Tribunes take two from Sullivan County CC

HENRIETTA, N.Y. -- That Tobey Wright (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) came around to score in the third inning of Game 2 of Sunday's NJCAA doubleheader comes as no surprise. Wright, after all, leads Monroe Community College Baseball with 31 runs on the season. 

The means by which the Tribunes' shortstop worked his way around the basepaths also shouldn't come as a shock.

Timing of this sequence and subsequent ripple effect, though, is worthy of noting.

With MCC (20-11) leading 2-1 and looking to put away Division II foe Sullivan County Community College (19-13), Wright singled up the middle. He stole second before tagging and taking third when a Connor Sackett (Fairport, N.Y/Fairport High) drive to right center hung in the air just a little too long.

The final 90 feet came when a comebacker off the bat of Paul Fiene (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem HS North) was mishandled and the subsequent throw to first sailed down the right field line.

Nothing qualified as highlight-reel worthy in any of those plays.

 "That was winning a baseball game," Wright said after Monroe completed a sweep (7-5/7-6) in Division II action. "That was doing what needed to be done to win a baseball game."

The string of events could have been characteristic of a squad looking to scratch and claw its way to a win. Not one looking to take a ninth-straight decision. And certainly not a team that had been scoring in bunches in its previous eight outings.

 Wright, hitting three-hole, shortened his swing with two strikes and stayed middle third against Sullivan starter Mathew Murtagh.

"In the first game, we had five runs in the second inning," he said. "It looked like we were staying in a groove. I think we got a little bit complacent. I think we thought we were just going to roll over them, and we just kinda coasted and wanted to get through the game. Game 2 comes and they roll out a guy 88-91 (velocity) who can throw. It wasn't a matter of hammering him. It was more of we need baserunners, and we need to find ways to score runs."

With Sackett (25 RBI and a team-leading 15 extra-base hits) at the plate, the temptation could have been to sit back and play for the big inning. At least that's what those who live in a cocoon of analytics may suggest. Why risk losing a baserunner with a guy hitting .459 at the plate? 

That way of thinking doesn't consider how the defense has to adjust with a runner in scoring position. It also doesn't take into account a hard hit ball that finds leather instead of turf.

That's what happened to Sackett. Wright got a good look at the ball off the bat.

"He didn't really get behind it to make a good throw," Wright said of the Sullivan County right-fielder. "I was like all right, I'm going to take off."

If that's a one-out triple, it's a big play. Wright stood 90 feet from home and was a sacrifice fly away from scoring.

"Both games against good pitching and good defense we found ways to make gritty plays," Monroe head coach Dave Brust said. "Tobey leads that charge. We found ways to get on base. We found ways to score. Sometimes it's not pretty."

One can't say for sure how much Wright's presence at third impacted Murtagh on the next play. If he's standing at second, the Tribunes shortstop gets a cursory glance before the throw goes to first for the second out of the inning. The Tribunes, though, were showing a willingness to take risks - calculated risks. Did the right-hander feel rushed? The throw looked that way.

"Corners were in," Wright said. "Guys up the middle were about halfway. They were creeping as the pitch was coming, so I would say the infield was in. That had to be a groundball through the infield for me to score. Ground ball to the pitcher, I'm staying put. I see the throw tail off. I saw it go behind the runner, and I just took off."

Run manufactured. 

Fiene took second on the throw. One out later, CJ Phelps (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) made it a 4-1 game with a single to center.

Desperation usually carries with it a negative connotation. A desperate team, though, is a scary team. A winning squad that can resist complacency and maintain an ounce or two of daring?

Brust has talked about his team striking a balance between three aspects of the game: offense, defense and pitching - "complimentary baseball."

Wright showed on Sunday there is another layer and the ability to recognize what the situation needed.

"Those are the things that you don't think in the moment how big they're going to be," Wright said. "But they absolutely are key plays in the game."

Wright finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the win. Sackett drove in two with two singles. Joe Wintermute (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit HS) singled and scored. Lucas Brown (Toronto, ON/Humberside Collegiate) crossed home twice. Kaleb Juliano (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) also scored. Jackson Hubbard (Sayre, PA/Sayre HS) was 1-for-2 with a walk. 

Jack Keagle (Pittsford N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) started and struck out five over four innings of work to pick up the win. The freshman right-hander left with a 5-1 lead. Lucas Connors (Brampton, ON/Heart Lake) allowed one run on a hit and a walk over two innings of relief. The right-hander fanned four.Lucas West (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn High) came out of the bullpen in the seventh with bases loaded, no outs and one run in. The left-hander got the last three outs for his sixth save of the season.

Zach Allen (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) matched his longest outing of the season with a six-inning performance in Game 1. Allen struck out three and allowed three runs on six hits and three walks.

"Once he got through the first inning, he was pitching ahead more effectively," Brust said of the sophomore right-hander. "Right-handed hitters, especially teams that are free swingers, he is really tough to hit when he is sinking it and pitching ahead."

West worked one inning for the save. The freshman allowed two runs on three hits and a walk.

Wintermute finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Al Simons (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) singled, walked, drove in a run and scored once in the Game 1 win. Wright was 1-for-2 with two walks, two RBI and a run scored. Sackett went 2-for-4 with an RBI.Parker Zeiser (Victor, N.Y./Victor High) singled, walked, drove in a run and scored another. Evan Brock (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) and Thomas Rebis (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Odyssey) both singled and scored. Hubbard doubled and scored. Brown had a single.

Sullivan County came into the day ranked 18th in the country with a team batting average of .339 and on-base percentage of .453.

Monroe travels on Tuesday to play a single 9-inning game against Finger Lakes CC. The Tribunes return home for a doubleheader with Genesee CC on Thursday, May 2nd. A 1 PM first pitch is scheduled. MCC travels east to play Onondaga Community College on Friday.

Photo attached: Zach Allen improved to 4-1 on the season with a win in Game 1. The sophomore right-hander started and struck out three over six innings of work. (Photo: JOE TERRITO)