Red Wings in playoffs but lose regular season finale
Despite a 9-2 loss to the Niagara Falls Power, the Geneva Red Wings are in the West Division Playoffs as the four seed.
Webster needed one win to eliminate the Wings, but the Yankees fell flat, losing four games in the last two days of the season.
The Power scored all of the their runs in the first three innings against Wings starter Kyle Shaw (University of Toledo). Catcher Angelo Crisostomo and designated hitter Steve Cammuso hit back-to-back RBI singles in the first to give them a 2-0 lead.
Geneva got one run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by designated hitter Jack Wortley(UT-Permian Basin), but left the bases loaded. The Wings stranded nine runners on base overall.
Niagara went ahead 5-1 in the second. Shortstop Brian Goodwin hit a leadoff home run, and then with two outs right fielder Travis Latz crushed a two RBI homer into dead centerfield.
Latz went 2-for-4 with four RBI’s, three runs, a walk and a hit by pitch.
Power starting pitcher Matt Schimpf gave up consecutive walks to centerfielder Mike Blanchard (Austin-Peay University) and second baseman Gordy LaHann (UT-Permian Basin) to begin the bottom of the second. However, the Wings only got one run across on an RBI ground out by right fielder Jeff Cola (University of Toledo).
Shaw got knocked out of the game with two outs in the third after giving up four more runs. He walked the bases loaded that inning, and got behind on the count to five batters.
Reliever Dave Christoffersen (Stetson University) walked the bases loaded again before getting the final out. But by then the Power led by the final score 9-2.
Christoffersen went on to pitch four shutout innings. Peter Brzezicki (University of Charleston) and Lucas Anderson (Austin-Peay University) also pitched a scoreless inning each.
For Niagara, Schimpf lasted six innings with three strikeouts.
The Wings begin the playoffs tonight at 7 p.m. at top seeded Hornell. Geneva ended the regular season with a 21-20-1 record, while Hornell went 30-12.
Jared Fisher (Quincy University) will start game one.