Cortland Standard .net

By TOM VARTANIAN
Staff Writer
When Jake Hayes broke his collarbone before Homer Central even played a baseball game this spring there was uncertainty that he would be able to play at all this season.
Hayes worked and rehabbed to make a pitching appearance against Cortland High Tuesday. On Friday, the senior started at shortstop in the first home game of the season, went 2-for-2 at the plate and was at the heart of a couple of questionable plays during the Trojans’ 8-6 OHSL Freedom National Division win over Marcellus.
The Trojans improve to 4-6 in the division and 5-7 overall. The Mustangs dip to 5-6, 7-9 overall.
Those plays Hayes was involved in included taking out the Marcellus second baseman on a force play where the umpire ruled the batter out as well for a late slide, making the second baseman miss touching the base the next inning for an error, getting called for a balk on the mound in the top top of the sixth inning pitching in relief of Nikolai Grihin and getting hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning but having the umpire rule he didn’t try to avoid the pitch.
The pitch was ruled a strike and Hayes promptly singled to right field on the next pitch. Despite all the contact, Hayes was just happy to be playing again.
“It felt unbelievable,” Hayes said. “This is my favorite sport. I like football, basketball and baseball, but this has always been my favorite. I’m glad to be out here and playing with these guys. Hopefully we can keep the wins going.”
“I felt all right,” he added about his relief appearance. “I know I’m not a great pitcher so I just go out there and try to throw strikes and get batters out.”
“What a difference it is with Jake in the line-up,” Homer coach Robert Nasiatka said. “He’s still not 100 percent, but I’ll take that. For someone to come back from a broken collarbone and take a pitch for the team, we may have to check his head a little.
“We can scrap, we can play,” he continued. “No lead is safe. We’ve got to learn not to relax. We relaxed for two or three innings and it nearly cost us.”
MARCELLUS GOT A runner on first with a one-out walk in the first inning, but Chris Torell hit a ground ball to Hayes at shortstop. Hayes fielded the ball stepped on second for the force out and threw the ball to Brandon Grant at first to complete the double play.
In the bottom of the inning, Hayes led off with a walk, but was forced out when Beck Lundeen hit a ground ball to Torell at short. Torell flipped the ball to Adam Molinari at second and Hayes slid into the fielder to stop any throw to first base. Hayes was called for sliding too late in sending Molinari to the ground for the double play, but that play helped set the table for a seven-run second inning for the Trojans.
Brandon Grant (2-for-2) and Nate Ulrich (2-for-3) started the inning with singles. Storm Grant ripped a double into left-center field to score both runners for a 2-0 Trojan lead. Nikolai Grihin hit a deep fly ball to centerfield for the out, but Storm Grant tagged up and went to third after the catch, Garrett Lewis (2-for-3) singled Grant home, Gage Root walked and Jake Hayes singled Lewis home. Lundeen hit a ground ball to shortstop and, with Hayes charging towards second again, Molinari went hit in the air to take a high throw at second and avoid contact as he threw to first base.
The umpire said Molinari missed the base and Hayes was safe on the error as was Lundeen at first. With the bases loaded, as Root moved to third on the previous play, Marcellus pitcher Colin Smith threw a wild pitch that allowed Root to score and as all three runners moved up one base.
Mustang catcher Liam Barry threw the ball towards home plate hoping his pitcher was there, but the ball hit Root as he crossed the plate and caromed away. Hayes dashed home for a 6-0 lead. With one out, Smith uncorked a second wild pitch that allowed Lundeen to score for the 7-0 Homer advantage.
FROM THERE ON, Trojan bats went quiet except for a Nikolai Grihin RBI single in the fifth inning which put Homer ahead 8-3.
The Mustangs had been picking away with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth inning. The third inning run was scored on a bases-loaded walk. Torell actually loaded the bases when Lewis was called for catcher’s interference on a pitch Torell fouled off. Molinari (2-for-4) led off the Mustang fourth with a double and later scored on a wild pitch by Grihin. Matt Gooden got the third Marcellus run home with a one-out single that plated Torell.
Grihin got off to a shaky start in the top of the sixth inning with a walk, then a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by A.J. Tone that put runners at first and second. Bryan Carroll (2-for-5) was called out for being out of the batter’s box on a bunt attempt, but Grihin then walked Barry to load the bases. That brought an end to his day and Hayes went to the mound.
With that move, Riley McEvoy came off the bench and took a one-hopper off Torell’s bat. The ball struck McEvoy in the shoulder, but deflected right to Chris Hayes at second base for the force out as Colin Smith scored from third and Tone went to third. With Welsh at the plate, Torell broke for second base, Jake Hayes faked a third to third and wheeled towards Torell and had the runner picked off, but the umpire ruled Hayes balked. Torell was awarded second and Tone home plate for the fifth Mustang run. Jake Hayes grabbed a line drive off the bat of Jake Welsh to end the threat.
Marcellus had a big chance to tie things up in the top of the seventh inning. With one out, Molinari and Carlo Mancini singled to put runners at first and third. Colin Smith singled home Molinari to make the score 8-6. After a fly out for the second out of the inning, Carroll singled to load the bases. With the game on the line, Barry hit a ground ball towards the hole between the shortstop and third base. McEvoy made a great play to get to the ball. The sophomore then jumped it the air and pivoted towards second base and got the force out with a good throw to Chris Hayes covering the base to end the game.
“WHAT A GREAT play by Riley to get to that ball and make the play at second,” Nasiatka said. “That was a major league play.”
With so many close games and his team on the bubble as far as the post-season, what can Hayes hope to bring to the table in these final regular season games?
“This means everything to me,” Hayes replied. “I just want to do everything I can to help us make it to sectionals.”
“If you look at the one-run losses and the two-run games,” Nasiatka said. “We have some home games next week and that’s going to make a big difference.”
Homer will return to action Monday as the Trojans travel to Syracuse to face Christian Brothers Academy at 4:30 p.m.