By MIKAEL DeSANTO
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Reagan Lucia (Lubbock Christian University) pitched a complete game, surrendering two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out two, earning the win in the Rochester Ridgemen’s 4-2 victory over the Genesee Rapids in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Tuesday at Basket Road Field. The Ridgemen improved to 5-8 on the season, while Genesee fell to 3-11.
“I felt great,” Lucia said. “Ethan (Luna) made some great plays back there at third, just a well rounded infield and outfield we had out there today.”
Ridgemen head coach Justin Dillard said his team took advantage of being on their home field, something they have continued to do throughout the first part of the season, as the win brought their home win total to four out of six.
“They’re still protecting ‘The Basket’, as best they can,” Dillard said. “Every time we come here it’s comfortable and they have done a really good job of competing here.”
The Rapids countered Lucia by sending Jordan Wilkerson (Texas Tech University) to the mound. Wilkerson’s school made the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska , but he said he came to the Rapids instead of staying with the team due to ongoing recovery from an injury.
“I just came off Tommy John surgery about 10 months ago,” Wilkerson said. “I have to be here and get back into it before I can go play.”
Wilkerson had some control issues throughout the game, walking six batters in five innings. He attributed part of his issues to his recovery, but also said that the workload affected him as the game went on.
“Getting towards the end of the game I was getting kind of tired, (my) pitch limit was getting up there,” Wilkerson said. “I was trying to throw strikes and trying to be too fine.”
After two back and forth innings, the Rapids opened the scoring. Daniel Lockwood (St. Edwards University) started the inning with a single, advancing to third on two ground outs. After Lucia hit Judah Wollenburg (University of Rio Grande), who then stole second, Wes Brown (William Carey University) singled in Lockwood and moved Wollenburg to third. The Ridgemen escaped any more damage when Wes Brown got caught trying to steal second.
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“I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit,” Wes Brown said. “I worked the count, I think it was 2-2, but he threw me a changeup high, I was able to turn on it and hit it hard.”
The Ridgemen responded in the fifth inning, taking a 2-1 lead on a Nathan Methvin (Tyler Junior College) single. Devan O’Bryan (Drury University) doubled to lead off the inning, but would be thrown out at third on a ground ball by Jacob Lentz (Highland Community College), who reached on the play. Lentz reached second on a wild pitch, Brooks Pitaniello (Harding University) and Bram Wood (Olney Central College) walked, with Lentz and Pitaniello advancing on a balk by Wilkerson prior to Wood’s walk, and the bases were loaded. Methvin drove in Lentz and Pitaniello on the single, before Ethan Luna (Southwestern University) grounded out to second.
“I was trying not to get too big on the ball, just put something hard in play and hope it falls,” Methvin said. “I didn’t get all of the ball, but if it fell and two runs scored, that’s team baseball.”
The Ridgemen added two insurance runs, one in the sixth and one in the seventh, to extend their lead to 4-1. In the sixth Devin Cerrato (Covenant College) walked, O’Bryan doubled again, and Connor Brown (Ohio Wesleyan University) doubled home Cerrato, with O’Bryan being thrown out attempting to score and Wood later striking out to end the threat. The seventh inning run came on a wild pitch following three consecutive singles by Methvin, Matt Jackson (Reinhardt College) and Cerrato, with O’Bryan flying out and Connor Brown grounding before any more runs were scored.
“I was a little upset because I had missed a sign earlier, so I was looking to just drive in some runs,” Connor Brown said. “I was just looking for a fastball, I think I took an outside pitch and then I was looking for something a little middle-in, and I got it, drove it and hoped it would fall.”
Lucia allowed the Rapids to plate one more run in the top of the ninth on a Lockwood single. Jonathan Nola (Walsh University) reached base on a single, advancing on a Wilkerson groundout, then William Lucas (University of Charleston) singled and moved Nola to third. Lockwood plated Nola the following at bat, before Grant Myers (Monmouth College) struck out and Mark McKenna (Canisius College) flew out on a diving catch by Cerrato, ending the game.
“I was trying to keep passing at bats to the next guy, help us survive that last inning,” Lockwood said. “(I) got behind in the count and I just tried to shorten up my swing, put the ball in play and hopefully something good happened, and it did.”
Sam Bashiom, the Rapids’ head coach, said he was happy with the team’s overall performance and that the game came down to the walks they gave up.
“I think that we actually played a really solid game,” Bashiom said. “I think we gave too many free bases away and the Ridgemen didn’t give many free bases away, and that was just the two runs that held us away from getting the win today.”
Lockwood went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Lentz went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.
Luke Temperelli (Benedictine College) pitched three innings in relief for the Rapids, giving up two runs on eight hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
The Ridgemen get an off day before traveling to Olean to take on the Oilers, Thursday at 7 p.m., at Bradner Stadium.
The Rapids next game will also be against the Oilers, facing them at their home park, Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex at Houghton College, on June 15 at 7 p.m.
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