By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, NY — For the first three innings of Tuesday’s doubleheader, the Monroe Community College Tribunes managed just one hit and failed to score a run.
The Tribunes exploded for runs in six of their next seven at bats.
Jimmy Latona paced a relentless offense that pounded out 24 hits as Monroe swept the Finger Lakes Community College Lakers 7-1/17-0 in non-conference action at Tribune Field.
Latona sparked an 11-run outburst in which the Tribunes sent 16 batters to the plate on their way to a rout in the night cap.
“There’s nothing better than that,” Latona said. “When everyone’s contributing, when everyone’s getting their hits and knocking guys in, it feels great. It makes baseball fun.”
Latona’s bases-clearing double provided the big blow in the second inning of game two. He used his familiarity with FLCC’s starter, Alex Dent.
“I know him pretty well,” the sophomore infielder noted. “I grew up playing with him. He’s always been a kid who just pounds the zone. He’s going to attack you and make you hit the ball, so I just got up there thinking I would be aggressive and swing if it was there.”
Latona plated Hunter Merrill, Mike Pringle and Ellington Hopkins with one of his three hits on the afternoon.
The next five Tribunes reached base.
“We’ve hit the ball well all season,” Monroe head coach Dave Brust said. “Stringing them together has been another thing. Guys are getting much more effective in RBI situations. That’s where we stalled a couple of times (earlier in the year).”
Dave Vaccaro greeted Finger Lakes reliever, AJ Lefebrve, with an RBI single up the middle. Angel Diaz walked. Andrew Segar reached on an infield single. After Tommy LaCongo brought home one when he was hit by a pitch, Matt Brooks delivered a single to centerfield scoring two more.
“You have to be less picky,” Brust explained of the approach at the plate. “You have to get up there and, in my opinion, you have to do something in three pitches. At this level of baseball, they’re going to give you something good to hit in those three pitches. You can’t just take fastballs.”
Pringle and Hopkins brought brought home a run apiece with singles, and Latona capped the the inning with an RBI sacrifice fly. Latona finished the afternoon with seven RBI and two runs scored going 3-for-4 with two walks.
“Our coaching staff keeps drilling in our heads ‘stay in the process,” Latona stated. “Don’t worry about the outcome yet. If you stay in the process, the outcome will happen. As of right now it’s coming.”
David Lawrence tossed four shutout innings for the game two win. The right-hander retired the first seven he faced, struck out four and walked none. He was one five Monroe hurlers which combined to allow one run on two hits over a dozen innings on the afternoon.
“We had a meeting with the pitching staff this morning,” Brust commented. “Our focus is on strike one. If we are in control of the count, we will be very successful. You pitch ahead, it keeps them off-balance, and then we dictate.”
Luke Brust tossed a shutout frame in relief with a strike out and a walk.
Latona, Diaz and Segar drove in a run apiece in the three-run first.
Blaine Farrell earned the game-one win. The southpaw fanned three, issued one free pass and set down the last nine he faced.
“It was a lot of first pitch strikes, getting ahead it really helped,” Farrell said. “If you get ahead, they can’t sit on what you’re going to bring. If you fall behind, they’re just going to sit fastball and hit it.”
Alex Bellardini tossed an inning and a third. The right-hander came on with bases loaded, two outs and retired the first batter he faced on a weak ground ball.
After managing just one hit through the first three innings off Finger Lakes starter Ryan Landers, Monroe struck for five runs in the fifth.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Brust said. “That kid can throw. He’s got three pitches. He throws all three for strikes. I thought we handled him very well and didn’t get too concerned after three innings. We just stuck to the plan.”
Diaz led with an infield single. LaCongo moved the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Brust dropped a base hit into centerfield, and Andrew Segar turned on the first pitch he saw and doubled off the fence in left field scoring two.
Segar collected four hits in six trips, drove in three and scored four runs on the afternoon.
“I was just waiting for my pitch and tried to hit the inside part of the baseball,” Segar explained. “I was seeing the ball well today. It was happening for me today.”
Merrill followed with a double. Pringle reached on an error to score a run and Latona singled to left for a 5-1 MCC advantage.
Segar and Merrill started the sixth with singles and eventually scored as Monroe added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.
Diaz collected four hits, two RBI and scored a run on the afternoon.
Merrill went 4-for-6 with two RBI and three runs scored.
Pringle had two hits, scored four runs and drove in two.
Monroe did not commit an error in the first game and committed just two fielding miscues for the afternoon.
“They’re going to make the routine plays,” Brust commented. “I don’t go to bed at night hoping guys make great catches. I just want them to make the routine ones. That starts with our pitching staff putting the ball in play and pitching ahead working at a pace where our guys aren’t out there forever. If we’re not walking guys, we’re going to be in good shape.”
Monroe hosts Tompkins Cortland Community College on Wednesday for a doubleheader starting a 2 p.m.
The Tribunes start conference play when Mercyhurst NE comes to town for two on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
MCC hosts Erie CC on Friday and Onondaga CC on Saturday.
Leave a Reply