Lakers Conclude Third Straight Trip to NJCAA Region III Final Four

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – The Finger Lakes Community College baseball team traveled to Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls, N.Y. to compete in the NJCAA Region III Final Four. The Lakers drew a matchup against the nationally ranked #6 Herkimer Generals on the first day of the tournament.

GAME 1

Having played the Generals earlier in the season, and falling on their home field 4-3 in 8 innings, the Lakers felt as though they had a fighting chance against the nationally ranked squad. The Lakers came away with a win and shut out the nationally ranked Generals for the first time in a game, since the 2016 season.

Devin Georgetti (Rochester, N.Y./ Gates-Chili) earned the start for the Lakers, pitching a full game against the nationally ranked Generals. Georgetti would put together a monster performance, shutting out Herkimer County, walking 2 batters, and striking out 12. Tyler Cerame (Hilton, N.Y./ Hilton) would drive in a 1 RBI single to bring home one of the Lakers' two runs. Tim McClare (Macedon, N.Y./ Gananda) and Lukas Haefner (Rochester, N.Y./ Rochester) would each score in the game, with McClare picking up a stolen base in the game.

Devin Kelly (Clifton Springs, N.Y./ Midlakes) would hit what looked to be a sure 2-run home run over the centerfield wall that would have extended the Laker's lead to 4-0. However, Generals' centerfield Jordan Lewis would make a heroic leap over the wall to rob the Lakers of the opportunity. Lewis' play would earn the #1 spot on the SportsCenter top-10 plays of the day: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=33949265

Ultimately, the Lakers would pick up the exhilarating upset over the Generals to advance on.

GAME 2 

The following day, the Lakers would find themselves matched up with a taller task. The Lakers found themselves paired up with the #5 nationally ranked Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves. The Lakers struggled to find a rhythm early on in the game, finding themselves behind heading into the bottom of the 3^rd inning, 3-0. However, the team would come to life, scoring 1 run in the inning to narrow the lead, 3-1. Following a scoreless 4^th inning, the Lakers would narrow the Thunderwolves' advantage to 3-2 in the bottom of the 5^th. The final four innings would see neither teams score, with the Thunderwolves ultimately prevailing by a narrow score of 3-2.

Alfredo Hurtado (Davie, F.L./ Chaminade Madonna College Prep) would double and add 1 RBI in the game, while teammate Lukas Haefner would contribute 1 RBI as well. Tyler Curtis (Greece, N.Y./ Greece Athena) would hit a double into the right field corner, while teammate Tyler Cerame would grab a stolen base in the matchup as well. The Lakers struggled to bring home runs, leaving 12 runners on base in the game.

Game 3

In game 3, the Lakers would find themselves in a rematch with the Generals of Herkimer County in a win-or-go home scenario.

The Generals would tack on 6 runs in the first three innings versus the Lakers 1, as the Generals jumped out to a 6-1 advantage. The Lakers would find life in the bottom of the 6^th inning, narrowing the lead to a manageable 6-2 deficit. However, the Generals' offensive attack continued, tacking on 1 run in the 7^th and 2 in the 8^th before a scoreless 9^th inning for both teams. Justin Marshall (Bath, N.Y./ Haverling) would pick up a run in the game, going 1-for-1 in at-bats with a double. Tyler Cerame would add the Lakers' only other score of the matchup, stealing a base in the process.

Lakers head coach Sean Marren would extend the all-time win record to 258, as the Lakers concluded another NJCAA Region III Final Four matchup for the third season in a row, picking up the 4^th most wins in program history with 37. The Lakers' defense and pitching proved to be one of their strong suits on the season, posting the lowest ERA in a season at 3.17, surpassing the 1989 and 1997 records of 3.29.

Lakers pitchers picked up 12 saves on the season, 2 more than the previous record of 10 in the 2014 season. Reliever Sean Peck (Dryden, N.Y./ Dryden) would surpass Kane Shaw (2014) for the most saves in a season with 6. Peck would also tie Alex Savory (2019-2021) for the most saves in a career with 6. Michael Protz (Fairport, N.Y./ Fairport) would pick up a new single season record for the lowest ERA (min. 26 IP) with a 1.29 on the year.

The Lakers will return several key student-athletes as Sophomores for the following season, along with several commits for the 2023 Spring Season where the Lakers will look to return to the Final Four for a chance at the NJCAA Region III Championship.