By Troy Juhn
PGCBL play is starting to ramp up as nearly every team in the league has played at least seven games. The Utica Blue Sox have played 6 games to a 4-2 record. This week alone, the Sox went 3-1, but how did they get to this point?
The week started with a trip to Robert Smith Sports Complex on monday for a clash against the Boonville Lumberjacks. The Sox started out slow in the second after a Johnny Brucato error allowed a run to score on what would’ve been an inning ending double play. Another throw offline by Brucato in the third allowed another run to come in. Lumberjacks starter Bruno Cergol tossed three shutout innings to start out, but it all unraveled for him in the fourth. The Blue Sox put up a six spot in the inning, starting with a two run home run from Nick O’Connor, his first of the season. The Sox then scored 4 more runs with two wild pitches and twice getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 12 hitters came to bat for Utica in the fourth as they took a 6-2 lead. Boonville tacked on two in the bottom frame to cut it to 6-4, but the Sox would pour it on in the sixth, with Trayce Hartman hitting his second home run of the season to make it 8-4, and Mike Benedetto and Brendan Buecker adding on with two RBI Singles. Utica had 13 hits en route to a 13-5 road win over Boonville. Four Blue Sox hitters had at least two hits, led by 3 from left fielder Kevin Denty. Utica’s 5 pitchers struck out 9 Boonville hitters, and Andrew George and Cole Moore struck out the side in their outings. Blue Sox Starter Tom Roefaro went three innings, allowing just 2 hits, 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. Lefty Nick Hios of Monmouth was credited with the victory.
The Blue Sox returned home to Murnane Field the next day in an exhibition game against the All Stars Academy and cruised to a 9-4 victory. The All stars only had 10 players available in this matchup. Utica’s bats got rolling in the third thanks to a two run single from Norris McClure and a two run double from Trayce Hartman. Hartman finished with 4 RBIs in the game, a combined stretch of 8 RBIs in 3 games. Aidan Aggarwal of Colby got the start and went three solid innings allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run.
Less than 12 hours later, the Blue Sox returned to the field for an early morning clash against the Watertown Rapids on Kids day out. Utica got out to a quick start after a McClure RBI double. The story early on in the game was the pitching from starter Anthony Anzaldi. In his first PGCBL start, Anzaldi pitched four no hit innings, striking out 4 and only walking one batter. The Blue Sox then made it 5-0 after an RBI single from Omar Carreras, a throwing error on a stolen base attempt, and a two run single to right from Benny Partridge. The Rapids fought back with 3 runs in the top of the fifth against reliever Ryan Caroll, but the Sox then increased their lead to 5 after a Buecker RBI hit and Carreras two run single made it 8-3. However the Rapids stormed back with a 5 run inning to tie it up off Kris Giangreco. Chazz Crook hit his first home run of the season, only the second one hit at Murnane Field this season, Sam Meyer drove in two runs with a triple to left field and Jake Blozy tied it on a ground ball out. It was tied at 8 heading into the bottom of the seventh until Damien Witty broke the tie with an RBI single. Gavin Enright held down the fort from there, tossing three shutout innings to close out the 9-8 victory for the Sox.
After an off day Thursday, the Sox traveled an hour and half up north for a second straight matchup against the Rapids on friday. This time it was Watertown who went off to a fast start, with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st including a Brendan Wilson HR. The Blue Sox got on the board with a Damien Witty two run double in the second, and then the bats got going in the fourth. 6 straight hits started off the inning, including RBIs from Witty, Abraham and Luke Shahin. McClure drove in two more with a double to make it an 8-3 lead. Despite the Blue Sox only allowing three hits the entire game, 4 errors, 6 walks and 4 hit by pitches were the reason for the Rapids to stay in the game and eventually tie it in the 6th on a sac fly. For a second straight game, Damien Witty gave the Sox a 9-8 lead in the seventh, and Abraham followed suit with a single of his own to increase the Sox lead. Starter Andrew Goldan and reliever Luke Baker struggled a bit with command, but on his birthday, Daury Rodriguez dominated. The New Jersey native tossed five innings, allowing just one hit and two unearned runs and striking out 4, helping the Sox to an 11-8 win over the Rapids.
On Saturday, the Blue Sox welcomed an undefeated Saugerties Stallions squad to Murnane Field. The Stallions showed why they’ve been the class of the PGCBL with a 5-4 win over Utica. Saugerties got out to a 5-0 lead in the first four innings, headlined by two RBI hits from Bayram Hot. Stallions starter Vince Fusco twirled 4.2 IP allowing just one run on five hits in his PGCBL debut. In his second start for the Blue Sox, Ryan King gave up 4 ER on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts in 3 IP. Charlie Collins and Cole Moore allowed only 1 run between them the rest of the way. Utica crawled back into the game, scoring two in the bottom of the sixth and loading the bases. But the Blue Sox could never get that tying run across the plate. Stallion reliever Andrew Speranza got the save, striking out 3 in two innings of work. Offensively for Utica, Witty drove in his 5th RBI in two games, Benedetto had two hits and an RBI, Wyatt Hunt had his first RBI hit of the season.
Utica goes back on the road to take on Oneonta tonight at 6:45. The Blue Sox play 8 games in 8 days, taking on Saugerties, Amsterdam, Albany Athletics, Glens Falls, Watertown, Amsterdam again, and Albany baseball club in that order.