BASEBALL: Root, Welch homers lift Geneseo

ATTICA — With the wind blowing out this afternoon, the Geneseo Blue Devils used Mother Nature to their advantage, launching two home runs in a six-run second inning, leading to an 11-5 victory over Attica.

Before the second inning home run barrage, the game was tied at one. The first home run came off the bat of junior centerfielder Jimmy Root, a two-run blast to left-center, giving the Blue Devils a 3-1 lead. Later in the inning, the long ball would again help Geneseo, as senior first baseman Devin Welch sent a three-run homer over the wall in left, giving the Blue Devils a 7-1 lead.

The home runs, along with timely hitting over the next few innings had Geneseo head coach Chuck Nesbitt impressed with his group.

“Getting that 7-1 lead (after the six-run second) was huge and then it was an even game from there,” Nesbitt said. “It ended up 11-5, so each team scored four, and what I felt was key was how we kept scoring a run. We’d get one more here, one more there and got to a point where you’re up six going into the last inning.”

The add-on runs Nesbitt alluded to helped the Blue Devils keep a solid pace, adding two in the third, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth.

Along with the offensive cushion, Blue Devils starter Sean Ledwith was able to settle in.

“Certainly when you have a six-run lead you pitch a little bit more comfortably, but he throws the same way regardless,” Nesbitt said. “He doesn’t get flustered too much, and the knuckleball, he doesn’t try to locate it, he just tries to aim it high and let break over the plate and he has a good fastball, too, which he snuck by a couple times.”

Welch, who delivered the final blow of the six-run second, believed the lead relaxed the knuckleballer Ledwith , who threw five innings, allowing four runs, while striking out five and walking one.

“That was a huge inning, Jimmy (Root) had a nice home run that inning, too, so we got a lot of runs that inning and that helped us carry through,” Welch said.

Geneseo (3-1) sees action next Wednesday, as they’ll play their first home game of the season, taking on LeRoy. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.