Bertrand and Webster Turn Off The Power

(Webster, N.Y.) Fans of the Webster Yankees know the 2010 edition possesses a flair for the dramatic. Friday night, denizens of “The Basket” learned of the club’s persistence. The home nine put the winning run in scoring position twice before making good on their opportunities.

Ollie Bertrand (Flagler) broke out of a mini slump in the bottom of the 12th inning with a double plating Wes Winkle (Ball State) from first, and Joe Akel (Canisius) notched his first win of the season as Webster came from behind to defeat the Niagara Power 5-4 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.

Bertrand entered the 12th 0-4 on the night with two strike outs, and the 2009 league all-star did not have a hit since June 17th.

“It’s all about one at bat,” said Bertrand. “It feels great to help the team.”

The win marks the fourth occasion that the Yankees have won a game in their final at bat. This time the victory came after some earlier frustrations. Trailing 4-3 after six, the home nine stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh, ninth and tenth innings.

Johnny Brill (Rollins), one of Thursday’s heroes, led the seventh with a single and advanced when Corey Goeggleman (Waynesburg St.) executed a sacrifice bunt. Brill did not advance from there.

Matt Delewski (Toledo) knocked a pinch-hit lead-off single in the ninth. Tyler Grogg (Toledo) pinch ran for his college teammate but was erased for the first time in seven attempts when trying to steal second. Matt Francis (U of R) followed with a triple to deep left center. After Brill worked a base on balls, Goeggleman delivered the tying run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Brill made a heads up running play moving to second on the throw home, but again he was left stranded.

Chase Grissom (UNC Pembroke) doubled to open the tenth. Winkle came on to pinch run. Bertrand pushed the runner to third with a ground ball, but the Yankees could not execute.

Akel retired three of the four batters he faced in the 12th for the win.  Michael Sandman (Ball State) and Tim Johnson (St. John Fisher) stemmed the tide. The duo held the Power to two baserunners over four innings. Johnson struck out four in a pair of stanzas. Niagara pasted deuces on the board in the fifth and sixth before Sandman came on in the eighth.

Webster took the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs. Grissom knocked a base rap, and Bertrand followed with a walk. Tom Kufel (Mercyhurst) slashed what appeared to be a sure triple into the right field corner until the infielder pulled up with a hamstring injury rounding first. The extra-base hit would have been Kufel’s second of the night and third in the last two games. Nick Carlson (Ithaca) singled to bring home Bertrand.

The Yanks added a run in the fifth. Brill singled. Goeggleman dropped the sacrifice bunt which was mishandled and the runner adavanced ninety feet. Grissom plated Brill with a ground ball to the right side of the infield.

“We are doing a lot of little things right that the average baseball fan would not notice,” said head coach Dave Brust.

Webster scored eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Elmira 8-7 in the home opener. Two nights later, the Yankees plated five in the home half of the eighth to erase  a three-run deficit and beat Niagara, 5-3. Delewski broke a scoreless tie with a ninth inning one-out single just inside the third base bag plating Winkle as Webster downed the Allegany County Nitros 1-0 on June 12th.

Witht the win Webster improves to 6-6.

Bertrand was one of four Yankees to earn All-NYCBL honors last season. He hit .305 in 32 starts, most at catcher, for the pinstripes. The former MCC star earned 28 walks en route to an on-base percentage of .451.

Webster hosts Allegany County Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at “The Basket.”