(Pittsford, NY) Less than twenty-four hours after surrendering twelve unearned runs on nine team errors, the Penfield Patriots JV baseball team rebounded in remarkable fashion, putting on a sparkling, mistake-free defensive show in a narrow 5-3 victory over Pittsford Sutherland. James Tantalo was efficient on the mound – scattering eight hits over five and one third innings of work to earn the win. P.J. Gerlach converted the Patriots first save opportunity of the season by striking out the potential tying run for the last out of the contest.
Pittsford actually outhit Penfield for the game 8-7 but the visitors took advantage of the host team’s inconsistency on the mound to score four runs in a two-hit, three-walk opening inning. After a fly out to center field, Mick Ercole reached on a flare single to short right field and moved into scoring position on a line drive single into right field from Tantalo. A walk to Zach Cicero loaded the bases and Jake Shattuck followed with a ground ball to the shortstop for an RBI error to bring Ercole home. Robbie Mabee then reached on a fielder’s choice groundout, driving in Tantalo for an RBI. A walk to Paul Watrobski loaded the bases again and Brian Colombo extended the inning with a ground ball to the third baseman that was misplayed for an error – allowing Cicero to cross the plate.
Sutherland answered with a run in the bottom half of the first as the leadoff batter reached first on a walk and promptly stole second base. Following a line drive out to center field, another line drive single to center put runners on the corners. The cleanup hitter then followed with a deep drive to center field for a sacrifice fly to plate the first run for Pittsford. A come-backer to the box brought the inning to a close.
From the second through fifth innings, each team played solid defense and neither team mounted any serious threat. Tantalo stroked a ground ball single through the right side in the second inning, Mabee drove a ground ball single past the third base bag in the third, Ercole led off with a double down the third base line in the fourth, and Mabee led off the fifth with a line drive single to center field – but none were able to score.
Both Penfield pitchers benefitted from alert and athletic play from their defense. The Pittsford sixth inning leadoff batter reached on an infield single – and when the throw went wide of first baseman, Trevor Quiel, he attempted to advance to second base on the same play. Quiel’s lightning-quick retrieval of the errant throw and subsequent perfect strike to second base erased that runner – for those of you keeping score, record that as an infield single and 6-3-6 put out. Gerlach then entered the game after Tantalo served up a double to the next batter. After a wild pitch to bring the runner to third, Gerlach induced a comeback grounder to the mound for the second out of the inning. A walk to the next batter put the potential tying run aboard, but Mabee snuffed out the threat with an outstanding fielding play on the next batter. Ranging to his far right toward the third base bag, he laid out to snag a hot grounder, quickly got up, and threw over to Ercole for the inning ending force out at second.
The Pats were finally able to tack on an insurance run in the seventh inning. Mabee drew a one-out walk and quickly stole second. Greg Travers followed with a ground ball single to left field and Mabee took advantage of the outfielder bobbling the ball to race home with an unearned run for the Patriot’s fifth and last run of the game. Gerlach made things interesting in the bottom half of the inning by issuing consecutive walks to the first two batters of the inning. A Mabee-to-Ercole fielder’s choice groundout was good for the first out of the inning, sending the lead runner to third on the play. The next batter lifted a fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly and brought the potential tying run to the plate. But Gerlach responded by coolly fanning the last batter and bringing the game to a close.
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