By Cameron Boon
OLEAN, N.Y. — Casey Whittle (Union) pitched a complete game five-hitter, and Andy Santana (Geneva) drove in two runs with a 3-for-4 effort as the Rochester Ridgemen snapped a three-game losing streak and defeated the Olean Oilers 5-1 in a New York Collegiate Baseball League game at Bradner Stadium Friday night.
Whittle’s struck out two Oiler batters as he improved to 3-2 on the season, dropping his ERA to 2.84 in the process.
Alex Lopez (Texas Weslyan) saw his seven innings of work prove to be not enough, as he let up three runs on five hits while striking out six in his third straight losing effort in as many starts.
Ted Dilts (El Camino) scored the first run of the game in Olean’s half of the fourth inning. He singled as the second batter of the inning, and then crossed home when Mark Lepri (Aquinas) laced an RBI single.
Lepri was the only Oiler to have a multi-hit day, producing a 2-for-4 outing as he bounced back from a 0-for-4 for effort Thursday night.
The Ridgemen gained the lead by putting a three-spot in the sixth. Larry Vidaurre (Nyack) started the inning off with a bang as he sent a shot over the wall. This was, not only his first home run, but also his first multi-base hit of the season. It also tied the game at one.
Santana then gave Rochester the lead as he roped one of this three hits for a triple, scoring Chase Burrow (Mary Hardin-Baylor) and making it 2-1 Rochester. Burrow crossed home plate for the second straight night.
Matt Emge (Pittsburgh) made it 3-1, as he crossed home on a double by Ethan Luna (Southwestern). This was Luna’s third straight game driving in an RBI, and the fourth time in five games he has plated a run with his bat.
Santana drove in his second run of the game in the eighth, scoring Shane Soria (Glendale CC) with a double. This was his first game with an RBI since June 21, when he also drove in a pair against the Wellsville Nitros.
Santana then finished the scoring as he crossed home on a Dylan Callahan (Trinity) wild pitch. Callahan came in to pitch in the eighth, replacing the starter Lopez for his seventh appearance of the season.
The Ridgemen are back above .500 again at 11-10, and head into a very testing four-game series with the 19-4 and Western Divison-leading Hornell Dodgers. The first game is Saturday with first-pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The now 5-14 Oilers have a double-header Saturday against the Niagara Power, with the first game scheduled to start a 3:00 p.m.
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