By PAUL GOTHAM
WAYNE, N.Y. — Ask Andy Struzik about his squad’s recent wins, and the 17th-year head coach at Wayne Central shrugs his shoulders. In a season where teams like Struzik’s have put together games on consecutive days, there hasn’t been much of a chance to refine play off the field.
“We’ve been stringing one practice here, one practice there,” said Struzik. “They just make adjustments and keep making plays.”
There were no shortage of plays made by the Eagles on Tuesday afternoon.
Batting three, four and five in the order, Josh Armstrong, Ronnie Cassano and Nolan Schoenberger combined for nine hits and 10 RBI to lead the Eagles past Penn Yan, 13-6.
The Eagles put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings on the way to their third straight win.
“That was a good team win, and we’re pretty hot right now,” Armstrong said. “It’s nice to have momentum going into our final weeks before sectionals.”
With the bases empty, Armstrong’s two-out double in the first sparked the offense. Cassano followed with a single through the left side of the infield, and Schoenberger got the Eagles on the scoreboard with his first of two extra-base hits on the day, a two-run double to left center.
Nolan Schoenberger gets @WCSD_Athletics on the board with a 2-out, 2-run double. pic.twitter.com/N4Abjqsv6i
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2021
Tyler Brown followed with a run-scoring single, and the Eagles had a lead they did not surrender at 3-2.
“Our defense is clicking at the right time,” Armstrong noted. “Our bats are clicking at the right time, so everything is looking up.”
Nate Coleman hurled six-plus innings and improved to 3-0 on the season.
“He hits his spots,” Struzik said of the junior right-hander. “He hides the ball well with his delivery. He’s not overly powerful, but he changes speeds well.”
After giving up a pair of runs in the first, Coleman retired seven straight and nine of 11. He struck out three and walked three.
Nate Coleman works a 1-2-3 3rd. Right-hander has retired 7 straight. Wayne 6 Penn Yan 2 pic.twitter.com/y4IMVBx6hf
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2021
“He played his freshman year,” Struzik said noting the lost 2020 season. “He slowly got into it as the season started. He wasn’t sure of himself but he’s been fantastic for us. Throwing big games.”
Armstrong’s two-run single in the third brought home the first of three scores in that frame.
Josh Armstrong plates 2 with a one-out single inside the 3rd base line. Wayne 5-2. pic.twitter.com/DAT99mVM7i
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2021
“Josh was the big piece,” Struzik said of the lone holdover from Wayne’s 2018 sectional champion. “The first time we played them (Penn Yan), it was the second game of the season and he went O-for-3. You could tell he wasn’t quite where he needed to be yet. He was popping balls up, just missing. Lately, he’s just been on a tear.”
The senior catcher finished the day 3-for-3 with a walk, four stolen bases and four runs scored.
Cassano continued making the most of recent change in the order going 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
“Richie was hitting seventh in the order, and he just got on fire,” Struzik stated. “I just started moving him up and threw him in the four hole. He’s been hitting for us.”
Schoenberger later tripled and finished with five RBI. The senior right-hander came on to get the final three outs of the game.
Brady Ruffell singled, walked and scored two runs for the Eagles. Freshman Michael Prentice walked and also came around to score. Alex Tomaselli singled and scored.
Penn Yan’s Reed Bouchard doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Mustangs. Will Steele went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Tyler Bouchard doubled home a pair of runs and also scored once. Clark Simmons singled, walked and scored once. Mason MacKerchar had a hit and a run scored. Penn Yan fell to 3-7 with the loss.
Penn Yan strikes first. Tyler Bouchard sends a two-strike offering to straight and plates two with a double. Heading to the bottom of the first: Mustangs 2 @WCSD_Athletics coming to the plate. pic.twitter.com/AOYUWPk32S
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2021
Wayne improved to 7-4 with the win. The Eagles avenged losses to Newark and Geneva in their most recent outings. They had dropped three straight during a stretch in which they played seven games in nine days.
“I had a practice last week and one the week before that,” Struzik said smiling. “We had a play there where we didn’t back up home. I jokingly said ‘Oh, we’ll work on that in practice.’ It’s a balance between practicing and resting.”
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