The Genesee Community College baseball team swept a Sunday afternoon double-header against Mercyhurst North East, downing the visiting Saints 4-1 and 7-4.
Sean Stanley (Holley, NY) allowed just one run on four hits while striking out three and walked two in 6.1 innings of work in game one. The Cougars jumped out in front early with a three-run first inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Ramon Vega that scored Brandon Collins and Zach Ranta. Ryan DiMartino (Batavia, NY) capped off the scoring for GCC with an RBI single in the fourth that gave Genesee a 4-1 lead, a lead they would hold on to.
Stanley earned the win while Ivan Madafferi (Albion, NY) pitched the final two outs of the game to earn the save. Vega was 1-2 at the plate with two runs batted in. Collins was 1-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
(Zach Ranta (left) and Brandon Collins (right) celebrate after scoring for Genesee Community College in game one of a double-header on Sunday afternoon)
In game two, GCC got another strong pitching performance, this time from Brandon Stagg. Stagg went six-plus innings and allowed only two runs on two hits and struck out five. Genesee responded to a first inning Saints run by scoring twice in the home-half of the inning to take back the lead. Shakeel Newton led off with an infield single and then came around to score on a Vega single. An RBI single from Fauchedre Celestijn plated Ranta later in the inning and gave GCC a 2-1 lead.
Ranta delivered a two-run double in the third inning and scored a run of his own on a sacrifice fly by Celestijn to give Genesee a 5-1 lead. The Cougars added a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth and allowed three runs (two earned) to the Saints in the seventh inning, but held on for the win.
Ranta finished game two 1-2 with two runs batted in and two runs scored, Newton was 2-3 with two runs scored and Collins was 2-4 with a run batted in and a run scored.
Genesee will return to action on September 22nd when they host Niagara County Community College for a double-header at Dwyer Stadium, beginning at 1pm.
