Webster maintains grip on first place

WEBSTER, N.Y. — All’s well that ends well, and for the Webster Yankees that means another day atop the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s West Division.

Chris Bostick (Aquinas Institute) rapped a two-out, walk-off single in the 10th inning capping  a wild affair as the Yankees trimmed the Geneva Red Wings 8-7 in NYCBL action on Senator Mike Nozzolio night at Basket Road Field.

Bostick’s hit glanced off the glove of Red Wing third baseman, Ralph Alloco (Canisius College), and bounded down the left field line plating Dan Bick (Georgia College) as the pinstripes returned the favor with a late-inning rally.

“Chris battled all night,” Webster head coach, Dave Brust said. “They were tough on him. To get him out is a feather in your cap.”

The win was Webster’s sixth in a row and allowed the home nine to keep its one-game lead , but it didn’t come without some anxious moments as the Yankees fought off a furious Geneva comeback for the victory.

Webster jumped to an early six-run lead.

Corey Goeggleman (Waynesburg State) used some chicanery to put the pinstripes on the board. With two outs and bases loaded in the first, the Fairport, New York native surprised the Red Wing defense with a bunt that trickled down the third base line scoring Dan Hurlimann (Youngstown State).

Kevin Spatkowski (So. New Hampshire) followed with an infield single between third base and shortstop scoring Luis Diaz (North Carolina Central) for the two-run advantage.

The home nine added four more in the second. Hurlimann started the rally with a two-run bomb over the fence in right field off Geneva starter, Joe Luft (Elmhurst).

“He can swing the bat,” Brust said of Hurlimann. “He helps offensively.”

Bick scored on the round-tripper after leading with a base on balls and stealing second.

The hit parade continued from there.

Bostick slashed an opposite field, ground-rule double down the right field line and advanced on a wild pitch. Diaz did his job with a sacrifice fly to center field. Kevin Johnson (Pittsburgh) re-started the rally with a single to left field.

After stealing second, Johnson came home on Goeggleman’s base hit through the right side of the infield, and Webster led 6-0.

But the Red Wings responded with their own flurry of jabs.

With one swing of the bat, Webster starter, Joe Greenfield (Eastern Illinois), lost his no-hit bid and found himself tangled in 6-4 battle.

The right-hander baffled the Wings for four frames, but another in a line footwear controversies potentially led to problems for the Webster starter.

When field umpire, Ryan Carlson noticed the metal spikes (not allowed on the synthetic turf of the Webster facility) worn by Geneva reliever, Trever Gast (Toledo), the game was delayed ten minutes and a protest issued by the Red Wings.

Subsequently, Greenfield was made to change his footwear.  He retired the first batter he faced, but a dropped third strike, an infield error and a walk loaded the bases before Jon Leroux (Northeastern) delivered with Geneva’s first hit – a three-run double.  By the end of the at-bat, Geneva drew within one on five unearned runs.

Geneva took the lead in the sixth with back-to-back doubles by Kelly Myers (Davidson) and Max Casper (N. Dakota St.).

Webster used a two-out rally in the seventh to tie the game. After falling behind in the count, 1-2, Spatkowski earned a base on balls and scored from first on a towering triple to left-center field by Tyler Huntey (Central Michigan).

Johnson came on in the tenth for the win. Connor Sullivan (Niagara) struck out two in three and a third innings pitched. Brian Tatleman (Stony Brook) held the Wings at bay in the ninth.

Goeggleman and Spatkowski paced the offense with three hits apiece. Hurlimann and Goeggleman both had two RBI.

The Yankees are looking to make their second playoff appearance in as many years. With the win, Webster improves to 23-14 and holds the narrowest of margins over the second-place Niagara Power.

“We got a ways to go,” Brust explained. “A good number is 27. That will get us first place or at least a share of it. If we can’t go four and three, we don’t deserve first place.”

Webster hosts Alfred on Wednesday night before heading out on the road for three games including a tilt with the second-place Power. Webster and Niagara play again at Basket Road Field on July 25th.

Webster fell to Allegany County in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Bostick was chosen in the 44th round of the recent MLB Draft.

The game was the annual event sponsored by New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio.  Fans were encouraged to bring items for babies to be given away as part of the community cupboard. Brenden Bills won the contest for bringing in the most items and threw out the game’s first pitch.

The New York Collegiate Baseball League is a summer wood bat league sanctioned by the NCAA and partially funded by MLB. Each of the players on the field in front of you have used at least one year of eligibility and have at least one year of college eligibility remaining. Major League Baseball’s 2010 amateur draft included the names of 36 players with ties to the NYCBL. In the last three drafts 112 former NYCBLers have heard their names called. Current major leaguers Brad Lidge, Dallas Braden and Hunter Pence have all spent at least one summer playing in the NYCBL.

The NYCBL – sending players to the pros since 1978!