By KATIE FAULKNER
WELLSVILLE— Nick Sampogna (Elmira) and a 17-hit effort helped the Wellsville Nitros get back on track with a 21-8 win over the Genesee Rapids in New York Collegiate Baseball League action, Monday. The Nitros improved to 9-15 on the season.
Sampogna allowed seven runs on 12 hits over six innings of work. He struck out two before Cole Tracy (Finger Lakes) took over for the final inning, allowing two hits and one run.
“The team put up 17 runs for me before I even got out there for the sixth inning and it really took the pressure off of me,” said Sampogna. “Those six runs in the sixth didn’t matter as much with a big lead.”
“As a pitcher sometimes when you get into a big lead early, you feel like all you need to do is go out and throw strikes,” said Wellsville coach Jason Cronin. “[Nick] did a good job all the way through until he started throwing the ball over the plate and his pitch count got elevated.”
The Nitros scored the first 13 runs of the game before the Rapids were able to tack one on in the fourth. Wellsville’s Jacob Means (Cowley County CC) got things started with an RBI single to plate Max Franzone (Dominican), who is now tied for second in the NYCBL in walks with 26. Carson Shrode (Tennessee Martin) also connected on an RBI single, driving in Jacob Sims (Roane State CC) to make the score 2-0 after the first.
“We’ve had leads against quality opponents and late in the game we didn’t hold them,” said Cronin. “We talked about coming out and putting some distance between us and them at third place.”
Wellsville extended its lead with an 11-run second inning behind two doubles courtesy of Pat Scholla (John Carroll). A Tyler Culpepper (Roane State CC) single plated Scholla. Harry Montero Jr. (Bloomfield) drove in Nic Varda (Ashland) before a Sims RBI double scored Culpepper and Franzone. Shrode and Means picked up their second RBI of the game before Scholla connected on a two-RBI double. A Franzone triple and a Montero single would also plate runners to end the second.
The Rapids ended their scoring drought in the fourth when Joseph Chapman (Cedarville) connected on a leadoff double. Peter Bocchino (St. Michael’s) advanced to first on an error before a sac fly from Jacob Burlingame (Canisius) plated Chapman.
Dan Crozier ( Cazenovia) paced the offense for Genesee, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Burlingame went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored while Wes Brown (William Carey) added two hits and drove in a run.
Hunter Sykes (Mississippi) gave up 13 runs on 11 hits in 1.2 innings pitched for the Rapids. Burlingame and Grant Myers (Monmouth) combined for 3.3 innings on the mound. Myers gave up three runs. Adam Reece (International) threw for the final 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits.
Wellsville’s Montero went 3-for-5 with three RBI. He is now batting .400 on the season. Mike McNicholl (Eastern New Mexico) went three-for-five with two RBI, while Varda added two hits and three RBI.
“We look at everyday the same way, we don’t get too high and we don’t get too low, we’re just trying to get ourselves into the post season,” said Cronin.
Wellsville hosts the Olean Oilers (25-2) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Genesee (7-18) is off until Wednesday when they travel to Hornell to face the Dodgers (12-14) at 7 p.m.
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