The Canton Bears scored in the first inning thanks to a Tanner Hazelton single up the middle and an RBI base hit from Bears catcher Scotty Ahlfeld but that was the only time that Canton would have the lead as the Red Raiders defeated the Bears in Massena on Wednesday afternoon at home by a score of 12-2 in five innings.
Massena scored in four of the five innings by plating two runs in the bottom of
the first and then added five in the second when they sent nine batters to the
plate, two more in the third, and then three runs in the fifth to end the game
early due to the ten-run rule. The Bears struggled to string anything together offensively against a dominant pitching performance by senior Zack Monacelli as he scattered five hits over five innings and struck out eight. The Bears were able to tally another run in the fifth inning when sophomore Nate Romano was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a passed ball, and then came into score off a double to right center by junior Sam Roiger. The Bears were led offensively by Ahfeld who went 3-for-3 for the game but was stranded on the bases all three times.
Canton did not do themselves any favors outside of offense either. The Bears
committed six errors on defense leading to several unearned runs for Massena
and Massena took advantage of six free passes, five of which came around to
score. Massena got multiple hits from Monacelli helping his own cause by going 2-for-3 while seven other teammates contributed one hit each for a total of nine hits for the shortened game.
The loss snaps a three game winning streak for the Bears who will look to return to the .500 mark when they travel to Malone on Monday while the Red Raiders now stand at 6-2 and will take the field next on Friday when they play at Salmon River. Both games are scheduled to begin at 5:00.
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