By PAT McGLYNN
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After 11 innings of stellar pitching and defense, it would be a wild pitch that allowed Ryan Pingitore (Southern Vermont) to score the game-winning run as the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs came back to defeat the Geneva Red Wings 4-3 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Wednesday afternoon at Onondaga Community College.
The Red Wings started fast with a run in the top of the third. AJ Compton (Elmhurst) led the game off with a single to right and advanced to third on consecutive wild pitches. He was able to score on Tanner Ivey’s (Alabama A&M) sacrifice fly to right field and give Geneva an early 1-0 lead.
The Jr. Chiefs would tie the game in their half of the third. Shortstop Samuel Ellinwood (Amherst) started the inning by reaching on an error and then moving to second. He scampered to third on a passed ball and then Pingitore’s ground out allowed Ellinwood to score and tie the game at one.
Those would be the only two runs the pair of starting pitchers would allow as Nathan Dioran (Dean) for the Jr. Chiefs and Vince Apicella (Carson-Newman) both posted strong outings.
“Our pitching staff and defense was excellent today,” said Jr. Chiefs manager Matt Colbert. “The guys we put on the mound put themselves in some pressure situations, but they all executed and did a good job for us.”
Dioran threw 5.1 innings and gave up just one run on four hits and three walks. He finished with five strike outs, including one with two outs in the top of the fifth that stranded Red Wing runners on second and third base.
Apicella had the tough task of following the performance of his teammate Brandon Humbertson (Salisbury), who threw a complete game on Tuesday, but Apicella was up to the task. He pitched seven innings and gave up just one unearned run on five hits and one walk. He racked up an impressive 12 strike outs.
He looked like he was in trouble in the bottom of the sixth when Syracuse led off with two singles and then a wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third with no outs. Apicella stayed calm though and got Philip Madonna (Siena) to groundout right back to the pitcher and then sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to escape the inning without giving up a run.
By the top of the seventh, James Sinopoli (Ithaca) had relieved Dioran on the mound for the Jr. Chiefs. He got some help from his defense in order to keep the game tied at one. After the first two Red Wing hitters reached base, Jr. Chiefs third baseman Justin Healey (Widener) made a diving stop on a ball hit by Ivey and then beat Compton to third base for a putout.
Alex Rodriguez (Methodist) and Ivey would execute a double steal to give Geneva runners on second and third with just one out. However, Sinopoli would get out of the inning without allowing a run after Pingitore threw Rodriguez out at home on Nick Meo’s (Ithaca) grounder and then Flaherty charged a ground ball hit by Matt Eastman (St. Bonaventure) and his throw beat Eastman to the first base bag for the third out.
“For a group of guys who have not played together until a week ago, it’s very impressive what we are doing defensively,” said Colbert. “We look like we have been playing together a while.”
The Jr. Chiefs would finally break the deadlock in the bottom of the eighth inning. James Wynne (Dean) led the inning off with a walk and then stole both second and third base. He would score on a sacrifice fly from Christian Vargas (Salve Regina).
The lead would be short lived though, as the Red Wings scored once in the top of the ninth. Tommy O’Hara led off the inning with a deep triple to left field and then two batters later, he scored when Rodriguez singled through the right side.
In extra innings, Geneva would strike first. Harry Roberson (Amherst) singled to open the 11th inning and moved to second on Compton’s one out single. Syracuse had a chance to get a double play when Rodriguez grounded to Prigitore, but Ellingwood’s throw got away from first baseman Malik Fogg (Tompkins Cortland CC) and allowed Roberson to score from second.
The Chiefs got runners on first and second in their half of the 11th, but after Wynne struck out, they were down to their final out. Danny Walczak (Aurora) was able to work a walk on a full count to load the bases and bring up Fogg. Geneva brought in Kevin Elwell (Elizabethtown) to replace Ben Murphy (Case Western Reserve) on the mound, but it did not help as Fogg walked on a full count to score Michael Elfreth (Widener) and tie the game. Elwell got two strikes on the next batter, Shane Trevino (Indiana U- Purdue U), but the third pitch of the at-bat got away and Prigitore raced home with the game-winning run.
Christopher Pennell (St. Thomas Aquinas) pitched the final three innings for Syracuse and earned the win. Murphy pitched 2.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits and picked up the loss. Compton finished with three of Geneva’s eight hits and scored two runs. Wynne reached base three times for the Chiefs on one hit and two walks.
The Chiefs (2-1) have Thursday off and will return to action on Friday when they travel to Beaudry Park for a 6:00 pm game against the Cortland Crush. The Red Wings (1-1) will play tomorrow at 7:00 pm on Damaschke Field against the Oneonta Outlaws.
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