Amherst defeats Midview in season opener – Morning Journal

Amherst’s Eli Toyoda moves into third place after hitting against Midview during the Adrian Abrahamowicz Classic on July 22. (Randy Meyers – for The Morning Journal)

Although Amherst did not have a full roster, it could not have asked for a better start to the Adrian Abrahamowicz Summer Classic.

While eight Comets represent T3 at this week’s Marucci World Series in Baton Rouge, the rest of the roster did more than enough to get the job done against Midview on July 22. Two big innings were all it took to earn an 11-1 victory.

“We have six potential starters in Louisiana, so this week is great. We get to see a lot of guys that didn’t play much last year,” Amherst coach Matt Rositano said. “I like it because I see a lot of the younger guys in spots that maybe they’re not comfortable with. But we always tell them that once you’re comfortable not being comfortable, then we can play.”

This week has presented a great opportunity for growth, and the Comets have taken advantage of it so far. Midview scored the game’s first run in the first inning on an RBI single from Brayden Widenmeyer, but after that it was all Amherst. Two runs in the first inning gave it the lead for good before the offense exploded with a five-run second inning.

With two runners on base, an RBI double by Cole Marquez opened the floodgates. Gavin Ford scored on a wild pitch and back-to-back RBIs by Caleb Melendez and Logan Dull extended the lead to five. Elijah Kender was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score another run.

“That felt great,” Marquez said. “As a leadoff hitter, I know sometimes it’s my job to get on base and be a spark for the team. It was a 3-2 count and I knew I was going to get a pitch to hit and I did my job.”

Neither team scored in the third, but Amherst made sure of it in the fourth. Melendez hit an RBI triple and Dylan Coughlin scored him and Dull with a two-RBI triple two batters later. Harrison Schneider also drove in a run.

“I waited all day for my pitch and finally threw one,” Coughlin said. “That was kind of the stab in the back of the game to finish it off.”

On the other hand, it was a tough day for a young Midview team. The Middies had only two consistent starters in the lineup of last spring’s Southwestern Conference championship team. While it resulted in a loss, every game this group plays is in their favor.

“That’s something I’ve talked to the coaches about. If you look at the infield, we didn’t have any returning starters there,” Midview coach Ryan Morgan said. “We knew going into the Summer Classic that this would be an opportunity for those young guys to get in-game reps.”

Amherst returns to action on July 23 against Brookside. Midview is off until July 25, when it returns to Amherst for a clash with Avon.