Finger Lakes Community College Baseball Season Ends in Sub-Regional Play
HERKIMER, N.Y. -- The Finger Lakes Community College baseball season ended this afternoon, as the Lakers were swept in sub-regional play by Herkimer County Community College. The Lakers dropped the first game 11-9, and then fell short in the nightcap, 8-1. Finger Lakes Community College finishes the season at 23-28.
Game 1 -- Herkimer County Community College 11, Finger Lakes Community College 9
The Lakers would hop out to an early 3-0 lead over the (29-12) Generals. Joey Simmons led off the game with a double. After a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Consolie, Dylan Catlin plated Simmons with an RBI single. Nate Eastman would cancel out Catlin with a fielder's choice. Troy Loparco tripled to score Eastman, and then scored later in the inning on a passed ball.
While Herkimer County Community College would answer with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the second, the Lakers added another run in the third inning. Simmons would lead off the inning with another hit. Consolie doubled to move Simmons over to third and after a Catlin strikeout, Eastman hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to drive home Simmons.
The Generals capitalized in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Trailing 4-2, Herkimer County Community College hung four runs on Finger Lakes Community College starter Kevin Carpentier to take a 6-4 lead.
Finger Lakes Community College would respond again in the top half of the sixth inning. After Branden Rhodes was hit-by-pitch, Corey Galletta and Hunter Hey each singled. Hey recorded the RBI in scoring Rhodes. The Generals preserved their 6-5 lead by stranding Hey and Galletta on base.
The game changed in the bottom half of the seventh inning. After Carpentier retired five consecutive Herkimer County Community College batters on just 12 pitches, the Finger Lakes Community College defense struggled. The eighth and ninth hole batters for Herkimer County Community College reached on errors, and the leadoff hitter reached base on a hit-by-pitch that just grazed the uniform. With the bases loaded, the Generals capitalized as Ryan Watson tripled home three unearned runs. At the end of the inning, the Generals led 11-7.
The Lakers refused to concede. In the top half of the ninth inning, the Lakers mustered two runs. The Lakers managed to get the tying runs on first and third base with one out, but Herkimer County Community College pitcher Rob Hardy struck out the game's final two batters to preserve the 11-9 victory.
Carpentier went seven innings and recorded three strike outs. Dakota Stackhouse came in and relieved Carpentier in the bottom half of the eighth inning and retired the side in order.
Game 2 -- Herkimer County Community College 8, Finger Lakes Community College 1
In the nightcap, the Finger Lakes Community College offense managed to put together just one run. In the top half of the fourth inning, Branden Rhodes singled. Corey Galletta and Hunter Hey followed Rhodes's effort with back-to-back infield singles to load the bases. Aaron Freida was hit-by-pitch to force in Rhodes.
Joey Simmons and Branden Rhodes each added two hits for the Lakers. Corey Galletta, Nate Eastman and Aaron Freida also recorded a hit.
Brandon Anderson went four innings for Finger Lakes Community College. Anderson struck out two batters while allowing seven earned runs on six hits. Stackhouse would relieve Anderson in the bottom half of the fifth inning. The Warsaw, N.Y. native retired the first nine batters he faced in order.