Pickin' Splinters

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Terzo hurls 1-hitter in Fairport win over Gates-Chili

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Matt Terzo struck out seven in Fairport’s 4-1 win over Gates-Chili.

By PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Two days after dropping an 8-5 decision to Monroe County Division I rival Gates-Chili, Fairport took the field on Wednesday against those same Spartans. Red Raiders head coach Tom Caputo had one message for his pitcher: throw strikes.

Matt Terzo obliged.

The senior right-hander allowed one hit in a complete-game effort as Fairport defeated Gates-Chili, 4-1.

“You can’t have a smarter kid,” Caputo said of his pitcher. “He mixes his pitches. He scouts teams ahead of time. He does his work. He works with his catcher. He does a great job with that, and he throws hard.”

Terzo struck out seven and walked three while allowing one run (unearned) and needing just 89 pitches for his first win of the season. He deflected any praise to his catcher, Connor Sackett.

“I really could not have done that without him. He’s one of the best in the area for sure. He called a perfect game.

“He knows me as a pitcher and what I throw. He knows if I’m throwing well or if I’m not throwing well and where to receive the ball.”

Terzo struck out the side in the first. In the second, the battery combined on a strike out and pickoff to end the inning before getting a a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out play in the fourth.

“We really wanted to attack with first-pitch strikes, throw a lot of fastballs,” Sackett said referring to Terzo’s ability to control the inside part of the plate. “Keep the ball in play and not try to do too much.”

Fairport’s offense gave Terzo all the runs he needed in the first inning.

“We wanted to get in there and start swinging the bat and getting on,” Caputo said. “The last two games we’ve scored in the first inning and taken it from there. Once you get the lead, don’t give it up.”

Dylan Norton and Patrick Unger led the game with back-to-back singles. Julien Mendoza loaded the bases with a walk, and one out later Nick Provenzano forced home the game’s first run with another free pass. Sackett made it 2-0 with an RBI fielder’s choice.

DJ Stoianovich added to the lead in the third inning with a two-out RBI single through the right side. Mendoza scored on the play.

Blake Bucenec singled, stole a base and scored on an error to make it 4-0 in the sixth.

Fairport improved to 5-5 with the win as it looks to climb in the Class AA standings.

“We got to work our way up,” Caputo said referring to the Red Raiders’ eighth-place position. “Kids are turning it around. We’re finding our groove. Our pitching is keeping us in games.”

Gates-Chili starter Michael Ribis settled in after the first inning in which he surrendered two runs on two hits and two walks. The right-hander went five and two-thirds innings leaving runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings.

He finished with eight strike outs and picked off a runner at first base.

“Mike’s a senior who was with us two years ago,” Gates-Chili head coach Dean Dingee said. “He’s been in this situation. He loves the game. He taken it upon himself to shoulder a lot of that burden. He leads by example. He just never gets rattled. We try to take the approach that if something goes bad, you go on to the next thing. That’s all you can control is what’s in front of you. Mike does that.”

Charlie Healey had Gates-Chili’s only hit in the second inning. Healey also drove in the Spartans only run with a sacrifice fly in seventh inning.

Bucenec and Mendoza both finished 2-for-3 in the game.

Fairport plays at Spencerport on Friday.  Gates-Chili (5-6) travels to play at Penfield also on Friday.

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