Tribunes Rally for Doubleheader Split

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Monroe Community College Baseball's eight-win in nine-game stretch landed with a thud in a 12-1 loss to Lackawanna College in the opener of Tuesday's National Junior College Athletic Association twin bill.

How the Tribunes responded in Game 2 showed a team that's willing to fight.

Parker Zeiser (Victor N.Y./Victor High) paced an 11-hit attack with a home run and an RBI single as Monroe defeated Lackwanna 10-3 in the nightcap.

"Certainly, happy with the response," said head coach Dave Brust. "Good bounce back. Ultimately, it's proof that we can play with anybody."

Zeiser turned on a two-strike fastball from Lackawanna starter Brant Barilaro for his second home run of the season. The two-run shot in the second inning staked the Tribunes to a lead they did not surrender at 2-1.

"It felt good off the bat," the sophomore catcher said. "I knew it when I hit it. I had seen some pitches before that and felt like I was seeing his pitches well. He gave me another fastball."

With the victory, MCC improved to 9-7 on the season.

"They want to win," Brust said of his squad. "They want to be successful. They want all the right things. It's the execution of it and being consistent in that."

Leading by one in the fifth, MCC sent nine to the plate - all with two outs - and put the game out of reach.

Michael Sardou (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) brought home the first run of the inning with a double to left. Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia/Cobequid Educational Centre) capped the frame with a run-scoring single to center.

The outburst came after Lackwanna scored a pair of unearned runs in the fourth to make it a one-run game at 4-3. In it, the Tribunes took advantage of two walks, two hit batsmen, a wild pitch and an error to score five runs in the frame.

"Happy that we cashed in on those opportunities," Brust said. "We want to be greedy and cash in on all of our chances. It's something we have to strive for and continue to work on."

Zeiser started the rally when he worked a two-out walk.

"I had two hits before that, so I was going up there still looking for my pitch, still looking for something I could handle but not expanding the zone," he said. "I was able to do that."

Sardou followed with a double to center. Tobey Wright (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) walked, and Braedon Reina (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases.

It looked as if Lackawanna had escaped the inning when the Tribunes' leading RBI-man, Miguel Matos (Rochester, N.Y./East High) popped up in the infield. Breezy conditions might have been the cause as the ball fell to the turf and two runs scored.

Reina then came home on a wild pitch. Evan Brock (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) worked a base on balls. Jaedon Wanat (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) was hit by a pitch to load the bases and set up Higgins.

"It's not necessarily about changing the mindset, but it's focusing on our mindset," Zeiser said of the Tribunes' ability to rebound in the second game. "In the first game, we got away from what we want to do. In the second game, we were able to hammer away at it."

Jack Keagle (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) came out of the bullpen and worked two innings to pick up the win. The sophomore left-hander improved to 2-1 on the season.

Tristan Pappas (Richmond Hill, ON/St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS) struck out four of the six batters he faced over a 1.2 scoreless innings. Brennan Hileman (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) fanned two of the five that came to the plate over in an inning-and-a third of work,

Matos, who leads Monroe with 18 RBI and a batting average of .381, went 2-for-5 in the win. Sardou was 3-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Zeiser was 2-3 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored.

Zeiser's multi-hit effort was his second in three games and fourth of the season.

"Parker is a talented player," Brust said. "Ultimately, he is similar to the rest of our team. He needs to find consistency both on defense and on offense. When he does, he can at times, dominate on both sides of the ball."

Wright doubled and scored the lone Monroe run in the opener. Matos brought home Wright with a single. Wanat had the only other hit for MCC. Lackawanna (17-11) scored two runs in the first, six in the third and two more apiece in the fourth and fifth.

The doubleheader was played in sunny conditions that served as a promise of days to come later in the spring. On Tuesday, though, the blue skies were the only thing pleasant about the weather as temperatures hung in the upper 30s with a steady breeze blowing across Tribune Field.

MCC hosts Erie Community College for a Region III doubleheader on Saturday. A 1 p.m. first pitch is scheduled for Game 1.