By CAMERON BOON
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Marty Napleton (St. Joseph’s) had a tough start to the game, cracking two line drives that were caught in right and center field. But he would rebound, recording a hit in his next three at-bats, including leading off the 10th inning with a single.
He would later score the game-winning run, giving the Geneva Twins a 5-4 win in extra innings over the Rochester Ridgemen in New York Collegiate Baseball League action on Sunday afternoon at Basket Road Field.
“We’re a good team. I just told the guys there’s no reason to press,” Geneva manager Andrew Weeks said after his team blew a three-run lead in the eighth inning.
Rochester, which has been offensively depleted over the first six games to start the season, showed some life in that inning after seven innings in what looked to be the same old story: Ridgemen scratch across a run, pitching is really good, but cannot shut out the opponent.
“I think that was big for us tonight,” Ridgemen head coach Joe Shallenberger said about his team’s offensive production. “Tonight they earned their runs, which really gave them confidence.”
In the eighth, Shane Soria (Westmont) got the rally started by taking a pitch in his back. After a pair of singles by Colin Winn (Santa Ana) and Alexander Stack (U of Dallas) loaded the bases, the Ridgemen were ready to get the big hit they had been waiting for over the last week.
Tage Johnson (Houghton) drew a bases loaded walk, and then Cole Metcalfe (Bellarmine) tied the game with a soft line drive to right field, tying the game at four.
Rochester’s starter, Josh Rolls (Midland Lutheran), was able to keep the Twins off the board in the ninth to force the extra inning.
Rolls finished the night surrendering four runs, three earned, on 13 hits and six strikeouts.
The Granada Hills, CA native got stronger as the night went on, recording all six of his strikeouts in the final four innings of work.
“He started to throw his changeup a little more and kept the ball down and hit corners really well,” Weeks said about Rolls’ adjustments.
To start the game, Bob Barnett (Widener) reached on an error by Armando Valentin (Benedict) and would later score.
Valentin had a rough outing, as his first error gave the Twins their first run, and his second error gave the Twins their fifth run as he bounced throws off the bat of Barnett and Jeremy Tejada (Southern New Hampshire).
Barnett finished the day scoring three of Geneva’s five runs.
Metcalfe, Winn and Drew Farmer (Western Michigan) all tallied two-hit days.
The Ridgemen and Twins will match up for a doubleheader at McDonaugh Park on Monday afternoon, with the first game scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Leave a Reply