DII-DiStaffen 11 DII-Maynard 11
Caden Hann (Webster Thomas) drove in Jake Canfield (Webster Thomas) with a two-out single in the seventh, and DII DiStaffen salvaged a tie with DII-Maynard in Upstate Baseball League action at Towers Field on the University of Rochester campus, Saturday. Hann was third of four straight to get on base with two outs in the final at bat. Joe Wolke (Churchville-Chili) reached on a hit by pitch and scored when Canfield tripled. Jaden Nelomes (Churchville-Chili) and Anthony Bonacci (Greece Athena) combined for six hits, six RBI and three runs as DII Maynard scored 10 straight. Bonacci plated Alan Michael LeFrois (Churchville-Chili) and Kyle Egan (Eastridge) with a double in the sixth to knot the game at nine. Nelomes gave DII-Maynard an 11-9 lead in the seventh when he brought in Jake Veniskey (Webster Thomas). Veniskey finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Egan was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Andrew Hebert (Webster Schroeder) paced DII-DiStaffen driving in two runs and scoring one with three hits in four trips to the plate. Canfield was 2-for-4 with two RBI, a walk and two runs scored. DJ White (Rush-Henrietta) had two hits and scored twice. Wolke scored two runs. DII-Maynard’s Patrick Xander (McQuaid) allowed one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings. The left-hander struck out two and walked two.   

DII-Blatter 9 DII-Sova 3
Josh Ferris (Chruchville-Chili) and Patrick Sherron (Rush-Henrietta) combined to drive in four runs as DII Blatter took a commanding 7-1 lead in the fourth inning. Ferris brought in Dan Tirabassi (Rush-Henrietta) with an inside-the-park home run. Sherron connected on two-out triple to score Owen Lyons (Geneseo) and Thomas Cole (Greece Athena). Troy Leibert (Brockport) allowed one run on three hits over three innings to pick up the win. The right-hander struck out five and walked none. Christian Blatter (McQuaid) surrendered one hit over three shutout frames in relief. The right-hander struck out three and walked one. Sherron finished with two hits and a run scored. Ferris and Tirabassi scored two runs apiece. Jaden Nelomes (Churchville-Chili) - pulling double duty on Saturday and getting a spot assignment with a second squad - led DII-Sova going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Nolan Hicks (Fairport) had two hits and drove in a run. Jett Kopalek (Rush Henrietta) walked twice and scored a run. 

DI-Wiktorski 7 DI-Graham 5
Ben Cowles (Newark) triggered a four-run first with one-out double as DI-Wiktorski sent nine to the plate in the first frame and never trailed in the contest. Cowles crossed the plate when Jesse Kabat (Mynderse) reached on a Bermuda Triangle single to right field. Jarod Signorelli (Victor) and Gavin Moore (Hilton) added run-scoring hits in the stanza. Jayson Faynor (Lima Christian) hurled two shutout innings in relief for the victory and scored the winning run in the sixth inning. Faynor struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit. He led the sixth with a single, stole a base and eventually came home on a wild pitch. Cowles finished 2-for-2 with two RBI to go with the run scored in the first. Tyler Smith (Fairport) collected two hits and two runs scored. Ryan Hill (Webster Thomas) paced DII-Graham with two hits including a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Alex Vogt (Webster Schroeder) drove in two runs including an RBI in the fifth to tie the game at five. Luke Harris (Geneseo) walked twice and scored twice. 

DI-Bunting 11 DI-Christiano 3
Amaury Samalot Jr. (Churchville-Chili) paced a 13-hit attack, and Max Yale (Honeoye) hurled three shutout innings as DI-Bunting grabbed an early lead and never looked back. Samalot finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. The corner infielder sparked a two-run second with a leadoff triple and brought home the first run of a five-run third. Yale struck out five and walked none with a dominant curveball. The right-hander allowed just one hit and threw 51 pitches – 34 for strikes.  Luke Frontale (CBA-Syracuse) collected two hits and scored a run. Casey Saucke II (Greece Athena) scored twice. Justin Mytych (Penfield) had a hit, two walks and two runs scored. Aaron Nestler (Rush-Henrietta) drove in two runs. Tyler Holmes (Fairport) led DI-Christiano going 3-for-3 including a triple and two runs scored. Zach Ochs (Rush-Henrietta) drove in two runs. Jorge Oropeza (Greece Athena) struck out three and walked one over two shutout innings in relief. John Gassler (Pittsford Sutherland) hurled a perfect seventh.

Doubles Out of The Box
The wind played a role on several occasions, Saturday. None more evident than when Dan Tirabassi (Rush-Henrietta) sent a pop-up into foul territory down the right field line. When the ball took an unexpected left-hand turn and landed in fair territory less than 30 feet past first base, Tirabassi glided easily into second with a double. The youngster was overheard later in the dugout saying “That’s the cheapest double I’ve ever gotten.” No, that’s what happens when you consistently do the right thing.

Staying with The Play
For a variety of reasons Ben Cowles (Newark) is worth the trip to the University of Rochester at some point over the next couple weeks. The DI-Wiktorski infielder is a skilled defensive player with a unique blend of talent and instincts. He makes a backhand on a short-hop look routine. He has a fluid swing and is quick on the base paths. Add to that the willingness to make plays that don’t occur in the box score. Saturday, with a runner on first and one out, a ground ball was sent into the hole between third and short. When the ball kicked off a teammate’s glove at short and bounced into shallow left field, it was Cowles, ranging from third, who ran down the ball and kept the runner on second. 

Making the Most of the Opportunity
Ryan Hill (Webster Thomas) is more than just a capable infielder, but despite the small sample size his recent exploits on the mound are also worthy of note. On Wednesday, Hill took the mound and retired the only batter he faced. Saturday, he again faced just one batter. This time he doubled his returns getting two outs. Two batters faced and three outs. He can make a lot of coaches look smart with those percentages. 

Sweet Honeycomb
Props to the individual who suggested the honeycomb design on the windscreen adorning the outfield fence at Towers Field - the home of the UR Yellowjackets. It’s a subtle touch adding to the cozy confines. Makes one wonder if home game intros start with “Good afternoon and welcome to the Beehive at Towers Field!”