By Cameron Boon
WEBSTER, N.Y. — “I just needed to get the ball down,” Alex Mumm (Judson) said about his bunt in the bottom of the tenth. That bunt was actually a suicide squeeze, as Trent Sullivan (MidAmerica Nazarene) broke home on the play and scored to give the Ridgemen a 5-4 walk-off victory in the 10th inning over the Cortland Crush in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field Saturday night.
“He (manager Brady James) told me to take the first pitch and time it up and then squeeze the second,” Mumm added.
He came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out and, as he said, after taking the first pitch for a strike, laid down a perfect bunt to Crush pitcher Ronnie Mannella (Utica). He stumbled and couldn’t get the ball to home where the speedy Sullivan crossed to give Rochester their second one-run victory in as many nights against this Cortland team.
“It was two hard wins that we put out there,” Nick Wolyniec (Bergen CC), whose single made it 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, said after the game.
The Crush executed a squeeze in the eighth inning to perfection, as Geoffrey Seto (Niagara) scored easily from third on a bunt by Christopher Kwitzer (Buffalo) to make it a 4-1 game. Rochester would storm back though, putting up a pair in the bottom of the eighth, and then one in the ninth and then tenth to win their sixth of their last nine games.
The win was tough to swallow for the Crush and especially their starter, Greg Jasek (Clarkson), as they have now lost nine in a row. The Chittenango, NY native went 7.1 innings of stellar work, allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out seven and issuing no walks.
“I was really working the two seam, but what was really working was our defense,” Jasek said. “Without them tonight, we probably would’ve lost early.”
The bullpen came in and didn’t help things, as Jasek left with a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth. The combination of Derrick Murphy (Virginia Intermont), Tom Taplin (Buffalo), and Manella pitched 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while walking three batters. Manella was given the loss, his second in as many decisions.
Jasek was taken out with one out in the inning, and had just reached 100 pitches, which may give a reason to his departure. Either way, Jasek being taken out might’ve been the difference in the ball game.
“Nobody ever wants to be taken out,” Jasek explained. “But coach Mac always makes the smart call.”
It was a rocky road for Rochester, especially through the first six innings of play.
Cortland got on the board in the first, as they took advantage of back-to-back Holt Davis (UAB) errors. Seto led off the game with a single, and would then go to third when Davis dropped a throw from shortstop Andy Santana (Geneva) to get Zachary Racusin (Marist) at first.
Santana would leave the game in the bottom half of the first because of an injury but nothing looked serious afterwards.
Davis then tried to get Seto at home the next play, but bobbled it and threw it anyway and the throw got away from Ruckel. This allowed the batter, Kwitzer, to go to second and the Crush had a 1-0 game.
“Those are inning-killers, morale-killers, energy-killers,” James said about the errors, as the Ridgemen had three of them before the second inning was completed.
The Crush doubled their lead to 2-0 in the third, thanks mostly to Kwitzer. He smoked a one-out triple to the right center field gap, and then Zephan Kash (Mansfield) drove in his 13th RBI of the season with a single to right.
Joel Brophy (Niagara) led off the sixth inning by getting hit by a pitch from Rochester starter Connor Hamilton (Cedarville). Brophy would steal second in the third at-bat of the inning, and then score in the fifth, when Racusin drove him in with a single.
At the seventh inning stretch, it looked as if the game was in hand. The Crush were up 3-0, outhitting Rochester 10-2, and Jasek was dealing from the mound. Not so fast said the Ridgemen.
“We woke the bats up, and as soon as that started happening we started producing,” Wolyniec said.
Chase Burrow (Mary Hardin-Baylor) laced a single, and then advanced to third on Wolyniec’s single. Burrow would then score when Garrett Ruckel (Jacksonville) roped a single to left, making it a 3-1 ball game.
Just like that, they had doubled their hit total. “We stuck with it,” James said.
The suicide squeeze from Kwitzer occurred in the eighth, and it looked as if Cortland had just stopped the rally. Again, not so fast said Rochester.
Alex Storaci (Blue Mountain CC) pinch-hit for Case Smith (Baylor), and laced a single to left with one out. After Vidaurre drew a walk and Bass flew out, Burrow beat out an infield single to the shortstop. Enter Wolyniec. The fourth-best hitter in the league for average was exactly the guy the Ridgemen wanted at the plate, and this was exactly where he wanted to be.
“I got the opportunity I wanted. I love being in that position,” he said. He took a 1-1 pitch and hit a hard grounder back up the middle, scoring Burrow and Storaci and all of a sudden it was a one-run ball game.
After Jackson Sigman (Glendale CC) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, it was the five-hitter Ruckel to lead off and he shot a double down the left field line. Colton Roberts (Toccoa Falls) came in to run for him and advanced to third on a Mumm ground out. A 2-2 pitch scooted by the catcher Brophy, allowing Roberts to score and tie the game.
Shane Soria (Glendale CC), who was at the plate at that time, then singled and Rochester wasn’t done yet. They got a single from Storaci and then Vidaurre was intentionally walked. It would not backfire like it did Friday night though.
“I wanted to in the ninth, but it was too risky with bases loaded and one out,” James said about a possible squeeze.
Looking back, maybe it would’ve been worth a shot, as Will Bass and Burrow both struck out to end the inning.
Sigman pitched another 1-2-3 inning, and Rochester took advantage of the opportunity in the tenth. There were no hits though, as Sullivan walked. Ethan Luna (Southwestern) reaching on an error by the second baseman Yahriel Jimenez (Siena), and Matt Emge (Pittsburgh) being hit by a pitch followed the free pass.
Mumm then put down the squeeze, and a mob of him ensued after he touched first base.
This was the third straight game that Rochester has gone to extra innings, so one would think at some point that it would wear on them but this team shows no signs of slowing up.
“No matter how many innings we play, we’re going to do our best to get the job done,” Mumm said.
The Ridgemen (19-15) will look to make it three in a row Sunday with a 5:00 p.m. date with the Sherrill Silversmiths (18-15) out at Noyes Park.
Cortland (11-23) heads back to their home at Beaudry Park for a five game homestand, starting with a twin-bill against the Syracuse SaltCats (18-16) tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.
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