Pickin' Splinters

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Carter’s day: Sutherland edges Brockport

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Thomas Carter (left) and Jack Armanini (right) hold game balls after Pittsford Sutherland’s 2-1 win over Brockport on Friday. (Photo: PAUL GOTHAM)

By PAUL GOTHAM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Through two-and-a-third innings of baseball on Friday evening, Pittsford Sutherland starter Thomas Carter had allowed five baserunners. Hardly the makings of a masterpiece.

After surrendering back-to-back one-out doubles in the third, it appeared Carter’s time on the mound for the day was coming to an end.

Four innings and 14 batters later, the senior right-hander nailed down the final out in Sutherland’s third straight win.

Carter struck out 11, and Jack Armanini plated the go-ahead run in the fifth as host Sutherland (6-2) defeated Brockport (4-7), 2-1.

“Three in a row, it’s huge,” Carter said. “We lost a really tough game to Batavia. That was a big wake-up call. Ever since then, this whole team has woken up, come together and bonded. That’s a really big difference with this team.”

Carter set down the final two batters in the third on strikes to leave a runner in scoring position.

The reality of his pitch count influenced the rest of his outing.

“I was at like 54 or 56 something like that,” he said realizing that state-mandated pitch limits would bring an early end to his day. “I was not happy.”

He made an adjustment of about 30 inches and that was the difference.

“I switched sides of the rubber to hit that outside spot where coach really wants me to live. My fastball kinda tends to run, so if I’m trying to hit that outside spot, and I’m on that right side of the rubber, it tends to tail into the middle of the plate. That’s when the damage gets done.”

Situated on the left side of the slab, he retired all three batters he faced in the fourth and then again in the fifth inning.

“In the fourth, I came out and had that quick inning. I just kept rolling off that. It was like 63 (pitches) after the fourth and I was like, let’s go!”

Carter finished the day setting down 14 of the last 15 batters he faced – seven of those he retired on strikes. He allowed just one ball out of the infield over his final four innings of work.

“That is the culmination of all the work Thomas has put in over the last year,” Sutherland head coach Brandon DeRosa said. “Lost weight, got in shape and has really dedicated himself to the mound. Last year in the third or fourth inning, Thomas was at his max. He started getting wild. This year he is locating very well. He is getting ahead early. His fastball has more pop to it.”

Carter improved to 2-1 on the season. His only loss was the game against Batavia when Sutherland committed six errors. He didn’t make it out the fourth that day giving up eight runs (three earned).

“It’s his confidence, too,” DeRosa added. “That’s the big thing with him. His confidence is through the roof right now. He’s pitched his butt off for us all year so far. As a senior, that’s exactly what you want. In a close game like that, I’m so proud of him. Shutting down 14 out of 15 guys at the end of the game, that’s unheard of that late in the game in high school. Usually guys are fading out at that point. It seems like he got even better as the game went on.”

Sutherland manufactured its first run without a hit. Sam Renica and Owen Osborne worked back-to-back base on balls and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch to start the home half. With Cole Mann swinging, Renica broke on contact and scored on a ground ball to the left side of the infield.

It looked like the Knights would break through in the third when Osborne led with a single, and Andrew Holvey reached on a two-out walk. Armanini followed with a sinking line drive to right field on which Brockport’s Cooper Harvey made a back-handed play to end the threat.

Armanini wasn’t to be denied a second time.

Hitting out of the six-hole, the senior third baseman connected on a one-out single that brought home Mann with the eventual game winner.

“Coach always tells us that baseball is a short-term memory game,” Armanini said. “You can’t dwell on the past because it will bite you in the butt then next time you got to make a play. You just got to be confident in yourself the whole game.”

Mann led the fifth with a double. Holvey put runners on the corners to set up Armanini who singled through the right side of the infield.

“I didn’t really think about it too much,” Armanini said of his previous at-bat. “I just play and let my game do the talking. Luckily it squeaked through and I got an RBI on the play.”

Osborne and Ryan Munzinger both finished 2-for-3 on the day.

Brockport’s Brayden Scaccia went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. David D’Ambrosia doubled and had an RBI.

Scaccia also struck out two over 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. He took over on the mound with two on and one out in the fifth. He set down the first two batters he faced. He retired eight of nine that came to the plate against him.

Harvey also had a single for Brockport.

Blue Devil starter Andrew Wilson struck out three over 4.1 innings. The senior right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and five walks.

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