Herkimer County Community College’s bid for a third straight trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Baseball World Series is still alive.
Third-seeded HCCC (22-13) scored the go-ahead run on a catcher’s interference call in the bottom of the fifth inning then was able to hold off a pesky Jamestown squad, the No. 6 seed, for a 10-7 win.
HCCC, which finished third in the country a year ago, now advances to this weekend’s Region III Final Four to be hosted by Genesee Community College in Batavia. The winner of that double-elimination tournament then advances to the NJCAA World Series in Texas.
The other three Final Four participants will be No. 8 Niagara, which upset top-seeded Erie, No. 2 Hudson Valley, a winner over Finger Lakes and No. 4 Geneseee which beat No. 5 Schenectady in other quarterfinals Tuesday.
Frankfort-Schuyler graduate Nick Testa was at the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth when he struck catcher Darek Faucher’s glove as he bounced a ball over the pitcher’s mound.
The umpire immediately made the call which allowed Chris Massar to score and give the Generals a 6-5 lead. Testa was credited with an RBI on the play and drove in three runs batted on the day.
Massar had led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a Nate Sanzo double, one of Sanzo’s three hits on the day. Two outs later, Dan Wood walked bringing Testa to the plate.
HCCC added a couple of insurance runs in the sixth with Ron Patterson scoring on a wild pitch and Sanzo delivering a sacrifice fly.’
Then after Jamestown pulled within 8-7 on a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, Herkimer answered with two more runs in their half of that inning.
Ben Brady led off with a single, which was played into a triple when the ball got by Jamestown leftfielder Nat Barone. Testa then delivered a sacrifice fly to left.
Keith Hendricks then tripled, one of his three hits, and he scored on a Patterson double.
Hendricks, who came on to shut the door in the seventh, the pitched two more scoreless innings of relief to preserve the HCCC win.
Early on, it didn’t look like things would be so difficult for the two-time defending regional champions as the Generals stormed to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
Ty Folli, Sanzo and Ambiorex Trunifel all had RBI in that first inning.
Jamestown was able to come back, though as HCCC ace Rex Brinkmeyer had an uncharacteristically bad outing.
Brinkmeyer allowed two runs in the second and then was chased when Barone drilled a towering home run over the left-field fence in the fourth inning.
Fonda-Fultonville graduate Mitch Kierpiec relieved Brinkmeyer and did a nice job in relief picking up the win by allowing three runs over the next 3 2/3 innings of work. Kierpiec improved to 6-1 on the season.
HCCC regained the lead on Testa’s RBI single in the fourth before Jamestown tied the game again on a Mark Zanni squeeze bunt in the top of the fifth.
The Generals then took the lead for good as it secured another trip to the regional Final Four.
Hendricks and Sanzo each had three hits for the Generals while Patterson and Folli had two apiece.
Josh Melquist had three hits for the Jayhawks as did Barone. Barone, Jon Messina and Melquist each drove in two runs.
Herkimer outhit Jamestown 14-11 for the game.