By Cameron Boon
HORNELL, N.Y. — Halfway through Wednesday’s contest at Maple City Park, it looked as if the Niagara Power were going to shock the league and upset the Hornell Dodgers in the three-game Western Divisional Series. Someone must’ve alerted the Dodgers of this, because what happened next was an onslaught.
Hornell put up seven runs on just three hits in the bottom of the fifth and took advantage of one huge Niagara error. Add in another run in the sixth, and it was enough to give the top-seeded Dodgers the game and the series, as they advanced to the Western Championship Series with an 8-4 victory over Niagara in New York Collegiate Baseball League action.
“When you allow a team like (Hornell) to do what they did, they aren’t going to give it back,” Niagara manager Josh Rebandt said.
The Dodgers would not relinquish the lead, as Hornell starter Seth Cornell (Houghton) only allowed one baserunner in each inning the rest of the way to earn his first postseason victory, his seventh including the regular season.
“I said coming in that we would have two starters tonight,” Hornell manager Tom Kenney said. “I wasn’t about to let one go 55 and another 55 to waste them both.”
The other starter he is referring to is the original starter, Joe Gnacinski (Mercyhurst). He only went 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, as the Power jumped out to that early lead in the second.
Cornell came in and slammed the door, keeping the Power off the board, while recording 13 strikeouts.
After outscoring the Power 59-13 in their seven regular season meetings, this four-run defeat was the largest of the post-season series.
“Niagara has been great all season,” Kenney said. “I wouldn’t want to tangle with them again.”
It was Jon Knapp (Cornerstone) who was in control early, surrendering only two hits to a powerful Dodgers lineup. His offense was also able to provide him with an early 4-0 lead.
Michael Crowley (Huntington) drove in the first run of the game, as he singled John Mulhern (Regis) to the plate to make it 1-0.
Jarrett James (Ball State) was able to plate two more, as he shot a bases-loaded single to left. This scored Gabriel Sevigny (Olivet Nazarene) and Crowley to make it 3-0.
The Power then took a 4-0 lead when Ivan Acuna (Catawba Valley CC) dropped a beautiful bunt single, and Gnacinski’s throw went offline, allowing Trotman to score from third.
All of a sudden, the lead and the momentum were on the side of the Power as the crowd at Maple City Park was stunned.
“We’re a team that comes from behind in late innings, so it had a different feel,” Rebandt said.
It was smooth sailing for Knapp until the fifth, when somebody from the Power must’ve hit the self-destruct button because everything just fell apart.
Three hits, five free passes, three pitchers, and one gigantic error later, the Dodgers had the crowd alive again as they had a 7-4 lead walking out of the fifth.
The big play in the inning occurred with Jake Marinelli (Mercyhurst) at the plate and the bases loaded.
With the infield in, Marinelli hit a hot-shot grounder to short. Sevigny fielded it cleanly and threw home to force out Spencer Scorza (Cornell). Crowley, the catcher, then turned to throw to first and threw it a mile above the intended target and the ball rolled all the way to the right-field fence. This allowed Connor Lewis (Monroe CC) and Jordan Climpson (Cameron) to score and give the Dodgers the lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Marinelli advanced to third on the play and scored on a Jimmy Latona (Monroe CC) sacrifice fly to cap the inning.
The Dodgers added an insurance run in the next inning as Marinelli drove in Lewis with a single to center to make it 8-4 Hornell.
The Power finished the season with their second-most wins in franchise history (23) and made their second playoff appearance as well in the team’s eight years of existence.
“Our guys have the heart and that’s something they’ll be able to take with them for the rest of their lives,” Rebandt said.
The Hornell Dodgers are looking to finish the unfinished business from a year ago when they lost in the NYCBL Championship Series to the Oneonta Outlaws.
“They better come and battle their tail off, because Geneva is a good club,” Kenney said.
The top two teams in the West played as close as a series could go in the regular season, with the Dodgers winning it 4-3.
The first pitch of Game 1 of the WCS is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Thursday night at Maple City Park.
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