Lakers Cap the Week Off With a Split Against Erie
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The #15 Finger Lakes Community College baseball team hosted the Kats of Erie Community College on Sunday, April 2nd for the NJCAA Region III matchup on the Lakers' home turf. The Lakers suffered a close 5-4 loss in game one before earning the split with a 4-1 finish in game two.
Game one vs. Erie
The Lakers struggled to find their rhythm early on in game one as they were held scoreless through the first five innings of play. During that stretch, the Kats jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Lakers finally hit into the scoring column thanks to a Tyler Cerame (Hilton, N.Y./ Hilton) sacrifice fly to the right field that brought home teammate Alex Wootton (Palmyra, N.Y./ Palmyra-Macedon) and Matthew Rodriguez (Lackawanna, N.Y./ Lackawanna) into scoring position.
In the following play, freshman Paulie Goodness (Palmyra, N.Y./ Palmyra-Macedon) brought home Rodriguez on a sacrifice fly to round out the scoring in the sixth for the Lakers. The Kats would tack on an insurance run in the top of the seventh and the Lakers would head into the final inning of the game, down 5-2.
The Lakers attempted to rally back, and with bases loaded, Matthew Rodriguez would draw a walk to bring home DJ Stoianovich (Fairport, N.Y./ Fairport). A second straight walk, drawn this time by Danny Melendez (Victor, N.Y./ Victor) brought the game within striking distance at 5-4. However, a textbook double play by the Kats ended the inning to cap off game one.
Alex Wootton led the Lakers in the hitting column going 2-for-2, while DJ Stoianovich, Danny Melendez, Tyler Cerame, and Jorge Oropeza III (Rochester, N.Y./ Greece Athena) each picked up one hit a piece.
Game two vs. Erie
The Lakers got back on track in game two, flipping the script on the Kats as the Lakers held the opposition scoreless throughout the first five innings. During that stretch, the Lakers would tack on a run in the first, 2 runs in the second, and an insurance run in the fourth and would go on to take game two, 4-1.
The win was fueled by a strong performance on the mound by sophomore Devin Georgetti (Rochester, N.Y./ Gates Chili) who threw a full game, allowed 4 hits, 1 earned run, and struck out 8 batters over that stretch.
Tyler Cerame went a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI in the game, while Matthew DiSanti (Farmingdale, N.Y./ Farmingdale) went a respectable 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs. Freshman Ryan Mettler (Middleport, N.Y./ Royalton-Hartland) enjoyed one of his most productive outings of the season, joining his teammates with his own perfect performance, going 3-for-3 on the day.
The Lakers are back at home next Tuesday, April 4th for what will count as a home game for the Thunderwolves of Niagara County Community College. The two teams will rematch after splitting in their last doubleheader in what will be one of the biggest games in NJCAA DIII baseball.