Baseball Takes Four Games from Mohawk Valley CC

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Community College baseball team swept a pair of doubleheaders from Mohawk Valley Community College this weekend.

On Saturday, the Lakers picked up wins by scores of 14-10 and 6-4 at Mohawk Valley CC, then returned home and recorded a 1-0 win in Sunday's opener, and a 12-6 win in the nightcap to complete the four-game sweep.

FLCC improved to 17-13 while Mohawk Valley fell to 8-10.

Saturday's Doubleheader

Nine different student-athletes recorded a hit in the opener, including freshman Drew Bailey (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), who was 3-for-4 with four runs scored, two RBI, and three stolen bases, and sophomore Zach Harter (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta), who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

Freshman Tim McClare (Macedon, NY/Gananda) was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a solo home run, and a stolen base, freshman Grant Rodriguez (Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) drove in three runs, and sophomore Devin Kelly (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes) was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a stolen base.

Sophomore Lukas Haefner (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI as FLCC set a season-high for runs scored in a game. The Lakers scored in five of the first six innings, including pushing across six runs in the third to take a 9-6 lead.

In the nightcap, freshman Lucas Sulimowicz (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) went 1-for-2 with two RBI and classmate Jorge Oropeza (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) drove in a run in the win for FLCC. Bailey was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base, and freshman Kenny Murphy (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) stole two bases as the Lakers completed the sweep.

Freshman Jim Marasco (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) pitched two scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts to earn the save.

Sunday's Doubleheader

Freshmen Sam Leonardo (Penfield, NY/Aquinas) and Tanner Frank (Brighton, NY/Brighton) combined to toss a five-hit shutout with three strikeouts and zero walks in a 1-0 win in the opener.

Leonardo started and allowed three hits over three scoreless innings before making way for Frank, who earned the win by pitching four scoreless innings of two-hit ball with two strikeouts.

Sulimowicz drove in the lone run on an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the fourth, plating Kelly with the game-winning run. Marasco doubled, Bailey was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and Rodriguez was 1-for-3 for FLCC.

In game two, the Lakers' bats broke out for 12 runs on 14 hits. Bailey was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, McClare went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, and Murphy was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Harter hit a two-run single up the middle and Oropeza singled down the right field line as FLCC took a 3-0 lead into the second inning. Bailey added an RBI double into center field and Kelly drew a bases loaded walk in the second to extend the lead to 5-0.

After Mohawk Valley pushed across its first run in the top of the third, the Lakers responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame and tacked on four runs in the fourth, sparked by RBI doubles from Murphy and freshman Ryan C. Smith (Fairport, NY/Fairport), to seize control and sweep the doubleheader.

FLCC travels to face Tompkins Cortland Community College for a doubleheader Thursday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.