Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Pittsford Sutherland outlasts Amherst in 13-inning marathon

by Leave a Comment

By STEVE BRADLEY

GRAND ISLAND – As soon as the ball left the bat of Adam Sarzynski with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning on Saturday, Sammy Renica knew that the future of Pittsford Sutherland’s baseball season was in his hands and – eventually – his glove.

Renica, a senior left fielder, ran full speed and made an acrobatic catch just before the ball found a spot on the Grand Island High School turf to preserve a scoreless tie in the Class A Far West Regional.

“I knew that I had to dive because it was do or die,” said Renica, whose sunglasses went flying on the play. “When I dove for it, the ball hit the palm of my glove, bounced up and hit my bicep and then I was able to grab it and hold onto it.”

The web gem allowed the Knights to extend the game and their state title dreams. Sutherland scored two runs in the top of the 13th inning and sophomore Chase Dermody worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam to secure the 2-0 victory and earn a trip to the state semifinals.

“That was one of the craziest games that I have ever been a part of in my life,” Sutherland coach Brandon DeRosa said. “I am just beyond proud of my guys and how they stayed with it, persevered and found a way.”

The game featured an incredible matchup between standout senior starting pitchers C.J. Hurley of Amherst (14-9) and Paul Byrne of Sutherland (18-6).

Hurley, a lefty who will play at Niagara University, entered the game with a 0.58 ERA and worked 10 1/3 innings before reaching his pitch limit. He struck out 11 and allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batsmen while recording 31 outs on 127 pitches.

Byrne, a right-hander who is headed to perennial Division III power SUNY-Cortland, struck out 14 and allowed 3 hits in 9 1/3 innings while surrendering four walks (one intentionally) on 130 pitches.

“We couldn’t do much against their pitcher and Paul did what Paul has done for us all year,” DeRosa said. “He has been a horse for us. Both of those guys were outstanding.”

The first seven innings took just 90 minutes to play as Hurley and Byrne both allowed just two hits. Sutherland’s first two runners reached in the third, but Hurley sandwiched two strikeouts around a flyout to end the threat. Ryan Munzinger, who was hit by a pitch, advanced to third with two outs in the third but was stranded.

 Amherst did not have a runner advance past second base until the 11th inning as the Tigers used a lead-off walk, one-out single and two-out walk to set the table for Sarzynski, who was 2-for-4 entering the at-bat, before Renica made a SportsCenter-worthy snag.

“Sammy is a kid that will run through a brick wall for you,” DeRosa said. “We have to hold him back at times in practice because he likes to dive so much, but this was the state regional and he laid out to make a game-saving catch.”

Renica also used his legs to start the winning rally, drawing a one-out walk in the top of the 13th. He took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a balk.

Munzinger drew a one-out walk and broke for second before the Tigers could throw a pitch to Max Vorrasi. Munzinger kept the Amherst defense occupied in a rundown and Renica read the play perfectly, breaking for home as soon as the Tigers made a throw in an attempt to get Munsinger out.

The throw to the plate was wild, allowing Renica to score and Munzinger to go all the way to third.

“We do a lot of base-running in practice, we worked on it all day yesterday,” Renica said.

“It worked to perfection,” DeRosa said.

The Knights added their second run on a wild pitch and then held on in the bottom of the 13th as Amherst used a hit batsman and a pair of walks to load the bases with one out.

Dermody, a sophomore, relieved classmate Sam Byrne after the leadoff batter reached in the 13th and retired the final two batters on a flyout to left and strikeout to end the game.

Sam Byrne worked 2 2/3 innings in relief of his older brother to earn the win and Dermody recorded the final three outs for the save.

“I have never, ever been a part of a game like this,” said Paul Byrne, who has an 8-2 record with a 1.46 earned-run average and 98 strikeouts this season. “It’s definitely harder to watch than it is to pitch but I had full confidence in both Sam and Chase. They have been doing the job all year and they did it again today.”

Tyler Allen had two hits for Pittsford and Renica, Vorrasi and Tyler Brown each added one.

The Knights, who have won five games in a row, improve to 6-4 in Far West Regional play and advance to the state semis for the first time since 2017, DeRosa’s first season as coach.

Sutherland, which won the state Class A title in 2010, will play Kings Park-XI in the state semifinals at 7 p.m. on Friday at Union-Endicott High School.

“We’re excited,” said Renica, who plans to study Business at the University of Dayton in the fall. “2010 is a long time ago. We want to go out with a bang.”

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *