By Nate Beutel
NIAGARA FALLS — All good things must come to an end. The Niagara Power learned that lesson the hard way Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 200 at Sal Maglie Stadium.
Five Geneva pitchers combined on a four-hitter as the Red Wings handed Niagara its first New York Collegiate Baseball League loss of the season, 12-0. The Power is now 3-1 on the season.
“I think we let ourselves take a breather after warm-ups and it carried right into the game,” Niagara manager Sam Kirby said. “Really, any time you play a full ballgame with (four) hits and three errors, you’re in trouble.”
Geneva jumped all over the Power, scoring twice in its first time up. Jack Wortley, who finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs scored, ripped an RBI double to right field to get the Red Wings rolling. The Wings continued to hit Niagara starter Mike Trainor hard, notching four consecutive hits and a pair of runs in the third.
“I think Mike used his off-speed stuff a bit too much instead of trusting his fastball,” Kirby said.
Niagara threatened to close the gap in the fifth when it loaded the bases with two outs, but A.J. Roller flew out to left to end the inning. That was the only time all day that the Power advanced a runner past second base.
“Obviously we need to convert in those type of situations, especially with our pitchers struggling a bit,” Kirby said.
After the Power went to its bullpen, the Red Wings began to pour it on, scoring three runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth. Geneva improved to 2-0 on the young season.
Niagara hosts the historic Hornell Dodgers at 4 p.m. today for a doubleheader.
“The best part about this league and the game of baseball is that you get a chance to redeem yourself every day,” Kirby said. “We need to remember what our style is and stick to it. We’re going to compete, grind, pitch well and get a couple of those timely hits with guys on base. We’ll be OK. I’m still confident in this team.”
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
