Post-game fireworks for the Batavia Muckdogs home opener on Saturday were set up in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning when the home team erased a 3-2 deficit to win 4-1 on a squeeze bunt with the bases loaded.
The Elmira Pioneers had high school senior Bryce Mashanic making essentially his baseball debut at the collegiate level to start the ninth, after he entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning.
Mashanic faced adversity in the inning early after second baseman Tim Haftl made a bad throw on a routine grounder for an error, allowing Anthony Greco to reach base. Greco advanced on a wild pitch to Sean Mindas, who would get a free pass on the next pitch. Mindas then stole second, and Pioneers issued an intentional walk to Caleb Walker.
Greco scored on a sacrifice fly by Cooper Romich, tying the game.
That brought Travis Hammond to the plate with one out and Walker on third. Walker inched down the line as Mashanic went into his wind up, dashing toward the plate and scoring standing up after Hammond laid down a perfect bunt down the first base line.
The walk-off sacrifice improved Batavia's record on the young season to 2-1.
DH Trevor Dutra, a sophomore at Lafayette College and from Rye Brook, was 2-3 with a walk. He had the only multi-hit game on the night for the Muckdogs.
Josh Livengood, a senior attending Center College and from Lexigton, Ky., got the win in relief, going 3 1/3 innings giving up no hits or runs and fanning six Pioneers. It was his first appearance of the season.
Starter Gavin Chandler went four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and fanning three. Chandler is a sophomore at Marion Military Institute and is from Alabaster, Ala.
Photos by Nick Serrata.
