By RYAN McDONOUGH
HOUGHTON, N.Y. — It took a location change, a time change and a rain delay, but it happened.
The Niagara Power pulled out a waterlogged win to improve to 5-2 on the season against the Hornell Dodgers by a score of 8-5 at Kerr-Pegula Athletics Complex in a New York College Baseball League game on Monday, June 8.
The Power struck first and would lead wire-to-wire in the contest behind a strong outing from Nathan Robinson (Cederville), who tossed seven strong innings.
“He had a great game today,” said Niagara coach Josh Rebandt. “He got ahead of a lot more hitters than he did in his first outing and he really commanded the baseball well.”
After making a spectacular diving catch in the bottom of the third inning, Brian Klendworth (Olivet Nazarene), in the next half frame, came through with an RBI single and later scored after a stolen base as Niagara took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Power grabbed another run in the next inning off an RBI double from Mason Irby (Jones County JC).
“It wasn’t just one big inning. We scored in several different innings,” Rebandt said of his offense. “When you can do that, you can put pressure on the other team and keep the momentum on your side.”
But Hornell responded.
With the bases loaded, Jimmy Latonda (Mercyhurst) smacked a two-run double for Niagara to left to bring the score to 4-2.
Niagara would get a run back in the sixth as Klendworth slid in safely in a close play at the plate on a Jordan Hayes (Olivet Nazarene) single.
“We didn’t play quite mistake free enough, and they took advantage of it when they had to,” said Tom Kenney, coach of the Hornell Dodgers.
Rain, which caused the game to change locations from the Dodgers’ home park of Maple City Park to Houghton College, caused a delay that split the sixth inning.
The delay seemed to spark some life into the Dodgers as they grabbed two more runs off Robinson, who outlasted the delay and took the hill for the bottom of the sixth.
Two innings later, the Dodgers brought the game to within two as a sacrifice fly brought the game to 6-4.
Niagara received some insurance in the ninth, though.
Caleb Lang (Cairn) hit an RBI triple and later scored on a wild pitch to put his team up 8-4.
The Dodgers grabbed one for the road in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but that’s all they would get as the game ended in a final score of 8-5.
“We have a couple guys that when they get on the bus, they say ‘Hey, we get to play baseball today.’ And I think we have a group of guys with the right attitude and that’s what carries us though a day like today with so many changes,” praised coach Rebandt of his 2015 Power, who have won two consecutive games.
The two teams will play each other Tuesday, June 9, at Maple City Park at 7:00 P.M.
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