By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Devin Mulcahy was able to spot his fastball in any count. The Webster Thomas sophomore also showed the ability to forget.
Mulcahy allowed one run on two hits over three innings of work, and Webster-Thomas defeated the Churchville-Chili Saints, 9-5 in Monroe County Division 2 action at Basket Road Field Wednesday night.
The 6-foot right-hander came out of the bullpen in the fifth with the Titans clinging to a one-run edge and surrendered a towering home run to the first batter he faced, Christian Montanez. He responded by retiring the next eight Churchville-Chili batters.
“He just got a pitch up, and the kid blasted it,” Webster-Thomas coach Kevin Neenan said. “You can tell a lot about a kid in what he does after that. He came right back. We keep telling the kids to have a short-term memory. You got to bounce back, and he did.”
Mulcahy fanned four of the next five and did not allow another ball out of the infield until a routine fly with one out in the seventh.
“I got ahead of the hitters with the fastball definitely,” Mulcahy explained. “I was locating the fastball really well, mixing in the curveball late in the count, and they couldn’t do anything with it.”
He helped his own cause with a two-run inside the park home run in the seventh.
“I was looking for something to pound,” he said of the 2-and-0 pitch. “It was fastball up in the zone, and I got all of it.”
Ryan Carragher worked a one-out base on balls before Mulcahy drilled a shot into the gap in left center.
“It’s good to beat a team like that,” Mulcahy added.
The Titans grabbed a three-run lead in the third.
Ethan Maltman led with a single off Churchville starter Ethan Putney. Steve Minardo moved the runner with a sacrifice bunt, and Ryan Hill delivered with an RBI base hit to center field.
“You got to have small ball and execute the little things,” Neenan added. “That’s the type of team I think we are. A lot of teams are thinking like that especially early on in the season.”
Ryan Mason worked a two-out walk, and two runs scored when Damian Wright reached on an error. Carragher singled and drew a throw to second when he bluffed a steal allowing Wright to come home for a 4-1 Thomas lead.
Hill delivered a one-out single in the sixth as Thomas took a lead it did not the surrender. The Titans shortstop finished with two hits and two runs he scored. He also turned in a handful of solid plays with the glove and slowed a Saints rally in the second. With runners on the corners and one out, Jacob Carroll broke off first. Hill stepped in front of the throw at second and caught Putney in a rundown off third for the second out of the inning.
“He’s a leader out here,” Neenan said of Hill. “He’s a second-year guy and a very solid kid.”
The Saints scored two in the third. Jayson Wallace singled through the right side before Montanez and Putney received back-to-back walks to load the bases. Jacob Carroll fought off a pitch in on the hands from Thomas starter Joe Paul and sent a flare over Mason at first base to score two.
Jim Marasco gave Thomas a 5-3 lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Mike Mule cut the deficit in half with an RBI single before Montanez knotted the game with solo shot to left field.
“That’s what he’s capable of doing,” Churchville-Chili coach Jake Dennstedt said of Montanez. “I don’t think there is anyone in Section Five who has more power than him. If we can get Monty going for us a little bit, that’s something that gives us a chance.”
His squad’s rally gave Dennstedt reason to hope.
“Three of the bigger hits were from sophomores,” he noted. “We’re seeing signs from some of the guys. It’s early in the year. We got some young guys. We’re trying to teach them some of the things we’re working on. There definitely was positive signs there.”
Montanez finished with a home run and a double on the night. Carroll had two hits. Amaury Samalot Monroig had an RBI single in the second to give Churchville a 1-0 lead.
Thomas improved to 2-0. Churchville fell to 0-2.
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