Bowens and Monroe Walk-Off with DH Split

Brighton, N.Y. -- -- Avery Bowens (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) connected on a two-out walk-off single as Monroe Community College Baseball rallied for a doubleheader split (0-7/6-5) with Niagara County Community College, Saturday at Tribune Field. 

Trailing 5-4, Bowens plated Alex Simons (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) and Joe Grzeskowiak (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta)  with tying and game-winning runs. 

"I was thinking just put this ball in play and let my guys do their thing," the sophomore right fielder said.

The hit capped a back-and-forth battle that saw the Tribunes take a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning only to find themselves trailing 5-4 heading into their final at-bat. 

With the bases empty, Connor Sackett (Rochester, N.Y./Fairport High) started the rally with a two-out single. Simons entered the game as a pinch runner and went first to third when Grzeskowiak's flare to center dropped in for a hit.

"In the scorebook, that looks like simple baserunning, but it was more than that," MCC head coach Dave Brust said. "His first to third happened without hesitation. I was proud of the way he came off the bench with energy."

Grzeskowiak stole second base to set up the game winner. 

"The winning hit doesn't happen without Joe stealing that base," Brust said. "With runners on the corners, they were pinching the middle. That gets them out of the middle."

Bowens fouled off the first two pitches he saw before taking a third offering outside the zone. He connected on the next pitch. 

"First two pitches were off-speed," he said. "I was out in front. I knew I had to stay back in order to take the pitch the other way. They ended up giving me a fastball on the outer half. I just did what I had to do."

The hit was the second of the game for Bowens, who snapped an 0-for-11 stretch when he plated Grzeskowiak with a double in the fourth  to tie the score at three.

Bowens sat out the first game of Saturday's twin bill. 

"We made some adjustments throughout the week with his at-bats," Brust said. "I wanted him to hit all the time in two-strike mode. He made that adjustment. He had some good at-bats, good swings today."

Monroe put the first three on base in the fifth when the Tribunes took the lead. Connor Kiefer (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors), Patrick May (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) and Dylan Wanat (Buffalo, N.Y./ Williamsville North) connected on back-to-back-to-back singles. Kiefer scored, and Monroe had runners on second and third with no outs but could not capitalize.

"The job didn't get done," Bowens said. "If it doesn't happen, you got to clear it out. When it's your turn next, you got to make sure you get the job done."

Patrick Sherron (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) retired the only two batters he faced to pick up the win. The sophomore right-hander came out of the bullpen with runners on second and third and one out. 

Ian McNabb (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) hurled four innings of relief. The left-hander came on with a runner on second, one out and MCC trailing 3-2 in the third inning. The sophomore struck out the next two batters. He retired the first five he faced and eight of nine. 

McNabb set down the first batter of the seventh before Niagara County connected on three consecutive hits. 

"McNabb pitched well," Brust said. "He threw strikes and did what we needed." 

Wanat's two-run home run in the first staked Monroe to 2-1 lead. Kiefer scored on the play. 

The walk-off was the second this season for the Tribunes. Tobey Wright (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) delivered a one-out, two-run double to seal a 4-3 victory and sweep of Cayuga CC on March 19th. 

The win snapped a five-game skid that started on Tuesday when Monroe (10-13) dropped a doubleheader to Herkimer College. 

The slide continued on Friday when Lackawanna College beat MCC 0-12 and 17-20. 

Lackawanna's Kyle Scott struck out 14 batters in Friday's five-inning opener. 

The Tribunes collected 17 hits in Game 2 and had leads of 12-5 and 14-12 but could not hold off the Lackawanna offense. 

CJ Phelps (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) finished 2-for 4 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored. Wanat doubled, tripled, went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI. Kiefer doubled, walked and crossed home on three occasions. Julien Mendoza (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport High) was 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored.

Ryan Stewart (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn High) went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Lucas Brown (Toronto, ON/Humberside Collegiate Institute) had two hits, three walks, an RBI and a run scored. May drove in two runs with two hits and scored another in the loss. 

Monroe hosts Erie Community College for a doubleheader on Thursday. A 1 p.m. first pitch is scheduled at Tribune Field.