By PAUL GOTHAM
GENEVA, N.Y. — Conner Combs (East Texas Baptist U) went looking for redemption. He found it in the top of the tenth inning at McDonough Park, Monday evening.
Combs plated the winning run as the Niagara Power came from behind to defeat the Geneva Twins, 4-3 in the New York Collegiate Baseball League season opener for both teams.
“It was good to get the first one out of the way and start out on top,” said the Niagara Power infielder. “It’s always a good feeling when you come back late after giving up a couple of runs.”
With runners on the corners and two outs, Combs singled through the left side of the infield off Geneva reliever Max Tessitore (LeMoyne) bringing home Jessep Polk (North Greenville) with the eventual game winner.
“He got behind in the count 2-and-0, so I was just sitting dead red,” Combs explained. “He gave me a pitch to hit. I was just trying to find the barrel. I found barrel and that was it.”
The game-winning hit came after Combs mishandled a ball during Geneva’s three-run seventh.
“We had a few mistakes in that inning and one was mine,” Combs noted. “It was good to get back in it. It was just me up there at the right time, and God willing I got a base hit.”
Nate Lagos (North Greenville U) came out of the bullpen with a runner at second and two outs in the seventh and retired the first batter he faced to end the threat.
“He did a great job today, fantastic,” Niagara manager Josh Rebandt said. “He’s got a great mindset. He just goes at it and competes. That’s what we expect out of him in the late innings.”
The right-hander hurled two more shutout innings for the win.
“What I do is simple,” Lagos explained. “I throw a fastball down the middle and trust that it’s going to sink enough that they are going to drive into the ground. I know my defense is going to make plays for me, so that’s what I did.”
Nick Campe (Olivet Nazarene) worked a shutout tenth for the save.
Clay Sebesky (Kutztown) reached on a hit by pitch to start the Geneva seventh. Austin Kearney (Carson-Newman) greeted Niagara reliever Drew McLochlin (Huntington) with a single. Nate Roethel reached on an error to load the bases, and Jeremy Tejada (So. New Hampshire) brought home the first Geneva run of the night with a ground out. Bob Barnett (Widener) singled home a run before Kenny Reckart (Wooster) gave the Twins their first lead of the night with an RBI double.
“I liked what I saw,” Geneva manager Andy Weeks commented. “Toward the end of the game we started to figure it out a little bit.”
Caleb Lang knotted the score at three with a solo shot to start the eighth.
“Caleb came up clutch in the eighth to get us right back in it,” Combs said. “Didn’t waste any time with that.”
Niagara took an early lead in the game when Caleb Thomas (Colorado School of Mines) singled home a run in the second. The Power made it 2-0 in the top of the seventh when Nathan Stanley (Toccoa Falls Coll) delivered with a two-out RBI base hit.
Then the Twins struck in the home half of the inning.
“We have enough returners back this year to understand that we aren’t ever out of a game,” Rebandt stated. “That’s how we play. It’s nice to get it done that way in the first game of the year.”
Brandon Mumaw (St. Leo) tossed six innings for the Power. The southpaw allowed one run on four hits and two walks.
With two base on balls and one hit by pitch, Bryan Klendworth (Olivet Nazarene) reached base three times for Niagara
Tejada went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Geneva.
Reckar collected two hits in four at bats for the Twins.
The two teams meet again Tuesday in Niagara. A 7 p.m. first pitch is scheduled at Sal Maglie Stadium. Luke Salerno (Castleton State) gets the start for Geneva. Niagara counters with Nathan Robinson (Cedarville).
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