By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Garett Wilson wanted a second chance.
The Webster Thomas third baseman went hitless through his first four at-bats of Friday’s Section V Class A1 semifinal. An error put him on base in the third, but he was eventually thrown out at the plate.
Then in the eighth inning with the Titans looking to make a one-run lead stand, Wilson fielded a ground ball but his ensuing throw to second base was off the mark. The runner who would have been out on a force, scored the tying run two plays later.
Wilson’s opportunity came in the ninth inning and he took advantage with a two-run single.
“I was just having an all-round rough day,” the senior said. “I went into that at-bat and I was just like you know what, ‘I’m going to swing as hard as I can at any ball I see that’s down the middle or outside.’ I saw the first one and missed it. I didn’t think about it at all. Got back up and just ripped the next pitch I saw.”
Wilson brought home Josh Butka and Nate Hill on the play. Hill’s run proved to be the game winner as No. 5 Thomas defeated No. 1 Churchville-Chili, 8-5 in Section V Class A1 semifinal action, Friday.
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Two outs and four batters later, starting pitcher Shane Talbot drove in two more with a single of his own, and the Titans were on their way to a second straight sectional finals appearance.
“Kids did a great job,” Thomas head coach Kevin Neenan said. “Their demeanor, their effort and their intensity. They just love each other. It’s great to see them battle and the toughness. I just thought our kids just did a great job hanging in there.”
Talbot threw eight-plus innings for the win. He left six on base through the first three frames and didn’t have a clean inning until the sixth. But the sophomore southpaw never gave into any given situation.
“He does the little things for you,” Neenan said. “Even when guys get on, he doesn’t get rattled. He just keeps throwing strikes. We had to make some plays. Thought the kids did a good job with it.”
It appeared Talbot supplied the game-winning at-bat in the eighth when his squeeze bunt scored Eddie Frusci for a 3-2 Thomas lead.
Churchville responded in the home half. Michael Sardou led with a single to centerfield. Anthony Shortino followed with a ground ball, and Wilson’s error put runners on first and second. Josh Campbell eventually tied the score with a sacrifice fly.
A half-inning later, Thomas sent nine to the plate in the decisive frame. Wilson’s at-bat was the centerpiece.
“He’ll make that play 99 out of 100 times,” Neenan said of the fielding miscue. “He’s automatic, especially with the arm. It just didn’t go his way. He came up and I said ‘Listen, it doesn’t matter what happened the first eight innings, you got another chance right here.’ He went up and did his job. He got a fastball to drive. That was just good to see it. It’s nice to see a kid who works hard, makes a mistake but is able to redeem himself and he did. I’m proud of him.”
Thomas started the scoring with two runs in the second. Mason Lawyer’s RBI groundout brought in Nate Zicari. Mike Zicari plated Talbot with a two-out double for the early advantage.
Churchville cut the lead in half in the fourth. Shortino doubled to right center and scored on Zach Miner’s two-single.
The Saints knotted the game in the fifth. Cooper Romich started the stanza with a two-bagger and came home on Danny Derleth’s sacrifice fly.
The game stayed that way until the eighth.
Churchville rallied in the bottom of the ninth.
Romich and Justin Meister connected on back-to-back singles to open the frame. The Saints loaded the bases with no outs and brought in two runs.
Nick Olmo got the last three outs for the Titans.
Talbot finished 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBI at the plate. Mason Lawyer went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Nate Zicari had a pair of hits, reached base three times and scored twice.
Romich paced the Churchville (15-7) offense going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Meister was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Miner had two hits in four at-bats with a walk. Shortino also had two base knocks. Derleth started and threw eight innings for the Saints. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks.
Thomas (11-11) advances to meet crosstown rival Webster Schroeder in Tuesday’s A1 championship game.
“How many times do you see a .500 team going into a sectional final?” Wilson remarked. “We did our job. We were all in all game.
“We just came out and finished the game strong. We didn’t let anybody get in our heads. We had a great game in the end. I’m glad we cleaned it up and made the plays.”
A year ago, Thomas was making the program’s first sectional final appearance since 2012. Last year’s title was the Titans’ first since 2005.
On Monday, Neenan’s squad has a chance to win back-to-back titles. Something Thomas baseball has not yet accomplished.
“We had some ups and downs a little bit, but we kept talking about it,” the ninth-year head coach commented. “We played a tough schedule. These kids have been tested. We lost to some good teams. We just kept telling the kids to stay the course. We had a good week of practice. Now we’re 1-0, 2-0. We’re going at it with that mantra – one game at a time.”
Tuesday’s championship is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch at Frontier Field.
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