Press release
As players and coaches reported to Dwyer Stadium on Tuesday, they were
determined to give the fans what they deserved on “Guaranteed Win Night” at the
ballpark. Mission accomplished after a 10-1 route of the Elmira Pioneers to get back in
the win column.
Pitchers allowing walks, errors in the field, and leaving too many runners on base
have been the Muckdogs kryptonite ever since their last victory against the Pioneers at
Dunn Field on opening night.
Tonight, Batavia checked off all the boxes to the winning formula, limiting the
number of walks to six, playing error-free baseball, and tallying 13 hits. Reliever Tyler
Prospero explained his opinion of the team’s recent struggles saying, “We talked in the
clubhouse today and we don’t feel like we’ve lost a game yet. There are some serious
competitors and dogs in that clubhouse who come out and work their tails off every
day.”
Prospero was crucial to tonight’s success for the Muckdogs, as the Niagara Purple
Eagle pitcher pitched a scoreless 3 ⅓ innings, two walks, and two strikeouts out of the
pen. The Batavia native did not have an ideal debut this past Friday against Elmira.
Once the nerves settled down today, you could see that Prospero was locked in and that
“dog mentality” held Elmira to just one run and four hits.
Julian Pichardo picked up the win as they Coastal Alabama CC right-hander had
another masterful start against Elmira. In his first start of the season against the Pios,
Pichardo went 4 ⅔ scoreless frames with nine strikeouts and three hits given up. Tonight
the Muckdogs ace was still very effective throwing five innings on four hits, one run, and
two strikeouts.
After the lethal Muckdogs lineup came back down to Earth the past two games
only mustering up five runs and seven hits, Batavia broke things open in the fourth and
fifth innings scoring four runs in each inning. Second baseman Caden Walton got things
rolling with a leadoff double in the fourth, as he would be driven in by cleanup hitter
Daniel Burroway to tie the game at one.
In the next at bat, shortstop Charlie Szykowny would slice a ball down the left
field line that would score Burroway as the flood gates opened for Batavia. Batavia
would score 10 unanswered runs as they continued to put the ball in play against the
Pioneer bullpen after starter Holden Wilder ran into turbulence in the fourth.
Instead of pressing the panic button Monday following the 13-3 loss in an
exhibition game against the Mansfield Destroyers, skipper Joe Martinez and assistant
coach Tony Brewington decided a better course of action would be to motivate their
team to reach their full potential. After having deep conversations with both the hitters
and the pitching staff, the Muckdogs saw it as a learning experience to build off and
learn from the adversity that comes with a three game losing streak.
Elmira’s win streak was stopped at three in Monday night, as Batavia has been
the thorn in their side up to this point with both losses this season coming at the hands
of the Muckdogs.
With five errors Tuesday night, Elmira will try to get their revenge
against Batavia as they host the Muckdogs Wednesday at Dunn Field.
First pitch will be at 7:05 and can be viewed on Youtube Live by subscribing to
BataviaMuckdogBaseball. Make sure to follow our Twitter @BataviaMuckdogs and
liking our Facebook Page, “BataviaMuckdogBaseball.”