Baseball: Kelly, Phelps shut down Letchworth

GENESEO — Blue Devils junior first baseman Blake Phelps provided the go-ahead hit that proved to be the game winner in Geneseo’s 2-0 win over Letchworth on Friday night. Sophomore pitcher Sean Kelly pitched six scoreless innings and Phelps came in during the seventh to earn the save.

“Sean pitched real well and did everything to earn the complete game,” Geneseo manager Nick Drollette said about taking out Kelly in the seventh inning. “It’s just a matter of trying to do what’s best to get the win.”

Geneseo did not get a runner on base until the fifth inning, when senior outfielder Jimmy Root led off with a walk. Phelps then hit a double to centerfield, which allowed Root to try to score the first run of the game all the way from first. In a close play at the plate, Root was called out, the first of the inning.

“That was just a matter of me being aggressive,” Drollette said of his decision to wave Root home. “Their guy bobbled it in center, and I thought, Jimmy’s fast and he was already at third, so let’s see what they can do. It was a good pay on their part.”

A couple of walks by Geneseo batters eventually loaded the bases with two outs for junior second baseman Sam Johnson, but his grounder to second led to all three runners being left stranded.

The Blue Devils were finally able to capitalize on their production in the sixth. Third baseman Ryan Lagrou walked to lead off the inning, followed by junior catcher Cory Valentine and Root both hitting infield singles to load the bases. Phelps brought home Lagrou and Valentine on his single to left-centerfield.

After Kelly gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, Drollette looked to Phelps to close the game. He did so with three straight strikeouts.

This was the sixth straight win for Geneseo (6-1), who also won at Bath-Haverling on Thursday. They will travel to Pavilion on Saturday at 11am.