By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Lucas Brown (Toronto, ON/Humberside Collegiate Institute) capped a late-inning rally with a walk-off single as host Monroe Community College defeated Genesee Community College, 6-5 in NJCAA Baseball action on Friday.
Trailing 5-4, Brown delivered a two-out base hit that brought home Ryan Stewart (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn High) and Avery Bowens (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) with the tying and winning runs.
“It was like a weight came off my shoulders,” the freshman shortstop said. “I didn’t have the best day, but I knew that if I came up with that hit, it would all be erased and what would be remembered was that final moment.”
After falling behind O-and-2, Brown worked the count full before delivering the game winner.
“First pitch was perfect, a bit low where I like the ball,” he said. “I swung through it.
“Fouled off the second pitch. I felt like I had a really good swing at that one. I felt like if I had another shot at a pitch like that one, I could get a barrel to it. All I was thinking was protect the zone and don’t let him in.”
Stewart reached on hit by pitch to lead off the seventh. Bowens, who came on as a pinch hitter, worked a base on balls. Joe Grzeskowiak (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Brown.
“I knew since the bases were loaded he had to come at me with a fastball, so I geared up for it. Got ready and he threw it in a spot where I could obviously get the barrel to it. I put a good swing on it and got lucky. When I hit that ball, I knew we had just won the game.”
Brown’s hit brought to an end a come-from-behind effort which saw Monroe (13-22) score five unanswered runs after falling behind 5-1 in the fifth inning.
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“The guys bounced back,” Monroe head coach Dave Brust said. “I’m certainly happy they did that. That needed to happen. I’m happy for Lucas Brown. To get a big hit, he needed that.”
The walk-off win was the third this season for Monroe which defeated Niagara County CC with a Bowens walk-off and Tobey Wright clinched a doubleheader sweep of Cayuga CC in similar fashion.
“They did what they had to do,” Brust said. “They chipped away. They hung around.”
Connor Sackett (Rochester, N.Y./Fairport High) walked to lead the bottom of the fifth and stole second base. Dylan Wanat (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville North) cut the deficit to three when he drove in Sackett with a base hit.
CJ Phelps (Rochester, N.Y/McQuaid Jesuit) worked a base on balls to start the sixth. Grzeskowiak followed with a single. Phelps came around to score when Patrick May (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) reached on a fielder’s choice. May stole second and eventually scored on an error to make it a 5-4 game.
“Our win-loss record has nothing to do with effort,” Brust said. “These guys always play hard, so I would expect them to chip away.
“Where the coach in me struggles is that we miss opportunities to score. Where we could blow open a game or put us on top instead of always chasing. Yes, I want to give them kudos for hanging around and chipping away, but I also don’t want them to forget that they put themselves in precarious situations game after game after game. Situations that they can control.”
Patrick Sherron (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) worked 2.2 innings of relief to pick up the win. The sophomore right-hander was at his best in the seventh when a pair of errors put runners aboard with no outs. He retired the next three in order and ended the threat with a pair of strike outs.
“I’m happy for Pat Sherron,” Brust said. “He had to grind through a very good top of the order for Genesee. Guys were kicking it around behind him. He still kept it together and got out of there with a clean inning. That could have been devastating.”
Ian McNabb (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) started and struck out two without issuing a walk over 4.1 innings. The southpaw allowed four runs on seven hits.
Brown and Wanat both finished 2-for-4 in the game. Stewart was 2-for-3. Sackett had two hits in as many at-bats along with a walk. Phelps scored twice. May had two RBI.
The win came after Monroe dropped the opener 4-2 – a game in which Zach Allen (Greece, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) took a one-hitter into the sixth inning before three consecutive two-out hits proved to be his undoing.
“Zach deserved better,” Brust said. “He pitched beautifully.”
After surrendering a two-run home run in the first, Allen retired the next 11 batters he faced and 16 of 17. The 6-foot-4 right-hander struck out six and allowed two walks.
MCC’s defense behind Allen contributed to the outing with May making a diving stop in the hole between third and short along with a back-handed grab down the line. Second baseman Connor Kiefer (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors) ranged into right field to take away a hit on a humpback liner. Finally, Alex Simons (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) made a sliding stop to take away a sure hit down the first base line.
“A complete game of 90 pitches at the college level, that’s excellent, so Zach deserved better,” Brust added. “The defense behind him was very good, and they generally go hand-in-hand.”
Grzeskowiak singled, walked and drove in two runs in the loss. Kiefer and May both walked and scored. Brown, Sackett and Wanat each had a hit for the Tribunes.
Cooper Hassall (Brockport, N.Y. Brockport High) finished 2-for-3 in Game 1 and gave GCC a first-inning lead with a two-run home run. Vic Alongi (Greece, N.Y./Greece Athena) doubled and drove in two runs for the Cougars. Hassall singled and brought in two runs in the night cap. Alongi plated two with a base hit. Robert McCullough (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) scored a run in Game 2. Korey Canton (Greece, N.Y./Greece Odyssey) hurled two scoreless innings of relief in Game 1.
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