By KATIE FAULKNER
WELLSVILLE, N.Y.— Another double-digit hit effort helped the Wellsville Nitros keep their winning streak alive with a 14-5 win over the Rochester Ridgemen in New York Collegiate Baseball League action, Thursday.
With six Nitros batting a .300 or better, they’ve battled their way back up the ranks of the NYCBL. Both Harry Montero Jr. (Bloomfield) and Jacob Sims (Roane State CC) sit in the top-five for RBI on the season. Sims also has a league-best 17 doubles while Max Franzone (Dominican) is tied for second in runs scored (34) and is ranked fourth in batting average with a .380.
“Number one, the guys are working hard everyday and they’re committed to the process of what you need to do to get better,” said Wellsville coach Jason Cronin. “They’re taking the swings and the reps, but they’re also making adjustments and being coachable.”
Sims, a Guelph, Ontario native, has improved his batting average in nearly every game this season. He is now batting a .369 with 41 hits and 29 RBI.
“Jake has done a good job of getting himself into situations where he can get hittable pitches,” said Cronin. “It also helps when you have hitters around you that are swinging the bat well, too.”
Though the Ridgemen struck first on a Hayden Houts (Northern St) RBI single to plate Devin Cerrato (Covenant), they never regained the lead.
A five-run first inning gave Wellsville the lead for good. Nic Varda (Ashland) got things going with a double, followed by a Franzone single. Montero plated Varda before Sims drove in Franzone for his first RBI of the night. A Jacob Means (Cowley County CC) three-run home run extended the lead to 5-1.
“I’m just looking for fastballs right now and trying to react to anything in the zone,” said Sims. “I’ve also been laying off all of the curve balls and off-speed pitches.”
Sims went 4-for-5 with four RBI while Means added three RBI and scored twice. Varda, who is now batting a .311, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tyler Culpepper (Roane State CC) and Dalton Earl (SUNY IT) each added two hits apiece.
Rochester’s Ethan Luna (Southwestern) paced the offense for the Ridgemen, going 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored. Joseph Done added two hits and an RBI.
Carlos Tejeda (Bloomfield) got the win on the mound for the Nitros, allowing one run on four hits in four innings pitched. He struck out five before Josh Limes (Cowley County CC) took over for the final five innings. He gave up four hits and retired three.
“I was trying to keep the ball down below the knee, so I could work with my strike zone and hit my spots,” said Tejeda.
The 6-foot-6 Tejeda has been battling bicep tendonitis and wasn’t expected to pitch more than three innings.
“Four innings from Carlos was very positive,” said Cronin. “He went out and threw a lot of strikes and we were excited he was able to give us 60 pitches today, which is a big step forward considering the bicep tendonitis he’s been dealing with.”
Joe Dougherty (Grace) gave up 10 runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings for the Ridgemen. Jade Doyle (Ancilla) allowed four runs on five hits, while Matt Diekemper (Drury) gave up two hits.
Wellsville improved to 16-17 on the season while Rochester fell to 8-25.
The Nitros host the Genesee Rapids (11-21) on Friday at 5 p.m.
The Ridgemen host the Olean Oilers (30-4) on Friday at 7 p.m.
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