Osier's gem sends MCC to district championship

GROTON, C.T. -- Connor Osier (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) surrendered a two-out infield single in the first inning on Saturday morning.

The sophomore right-hander didn't allow much after that.

Osier struck out 15 over eight shutout innings of two-hit ball, and Monroe Community College (34-8) defeated UConn-Avery Point (23-11), 4-0 for a series sweep (2-0) in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) playoffs.

With the win, MCC clinched a spot in next weekend's NJCAA Division II East District championship.

Osier (8-1) issued a pair of walks in the second inning before retiring the next 15 batters he faced and 20 of 21 to end his outing.

"That's the most dominant pitching performance I've seen since I've coached here," said MCC skipper Dave Brust who has been in the Tribunes' dugout for 20 years, the last 13 as head coach. "I don't remember a dominant strikeout performance like that. We've had some good ones, but nothing like that."

The innings pitched and strikeouts were both career-highs for the 6-foot-5 righty.

The shutout was the first thrown against Avery Point this season which came into the weekend averaging 10.2 runs per game.

As impressive as his strikeout-to-walk ratio was, Osier's sixth inning when he used just six pitches to retire the side might have been the most pivotal frame.

"Can't say enough about how important that was," Brust said. "It's great when you have a 10 or 12-pitch inning, much less a six-pitch inning. That was a significant turning point for us."

AJ Montejano led the UCAP sixth and tried to get aboard with a bunt but popped up the first offering to MCC catcher Zane Barron (Ormond Beach, FL/Seabreeze). Osier then induced a routine fly ball from James Fagnant and Tim Cap fouled out to end the inning.

"That was a big for us," Brust said. "His pitch-count was on the rise with a lot of deep counts. He was starting to get guys fouling off some of his better pitches.

"Pitching to contact like that was certainly a key. It was important in getting the defense to play and getting us back on offense."

Monroe produced a single run in each of the first, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

"In the postseason, it's the little things," Brust said. "We talked about that before the game. It's the little things that win big games. Moving runners or forcing deep counts, putting pressure on their pitcher and their defense, those things pay off in a game like today."

Tyler Cannon (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning to give the Tribunes all the runs they needed. Thomas Woodridge who reached on a one-out hit by pitch, scored on the play.

In the fourth, Miguel Matos (Rochester, N.Y./East High) made it a 2-0 game with a one-out single that scored Braedon Reina (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) from second.

"With the win blowing in, there weren't going to be any home runs," Brust said. "We needed to make sure that we manufactured runs, and we did that. Yes, we had some missed opportunities. We did some things that were not characteristic of the way we play, but ultimately, we found a way to use small ball to produce runs."

Michael Sardou (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) plated Aidan Gallagher (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay East Fishkill) with a one-out single in the fifth.

Gallagher crossed home again in the seventh on an RBI fielder's choice from Aaron Reina (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) for the final margin of victory.

"Four runs is nice. A grand slam away is always a good place to be."

Cameron Bentley (Toronto, ON/Humberside) struck out the final batter of the game and hurled a scoreless ninth to seal the victory.

Including Friday's 5-3 win that Jaden Sherwood (Batavia, N.Y./Notre Dame-Batavia) started and Parker Holden (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) finished, four Tribune hurlers combined to hold Avery Point to three total runs.

"Gutsy performances by all four," Brust said. "In big moments, they came in and competed. Pitching ahead and staying aggressive was the difference."

Gallagher finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a double. Sardou reached base three times with two walks and the single in the fifth. Braedon Reina went 2-4.

The Tribunes will make their first appearance in the district championship since 2021 and fifth overall ('16, '18, '19, '21) under Brust.

Avery Point had ended MCC's last three seasons including in 2025 when the Pointers shrugged off a loss in Game 1 to take the sub-district series.