By CAMERON BOON
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Putting up four runs in one inning is impressive. Putting up four in two innings is downright domination.
That is what the Hornell Dodgers did to the Rochester Ridgemen Monday night, putting up a four-spot in the third and ninth innings to rout the Ridgemen 12-1 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.
“Once you get a lead, you swing free and easy and the game gets easier,” Hornell’s head coach Tom Kenney said.
The Dodgers were the first team to score in the fourth, with Max McDougald (Wofford) starting it again as he did Sunday night for Hornell’s lone run. He scored on Steven Goldstein’s (Kansas) base hit to make it 1-0 Hornell.
After Collin Fantaskey (Mercyhurst) scored on a wild pitch, Jimmy Latona (Mercyhurst) blew the game open with a two-run double down the left field line to give the Dodgers and their starter Connor Ryan (Mercyhurst) all the runs they would need in improving to 19-9 on the season.
Rochester fell to 12-17.
“I just wiped the slate clean and thought about this game,” Ryan said about his previous outing in relief. Ryan took the loss after being credited with five runs in a 12-4 loss to Rochester on July 2nd.
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“That’s the only bad [outing] he’s had,” Kenney said. “He’s been itching to get back out there since then.”
He took advantage of his opportunity, turning his two-seam fastball into 14 ground-ball outs. Add it up, and it was a complete-game five hitter that improved his record to 3-1 on the year.
“I’ve got that starter’s mentality right now that I can go out there and get anybody out,” Ryan said.
He threw 24 first pitch strikes and only four batters reached second base, with Colin Winn (Santa Ana) extending to third and Aaron Vallance (Wayland Baptist) scoring the lone Rochester run of the game.
Both of those came in the sixth inning after Hornell had already extended its lead to 6-0 and it came on one of the sloppier plays in baseball. Winn hit a grounder to the pitcher’s mound where Ryan threw the ball past the first baseman Tyler Walter (St. Bonaventure).
Then in an attempt to get Vallance streaking for third, Walter threw it past Trevor Thompson (Ithaca) waiting to apply the tag, allowing Vallance to score easily.
Other than that, Ryan dominated, compiling four 1-2-3 innings.
Hornell, however, continued to pile it on the Rochester pitching staff that saw five different hurlers take the hill. Even first baseman Tage Johnson (Houghton) got in on the action, throwing his first inning in his NYCBL career.
It was not a good outing, however, as he allowed four runs in the ninth that extended the Dodger lead to 12-1.
Thompson got it all going with a solo home run to left field, the second of the season at Basket Road Field.
The star of the game for Hornell was none other than McDougald, who reached all five times he came to the plate. Two were via singles, but three were free passes, with two walks and getting plunked by a pitch in the sixth.
He also scored all five times he came to the plate, tallying close to half the Hornell runs.
Fantaskey also reached all five times, compiling three base hits while taking first on a fielder’s choice and being given first on a walk. He would only score once.
Drew Farmer (Western Michigan) was the only Ridgemen to compile a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3.
The Dodgers are off tomorrow, but will play in Wellsville on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. getting ready to chase their third Western Division pennant in as many years.
“We have guys coming from all over the place and now it’s time for them to come together like they would on a regular college team,” Kenney said.
Rochester and Niagara’s “Holy Wars” rivalry is back, as a home-and-home begins Tuesday at Sal Maglie Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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