By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Three weeks prior, Livonia’s Bulldogs scored early and often in a 14-0 win over league rival Wayland-Cohocton. Friday afternoon at Innovative Field, the Bulldogs were still looking for their first run of the game in the sixth inning.
Jack Kearney finished 2-for-3 on the day including an RBI double that sparked a five-run sixth, and Livonia went on to win 5-2.
“It was a big moment for everybody,” Kearney said of his two-bagger that one-hopped the fence in left field. “I never lose trust in my guys. I know we can always pull it out. We’ve done it time and time again. You always got to trust in your boys to pull out the win.”
Jack Kearney one-hops the fence in left to get Livonia on the board. Connor Benitez scores from first on the play. pic.twitter.com/wTSml9K8MX
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 5, 2023
Starting pitcher Connor Benitez scored from first on the play, and Kearney came around with the tying run one batter later on a double from clean-up hitter Alex Benitez. Matt Bean provided the go-ahead run with a single to left field.
By the time the inning ended, Livonia’s first five batters reached base, and the next two that came to the plate advanced runners with sacrifices.
“We had great at-bats,” head coach Scott Gilman said. “Up to that point, our at-bats had been pretty poor. They worked the count. They waited for the pitch to come in, and we got some big hits in that inning.”
Connor Benitez struck out 14 in a complete-game effort on the mound. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks as Livonia (8-4) won its third straight and seventh in the past eight.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
“Obviously, when you get a big win like we did first time against them, you think you’re just going to roll over them again,” Benitez said. “That’s a good team. You got to be ready to play.”
The senior right-hander struck out five through the first two innings and stranded two-out hits in both frames. He worked a clean third before running into trouble in the fourth.
An error in the outfield was the first of three straight Wayland-Cohocton batters to reach base. Charlie Mulford brought in Ethan Loop with a base hit. Charlie Feinman beat out a bunt single and eventually scored on a wild pitch to give Wayland-Cohocton a 2-0 lead.
“A little mental flush in between innings was really good for me,” Benitez said. “Their hits weren’t anything special. I knew we could beat that team.
“It was scary there for a little bit. The bats were a little slow today coming off the bus.”
He responded with three shutout innings.
“I brought him up as a 10th-grader, and he pitched very well for us,” Gilman said. “He’s just gotten better and better each year. The biggest difference between even last year and this year is he’s not walking batters. He’s coming at hitters. That’s why he’s gotten better.”
Gilman noted a slight adjustment in his starter’s approach to Friday’s contest.
“We just pounded that fastball. You could see Wayland had difficulty with it. They got a couple punch shots. He didn’t throw a lot of curveballs. The first time we played them, he was throwing a lot of curveballs against them. This time we kinda worked backward and went after them with a lot of fastballs.”
Both teams came into the game with identical league records of 3 wins and 1 loss.
Matt Bean gives Livonia its first lead of the day. Alex Benitez scores on the play. The first five Bulldogs have reached in the sixth. pic.twitter.com/rZBtdf0Lqg
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 5, 2023
“That’s a big one,” Gilman said of the win. “We beat them twice now, so if it comes down to a tie we win the league title.”
Wayland-Cohocton (9-2) had won six straight heading into Friday’s contest. The Golden Eagles only other loss being the drubbing at the hands of Livonia. Starting pitcher Michael Gammel retired nine of 11 batters heading into the sixth
“We know it’s baseball, and they’re right across town,” Kearney said. “They know we come with everything we got, and they come with the same thing. It’s always a tough game. Last game was a fluke for them. They made a lot more errors than they did today. We pulled it out, played good defense. Connor pitched a great game. It was a fun time to be out here.”
Luke Fasso went 3-for-3 and capped the decisive inning with an RBI single that brought home Bean. Brady O’Keefe singled and scored in the sixth. Aidan O’Keefe had an RBI sacrifice fly in the frame, Kaiden O’Connor put runners on second and third with a sacrifice bunt.
Livonia travels to play at Le Roy on Saturday.
Wayland-Cohocton hosts Wellsville on Monday.
Leave a Reply