Third-seed Brockport plated six runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 9-7 victory over second-seed Pittsford-Mendon in the Section V Class A1 baseball semi-finals played at Hilton.
Senior Frank Lauricella led off the game with a double to deep right-center field and came home with the game’s first run on an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Sam Velletri. After a Cole Penders walk, senior Gord Fisher drove in Velletri with an RBI single to right, which put runners at first and third. Ashton Scott grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice and took second on an errant throw as the Vikings tried to complete the double-play.
Another error along with Dominic Passafiume being hit by a pitch loaded the bases before Scott scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 Blue Devils. One out later senior Quinlan Ignaszak drove in two more runs when his grounder went off the first baseman’s glove for an infield single.
Brockport made it 7-0 with another run in the top of the third. Scott led off with a walk and Nick Nealon reached on a throwing error. A fielder’s choice put runners at first and third before sophomore Troy Leibert drove in Scott on a fielder’s choice.
Mendon came back with four runs in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch, an RBI double and a two-run home run to cut the Blue Devils lead to 7-4.
But Brockport scored two important insurance runs in the fifth when Fisher led off with a single and, one out later, scored when the throw to third on Nealon’s single sailed out of play and sent Nealon to third. Leibert was hit by a pitch and James Atkins walked to load the bases before Nealon came across the plate on a wild pitch to advance the Blue Devils lead to 9-4.
Mendon scored three unearned runs with two outs in the sixth inning and had the tying runs on base in the seventh before Fisher retired the final batter on a called strike three to earn the save.
Lauricella started the game for Brockport and struck out three while allowing only two hits but four runs over three innings of work. Leibert came on for three innings of relief and allowed the two unearned runs and three singles to earn the victory.
“There are no ugly wins,” Brockport head coach Matt Davis said. “Mistakes were made, but that’s part of Section V baseball. They beat us twice during the regular season and I think the hardest thing to do in sports is beat the same team three times in one season.”
Brockport lost to Canandaigua 4-0 in the Section V Class A1 final to end their season.
