Wins streak ends at 33 games in Final Four opener

LITTLE FALLS, NY – Held to their lowest run total of the season, the Herkimer Generals baseball team lost 6-2 in the opening round of the Region III Final Four to Schenectady County Community College Friday (5/15) afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.

Herkimer (41-4) managed their first run of the game after falling down by five runs with the Royals knocking starter Patrick Merryweather (Baldwinsville, NY) out of the game after 3 1/3 innings of work, his shortest outing of the season. Chris Rave (Middletown, NY) was the player to get the Generals on the board, singling home Tyler Phillips (Hancock, NY) in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Rave finished the game 1-for-4.

The next time Herkimer scored was the ninth, getting singles by Christian Malave (Milford, CT), Matt Lichtman (Smithtown, NY) and Thomas Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY). Carrigan drove in Malave, joining Rave as the only players in the lineup with one run batted in. Carrigan finished 2-for-4 at the plate.

Coming in relief of Merryweather in the opening round was Brandon Nylin (Hyde Park, NY). The sophomore did well, shutting down Schenectady after they tallied nine hits against Merryweather. Nylin went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs off of six hits. All two runs coming from a home run in the fifth inning by Schenectady's Tom Moore.

Also losing in the opening round was Niagara County Community College, defeated by Erie 9-8. The Generals and Thunderwolves will face each other in an elimination game Saturday (5/16) at 12 p.m. All games for the Region III Final Four will be played in Little Falls, NY – at Veterans Memorial Park.

Score:

Schenectady Royals 6, Herkimer Generals 2

Royals 000 320 001 – 6 15 1

Generals 000 001 001 – 2 11 1

WP: Zak Shaw (4-1) LP: Patrick Merryweather (7-2) 2B: Royals 1 (Kelley); HR: Schenectady 1 (Moore); RBI: Generals 2 (Rave, Carrigan) Royals 6 (Kelley 2, Moore 2, Foran, Nuzzi) Records: Herkimer 25-1, 41-4 Schenectady 16-6, 22-16

-Giorgio Varlaro