Gershkoff wins nightcap to earn doubleheader split with Senerchia

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The Gershkoff Auto Body/Auburn Post 20 legion baseball team salvaged a split against Senerchia Post 74 on Monday night at Cranston Stadium, winning the nightcap of the doubleheader, 8-6, after dropping a 5-2 decision in the front end.

Harold Corniel, who doubled twice in Game 1, continued his hot hitting in Game 2 alongside shortstop Travis Collins, as the pair paced the eight-run outburst.

Chrisdione Mendez turned in a strong start for Gershkoff over five innings of work in Game 2 to grab the win, while Austin Alzate and Dan Smith each tossed a frame in relief to secure the split.

In Game 1, however, Gershkoff’s bats were hushed by Hendricken senior pitcher Joe Maynard.

Maynard, who was the Hawks’ No. 2 starter this spring, was slotted to throw in Game 3 of the state title series against SK. But with Hendricken sweeping the Rebels in two games, Maynard was well-rested for Monday’s start, and it showed.

The right-hander allowed just two runs, one earned, in a complete-game effort, fanning five and scattering five hits.

“It was nice, some of the younger guys had some jitters playing with the older guys for the first time, so it was nice to have a veteran on the mound for the first game,” Senerchia head coach Chris Sheehan said. “I felt bad for Joe that he didn’t get to pitch at McCoy, but that’s a good problem to have. But you know what you’re going to get from him, he’s going to pound the zone. I think he threw 79 pitches.”

After 3 1/2 innings of scoreless baseball, Senerchia struck first against Gershkoff starter Korey Fijal.

The current CCRI right-hander and former Johnston standout struck out Joe Boland on a breaking ball in the dirt. Smith blocked the pitch behind the plate, but his throw down to first eluded first baseman Luis Nunez, allowing Nico Salvaggio to jog in from third for a 1-0 Senerchia lead.

A two-out rally in the ensuing half-inning gave Gershkoff its first lead, though.

After Emilio Rodriguez flew out to center and Jake Podmaska struck out, Corniel ripped a double to the center field fence to get things going.

And, a couple of pitches later, Jake Coro traded places with him when he laced an RBI double into the left center field gap to knot the score at 1.

It seemed as though Maynard maneuvered his way out of the inning when Collins hit a lazy fly ball down the left field line with two down, but Billy Roberge misjudged the ball, as it dropped in to give Gershkoff the lead, 2-1.

Walks, passed balls and wild pitches would plague Gershkoff and swing the momentum quickly in the bottom of the fifth.

Fijal issued a free pass to Colin McBride to start the inning, before Jordan Marot advanced McBride to second with a sacrifice bunt.

A wild pitch kept McBride moving to third, and Roberge would draw his third walk in as many plate appearances to put runners at the corners with one out.

Roberge swiped second without a throw, before a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed McBride and Roberge to score as Senerchia regained the lead without registering a hit, 3-2.

The disaster inning didn’t end there for Gershkoff.

Elijah Brown drew a walk and Matt Sweeney struck out but reached on a wild pitch, causing Gershkoff head coach Dave Schiappa to go to the bullpen and bring in Cranston West right-hander Chris Manfredo.

He issued the fourth free pass of the inning to Salvaggio to load the bases, and shortly after, No. 5 hitter Connor Kiely grabbed his first RBI of the summer with a sacrifice fly that plated Brown.

Boland then pushed Senerchia’s lead out to three, 5-2, on an RBI single to center field that scored Sweeney – the Hawks’ only hit in the four-run inning.

“Those are the things you have to take advantage of,” Sheehan said of Gershkoff’s fifth-inning miscues. “We got the timely hit from Boland, which was big. You look back to the start of that inning, McBride worked a walk and Marot moved him over with a nice bunt. Everything kind of just materialized from there.”

For Gershkoff, that sloppy fifth inning unfortunately cost it the game.

“We’re really shorthanded tonight, so we had some guys playing out of position,” Schiappa said following Game 1. “Unfortunately, our catcher [Alejandro Martinez] is sick with pertussis, so the whole game plan was thrown out from the get-go. The plan was to have Korey pitching and Martinez catching, but everything changed when I had to use some guys behind the plate that usually pitch.”

Maynard was dominant upon returning to the bump after the long layover. He worked 1-2-3 innings in both the sixth and seventh frames to lead Senerchia to its first victory of the summer.

Gershkoff carried its momentum from Game 2 into a doubleheader against Riverside Post 10 and Providence Post 56 on Tuesday night, winning both games by scores of 2-1 and 8-2.

It will now travel to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, for the Lobstermania Tournament this weekend, before returning to league play on Monday night with a doubleheader against West Warwick Post 2. Game 1 will be played at 5:30 p.m. at Johnston Memorial Park, with Game 2 to follow.

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