It may have been “Six Months Until Christmas” night at Sal Maglie Stadium on Friday, but the Niagara Power weren’t the recipients of an early holiday gift, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Hornell Dodgers in New York Collegiate Baseball League play.
The game marked the 14th time in Niagara’s 15 games this season that a starting pitcher went beyond five innings, with Matt Schimpf going eight-strong, striking out seven and scattering just six hits. Schimpf was also the beneficiary of some solid defensive efforts behind him.
Tied at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning, Power right fielder Travis Latz made a tremendous diving catch, sprinting to his right before laying out to retire the Dodgers’ Craig Shaefer and put an end to a 1-2-3 inning.
The play seemed to momentarily spark the Power (6-9), as Brian Goodwin delivered an RBI single to left field in the home half of the fourth to plate Marshall McDonald and put Niagara up 2-1 in front of a crowd of 307.
It was in the top of the fifth that Hornell (7-4) took the lead for good, however, scoring a pair of runs on RBIs off the bats of Thomas Zurliene and Derek Speaker, a North Tonawanda native. The local was greeted by applause each time up and reached base three times.
Niagara’s best chance to get back in the game came in the seventh inning when Jake Gill delivered a triple to open the frame. A failed suicide squeeze attempt by the next batter, Andrew Ahrendt, saw Gill get gunned down at home to squander the leadoff three-bagger.
First baseman McDonald was the announced “Power Player of the Game,” finishing with a double, a single and reaching base on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. He also played a hand in a second-inning double play along with shortstop Goodwin and second baseman Ahrendt.
Sports
June 26, 2009
NYCBL BASEBALL: Power squander early lead in loss to Hornell
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