By MIKE DeSANTO
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Junior Connor Dunn (University of Puget Sound) went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including a game-tying RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, helping the Ridgemen to a 7-6 win over the Wellsville Nitros in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Wednesday night at Basket Road Field.
After sophomore Andrew Bayard (Westmont College) singled to right field to open the sixth, freshman Jonathan Sabino (Coppin State University) walked, bringing up Dunn who wasted little time bringing in the run, smacking the first pitch he saw into the left-centerfield gap to score Bayard.
“I was just seeing fastball, seeing it up and trying to stay through the middle,” Dunn said.
The Ridgemen also benefitted from creating multiple opportunities for themselves throughout the game. In six of the eight innings in which the team batted, the Ridgemen were able to get the lead-off hitter on base in some way.
“It was massive to have traffic on the bases as much as we did,” Ridgemen head coach Justin Dillard said. “We didn’t capitalize as much as we should have, especially early in the game. We still weren’t executing, taking advantage of everything that they gave us, but it was enough to win the game.”
The Ridgemen got the scoring started in the second inning, plating three runs. Senior Casey Claflin (Shawnee State University) started off with a single to left field, which was followed by Bayard singling to right and Sabino being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dunn promptly singled to center to bring in Claflin, keeping the bases loaded and allowing sophomores Brooks Pitaniello (Harding University) and Sean Rooney (Point Loma Nazarene) to draw back-to-back walks to score Bayard and Sabino, respectively.
The Nitros were finally able to break up the shutout in the fourth inning, bringing in their first run. Freshman Rommy Morel (Rhode Island College) reached base with a lead-off single to centerfield, moving to second on a groundout. Junior Darian Williams (Benedict College) then stepped to the plate and doubled into left field, bringing Morel around to score and chip into the lead.
“I kind of shortened up a little bit today,” Williams said. “[I’ve] been struggling all season, hitting the ball right at people. Thank God today [I] found a hole here and there. Hopefully I can carry it on for the rest of the season.”
In the fifth inning, the Nitros loaded the bases, with two outs already in the inning, on three straight singles: junior Christopher Testa (Becker College) to right, Morel to center and freshman Dakota Chmiel (Southern New Hampshire University) to right. The next batter, junior Cole Tracy (Mansfield University), tapped the ball to the third base, appearing to end the inning. However, a combination of a throwing error and the sun allowed the ball to scoot past senior Ethan Luna (Southwestern University) at first base, plating all three runners.
“It was the perfect angle where the sun was,” Dillard said. “Even when runners were taking their leads, they were trying to shade their eyes because they couldn’t see. So, that was the only angle that “Tuna” wouldn’t have been able to see”
However, Dunn’s game-tying double got the sixth started for the Ridgemen, and they weren’t finished. After Pitaniello flew out, Rooney stepped up and provided a groundout to second base, giving Sabino, who had moved to third on Dunn’s double, the chance to score the go-ahead run.
The Ridgemen added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to bolster the lead. In the seventh, senior Christian Bitar (Regis University) led off with a single to right field. Junior Joshua Parks (University of Chicago) promptly jumped on the first pitch of his at bat, tripling into the gap in left-center and driving in Bitar.
In the eighth, the Ridgemen loaded the bases again with a single from Dunn, Pitaniello being hit by a pitch and Rooney picking up an infield single. This set up a situation where Luna grounded into a double play, but bringing Dunn in to score, putting the Ridgemen up 7-4.
But, in the ninth inning, the Nitros would not go down quietly.
The Ridgemen brought in sophomore Kevan Mackintosh (Lamar Community College) to shut the door, but the Nitros wouldn’t make it easy. They quickly loaded the bases on a walk to sophomore Ryan Grieco (Seton Hill University), a single to left for Testa and a single to right for Morel. Mackintosh then picked up a strikeout for the first out, but Tracy hit a sacrifice fly out to right field, scoring Grieco and moving Testa to third. Williams then singled to center to bring in Testa and put Morel, as the game-tying run, on second.
However, Mackintosh was able to strikeout the next batter he faced, securing the win and earning the save.
“I was on today, but I got in there eventually and we got the W,” Mackintosh said. “Just getting comfortable and not trying to be nervous is just a part of the game. Just be calm and humble. A lot of things go [well] when you do that.”
The Nitros’ head coach, Sam Quinn-Loeb, said he felt his team played well, despite what the scoreboard said.
“We played a hard game tonight. That’s how we’ve played the last three games,” Quinn-Loeb said. “I thought we competed hard, we threw some strikes which the Rochester team squared up and that’s how they strated their rally. We just have to come back tomorrow and play with the same level of focus.”
Williams finished the game 4-for-4 with two RBI for the Nitros.
The Ridgemen improved to 6-20 on the year while the Nitros dropped to 12-12.
The Ridgemen will next play Thursday at 7 p.m., as they host the Genesee Rapids.
The Nitros head home to play the Olean Oilers at 5 p.m. Thursday.
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