By Kyle Conklin
GENEVA, NY — For the third night in a row the Rochester Ridgemen and Geneva Red Wings faced off and the outcome was no different than the nights before. The Ridgemen completed the sweep of the Wings with a 3-2 victory in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at McDonough Park, Sunday.
Ridgemen starter Timothy Knesnik (SUNY Stony Brook) went seven strong innings giving up just four hits and surrendering one run. Rochester was led at the plate by Joshua Davis (Whitworth College) who was 2-4 with a home run, double, and two runs batted in.
The Ridgmen didn’t waste any time getting going in the top of the first. After a groundout to start the game Taylor Empkey (Eastfield College) singled to reach first base. The next batter Joshua Davis caught a 2-2 pitch and hit a towering fly ball over the right field wall to give Rochester a 2-0 lead after one.
In the top of the second the Ridgeman got on the board again. Nicholas Wolyniec (Siena College) led off the inning with a single to right that got by the Wings left fielder allowing Wolyniec to get all the way to third. Josh Turner (Patrick Henry CC) was able to plate the third run of the game for the Ridgemen with an RBI groundout to the second baseman.
The Red Wings matched the Ridgemen run in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a two-out base hit to right by short stop Dustin Stuck (Alvernia University) scoring Kenny Rabin (Pomona Pitzer College) and making the score 3-1 after two.
In the bottom of the fifth inning the Wings threatened but couldn’t put across a run. After Stuck walked to start the inning, Zak Worsley (North Park University) placed a perfect bunt to reach base without a throw. However the threat was quickly distinguished when Vernon Trice III (Oglethorpe University) laced a line drive to the first baseman who doubled off Worsley for the final out of the inning.
Geneva scratched across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to make it 3-2. Zak Worsley started off the inning with a one out single to left field. After a fly out by Trice for out number two Worsley stole second to move into scoring position. Andrew Gronski (Case Western Reserve) then singled to left to score Worsley and pull the Wings within one.
However that would be it for the home team the rest of the way. Ridgemen reliever Clinton King (Mississippi Valley State) worked a scoreless inning and a third for the save and closed out the win for Rochester retiring the Wings’ batters 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.
With the win the Ridgemen improve to 8-16 as the Red Wings fall to 11-12. The teams now move into the all-star break which will take place at McDonough Park in Geneva July 9th. Team Second Impact and team Roberto’s Kids will square off at 7:00, however festivities will get under way at approximately 1:30. For more information on the game visit the NYCBL website.
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