesee took advantage of two Monroe errors and pushed across four runs in the fifth. The Cougars grabbed the lead in the sixth on a Phillie Guzman (Bronx, N.Y./Bronx School of Law and Finance) RBI infield single.
“That’s part of our growing pains,” Brust remarked. “A mature team would put away a game like that.”
MCC knotted the game in the bottom half of the frame. Rayshelon Carolina (Willemstad, Curacao/St. Jozef Academy) reached on an error and moved to third on a single by Ellington Hopkins (Lansing, N.Y./Lansing). Carolina came home on a Connor Lewis (Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d’Youville) RBI groundout.
Monroe starter Cameron Scalzo (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) responded with four shutout innings.
“Cam Scalzo pitched a great game,” Brust noted. “He was in command.”
The sophomore mixed in his off-speed stuff as he struck out four, walked two and allowed two hits.
“It felt good,” Scalzo said. “They’re a great hitting team, so I threw the fastball when I could, but I used a lot of change-ups and curve balls and kept them off balance. I was getting a lot of ground balls and making the team work behind me.”
Scalzo appeared ready to finish five strong. He retired the first batter of the stanza and got a ground ball from the following hitter. An error on that play and the next signaled an early exit.
“He was at his pitch limit,” Brust noted.
Monroe jumped on Genesee starter Randy Mutt (Gurabo, Puerto Rico/PRBA) for three runs in the first and two in the second. Lewis brought home the first run of the game with a ground out. Tommy La Congo (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) blooped a single into shallow scoring another run, and Rosario delivered with a sacrifice fly.
The Black and Gold looked ready to blow the game open in the second. Ryan Prevost (Greece, N.Y./Greece Athena) and Carolina reached on back-to-back base on balls to start the frame. Jimmy Latona (Chili, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) beat out a sacrifice bunt for a hit. Prevost scored when the ball was mishandled. Hopkins followed with an RBI sacrifice fly. A passed ball made it a five-run advantage.
Nick DiBenedetto (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) threw a scoreless inning for the win in game two.
Rosario provided a defensive gem in right field to hold the Cougars in check. He went to his knees and stabbed a dying quail in right with and came up throwing to hold a runner at third.
“That’s why he is so important,” Brust said. “He showed our freshmen how to play defense.”
Monroe needed dramatics for the game-one win as the Black and Gold came from behind and then held on for the victory.
Trailing by two in the third, Carolina reached on a one-out base hit. The sophomore center fielder swiped a pair of bags before coming home when Latona dropped a bunt and the throw to first sailed down the right field line. Latona ended up at third and scored on a Hopkins ground ball.
LaCongo highlighted a three-run fifth with two-out double to score a pair.
“I knew I had to put the ball in play,” LaCongo stated. “I had to be positive. I’ve been struggling at the plate lately.”
The freshman catcher fouled a pair before taking the eighth pitch of the at bat into right field to score Hopkins and Lewis.
“I was thinking opposite field because they had been throwing outside to me every single time,” La Congo continued. “I just drove it into the gap.”
Prevost sparked the rally with a triple to straight away center and scored one out later on a passed ball.
“That’s what this team is capable of,” Brust commented. “They’re explosive.”
GCC threatened in their last at bats.
But Dylan Sheffer (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) came out of the MCC bullpen with two on, no out and slammed the door shut.
“I had to get a couple of strike outs,” Sheffer stated. “I was working with the change-up and trying to get the first batter back and finish him with a fastball.”
Known for pitching to contact, Sheffer switched his approach and fanned the first two he faced before ending the game on a lazy fly ball to left field.
“After I had two outs I knew I could pitch to contact,” the sophomore said. “It wasn’t easy. We made it close.”
“I knew he would throw strikes,” Brust commented.
Prevost finished with two triples on the afternoon.
Monroe hosts Alfred on Tuesday. An 11 am first pitch is scheduled.
Paul Gotham is the founder, owner, editor and lead writer at Pickin’ Splinters. Paul is the Communications and Media Director of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He is a contributor at USA Today and member of the USBWA. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PickinSplinters.
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