By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Pittsford Mendon head coach Shaun Caveny took one of his two timeouts with two-on and two outs in the fifth inning of Monday’s Section V Class A2 quarter-final.
Noah Lerner-Morelle took advantage of the break in the action.
Trailing 2-1, Lerner-Morelle drove in two including the go-ahead run with a double, and the No. 9 Vikings went on to defeat top-seeded East, 10-2.
“He just wanted to give me time to breathe, just wanted to give me a second,” Lerner-Morelle said. “I really haven’t been hitting that well this year. He goes ‘let’s just hit a ball today,’ and that’s what I did.”
Noah Lerner-Morelle drops a two-out, two-run bloop double just inside the left field line to give @MendonVikinBase a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Lerner-Morelle comes home on a wild pitch. Mendon 4-2. pic.twitter.com/n3OzCECsRD
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 22, 2023
It was the first of two hits on the day for the nine-hole hitter who drove in five runs.
“Right there, we needed to cash in, needed to slow everything down,” Caveny said. “That’s him executing. That’s him putting himself in that situation and being able to come through for the team.”
The bloop double that touched just inside the left-field line scored Jaden Singer and Ari Goldstein on the play.
“I came into the game today just being like ‘I’m going to swing the bat. That’s what I did. I put it oppo and it ended up working out.”
The senior centerfielder brought in two insurance runs in his next at-bat with a two-out single to cap a four-run sixth.
Noah Lerner-Morelle does it again. Senior outfielder plates two with a two-out single. Mendon 8-2 in the sixth. pic.twitter.com/K4Z59FQoeA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 22, 2023
“I just put my bat out there,” he said of his second opposite-field hit. “It wasn’t the greatest, a little sloppy, but it got the job done. I’m happy with it.”
Ryan Downing made good on the runs that his offense produced. The senior right-hander allowed one hit over the final four innings of the game and did not allow a runner past first for the last three innings.
In his previous outing, Downing went the distance in a 2-1 loss to Webster Schroeder – a game that Mendon had a runner thrown out at the plate for the final out.
“He grinds out his appearances and gets the most out of it,” Caveny said. “Thankfully, our offense came through and gave him some support today.”
Downing struck out seven without issuing a walk. After giving up a run in the first and another in third, he kept the East hitters off-balance with a consistent fastball-curveball mix.
Ryan Downing finishes it off with his seventh strike out. Mendon 10 East 2 (final Class A2) pic.twitter.com/z5rA2rg6uG
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 22, 2023
“Earlier in the game I was settling in with my curveball and locating it,” Downing said. “After those first couple of innings, I felt like I was doing a lot better of a job with that.”
And he waited patiently for his offense to deliver.
“We got a bunch of dogs on this team. I knew the hits were going to come. I knew the runs were going to come. It was a matter of when.”
Jack Albanese was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the win. Singer reached base three times and scored twice. Goldstein also crossed home on two occasions. Nate Perrone doubled and scored two runs. Aidan Lerner-Morelle singled, walked and scored a run. Colden Forney also came home.
East’s Justus Robinson went 2-for-4 and scored both of the Eagles’ runs. Yoelvis Cabrera and Pedro Garcia were 1-for-3 apiece in the game. Kyle Markham also had a single. East starter Miguel Matos struck out six in five-plus innings of work. The junior right-hander retired the first six batters he faced.
Pedro Garcia delivers with a two-out RBI single through the box. Justus Robinson scores on the play. East 2-1 in the third. A2 quarters pic.twitter.com/3PdojxVSGD
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 22, 2023
Mendon advances to play No. 5 Honeoye Falls-Lima in the semifinals.
“Nervous going into these sectional games,” Lerner-Morelle said. “I want to go all the way this year. This is a great team, love my teammates. I’m just trying to keep it going as long as I can.”
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