Sherron and Wesseling hurl MCC to DH sweep

By PAUL GOTHAM 

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Patrick Sherron (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) hurled his second complete game of the season while Hayden Wesseling (Guelph, ON/Bishop MacDonell Catholic) took a perfect game into the fifth as the Monroe Community College baseball team swept Finger Lakes CC (4-2/4-0) in NJCAA Region III cross-division action on Saturday.

Sherron struck out five. On three occasions, the 5-foot-11 right-hander ended an inning by setting down the final batter on strikes – twice with runners in scoring position. He allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks and improved to 2-1 in his sixth start of the season.

Wesseling allowed three balls out of the infield through the first four innings. The right-hander recorded two of his four strike outs on the day through those first 12 batters he faced and ran his record to 3-0.

“Quality starts from Pat Sherron and Hayden Wesseling,” MCC head coach Dave Brust said. “They were outstanding. Strike throwers who controlled the running game and created ground ball outs.”

Wesseling issued a one-out walk in the fifth and received some help from his defense when third baseman Trevor Gineau (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) threw out FLCC’s Tyler Cerame (Hilton, NY/Hilton) trying to extend a single into a double.

Heading to the bottom of the fifth: ⁦@TribuneBaseball⁩ looking for a DH sweep with a 3-0 lead over ⁦@FLCCBaseball⁩ pic.twitter.com/6dkMtEZEzT

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 16, 2022

The Lakers put the first two aboard in the sixth against Wessseling, and Brust went to his bullpen.

Griffin Dietrich (Buffalo, NY/Orchard Park) responded and allowed a single before ending the threat with a pair of strike outs.

“He had to grind for those,” Brust said of the strike outs to end the sixth. “He did a phenomenal job and has been all year. He’s been put in incredibly tough situations. He generally gets it done.”

Dietrich’s effort came two days after Niagara County CC touched the right-hander for five runs (four earned) on four hits and one walk over an inning of work in a 6-2 loss in the first game of double header setback to the Thunderwolves.

“He had a tough situation at Niagara,” Brust said. “He needed some plays made behind him that didn’t happen for him. It wasn’t even necessarily a bad outing. He needed his defense to help him. Sometimes that doesn’t happen, but he bounced back. Holy smokes! I can’t say enough about his mental strength to be able to bounce back two days later.”

Dietrich fanned two more in the seventh on Saturday for his third save in 10 appearances.

“He keeps his heart-rate low,” Brust said of his closer. “He doesn’t get worked up. He comes in and throws strikes and he’s effective.”

Griffin Dietrich leaves the bases loaded with a pair of Ks. Heading to the bottom of the 6th: ⁦@TribuneBaseball⁩ 4 FLCC 0 pic.twitter.com/Z6VwjCxBhe

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 16, 2022

Patrick May (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) highlighted a two-run fourth inning with an RBI triple. Ryan Stewart (Auburn, NY/Auburn) and Gineau led the frame with back-to-back singles. One out later, Dylan Wanat (Buffalo, NY/Williamsville North) snapped a two-all tie with an RBI groundout, and May added an insurance run with the two-out knock.

Gineau finished 3-for-5 on the day. He scored two runs in Game 1 and added another in the nightcap.

Gineau and Avery Bowens (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) both reached on a hit by pitch to open the third inning of Game 2. Joe Wintermute (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit) loaded the bases with a single, and Ben Beauchamp (Rochester, N.Y./ McQuaid Jesuit) brought in a run with a walk. Connor Kiefer (Buffalo, NY/City Honors) made it a 2-0 game with an RBI single.

Bowens connected on a one-out solo shot in the fourth.

Beauchamp was hit by a pitch with a one out in the fifth, stole second and scored on a two-out single from Max Schmarder (Buffalo, NY/Olmstead).

Max Schmarder plates Ben Beauchamp with a 2-out single. ⁦@TribuneBaseball⁩ 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. pic.twitter.com/VDOerejjXB

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 16, 2022

“We did cash in at opportune times,” Brust noted. “Our best defense is tacking on runs. Keeping a team four, five runs away is asking a lot for a team to come back.”

Beauchamp, tied for fifth in the nation hitting .500 on the season, went 2-for-4 on the day with a walk.

Wintermute was 3-for-6 and reached base five times in the twin bill with a walk and hit by pitch.

FLCC’s Tim McClare (Macedon, NY/Gananda) started and struck out three over five innings of work in Game 2.

Cerame finished 3-for-6 on the day. Lucas Sulimowicz (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) reached base four times all on walks.

FLCC (23-13) had won eight straight before dropping a 5-4 decision to Herkimer CC – in a game that was suspended after five innings due to rain –  in the opener of a doubleheader on Thursday.

“Finger Lakes pitched really well,” Brust said. “They don’t give anything away. They play solid defense.”

MCC (13-9-1) hosts Erie CC on Monday for a 4 pm first pitch.