By MIKAEL DeSANTO
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Harry Montero Jr. (Bloomfield College) went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and a run scored to help fuel the Wellsville Nitros to a 10-6 victory over the Rochester Ridgemen in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Monday night at Basket Road Field.
“Right now we’re playing good defense,” Montero said. “We are spraying the ball all over the field, we just have to keep it going into Wednesday.”
Nitros head coach Jason Cronin said his team shows dedication and a desire to get better each game, and the season is enjoyable because of it.
“I just think that we’ve got a group of young men that are committed to the process of working hard ever single day and we’re starting to learn what they do well,” Cronin said. “It’s fun to come out when you know that your guys are going to be coachable and they’re going to work hard, they’re going to put the time in.”
Sam Rice (Ashland University) had the ball to start for the Nitros, making his fifth appearance of the season and second against the Ridgemen. The Ridgemen sent Jade Doyle (Ancilla College) to the mound, also making his fifth appearance this season. Doyle threw four innings, allowed four runs (two of which scored after he was taken out) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
“I was just trying to throw strikes, if the fastball’s not working then you’ve got to go more off-speed, which kind of was the case tonight it felt like,” Doyle said. “Sometimes I have certain pitches, sometimes it’s all of them.”
Rice stayed in the game longer than Doyle, going seven innings while surrendering five runs, four of which were scored in the first three innings, on nine hits with four walks and five strikeouts, earning him the win.
“I was just missing my spots, all credit to them, they are a good hitting team and that’s what a good hitting team does, miss your spots they’re going to hit them into the gap,” Rice said. “I kind of settled in, in the later innings, and found my groove.”
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The Nitros opened the scoring in the top of the first tallying a run on a Jacob Sims (Roane State Community College) base hit after Tyler Culpepper (Roane State Community College) singled and advanced to third on a ground out and stolen base. The Ridgemen countered in the bottom inning with two runs. Devan O’Bryan (Drury University) drilled a solo shot to right-center, the first home run to leave the park at Basket Road Field this season, and the second on an RBI-single from Ethan Luna (Southwestern University).
“Actually most of the hits came with two strikes,” Luna said of his three-hit-night. “He was pitching backwards a lot, he was giving me a lot of off-speed, so with how my thumb has been bothering me (I) kind of had trouble getting my hands there; really I just focused on small load, taking my hands to the ball and letting my hands do most of the work, not trying to get too big with my swing.”
The teams traded runs the next two innings, the Ridgemen adding a run in the second when Joe Done (Skagit Valley College) scoring on a Brooks Pitaniello (Harding University) ground out, followed by the Nitros getting a run in the top of the third when Max Franzone (Dominican College) scored on a wild pitch. The Ridgemen would get a run back, however, in the bottom of the third on a Done single that scored Hayden Houts (Northern State University).
But the Nitros’ offense began to heat up in the fifth, plating four runs in the inning to take a 6-4 lead. Nicolas Varda (Ashland University) opened the inning with a single and Franzone drew a walk, both scoring when Sims tripled after the pitching change. Sims then scored when Montero grounded out and, after Brian Wasilewski (State University of New York at Buffalo) and Michael McNicholl (Eastern New Mexico University) singled, Cam Cook (Nichols College) singled home Wasilewski.
“I was just looking for a fastball and (I) took it the other way,” Sims said.
The Ridgemen picked up a run after Jacob Lentz (Highland Community College) doubled to start the inning, advanced to third on another Pitaniello ground out and scored when Nathan Methvin singled, cutting the deficit to 6-5.
“I was just looking fastball early,” Methvin said. “If you get that fastball early, up in the zone, I feel like I could drive hard and do some damage; lately I feel like I’ve been feeling it out and thinking too much, and tonight I was really just trying to get something up, get something elevated and put a good swing on it.”
But the Nitros responded in the eighth with another four run inning. Singles from Cook, who moved to second when Culpepper bunted, and Varda led to Franzone plating a run on a sacrifice fielder’s choice. Montero tripled home Varda and Franzone with two outs later in the inning, and scored when Wasilewski doubled, giving the Nitros a 10-5 lead.
“Early on I was pulling off the ball and what has worked fir me lately is trying to stay in the middle of the field, hitting the ball to the deeper part of the park,” Montero said. “My last few at-bats I got back to that.”
The Ridgemen mustered one final run in the eighth off a Methvin double, plating Devan O’Bryan, who had reached on a fielder’s choice. They were set down in order in the ninth, securing the Nitros win.
Justin Dillard, the Ridgemen’s head coach, said the game actually made him happy and that the team improved from their most recent performances.
“Honestly, I felt better about that loss than our last win,” Dillard said. “We played better baseball and we just gave up more runs, but I was really encouraged by the way the guys played tonight.”
Brady Sass (Alfred State) pitched four innings in relief of Doyle for the Ridgemen, giving up six runs on nine hits with five strikeouts.
Patrick Berthelette (Marymount University) pitched the final two innings for the Nitros, limiting the Ridgemen to one run on one hit and one walk.
Casey Claflin (University of Northwestern Ohio) pitched the ninth inning for the Ridgemen with no runs and no hits, while walking two.
The loss put the Ridgemen 14 games back of the Olean Oilers (21-1) with a 5-13 record, while the Nitros remained 12 games back at 7-11.
The Nitros will host the Genesee Rapids, Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Ridgemen will travel to Olean, Tuesday to take on the Olean Oilers at 7 p.m.
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