Another close loss ends Amherst's season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Amherst, seeded 18th in the Section VI Class A baseball tournament, could not win another close game, and it cost them their season.

Trailing at 15th-seed Lake Shore, 4-2, in the bottom of the fifth inning of their first round game on Thursday, May 24, the Tigers had the tying run, Tom Ponticelli (2 for 3), on third base, but he was tagged out by the Lake Shore catcher while trying to steal home on a passed ball.

In the sixth with two outs, Shaun Garus and Andrew Hays hit back-to-back singles but Alex Dusenberry's line drive to right center field was caught to end the threat. Dusenberry finished 3 for 4 with two singles, a triple, and a run scored.

The Tigers had runners on first (Will Gowen) and second (Ponticelli) in the seventh before Mike Yanity flew out to first base and Andrew Gibson grounded out to the Lake Shore pitcher to end the game.

Lake Shore scored a run in the fifth and another two in the fifth to win 6-2.

"Not to take anything away from Lake Shore but it was another example of how we have not been able to figure out how to win close games," said Amherst coach Brian Davis.

Amherst scored their runs in the first and fourth. In the first, Dusenberry and Derek Duke led off with back-to-back singles and Dusenberry scored on a Gowen groundout to the shortstop. Duke was stranded at third. Yanity led off the fourth with a double and scored on a fielder's choice. Yanity also earned the loss on the mound, allowing 11 hits, five earned runs, two strikeouts and one walk. Amherst's defense was solid, allowing one error.

Amherst lost 24-6 and 12-8 in regular season meetings with Lake Shore.

The postseason loss ended a tough week for the Tigers. Amherst lost non-league games with West Seneca West, 8-4, Niagara Wheatfield, 14-1, and Alden, 7-4, from Monday, May 21 to Wednesday, May 23, respectively.

Amherst trailed West Seneca West, 6-4, after the sixth however the Indians scored two runs in the seventh to seal the win. The Tigers had four hits and scored a run in the fourth (Geoff Gallson on sacrifice fly from Gowen) and three in the sixth (Gibson doubled in Yanity and Alex Kuttesch, Gibson scored on passed ball).

Down 4-0 against Alden, the Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the fourth (Chris Eyeington on passed ball; Gowen on Hays' single) and tied the score in the fifth (Duke on Gowen sacrifice fly, Kuttesch on wild pitch).

Alden tallied a run in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Gallson, pinch running for Garus, was doubled off at first after JV call-up Joe Pittari hit a short liner to the Alden shortstop.

Alden scored two runs in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Dusenberry and Duke had back-to-back singles and Eyeington grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Duke was 3 for 4 with a run scored. Hays went 1 for 2 with a RBI. Amherst had eight hits. Garus threw a complete game and allowed nine runs, six earned runs, six hits, three walks, and struck out five.

Amherst scored the first run of the game against Niagara-Wheatfield in the top of the first (Ponticelli walked with bases loaded, scored Eyeington). However, Niagara Wheatfield exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the first, another two in the fifth, and an additional four in the sixth to slam the door on the Tigers.

Amherst's only two hits came in the first on back-to-back singles by Ponticelli and Gowen. Tiger batters struck out nine times.

Amherst finished 5-17 yet Davis thinks the record is not indicative of how his team played during the season.

"There were turning points in many games, and we didn't step up and make the plays defensively or come up with a two-out hit with the runner on," said Davis.

Starters Eyeington (catcher), Gowen (outfield, leading hitter), Gibson (right field), Garus (pitcher, third/designated hitter), and reserves Kuttesch and James Russell graduate.