By MIKE DeSANTO
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Junior Jake Schuler took advantage of the three innings he played Monday afternoon, going 2-for-2 and driving home two runs on a single and throwing three innings with no runs, no hits and one walk allowed with four strikeouts for the Fairport Red Raiders. The Raiders defeated the Franklin Quakers 11-3 to move on to the Class AA sectional semifinals.
“We expect that from Jake. Jake’s a clutch player, Jake steps up in these bigger games and he comes to play,” Red Raiders head coach Brian Reed said.
Schuler said his focus was on the strike zone and making sure he hit it.
“I just knew I had to throw strikes and I had to trust the other guys behind me,” Schuler said. “They always have my back and it’s awesome to have that feeling.”
The Red Raiders started the offensive rush in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead quickly. Junior left fielder Mike Sabatine led off the game with a single, stealing second and reaching third on a passed ball. The next batter, junior second baseman Tyler Smith, stepped up and cracked a double, scoring Sabatine. A sacrifice fly brought home Smith after he stole second base, but the Red Raiders were not done.
Junior shortstop Omar Rosa was next up and wasted no time in making his mark, clubbing the ball deep into the outfield for what would initially be an easy triple. However, as the Quakers attempted to throw the speedster out, the throw traveled past the glove of junior third baseman Israel Cuevas and rolled to the fence. Rosa took the opportunity to sprint to the plate, scoring before Cuevas had a chance to throw him out.
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“I just tried to put the bat on the ball, just tried to get on base and have our hitters get me around,” Rosa said. “I just tried to get to the plate. Anything to score.”
The scoring continued in the second, which would end with the Red Raiders up 8-0. The inning was highlighted by two-run single for Schuler, set up when Rosa walked and sophomore designated hitter Tyler Holmes doubled, putting runners on second and third. The innings other runs came on a wild pitch, which allowed two runs to score, and a single from sophomore first baseman Anthony Roides.
“I just had to sit back a little bit,” Schuler said. “I was in a little bit of a slump, but now I’m out of it.”
The Quakers broke up the shutout bid in the fourth inning, thanks to sophomore first baseman Justin Morales. Junior second baseman Frankie Santiago reached on a single, followed by an error in left field which allowed Santiago to reach third and sophomore shortstop Julian Cotto to reach second. This allowed for Morales’ single to bring both runners around and cut the lead to 8-2.
However, the Red Raiders responded in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, the Red Raiders tacked on two runs on a throwing error which brought home Holmes, and a dropped fly ball bringing around senior second baseman Brian O’Connor.
In the fifth, junior Jackson Sullivan, who had come in to pitch in the top of the inning, singled home Sabatine to complete the Red Raiders run production.
The Quakers were able to put up one more run in the sixth when Cuevas drew a bases loaded walk, allowing Crrion to score. But, the Red Raiders would get through the rest of the sixth and seventh with no more runs allowed, securing the win.
“We swung the bats pretty good I thought,” Franklin coach Eddie Lee said. “I’m proud of the team. It’s the first time playing some competition like this and they held their own.”
On the mound for the Quakers was junior Jonathan Dones, who tossed six innings and gave up 11 runs on 14 hits and one walk with one strikeout.
“He just throws strikes and let them hit it,” Lee said. “He always throws strikes. I like it. Three or four games in a row, he just doesn’t walk anybody, just throws strikes.”
Holmes and Sabatine finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Smith was 2-for-3 with two doubles, and RBI and two runs scored.
The Red Raiders (15-5) are now set to play Rush-Henrietta Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the sectional semifinals.
“I think [the approach] is the same as the one we had coming in here,” Reed said. “It’s a one game series and that’s it. We have one game to play, we’re focused on that game and when we take care of business with that one,we move on to the next one.”
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