Missed Opportunity For Skunks

BATAVIA — The Jamestown Tarp Skunks suffered one of their toughest losses of the season Wednesday at Dwyer Stadium.

Jamestown let a four-run lead get away in the ninth inning and then surrendered the winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning of a 7-6 loss to the Batavia Muckdogs in Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League West Division action.

The third-place Tarp Skunks fell to 19-13 on the season while the second-place Muckdogs improved to 22-13. The Elmira Pioneers lead the division at 22-12.

Jamestown led 6-2 entering the ninth inning before things fell apart. Reliever Andrew Ayers (St. Bonaventure University) walked Trey Bacon to open the inning and then allowed a single to Sean Ladd, but a double play left Bacon at second with two outs.

Josh Leadem then walked and Lucas Lopez reached on an infield single to load the bases, but Jamestown still had a four-run lead with one out remaining. Giuseppe Arcuri followed with a two-run double that left the tying runs on base and the potential winning run at the plate in the form of Batavia’s Adam Agresti, who hit a two-run single to left field to tie the game.

Ayers got out of the inning with a lineout, but the damage had been done.

Jared Munoz (University of Massachusetts) started the 10th inning on second base for the Tarp Skunks, who elected to use Paul Catalano (Fairfield University) as a pinch-runner. That move didn’t work out as Catalano was picked off for the first out of the inning. Grady Mee (Western Michigan University) was then hit by a pitch and Tommy Googins (Princeton University) walked, but back-to-back strikeouts by Bacon, who took over on the mound for the Muckdogs, ended the inning.

In the bottom of the 10th, Jamestown intentionally walked Brice Mortillaro to put runners at first and second with no outs. Matt DeStefano then walked to load the bases before Christian Bernardini scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Jamestown led 1-0 after the first inning as Mee walked, went to second on a grounder, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Tarp Skunks went up 4-1 in the third. Colin Houck (East Stroudsburg University) walked, Munoz singled and Alex Ahlstrom (Finger Lakes Community College) walked before Googins hit into a one-out RBI groundout. Henry Juan (Williams College) then reached on an error allowing two more runs to score.

In the sixth, Juan singled and eventually scored on a Zack Kent (Wagner College) sacrifice fly. In the ninth, Kent doubled and went to third on a passed ball before scoring on a wild pitch.

Frank Villella (Nova Southeastern University) threw four innings of three-hit, one-run ball with four strikeouts before Evan Berta (Fairfield University) threw three innings of three-hit, one-run ball with four strikeouts for Jamestown.

The Tarp Skunks return to action today with a doubleheader at Dunn Field in Elmira. On Saturday, they will play at Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls before returning home for a doubleheader Sunday at Diethrick Park against the Auburn DoubleDays.