By PAUL GOTHAM
Jack Keagle (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon HS) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and logged his longest career appearance, but it wasn’t enough as Monroe Community College Baseball (25-17) lost to UConn-Avery Point (UCAP), 3-2 in the third and deciding game of the 2025 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) East Sub-District Series, Sunday at Tribune Field.
With the loss, MCC’s season comes to an end.
Keagle struck out seven while issuing three walks in his fifth start of the season.
“That was a great outing,” said Monroe CC head coach Dave Brust. “That’s the biggest game we had in years, and he has been a big-game pitcher for us. He didn’t flinch today.”
Keagle walked the second batter he faced then retired 12 straight.
“I’m so proud of him,” Brust said. “His breaking stuff was excellent. At times, his fastball was over-powering because he kept them off-balance.”
UCAP scored two runs on three hits in the sixth. Keagle left two on base with a strike out. The sophomore left-hander then worked a scoreless seventh. He pitched to one batter in the eighth.
“It just says a lot about his competitiveness, his maturity and his will to win,” Brust said. “He gave us everything he had today.”
Monroe tied the score in the sixth when the first four reached base with singles.
Braedon Reina (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville HS) led with an infield base hit. Miguel Matos (Rochester, N.Y./East HS) singled through the right side. Tobey Wright (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) and Evan Brock (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) connected on back-to-back RBI singles. Michael Sardou (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili HS) grounded out to put runners on second and third with one out, but the Tribunes did not capitalize any further.
MCC looked poised to take a lead in the seventh.
Reina reached with two outs when he was hit by a pitch and stole second. The next batter, Matos laced a line drive up the middle that UCAP shortstop Will Estronza made a diving stop to end the inning and keep the game tied.
Brock reached with one out in the eighth on a two-base error. The sophomore second baseman advanced to third but was left stranded.
UCAP scored the deciding run in the top of the ninth.
“I thought if we could take a tie game into the ninth, we could do it,” Brust said. “Of course, we had to get a run. That’s a whole set of circumstances.”
Wright finished 2-for-3 at the plate. Jadon Wanat (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North HS) accounted for a single.
Keagle was 4-2 with two saves this season and 7-3 for his career including a one-hit shutout against Lackawanna. A second-year generation player at MCC, Keagle’s dad, Greg, pitched for Hall-of-Fame coach, Dave Chamberlain. The elder Keagle went on to pitch three years in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers.
Avery Point (25-6) advances to the NJCAA Division II East District Championship at Lackawanna College (May 16-18). Opponent and time of the first game are TBA.
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