GCC Athletics Update: Men’s Baseball/Men’s Lacrosse
Written by WBTA STAFF on April 28, 2018
Press Release:
Cougars Split Doubleheader at OCC after Extra-Inning Matinee Loss
If you needed any convincing on just how well the Genesee Community College baseball team’s past couple of weeks have gone, just look at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division-III West Section baseball standings.
The Cougars have the best record in their last 10 appearances and only nationally-ranked current No. 5 Niagara County Community College has done as well. That record could have easily have been 9-1, but Genesee lost a heartbreaker in the 11th inning after rallying from behind to take the lead.
In the second contest against Onondaga Community College, Genesee got a pair of runs in the fifth inning after the Lazers took the lead in the fourth. Onondaga re-took the lead and the teams played four innings of scoreless ball until the Lazers got the winning run in the 11th.
In the first game, the Cougars plated two runs in the top of the seventh to break a 3-3 tie on their way to victory.
Colin Noeth went the distance from the mound with four strikeouts and two earned runs in allowing six hits.
Leading the way up front was Shannon Folkes and Harrison Lourens with a pair of hits each. Folkes stroked a triple, while Lourens had a double and a run. All three of the team’s RBI also came from the pair with Folkes collecting a pair.
L’Shandry Kirindongo, Bryant Fontanez, and Andrew Shapiro added one hit and one run apiece, while Edgardo Jurado also scored for the Cougars.
The Cougars deserved better in the 3-2 loss after out-hitting the Lazers 9-7. Three Genesee players registered a pair of hits each that included Kirindongo, Peter Bradford, and Justin Taveras, with the latter scoring one of the Cougar runs and Lourens the other.
Rounding out the hitters for Genesee were Deion Rosalia, Shapiro, and Jakob MacLeod; with the latter also getting the start on the mound with seven strikeouts, two earned runs in allowing seven hits after seven innings.
Jayson Libert surrendered three hits with one strikeout in going the rest of the way. Kirindongo had the team’s lone RBI and Braford the team’s lone extra-base hit with a double.
Men’s Lacrosse Team to Face Monroe for Regional Title April 28
The Genesee Community College men’s lacrosse team learned who their region and district opponent will be yesterday after Monroe Community College held on to beat Mercyhurst North East, 9-5 April 25.
The Cougars will now face the Tribunes in Syracuse, April 28 with a 1:30 p.m. start time for a chance to return to the men’s lacrosse junior college national championship also to be held in Syracuse at Lazer Stadium May 12-13.
The championship game will be live-streamed from Syracuse via Onondaga Community College’s athletics online channel found at the following link: https://bit.ly/2pEIT9N
The Cougars were in the national spotlight April 25 with the National Junior College Athletic Association naming Cougar Jordan Brennan as its national men’s lacrosse player of the week. The honor for Brennan came just one day after being named the NJCAA Region-III Male Athlete of the Week, April 24.
Brennan became the second Genesee player to earn national player honors after Andrew Forte captured the honor earlier in the season. The two national player weekly recognitions for Genesee are currently the most by any men’s lacrosse team nationally.
In their only meeting of the season, Genesee beat Monroe 15-10 in the Cougars’ opening game of the season in Rochester. The Tribunes had leads of 3-1 and 4-2 before Genesee rallied for the win. The Cougars out-shot Monroe by a more than 2-1 margin at 49-24.
On the overall season, Genesee averages nearly 20 goals-per-game, while Monroe is just over 16 goals-per-game. Although the Cougars average more shots-per-game at 54-43, the Tribunes score at a higher-average-percentage at 38-36.
The goalies with the most minutes played this season are Garrett Lazore from Genesee and Mark Campbell from Monroe. The latter holds the edge in goals-against average at 5.73-to-6.24 and also save percentage at 67-54 percent.
Up front, the Cougars are led by Jordan Brennan and Kevin McParlene, who both have 59 points; Jason Chiodo in goals with 40; and Brennan in assists with 28.
Monroe’s Nick Kallio is the Tribunes’ team leader in points (75), goals (35) and assists (40). Chiodo has a team-high 97 shots, while Monroe’s Jared George leads the Tribunes with 79.
The top groundball getters for each team include Forte (129) for Genesee and Adam Witscheber (51) for Monroe, while the faceoff leaders are Reed Perestam (80) for Monroe and Forte (155) for Genesee.
Mark Jagord
GCC Sports Information
