PORTAGE — Brooklyn just wouldn’t go away.
Hanging around, hanging around, the Youth Service team finally got the bats working in the seventh, posting four runs, and going on to a 10-7 victory over Buffalo’s Pignataro’s Financial Services team in the opening round of the AAABA Tournament at Pete and Mick Haschak Memorial Field in Portage.
Brooklyn got runs from eight of the starting nine batters, but was forced to play catch-up from deficits of 1-0, 4-2 and 7-4.
The victory puts the Youth Service team in a winner’s-bracket game against Philadelphia today. Buffalo will face New Orleans.
Adalberto Vargas’ game-changing double in the seventh carried the most weight for Brooklyn, scoring Eric Vazquez and Roberto Duran Jr. and chasing Buffalo starter Charles Mye as Youth Service pulled within 7-6.
Brooklyn was not any kinder to reliever Matthew Sullivan, as Ronald Melo doubled to left to score Vargas. Armando Gutierrez’s single plated Melo, putting Brooklyn up 8-7 and capping off four runs on a walk and four straight hits.
“Our bats were turned on around the mid-point of the game,” said Brooklyn manager Rocky Medina. “Luckily it’s a nine-inning game.
“I wasn’t concerned about (the hitting). We’ve been pretty offensive every year that we’ve been down here in Johnstown.”
Most of Brooklyn ’s trouble early on was self-inflicted, committing five errors through four innings. Not surprisingly, Buffalo held a 4-2 lead through that span, having earned only two of the runs.
“It’s each player picking each other up,” said Vargas, explaining how his team refused to let the miscues affect it. “We have to make sure we pick them up, make sure they’re good.”
Brooklyn added two more runs in the ninth to give closer Joshua Reyes plenty of cushion to work with.
“It just wasn’t supposed to happen here (Monday),” Buffalo coach John Barry said. “We scored seven runs – and probably should have gotten some more – but seven should win a ballgame down here. It didn’t and now you just go on to (the next game.)”
Victor Aracena and Alik Alfus each scored twice for Brooklyn while Brandon Santana had three hits and an RBI. Vargas and Vazquez each had two-RBI afternoons, with Vazquez’s coming on a ground-rule double to left-center in the third inning.
Brooklyn starter Andres Caceres Jr. threw four innings, allowing six runs – four earned.
He struck out four and gave up five hits and a walk. Levi Saenz earned the win in relief, throwing four innings and allowing a run on three hits. Reyes threw the ninth and gave up one hit.
Buffalo’s Ronald Canestro and Ryan Baroudi each scored twice.
Andrew Russo added two hits.
Mye pitched into the seventh inning, allowing seven runs on seven hits. He struck out three, but walked seven and hit a batter.
Sullivan went 21⁄3 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs. Richard Cumbo threw one pitch in the ninth that resulted in a double play.
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