By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Meeting for the second time of the summer, the Crosby Legion Post 976 baseball team was able to ride their heat streak to redemption, tacking on a second consecutive victory as they downed Bradford Post 108, 6-3, to even the season series.
Crosby’s first swing at Post 108 was less than successful. Hosting Bradford back on Monday, June 1, Post 976 lost their home field advantage as the pendulum swung the other way in the form of a 10-5 loss. In the two weeks since, Crosby has responded with a 2-1 record, including Wednesday’s win over Kane that saw Post 976 complete a six-run comeback in the bottom of the seventh.
“We just played heads-up baseball (against Kane) last night and everything worked out,” said Crosby head coach Rich McDowell. “The kids didn’t get down on a few errors we had and everybody started to gel together. It gave us some motivation coming into tonight.”
Riding the wave all the way to Bradford, Crosby’s bats had yet to cool off.
Kellen Veilleux kicked off the action with a crushed shot into left field, and although he was ultimately tagged out at third, the wheels had begun to turn. With Mason Roessner earning a spot on the baseline with a subsequent walk, the next two men up, Chase Boyd and Zach Hungiville, both found contact as well as RBIs, capitalizing on a Bradford error and hard hit single to build an early 2-0 advantage.
While not immediate, Bradford’s retaliation came soon after. Going hitless through the first, Post 108 returned the favor in the top of the second, a frame that saw Drayden Norton record his second and third strikeouts of the afternoon. Returning to the plate, Jay Parisella ended the drought with a lead-off single before stealing second and moving to third on a shallow bunt laid down by Evan Whitmore. With Bradford baserunners on the corners, Owen Strotman put Post 108 on the board with a sacrifice-RBI.
However, Crosby bounced back immediately after. With Boyd standing on third, having opened the inning with a double before being moved to third with a sac-grounder from Hungiville, Derek Smith brought him across home plate with a bunt of his own. Tacking on the next out immediately after, Crosby then cashed in on some Bradford misfortune, as three consecutive walks put them up 4-1.
Once again, Bradford began mustering a response. Back-to-back singles from Tarren Reese and Ryder Iantorno, as well as a hit batter, Post 108 looked out on a filled the diamond. But, despite facing no outs, Crosby held strong. The effort came from Roessner, who dispatched the next two batters with a pair of Ks before fielding a bouncing ball and sending Bradford back to the dugout.
“(Mason’s) a college player. He’s a Coudersport kid so he’s been with me for three years now and he keeps his composure,” said McDowell of Roessner, who plays baseball at Penn State Alto. “He does what he has to do and does a job.”
Ultimately, that proved to be Bradford’s best shot at a comeback. Although they tacked on two more runs throughout the next four frames, their efforts failed to make a dent against Crosby’s cushion, one that only grew with two more runs scored in the top of the seventh.
“I think we’ll be alright. We just have to capitalize on opportunities,” said Bradford head coach Jim Henry. “We had our chances tonight. We had a couple mistakes on the field but I think we’ll be okay.”
All six of Crosby’s hits during the win came from six different batters. Veilleux, Hungiville and Smith all finished 1-for-4, combining for three RBIs and one run while Gavin Moses came away with two RBIs in Post 976’s third win of the year. On the mound, Roessner ended with seven strikeouts through seven innings.
For Bradford, Tarren Reese ended 2-for-3 with two runs scored, followed by Parisella with one run scored on a 1-for-4 day at the plate. Norton threw for 2.2 innings, ending with four Ks and four hits.
The two clubs will see each other once more throughout the regular season. Following a ten-day separation, Bradford and Crosby will clash again, settling the series with the finale on Monday, June 29 in Smethport. However, between that meeting is nine combined games that will test each squad’s chances at a trip to the postseason.
“Our next couple games should be competitive. We have a chance to take them,” said McDowell. “We should round out the season pretty well I think. I’m hoping so.”
AT BRADFORD
Crosby 202 000 2 R:6 H:6 E:3
Bradford 010 010 1 R:3 H:6 E:6
Crosby: Roessner (7 SO, 2 BB) and Boyd
Bradford: Norton (4 SO, 4 BB), Parisella (3) (2 SO, 1 BB), Tar. Reese (5) (2 SO, 0 BB) and Iantorno
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