By Andrew Grella
GENEVA, N.Y. — It was an early start from McDonough Park as the first game got underway a little after 10 am. The Twins played the first two games of the three played from the Big Mac. Geneva took the first game of the double header in a continuation of a NEW York Collegiate Baseball League game that was rained out on Monday. The Nitros took the second game by a score of 7-5 in seven innings.
The continuation game began in the bottom of the second inning with runners on first and third with two outs. The Twins were leading 4-2 and DJ Link (Harvard) was at the plate. RJ Pingitore (Southern Vermont U) who made his first start in the NYCBL to fill in for the injured Nitros, got Link to ground out to end the Twins threat in the second.
The Nitros would close the gap to one with a run in the top of the third inning against Greg Coman (Harvard) the reliever for David Anderson (Muhlenberg Col) who started the game when it began on Monday. Gerard Defilippo (Felician Col) singled to lead off the inning and came in to score on an error by the third basemen on a grounder hit by Dan Koller (Thiel Col).
The Twins would score four runs in two consecutive innings in response to increase the lead to 8-3 after four innings. The Twins scored one in the bottom half of the third on a sacrifice fly by Mitchell Lake (Mt. Union Col). Geneva tallied three in the fourth on a Mike Annone (Wilmington U) single. With Zach Goldstein (So. New Hampshire) on first, an RBI groundout by Link and a Fernando Garcia (Murray State) RBI single.
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Geneva broke out for five more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to finish the game with 13 total runs. The big blow came off the bat of Garcia again with the bases loaded as he launched a 2-0 fastball from Pingitore over the left fence for a grand slam. Goldstein increased the lead to nine with an RBI single and put the nail in the coffin on Wellsville.
But, the Nitros rebounded in game two as Wellsville rode a brilliant outing from Kyle Perez (SUNY Brockport) to beat Geneva 7-5 to salvage the split on the road. The Twins put the pressure on the Nitros in the first, as the offense was still hot from game one. Mike Annone drove in his first run of the game with a double to make it 1-0 Twins. Chris Simonetti (Kent State) and Garcia drove in a run a piece with singles as Geneva led 3-0 after one.
But it was all Wellsville for the rest of the game as the battered offense who lost it’s second basemen and right fielder two days ago scored seven unanswered runs against Geneva pitching. It all started in the top of the third as Christ Conley (Canisius Col) connected on his first of three-extra base hits to drive in the first Nitro run of the game.
Wellsville took the lead in the top of the fourth inning. The Nitros put together a three-run frame against Troy Loparco (St. John Fisher). Christopher Kemp (Pittsburgh Bradford) scored on a wild pitch and Joseph Hatcher (Indiana U Southeast) crossed the plate on an error by the second basemen to tie the score at three. Daniel Koller (Thiel) gave the Nitros the lead with an RBI groundout to the shortstop to make it 4-3.
The game would be out of reach for the Twins after the Nitros tallied three more runs in the fifth and sixth using the long ball. A Conley two-run homer in the top of the fifth and a Josh Beams (Indiana U Southeast) solo shot in the sixth put the Nitros far enough ahead that the Twins could not catch up.
With rally caps on at the Big Mac, the Twins scored two and put the tying runs on base in the final frame before a groundout to the third basemen would retire the side. Annone drove in his second and third on the game for his 32nd and 33rd RBI on the season. He laced a hard hit grounder to second that hit the lip of the grass and bounced into the outfield to pull the game to 7-5.
But, that was all the Twins could scratch across as Geneva dropped game two to split the double header with Wellsville. The winning pitcher for game one for the Twins was Greg Coman and the losing pitcher was Pingitore who pitched a complete game in his spot start for the Nitros. Perez was the winner in game two for the Nitros as Loparco took the loss.
The Geneva Twins (24-14) head out to take on the Genesee Rapids (19-22) out at Houghton College at 2 pm. The Wellsville Nitros (11-30) head out to take on the first place Hornell Dodgers (32-7) in the late game at 7 pm on Sunday.
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