Keagle hurls 1-hit shutout; MCC salvages split

By PAUL GOTHAM

HENRIETTA, N.Y. — Jack Keagle (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) labored through the first four batters he faced in Game 2 of Tuesday’s NJCAA Division II doubleheader.

The freshman left-hander walked the first that came to the plate. He hit the next and eventually loaded the bases with one out.

A short appearance on the mound seemed to be in the works. Four innings later, he was looking to etch his name in the record books and in the process add to the family line.

Keagle struck out seven and took a no-hitter into the fifth inning as Monroe Community College Baseball (12-11) rebounded from a loss in Game 1 with a decisive 10-0 victory over Lackawanna College (18-19) in a mercy-rule shortened nightcap.

“I got to give credit to my defense,” he said. “They helped me out in a couple spots. I had to just go and attack hitters.”

Keagle escaped the first-inning jam with a pair of strike outs then retired the next six batters he faced (eight straight in all) and allowed one ball out of the infield during that stretch.

“I started feeling a groove after I got out of the first inning,” he said. “It was a tough first inning. I was able to bounce back. After that, it just came together.”

Jack Keagle gets the ground ball. Tobey Wright makes the play from short. Heading to the bottom of the fourth of Game 2: ⁦@TribuneBaseball⁩ 9 Lackawanna College 0. pic.twitter.com/BVHD8k7btM

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 16, 2024

Jack Keagle finishes off a five-inning, one-hit shutout with his seventh strike out. FINAL Game 2: ⁦@TribuneBaseball⁩ 10 Lackawanna 0 pic.twitter.com/EuRZdCdj6R

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 16, 2024

Lackawanna came into the game ranked 15th in NJCAA Division II with a team batting average of .338. Their team slugging percentage of .514 put the Scranton, Pa. school in the top 20. Against Keagle, the Falcons could only manage weak contact.

“It was a great outing for ‘Keags,'” said MCC head coach Dave Brust. “Once he got on a roll and started pitching ahead, he found his command and found his confidence. His curveball is plus, as they say. It’s got depth. He threw it for strikes and then started landing the fastball for strikes. He was throwing hard.”

Brust made a visit to the mound in the first inning after Keagle walked his second batter to load the bases. Usually those trips include a catcher joining the discussion. Brust motioned for Tribune backstop CJ Phelps (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) to stay behind home plate.

“We had a conversation about this being an opportunity. He adjusted. Once he did that, he found his rhythm.”

Vincent Proietto snapped the no-hit bid with a one-out single in the fifth. Keagle erased the runner on the basepaths when he threw over to first and the Tribunes infield executed a rundown. He finished off the game with a strike out.

The outing was the longest of the season for Keagle who improved his record to 1-1.

Keagle’s dad, Greg, pitched for MCC in the early 1990s. The elder Keagle hurled a no-hitter against Genesee Community College in 1991.

“We were talking about that the other day,” the younger Keagle said. “I’m so grateful (to be wearing this uniform). At the end of the day, I’m so blessed to still be playing the game.”

Brust credited second-year players Connor Sackett (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport High), Tobey Wright (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) and Phelps with the bounce-back effort in Game 2.

“We could have easily rolled over. I thought the sophomores really stepped up.”

Wright went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. The multi-hit effort was the third straight and sixth this season for the Tribune shortstop who is hitting .342. A year ago, Wright led MCC hitting at a .415 clip. He had eight multi-hit performances in the first 15 games before an ACL injury on April 2nd ended his season.

Wright was 3-for-4 with two RBI in Game 1 (an 11-8 loss).

“His maturity is starting to kick in,” Brust said. “He’s comfortable being expected to hit in the three-hole. He’s expected to lead the charge on the offense. He’s comfortable with that now. His runs batted in are sky-rocketing. That’s been an area of growth for him. He’s become comfortable at shortstop. He’s making the routine plays, routinely.”

Sackett was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. This coming after a 2-for-5 performance with a solo home run and two runs scored in Game 1. Sackett leads the Tribunes with a .453 batting average along with an on-base percentage of .500 and slugging off .925.

Phelps finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Paul Fiene (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./ Sachem HS) was 1-for-2 with a double, walk, RBI and run scored. Joe Grzeskowiak (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Evan Brock (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Lucas Brown (Toronto, ON/Humberside Collegiate) singled, walked and scored twice in the win.

Grzeskowiak was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in Game 1. Fiene went 3-for-3 with three RBI in the opener. Kaleb Juliano (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) singled, walked and scored. Brock and Alex Simons (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) both walked and scored. Joe Wintermute (Irondequoit, N.Y./Irondequoit High) drove in a run.

Monroe travels to Mohawk Valley CC for a doubleheader on Thursday. A 2 PM first pitch is scheduled.

In 1991, Greg Keagle went 6-2 with a 3.85 ERA and 70 strike outs in 42 innings pitched for the Tribunes. The following year, the native of Corning was 4-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 64 strike outs in 41 innings. He went on to pitch at Florida International. San Diego selected Keagle in the 1993 MLB draft. In 1994, he posted an 11-1 record for Rancho Cucamonga of the California League. He eventually made 46 MLB appearances with Detroit from 1996 to 1998.