Lakers End Season in Heartbreaking Fashion

HERKIMER, NY -- The Finger Lakes Community College Baseball team fell on Sunday in two games against Herkimer County Community College. The Lakers were facing the Generals in a best out of three Sub-Regional series. Herkimer won the first game 10-2 and the second in a walkoff, 10-9. Finger Lakes ended the 2014 season with a 20-23 record.

Herkimer opening the scoring in Game 1 with four unearned runs in the third inning. The Generals added three more runs in the fourth for a 7-0 lead. Cameron Heasley led of the sixth for Finger Lakes with a double. He scored on a two-out single by Hunter Hey to make it 7-1. It was Hey's second hit of the game. Herkimer tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 9-1. The Lakers extended the game in the seventh. The inning was started by a Danny D'Eletto walk. He scored on a Ryan Juergens double. Herkimer answered with a run in the eight inning to make it 10-2. That run ended the game due to the eight run rule.

Hey led the Lakers with a pair of hits. Ryan Juergens and Cameron Heasley each had a double and a run batted in.

Finger Lakes got out fast in Game 2. Kane Shaw led the game off with a single up the middle. That was followed by Danny D'Eletto getting hit by the pitch and a Max Franzone walk. Shaw scored on a Ryan Juergens groundout and Cameron Heasley and Matt Weinberg each drove in runs with singles for the early 3-0 lead. Finger Lakes added to it in the second. Hunter Hey was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He was bunted to second and that was followed by a Kane Shaw single. They both scored on a double by Max Franzone to grow the Laker lead to 5-0. Herkimer got on the board in the third with an unearned run, but starter Kevin Close did a good job at minimizing any baserunner the Generals had. The Lakers added two more in the sixth when Kane Shaw singled with two outs. D'Eletto would be hit for the third time in the game and Shaw would score when Max Franzone reached on an error. D'Eletto came in on a Juergens single and the Lakers were up 7-1. 

Herkimer answered with a pair of runs in the 6th, but Finger Lakes stopped the momentum with a run of their own in the seventh. Matt Weinberg doubled and scored on a single by Kenny Urbanik. Finger Lakes added their final insurance run in the eighth when Franzone reached on a fielder's choice, went to third on a failed pickoff, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-3 Finger Lakes. Herkimer would score two runs in the eighth however and rally in the ninth. They got a two-out hit that tied the game and gave them the walkoff 10-9 victory.

Kane Shaw and Hunter Hey each had three hits for Finger Lakes. Hey's three hits were a career high. Matt Weinberg and Cameron Heasley each had a pair of hits. Weinberg and Franzone also drove in a pair of runs. Kevin Close got the no-decision on the mound. He allowed only two earned runs in six and a third innings in his final start as a Laker.