Balanced Tribunes sweep Utica JV

HENRIETTA, N.Y. -- Two days after dropping a twin bill on the road, Monroe Community College bounced back with a decisive sweep Saturday at Tribune Field.

Six batters had multi-hit efforts and the defense continued to deliver as the Tribunes (11-10) took two (17-5/16-9) from Utica College JV.

Paul Fiene (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem High) finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored in the opener. The freshman left fielder plated Alex Simons (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) and Tobey Wright (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) with a two-out double to spark a seven-run first inning.Kaleb Juliano (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) brought home two more in the frame with a single.

The Tribs put away the mercy-rule shortened game with 10 runs in the fourth inning.

"It's good to get the train back on the tracks as we like to say," commented MCC head coach Dave Brust. "At the college level, it is important to have momentum and add to that winning feeling.

"Regardless of the scores or the weather, you got to overcome that. Utica JV will have older kids. They're good wins any way you look at it."

Monroe took advantage of 14 walks in the game. 

Lucas Brown (Toronto, ON/Humberside Collegiate) and CJ Phelps (Rochester, N.Y./ McQuaid Jesuit) both walked twice, scored twice and collected an RBI. Simons scored three runs.

Matthew Salina (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) went the distance and struck out five. The right-hander allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks to pick up the win.

MCC shrugged off a seven-run Utica second inning in Game 2. 

Connor Sackett (Rochester, N.Y./Fairport High) brought home the go-ahead runs with a one-out single in the third. Joe Grzeskowiak (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) and Joe Wintermute (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit High) scored on the play. 

Grzeskowiak went 2-for-2 with two runs scored in Game 2 and finished the day with three hits.

Sackett added a pair of triples in the win. The sophomore catcher/first baseman, who is hitting .415 on the season, has seven triples on the season - all in the past six games.

"This is the fruit of his hard work," Brust said. "Barrel accuracy and his strength as a sophomore is really showing. He's a kid who outworks everybody. He's not satisfied. He has goals and wants to move on to the next place."

Monroe's defense committed one error in the 12 innings of play on Saturday. The Tribunes played errorless ball on Thursday and have had two errors in the past 40 innings of play. MCC's infield turned a pair of double plays in Game 2 to run the squad's season total to 25 - the most by a Tribune team since the 2016 World Series team finished with 27 twin killings.

"It's a focus on making the routine plays,"Brust said. "For the most part, we do that.

"When you talk about complimentary baseball, you can break it into thirds: your pitching, your offense and your team defense. If two out of those three are working, you generally win. If you're swinging the bats like we did and you're playing team defense like we did, you win. We'd love to have three out of the three. It seems obvious, but you have to break it down. One thing has to compliment the next for us to be successful."

Jackson Hubbard (Sayre, PA/Sayre HS) worked four innings in relief to pick up the Game 2 win.

Temperatures stayed in the low-50s on a breezy day with frequent wind gusts throughout both games.

MCC dropped two (11-3/10-3) against Niagara County CC on Thursday. In both games, the Tribunes fell victim to a big inning late in the contest - a five-run sixth in the opener and a seven-run outburst in the sixth inning of the nightcap.

"Niagara has an excellent pitching staff," Brust said. "We put the ball in play well against them. We were not over-matched with velocity. Playing a quality team like Niagara shows that when you lose the free-base game we're going to lose. Our defense stayed strong."

MCC hosts Lackawanna College on Tuesday for a doubleheader. A 1 PM first pitch for Game 1 is scheduled.