(Penfield, NY) The Penfield Patriot JV baseball team capitalized on unsteady Brockport pitching in the fifth inning, combining two hits with four Eagles’ walks to break open a close game, in coasting to a 12-5 victory on the varsity diamond at Penfield High School. Brian Chernak overcame control problems of his own, walking six and allowing four earned runs, but helped his cause by picking off two Brockport base runners and starting a second inning 1-2-3 double play in earning the victory. Eight Patriot batters collected hits on the afternoon highlighted by Mick Ercole with a four-hit, two-RBI, three-run effort; two hits, an RBI, and two runs from Paul Watrobski; and a double and two RBIs each from Robbie Mabee and Patrick Hartnett.
Brockport threatened at the start of the game with a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt to put a runner into scoring position. However, an excellent catch after a long run by right fielder, Greg Travers, and a popout to catcher Hartnett snuffed out the scoring opportunity.
Penfield went right to work in the bottom of the first when Ercole stroked the first of his four singles of the game with one out and moved to second on a pitcher’s balk. Following a 6-3 groundout, James Tantalo sent a line drive single into right field to bring Ercole home for the first run of the game.
Brockport tied it in the second inning, loading the bases with a single sandwiched by a pair of walks. An RBI single then tied the contest, but Chernak escaped further damage by fielding a soft grounder hit to the middle. A throw to Hartnett at the plate erased the potential go ahead run with a forceout, and the throw up the first base line to Jake Shattuck completed the double play. Chernak closed out the inning by inducing a popout back to the mound.
The Pats erupted for four runs in the bottom half of the frame starting with a Travers single into short right field. Two pitches later had him standing safely at second following a stolen base, and a passed ball brought him to third. Watrobski then drove an RBI single to the left center gap to plate Travers, and he too ended up at second base on a steal. One out later, Hartnett reached on the second baseman’s error which allowed Watrobski to score from second. A Chernak fielder’s choice brought him aboard and the Patriots collected their third stolen base of the inning as he promptly swiped second. Ercole followed with his second single, driving in Chernak, and Mabee sent a deep RBI double to center field with Ercole scoring all the way from first base.
The Eagles JV team was up for a fight, though, and answered back with two runs in the visitor’s half of the third. The inning had an ominous start with walks to the first two batters followed by a first baseman’s error on a sacrifice bunt attempt to load the bases. The next batter greeted Chernak with an RBI single, but Penfield picked up an out on the play as Watrobski’s throw from center field to Shattuck at the cutoff was returned to Ercole to nab an Eagles runner who had rounded too far off second base – score it 8-3-6. The following batter reached on an error to the shortstop which sent another Brockport runner across the plate in trimming the lead to 5-3, and put runners on the corners. Chernak picked up the second out of the inning with his first of two pickoff moves to first base on the day. Following another walk, the inning was brought to a close with a fly ball out to Watrobski.
The fourth inning went quietly for both teams as Ercole’s third single represented the only baserunner for either school.
Brockport pulled to within one run in the top of the fifth starting with a single, but Chernak erased that runner with his second pickoff move. One walk later was enough for Coach Nick Marcin, though, and he summoned Travers in relief. The inherited runner moved to second on a steal, to third on a wild pitch, and then across the plate on a groundout back to the pitcher. The inning ended with a flyout to Kevin Harman in right field.
The Patriots started their fateful half of the sixth inning at the plate with consecutive walks to Trevor Quiel and Travers. Watrobski followed and converted a sacrifice bunt attempt into an infield single with perfect placement and blazing speed up the first base line. Successive RBI walks to Steve D’Orazio and Mark Huddle brought in the first Patriot runs of the inning and a fielder’s choice RBI by Harman plated another. Ercole’s fourth single sent Huddle across the plate and Mabee sent a ball just deep enough to left field for a sacrificed fly to score Harman. The final run of the inning came on Tantalo’s ground ball error to the shortstop that allowed Ercole to come home.
Each team managed one run each over the remainder of the game. Hartnett drove a double inside the right field line to drive in Travers from first base, who led off with a walk in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brockport answered back with a run of its own with a two-out walk and a double off Travers. But that wasn’t nearly enough as the host team prevailed by a final score of 12-5.
“We got out early 5-1,” commented Marcin, and they “came back 5-4. They’re a scrappy team, but we responded with seven unanswered runs. We got good defense and some timely hitting which we needed.” Marcin added, “I love games where we win and can get everybody in and everybody contributes – it was a good team win.”
|
