By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Coming off their first loss of the season, John Feltes and his Brighton squad looked to move forward on Thursday.
Ryan Watson supplied a workmanlike performance on the mound hurling six innings as the Barons (9-1) avenged their only setback of the season thus far with a 7-4 win over Brockport.
“I think it’s one of those pieces where we just had to look at it as we’re going into the second part of our season,” Feltes said when asked how the Barons 8-2 loss to Brockport on Monday. “Game 10 is coming up and thinking about that as the second part of the season is where we had to be.”
Pitching to contact, Watson allowed 11 hits but did not flinch.
Brockport had four batters reach in the fourth, but the Barons’ infield foiled a double steal attempt when second baseman Jack Falter stepped in front of throw to the bag and gunned down a runner at the plate. The Blue Devils loaded the bases in the fifth, but Brighton centerfielder Sam O’Hora chased down a Troy Leibert drive into deep left centerfield to take away a sure extra-base hit. One batter later, O’Hora snared a flare attempt off the bat of Devyn Scheidt.
“He definitely hit the reset button,” Feltes said of his starter’s ability to regain his composure on the mound. “He definitely had some guys who made some really good plays.”
Watson finished the game throwing first-pitch strikes to 22 of 30 batters faced.
“Curve ball low and away was working for me,” the right-hander said. “Last time I pitched I threw a lot of changeups. Today it just wasn’t there. That happens sometimes.”
In a game where they did not trail, Matt Falter gave Brighton a 1-0 lead in the second with a two-out single that brought in Chase Seibold.
Watson led a three-run third with a single. Jack Falter walked, and after the runners advanced on a wild pitch, O’Hora drove in a run with a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Nick Stodgell reached on an error to bring in another run, and Tanner Frank capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.
“That inning we just got rolling,” Feltes said. “We put people on base. We were able to put the bat on the ball.”
Jack Falter and Matt Falter executed a double steal in the fourth with the latter crossing home.
Brennan Wilcox added a pair of insurance runs with a two-run single in the fifth, and Brighton led 7-2.
Watson took over from there.
“We had a couple of plays where we were able to get runs to support him, so that he had that comfort zone on the mound to get his head where it needed to be to get those outs,” Feltes said. “Just trying to manufacture runs as well as being able to get that ball off the bat into some of the holes.”
Watson, Jack Falter, Matt Falter and Wilcox each had two hits apiece. Stodgell scored two runs. Wilcox collected three RBI.
Sam Velletri led Brockport (3-8) going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Nick Johnson finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Tyler Henshaw went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Devyn Scheidt had two hits and scored a run. Leibert walked twice and had an RBI.
As for O’Hora’s two grabs in center field?
“He’s quite the player,” Watson said tongue in cheek. “I’ve been in centerfield for most of the games this year, and this game he had more fly balls than me the entire season. I’m a little jealous.”
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