By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a matter of taking the routine and turning it into something special.
Scott Neu legged out a lead off double and scored the eventual game-winning run as the Churchville-Chili Saints defeated the Webster-Thomas Titans, 2-0 in Section V Class AA first round action, Tuesday.
Neu’s fifth-inning blooper to shallow center field looked destined to land in a glove. Instead it found a patch of grass, and the Churchville-Chili right fielder’s instincts to run out the play made the difference.
“I saw the second baseman and shortstop were in the outfield trying to get the ball,” Neu explained. “So I took second.”
Neu was Churchville-Chili’s third leadoff batter of the game to reach base.
“We talk all year about trying to get that extra 90 feet and there’s no better example than a little Bermuda Triangle double between everybody when the second baseman and shortstop both go out,” Churchville-Chili coach Jake Dennstedt said. “You take it for granted sometimes. There is nobody at second base. That’s a heads up play by a senior.”
Ben Martin delivered on the opportunity with an RBI single up the middle.
“First two at bats he came with a curveball the first two pitches,” Martin said of facing Webster-Thomas starter, Ryan Marketell. “I had the bat a little bit out in front of everything the past few games, so I was just trying to see it deep, stay back a little bit. He threw me that curveball again and I punched it through the middle.”
The hit was one of Martin’s three in the game.
“We were thinking we got a guy on second base, do we bunt and put a guy at third and hope,” Dennstedt explained. “We didn’t want to take the bat out of one of our better hitter’s hands. He at least had to put the ball to right side. He put the ball in play, and the rest is history.”
The run was all that Saints starter Billy Sanborn needed. The right-hander struck out six and walked three over six shutout innings.
Sanborn stranded six through the first three innings but retired nine of the last 11 batters he faced.
“I don’t know if he had his best stuff today, but he pitched well,” Dennstedt said. “When he did get backed up in some bad counts he was able to battled back and make the pitches. The defense really helped him out in some of those situations to get out of that.”
The senior improved to 3-2 and has 44 strike outs on the season.
“Second time through batting order thought I’d change it up and throw curve balls first,” Sanborn noted. “They knew my fastball. They knew it was coming. Had to change it up and keep them guessing.”
Neu worked a scoreless seventh for the save.
Sanborn worked a bases loaded walk in the seventh to make it 2-0 game. Jayson Wallace led the inning with a single through the left side. Aaron Monroe beat out a sacrifice bunt, and Martin loaded the bases with a single to left.
Churchville-Chili looked poised to strike when they loaded the bases in the second inning. Nick DiFlorio reached on an error before Casey Eich and Wallace worked back-to-back walks.
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Marketell retired the side with a punch out on an inside fastball and double play to end the inning.
“Games in the past we’ve kinda caved in,” Dennstedt said pointing to the possible effects of the lost opportunity.”You got bases loaded and no outs in the second and don’t get anything to show for it. We bounced back to keep us in the game, stay composed. Just kept playing the game. Things ended up coming to us in the end.”
Marketell stranded seven through the first four innings. He left the game with one out in the seventh.
“There’s going to be days you don’t always have your best,” Webster-Thomas coach Kevin Neenan said of his starter. “You got to fight through it. I thought he did. He battled. He kept us in. He gave us a chance to be in the game, and win the game. We struggled getting the big hit when we needed to.”
The win was Churchville-Chili’s first in sectionals since an opening round win over Irondequoit in 2013.
“We told the guys ‘in games like this it’s going to come down to who can do more of the little things,'” Dennstedt commented. “I’m not saying we were perfect. I think we executed a little bit more than they did. It ended up being the deciding factor in a tight ball game.”
The Saints move on to play No. 1 seed East on Thursday.
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