One day after a come-from-behind, walk-off win against Clarkstown North, Rye’s baseball team didn’t leave any room for dramatics. The Garnets completed a sweep of the Rams with an 11-0 victory Tuesday on the road.
Rye (9-2) scored once in the third and fourth innings, then exploded for nine runs in the fifth, forcing another game to a sudden end, this time in a run rule.
Junior Luke Ontaneda went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and senior Nolan Hutson also drove in three runs on two hits. Senior Jackson Pineault had a hit a day after smashing a game-winning home run, and seniors Harry Ellis and Michael Talbott added hits as well.
“They had a West Point commit [pitching] on Tuesday and another very good pitcher at home on Monday, so it was important that we got locked in for those games,” said Rye coach Mike Bruno. “We were able to wait it out long enough [Tuesday] that we could get to the bullpen, and then we really put some runs together.”
Rye’s first run was a result of Talbott’s savvy base running. After drawing a walk, the second baseman stole second, then advanced to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
Senior Lucas London had a similar journey around the basepaths in the fourth. He walked, then moved ahead one base at a time on three wild pitches to make it 2-0.
In the nine-run sixth, the Garnets had six hits, starting with a home run to left field by Hutson. Ontaneda singled, then the Rams intentionally walked Pineault in an attempt to avoid another home run, but the next batter up, Ellis, tripled to score two runs.
In their second at-bat of the inning, Hutson and Ontaneda got hits again, driving in the game’s final three runs.
Junior pitcher Michael Bubeck earned the shutout, throwing all six innings with six strikeouts on 76 pitches to earn his third win of the season.
“Bubeck had a great pitching performance on Tuesday, so that really helped us get some momentum as the game went on,” Bruno said. “We didn’t have to worry about pushing for runs, so that worked out very well.”
Rye’s next two-game series is against Fox Lane, the defending Section 1 Class AA champions, at home Thursday, then on the road Saturday. The Foxes beat Eastchester on Friday for their first win after starting the season 0-6.
