By Stacy Bates
posted
Jul 19, 2012
It was a great night for baseball and an even better night for
an upset if you ask the Pittsford Royals. On Wednesday, July 11,
the Royals beat the undefeated Titans and defending league
champions by swinging the bat and capitalizing on errors to cap off
the area's little league season.
Each team started off the game with their pitching aces, Shane
Alercio for the Titans and Nathanial Hudson for the Royals. Crucial
errors were a factor in Rutland Town's defeat and it all started in
the first inning. Brayden Shannon hit a grounder to pitcher Shane
Alercio who threw to second base to get the lead runner but the
throw was mishandled going into the outfield allowing a Pittsford
runner to score. Shannon stole third on a pass ball and Jeremiah
Laprie hit a bloop single over first base to send Shannon home
giving Pittsford two runs in the first. Pittsford then took the
field and quickly retired the first three batters for Rutland
Town.
"Taking the lead in the beginning and keeping the momentum going
throughout the game was very important. Every player on the team
did their best and tried their hardest right through to the last
inning. The teamwork was some of the best they have shown all
season from batting to defense," said coach Joe Beayon when asked
about the key to the Royal's victory.
Tommy Kenosh took over pitching duties for Rutland Town in the
fourth inning. Two walks and a pass ball put Royal runners on third
and second. With two outs a fly ball to second base was dropped
allowing a Pittsford runner to score. Clean-up hitter Josh Beayon
smacked a line drive over second to score another two runs giving
Pittsford a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth.
Jeremiah Laprie got his third hit of the night in the fifth
inning with a smash down the right field line for a stand up
triple. Two errors by the Titans allow two more base runners and
another run to score. Nathanial Hudson hit a hard liner to left
center to push two more runs across home plate for Pittsford.
Rutland Town got a run back when Alercio walked and then scored on
a rocket down the left field line by Kenosh, but Pittsford still
held a commanding 9-2 lead going into the last inning.
Titan pitcher, Tommy Kenosh retired the next three Royal batters
quickly leaving it up to the Titan's hitters to make a late game
come back. A walk, a hit and an error by Pittsford allowed Rutland
Town to score another run with base runners still on first and
second with no outs. As the pressure mounted on Bissette he settled
down and got a big strikeout for the first out. A wild pitch
advanced the base runners which prompted coach Bissette to hold a
conference on the mound and settle down his team. Pittsford
registered their second out with a nice play from their shortstop
who fielded a grounder cleanly and threw out the runner at first
but it did allow another Titan run to score. At this point the
Royals still had a five run lead and needed just one more out. The
got a big strikeout giving them the championship over an excellent
Rutland Town team.
The final score was Pittsford 9 and Rutland Town 4.
When asked about what needed to be done to beat this undefeated
Titan's team and what the key to the team's success this season
Coaches Joe Beayon and Andy Bissette responded:
"We knew we had to keep the game close and try to win each
inning. This team was the team to beat all season and we knew going
into this game that we needed to get a jump on them from the start.
Our defense was pretty solid throughout the season and we focused
especially on our batting for this game. Our pitchers did a great
job holding the runs," Beayon said. "Throughout our season we had
key batters that we could pretty much rely on every game to score
runs, our defensive teamwork was impressive, we had some great
pitchers, and overall the team played their best and tried their
hardest every game we played...We only lost 2 games all season and
both were to the Titans. It is all practice until you make it this
far. This win was big for the boys and their self-esteem. Their
hard work was rewarded and it could not have come at a better time
as the playoffs," said Coach Beayon.
"The parents and families were also a huge support for us
cheering us on, encouraging the players in a positive way and
displaying great sportsmanship. It made it a very enjoyable
experience as a coach," Coach Andy Bissette added.
Rutland Town ended their season with an awesome 16-1 record,
with their only loss to the Royals in the playoffs. Congratulations
to both teams for all their accomplishments and hard work.
