Geneva Red Wings News & Notes

Hornell Clips Wings 4-2

Hornell,Ny—The Wings couldn’t maintain the momentum from there win against Webster on Tuesday, as they fell 4-2 against Hornell on Wednesday.

Wings starter Sean McGrath didn’t have his best stuff, but he gave his team a chance to win, as he went four innings and gave up three runs (two earned). Hornell scored one run in the third on an RBI single by league RBI leader Chase Presley. They would score two more in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Ben Gielow and a two out Red Wings error making it 3-0 after four innings.

The Red Wings offense got some two out production in the fifth as John Rodgers walked and scored on Max Casper’s RBI double to center field, Kevin Knack followed with an RBI double to right center field to make it 3-2. After Evan Mansell walked, starter Bryce Zak got Ralph Alloco to pop out to end the threat.

Zak went five and a third, only surrendering those two runs on seven hits. It was his second good start against the Wings this season, as he went seven shutout innings against them on June 26th.
The Wings offense was unable to muster anything else against Zak and the Hornell bullpen, as they only tallied one hit after the two run fifth inning. The Wings bullpen kept them in the game with good outings from Trevor Gast, Brett Julian, and Mike Von Stein.

The Wings fell to 17-14 and our now a half game behind the Dodgers for first place in the Western Division. They face Webster at home on Thursday night.

WP: Bryce Zak LP: Sean McGrath

Cooneys Strong Start Propels Wings into 1st Place

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)
Geneva, Ny—It was a momentum shifting day at McDonough Park as the Red Wings beat division leading Webster to pull into first place. The Wings ended their two game losing streak with help from starter Tim Cooney (Saint Anselms).

The Wings would score one run in the bottom of the second, with two outs, on a Webster error that allowed Dave Saluga (Youngstown State) to score. They would tally four more runs in the bottom of the third. Max Casper (North Dakota State) reached on a dropped 3rd strike to begin the inning, Jon Leroux (Northeastern) followed with an infield single. After the runners advanced on a wild pitch, Evan Mansell (Freed-Hardeman) knocked in Casper with a groundball to the shortstop Daniel Bick. Bick elected to try and cut down Leroux at third but the throw was bobbled by the third basemen. The next batter, Phil Mullen (Cornell), laced a double into the right center field gap scoring Leroux and Mansell and giving the Wings a 5-0 lead.

That would be all Tim Cooney would need as he allowed only one run on five hits in six strong innings Tuesday night. Roberto Ferguson (Freed-Haredeman) came on in relief in the seventh inning. Ferguson gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases in front of Chris Bostick, with the score 5-1. Ferguson buckled down striking out Bostick, but allowing Kevin Johnson to score on the dropped third strike. He followed that up by getting Jake Montgomery looking at a nasty curveball to end the inning with the Wings leading 5-2.

Andrew Boyce (Holy Cross) came on in the eighth, and worked a stellar two innings to earn the save. Boyce lowered his ERA to a minuscule 1.53, while striking out three in two innings, as he continues to be a reliable arm out of the Geneva bullpen.
The Wings are now 17-13 and are in first place in the Western Division with the Webster Yankees trailing them in the division due to the Wings lead in the head to head series. The Wings will travel to Hornell on Wednesday looking to continue a good start post all-star break.

WP: Tim Cooney LP: Jasvir Rakkar S: Andrew Boyce

The Red Wings are pleased to announce that five members of this years team have been chosen to participate in the NYCBL all-star game. Max Casper, Jeff Croteau, Ryan Fennell, Jon Leroux, and Leon Stimpson will represent the Western Division in the all-star game which takes place Monday night (7/11) at 7 PM at Damashke Field in Oneonta.

Max Casper:
Casper will be entering his senior season at North Dakota State, and he is a returning member of the Red Wings family. Max continues to be a consummate leader as he completes his second stint with the Red Wings team. Max is as good as it gets at the shortstop position, and he has not disappointed thus far on the season, providing a stellar glove for the Wings. At the time of this release, Casper is hitting .308, leads the NYCBL with 9 sacrifices, and has an OBP of .421 (10th in the Western Division) through 25 games.

Jeff Croteau:
Jeff will be entering his Junior season at Bentley University in Waltham, Ma. Jeff has been nothing short of dominant to this point, as he has posted a 4-0 record to go along with his sterling 1.88 ERA. Jeff is currently the only pitcher in the Western Division, and one of just three pitchers in the entire NYCBL to have reached four wins on the season. His 4 wins has him tied for the league lead, and his 1.88 ERA is 3d best in the Western Division, and 10th best in the NYCBL. Jeff has shown great command of all of his pitches, keeping batters off balance through the 1st half of the season.

Ryan Fennell:
Ryan will be entering his Senior season at Canisius College. Ryan is another returning Red Wing, who has been brilliant in his second stint with Geneva. Through 14 1/3 innings of work, Fennell has an ERA of 1.26 and opponents have managed to hit just .180 against the big right-handed pitcher. Over 8 appearances, Ryan has struck out a batter per inning for the Wings, and has allowed just 1 extra base hit. Ryan has used a devastating fastball (90-93 MPH), and has incorporated a solid curveball to his repertoire as well.

Jon Leroux:
Leroux is entering his Junior season at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Leroux, an NYCBL all-star last year as well, is hitting .292, with 2 HRS (3d in the western Division), 7 doubles (1st in the Western Division), and 14 RBI (5th in the Western Division). Leroux is 2nd in the league in walks with 20, and has maintained an OBP of .431 thus far. Along with his many offensive accolades, Leroux has been a valuable asset to the Red Wings due to his defensive versatility. Jon has started games as a C, 1B, LF and DH this season. Leroux was also tabbed as the Red Wings representative in this years Homerun Derby competition.

Leon Stimpson:
Leon is entering his Junior season at Alvernia University. Stimpson, the Wings dynamic outfielder, is 2nd in the NYCBL in average, with a .455 mark through 22 games. Leon has 40 hits (3d in the NYCBL), 21 runs (6th in the NYCBL), 5 triples (1st in the NYCBL), 18 stolen bases (3d in the NYCBL), and an on base percentage of .533 (2nd in the NYCBL) – As these statistics show, Stimpson is having himself a monster year, putting up MVP like numbers.

The Wings are very proud of Max, Jeff, Ryan, Jon, and Leon – and know that these five young men will represent the Western Division well.

Wings Jump on Hornell Early, Hold on Late to Win 7-5

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)
Geneva, Ny— The Red Wings closed to within 1 1/2 games of the division lead following their win on Wednesday night over division leader Hornell. Starter Sean McGrath (Lafayette) gave the Wings a solid outing, working out of jams in the second and third innings to escape early trouble.

The Wings gave McGrath some early run support in the second inning as left fielder Dave Saluga (Youngstown State) connected on a fastball from Tom Coughlin and launched it over the right field fence, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead. Salugas blast sparked the Wings offense as they would load the bases in front of Max Casper North Dakota State). Casper ripped a ball to third basemen John Wagner who couldn’t handle it and Skyler Barnett (East Tennessee State) scored to make it a 2-0 game. Coughlin walked Kevin Knack (Oneonta) with the bases loaded to score Scott Shields (Cal State East Bay), before Phil Mullen (Cornell) capped the inning with a two run single to left center field, giving the Red Wings a 5-0 lead after two innings.

Hornell would battle back scoring a run off McGrath in the third and fourth innings to make it 5-2. The Wings answered in the fourth as Leon Stimpson (Alvernia) lead off with a bunt single and scored two batters later on a throwing error by Hornell to make it 6-2 after four. McGrath ran into a little trouble in the sixth inning as he walked the leadoff man and then gave up back to back singles to load the bases. John Wagner knocked McGrath out of the game with an RBI single to right field making it 6-3. Reliever Trevor Gast (Toledo) came in and was able to work out of the jam and escape the inning with the Wings still leading 6-5. All five runs were charged to McGrath who was plagued by infield singles and bleeders over his five plus innings, he also struck out seven.

Gast worked a scoreless seventh before giving way to Brett Julian (Merrimack) in the eighth. Julian got the first two batters with some help from a phenonomenal defensive play by Scott Shields at second. Julian however walked the next two batters and was lifted for Zach Augustine (Johns Hopkins) with the tying run on second and two outs. Augustine did his job, as he has all season, getting pinch hitter Jay Palese to pop out to Max Casper to end the inning. The Wings tacked on an insurance run in the ninth as Stimpson led off with a triple and was knocked in on an RBI single by Max Casper. Augustine earned the save as he worked the ninth, getting J.P. Frey to strike out with a runner on third and two out to preserve the win.
The Wings moved to 14-11 on the year and have now won two straight overall and three straight over division leader Hornell. Said pitcher Sean McGrath, “Tonight was a team win. Everyone did their part to pull out the W.” The Wings travel to Niagara tomorrow looking to build on their recent success with Tim Cooney slated to start.

WP: Sean McGrath LP: Tom Coughlin S: Zach Augustine
RBI: Saluga 1, Casper 2, Knack 1, Mullen 2

Lerouxs’ Blast, Von Steins’ Arm Secure Win over Alfred

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)

Geneva, Ny—The Red Wings returned home and in doing so, returned to their winning ways on Tuesday night. Good pitching and timely hitting gave the Wings an 8-4 win over Alfred at McDonough park.

Starter Sean White (Dickinson College) gave the Wings a great outing allowing only two runs (one earned) in six and two-thirds Tuesday night. White cruised through the first six innings allowing only two hits through six. The Wings offense backed him in the fourth inning, as Max Casper (North Dakota State) led off the inning with an infield single and would later score on an RBI groundout by Phil Mullen (Cornell). Brian Sullivan (Clark University) then placed a double down the right field line with two outs, and later scored on an RBI single by Ralph Alloco (Canisius), giving the Wings and White a 2-0 lead.

The defense let White down in the seventh however, as two RBI hits were sandwiched in between two Red Wings errors, allowing Alfred tied the score and knocking White from the ball game. Reliever Zach Augustine (Johns Hopkins) came on with runners at the corners and two outs looking to preserve the 2-2 tie. Augustine struck out Calvin Bass to end the inning and the threat. In the bottom of the inning the Wings would strike back. Alloco led off with a walk and scored on a single by AJ DeMarco (Toledo). After Max Casper walked to extend the inning, first basemen Jon Leroux (Northeastern University) greeted new pitcher Jack Jorgensen with blast over the right field fence on Jorgensen’s first pitch to put the Wings up 6-2.

Alfred wouldn’t go away easily as they rallied against the normally stellar Andrew Boyce (Holy Cross), following a very controversial call at third base, the Thunder had cut the lead to 6-4 and had runners at first and third as Boyce was pulled for closer Mike Von Stein (Stonehill). Von Stein threw one pitch and got catcher Cayden Cunniff to bounce back to him for an inning ending 1-6-3 double play.

The Wings tacked on two more in their half of the eighth to make it an 8-4 lead. Von Stein slammed the door in the ninth to earn the save. In a game the Wings had to have, and in a moment when his team needed him the most, their biggest bat in the lineup came through with a huge three run bomb, giving the Wings some much needed momentum heading into Wednesday nights showdown with first place Hornell. The Wings moved to 13-11 on the year and picked up half a game on idle Hornell.

WP: Zach Augustine LP: Tallon Sicely S: Mike Von Stein
HR: Leroux (2)

Stimpsons 5 hit day helps Wings top Webster

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)9

Webster, Ny—After stranding 18 runners on Saturday night in their 7-4 extra innings loss to Niagara, the Wings fell to 11-10 on the year. On Sunday, the wings were heading into face a Webster team they lost to earlier in the week 8-3. However, on Sunday the Red Wings offense refused to be shut down again. They took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Max Casper (North Dakota State) scored on a passed ball. Three innings later Brian Sullivan (Clark University) led off the inning with a triple to right center field. The next batter Scott Shields (Cal State East Bay) singled Sullivan home as he laced a pitch into right field to give the Wings a 2-0 lead.

Webster battled back against starting pitcher Jeff Croteau (Bentley University) in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tyler Huntley led off with a single and advanced to second after a sacrifice bunt. Next batter Ben Bostick reached on an infield error that put runners at the corners an only one out. Next batter Luis Diaz reached on an infield single that would score Huntley and make it 2-1. The next batter Chris Bostick tied the game with a base hit to center field that scored his brother.

The Wings however backed Croteau in the top of the seventh against reliever Cameron Schooley. Leon Stimpson (Alvernia) led off with what would be his fourth hit of the day at the time, but was caught stealing to start the inning on what looked to be a questionable call. Max Casper and Kevin Knack (Oneonta State) would follow with walks, with Jon Leroux (Northeastern) being hit by a pitch in between them to load the bases for Jake Chaplin (Haverford). With the Wings in an offensive rut with runners in scoring position, Coach Cooney elected to have Chaplin lay down a squeeze bunt to try and get the Wings going. Chaplin bunted a ball down the third base line that looked to be going foul but stopped right on the line allowing Chaplin to reach and scoring Casper. Two batters later John Rodgers (Notre Dame) ripped a two out single into right field, scoring Leroux and Knack and giving the Red Wings a 5-2 lead.

The Yankees would get within two runs as they scored a run in the bottom of the seventh on back to back triples off Brett Julian (Merrimack). Stimpson and the Wings however put it out of reach in the ninth as Stimpson smashed a triple down the right field line that would score two runs and give the Wings a 7-3 lead. Stimpson went 5-6 on the day with 2 RBI’s raising his average to .471, good for 2nd in the NYCBL. Starter Jeff Croteau earned his fourth win on the year to move to 4-0, joining Utica’s Petit as the only two starters in the NYCBL with 4-0 records on the season. He went six innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on 8 hits, and dropped his era to 1.88 on the season.
The Wings moved two games above the 500 mark to 12-10 as they head into their out of conference showdown with Oneonta tomorrow night.

WP: Jeff Croteau LP: Cameron Schooley S: Trevor Gast

Red Wings Strand 18, Lose Heartbreaker in 11

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)

Geneva, Ny—The Red Wings six game home stand had been up and down throughout the first five games as the Wing had been unable to put a streak together. It ended on a low point in a 7-4 loss to the Niagara Power in eleven innings.

The Wings took an early 4-0 lead in bottom of the second inning. Jake Chaplin led off with an infield single, Ralph Alloco and John Rodgers both followed with bunt singles. After Skyler Barnett struck out, Kelly Meyers drove in a run on a fielders choice. Two batters later Max Casper laced a two out double down the right field line with the bases loaded to give the Wings a 4-0 lead.

Niagara battled back against starter George Schaefer, scoring one run in the third and three in the fourth to tie the game on two Red Wings errors. Good relief outings from Andrew Boyce and Brett Julian would follow.

The Wings would load the bases in the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th inning but were unable to score any runs as Niagaras defense made some phenomenal plays behind their bullpen to keep the game tied.
Pitcher Mike Von Stein came into pitch in the ninth inning and got the first two batters easily before allowing a single to Justin Fahy. Fahy stole second and would attempt to score on a base hit by Brendon Collins. Left fielder Jon Leroux threw a laser to catcher Skyler Barnett to get Fahy and preserve the tie. After the Wings left the bases loaded in the ninth, Von Stien came out again in the tenth. He got the first two hitters before allowing a single to Billy Logan. Von Stein threw the ball away as he attempted to pick off Logan, the throw was a bit wide of first basemen Jake Chaplin as it skipped away down the right field line. Logan rounded third and headed for home as right fielder Kelly Myers threw a rope to Skyler Barnett to gun down Logan at the plate. The Wings went quietly in the tenth, before Niagara rallied for three runs off Von Stein in the eleventh to take a 7-4 lead.
The Wings left 18 men on base and went 1-7 with the bases loaded as they dropped to 3-3 on the home stand and 11-10 overall.

Next Game: @ Webster 7/3
WP: Kaplan LP: Von Stein S: Long
RBI: Casper 3, Meyers 1

Cashing In: Wings Deliver 5-1 Win on Bank Night

Geneva, NY—
Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)

Through his first three starts on the NYCBL season, pitcher Tim Cooney (Saint Anselms) had received a total of two runs of support from his offense. On Friday night at McDonough Park it looked like more of the same through the first four innings.

Cooney allowed a single to open the game, but induced a double play ball off the bat of Matt Negaard as Kevin Knack made a brilliant diving stop and doubled off the runner at first. In the fourth Cooney was in a jam after allowing back to back singles, but got Derek Smith to roll over to second basemen Scott Shields to start the 4-6-3 double play.

The Wings offense got going in the bottom of the fifth inning against Evan Rahm. AJ DeMarco (Toledo) led off the inning with a sharp single to left field and would advance to second base on a balk by Rahm. After Shields (Cal State East Bay) bunted Demarco over to third, Leon Stimpson (Alvernia) reached on an infield single to the shortstop, plating DeMarco. The next batter, Max Casper (North Dakota State) singled to left center field, the ball was misplayed by Alfred left fielder Kevin Hendricks and rolled to the wall allowing Stimpson to score from first and give Cooney a 2-0 cushion.
Cooney found himself in a two out jam in the seventh as he allowed back to back singles to Derek Smith and Calvin Bass. Andrew Boyce (Holy Cross) came into relieve Cooney after Bass singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Boyce, who was coming off a stellar relief appearance against Webster on Tuesday, did the job again as he struck out Matthew O’Neil to end the inning and strand the runners. Boyce went an inning and a third of scoreless relief, not allowing a base runner and striking out two.

The Wings would tack on two more in the seventh and one in the eighth to make it 5-0. Ryan Fennell (Canisius) came on in the ninth and gave up a run, but slammed the door on a potential Alfred rally striking out Jacob Coleman with the bases loaded to end the game. The Wings moved to 3-2 on the current home stand and 11-9 overall as they prepare to face Niagara on Saturday night.

WP: Tim Cooney LP: Evan Rahm S: Ryan Fennell
RBI: Stimpson, Casper, Chaplin, Sullivan.

Errors Plague Red Wings In Loss to Niagara

Geneva, NY—
By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)

Mental lapses took their toll on the Red Wings Thursday night at McDonough Park. The Red Wings committed four errors and a few other mental mistakes, which led to their 6-3 defeat against Niagara. Niagara won their sixth game in a row and jumped the Wings in the standings heading into Friday nights game against Alfred.

Starter Sean McGrath (Lafayette) pitched well in his four innings of work allowing three runs only one of which was earned. McGrath wiggled out of a first and second jam in the first inning when he got Niagara catcher Billy Logan to pop out to Jake Chaplin. McGrath gave up his only earned run in the top of the third when he walked leadoff man Justin Fahy. Fahy then stole second and scored two batters later on a double by Brendan Collins. Things got worse in the fourth for McGrath as the defense misplayed a couple balls behind him. McGrath gave up a leadoff single to Adam Taylor, but got the next two batters easily. He got what should have been an inning ending groundball, but it was booted by the defense and Taylor scored on the play to make it 2-0. After another Geneva error allowed the inning to continue, Derek Glenn singled home another run to make it 3-0 ending the night for Sean McGrath.
Meanwhile Niagara starter Tim Cole cruised through the first five innings allowing only two hits. Staked to a 6-0 lead in the seventh Cole began to falter. He walked catcher Skyler Barnett (East Tennessee State) with one out. The center fielder, Kelly Meyers (Davidson), tapped a ball back to Cole that should have been a routine double play; however Cole mishandled the play as his throw sailed into center field. That would end the night for Cole as he left with a 6-0 lead hoping the pen could hold it. New pitcher Christopher Motta got Kevin Knack (Oneonta State) to fly out to center field. With two outs however Jake Chaplin (Haverford) laced a ball into the left center field gap that would roll all the way to the wall and plate Barnett and Meyers for a two RBI triple. Next batter Scott Shields (Cal State East Bay) rolled over to first basemen Frank Paulino who couldn’t handle a tricky hop, allowing Shields to reach and Chaplin to score. However, Shields was caught stealing to end the inning and the last threat for the Wings, who would only muster one base runner in the final two innings.

The Wings dropped to 2-2 on the home stand and 10-9 overall as they prepare to face the Alfred Thunder on Friday night. Pitcher Tim Cooney will look to get the Wings back in the win column before they face Niagara again Saturday for a makeup game.

WP: Tim Cole LP: Sean McGrath
RBI: Chaplin 2, Shields 1

Four Run Seventh Keys Wings Victory

By: Josh Schrock (University of Oregon)

Geneva, Ny— After suffering their first home loss of the year on Tuesday night, the Geneva Red Wings were in need of a win with first place Hornell coming to town. The Wings fell into third place after the loss to Webster on Tuesday night, a win against Hornell would get them heading in the right direction.

The Wings sent Sean White to the mound in hopes that he could build off of his last appearance, in which he threw four shutout innings in last Thursdays win against Alfred. White (Dickinson College) was again brilliant on Wednesday allowing only three runs (one earned) in six and two thirds. White cruised through the first four innings. White ran into a little trouble in the fifth inning after he was given a two run lead on fourth inning RBI’s by Jon Leroux (Northeastern University) and Jake Chaplin (Haverford College). The leadoff man reached safely on a Geneva fielding error and would score on a sacrifice fly by Hornell Catcher Brian Dixon. Another Wings error allowed the inning to continue and the tying run would score on a double steal attempt with two out.

The Wings regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Thomas Troelstrup (UNC Greensboro) ripped a two out double to left field and would score on a bloop single by first basemen Jake Chaplin.
White got the first two batters in the seventh but then ran into some two out trouble. JP Frey singled to left; White would walk the next batter and then surrender an infield single to Ben Gielow. With the bases loaded Cody Stevenson laid down a two out bunt down the third base line. Third basemen Evan Mansell (Freed-Hardeman) made a good play, but his throw was a bit late as Stevenson had the infield single and the RBI. That was the end of the night for Sean White, who went six and two thirds and only surrendered one earned run (three total) on six hits. Lefty Trevor Gast (University of Toledo) relieved White, he struck out the only man he faced to end the threat and keep the game tied at three.
The Wings broke through in the bottom of the seventh against starter Grant Nadeau. With two out and Leon Stimpson (Alvernia University) on first base, shortstop Max Casper (North Dakota State) blooped a single into right field, with Stimpson going first to third and Casper moving to second on the throw. The next batter, Evan Mansell, laced a single into right center field, scoring Stimpson and giving the Wings the lead, chasing Nadeau. Reliever Joe Wallace didn’t fare much better, as he walked Jon Leroux and then gave up a two run double off of the left field wall to Thomas Troelstrup. Jake Chaplin then knocked home Leroux to cap the inning with his 3rd RBI of the night.

The four run, two out rally was all the Wings would need, as Mike Von Stein worked the final two innings striking out three and securing the Wings tenth win on the season. The outing from Von Stein was his second consecutive impressive outing, coming on the heels of a brilliant 3 inning 4 strikeout performance earlier in the week. Offensively, the Wings had a balanced attack from 1-9 in the order, as 5 batters had multiple hit nights (Stimpson, Mansell, Troelstrup, Chaplin, and Rodgers).

With the win the Wings moved back into a second place tie at 10-8 overall (5-1 at home), just a half game out of first place (Hornell) in the NYCBL Western Division. The Wings resume their home-stand tomorrow evening at 7PM against the red hot Niagara Power (winners of 5 in a row).

WP: Trevor Gast LP: Grant Nadeau