Henry Delgado was the hero on Sunday for the GCC baseball team, delivering an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to break a 1-1 tie and help send the Cougars into the regional final four after a 2-1 series win over visiting SUNY Adirondack.
Both teams won a game apiece on Saturday to force a deciding game three, and it took extra innings and a nearly hour-long rain delay to decide the winner.
GCC starter Casey Guary was locked in a pitcher's duel throughout the afternoon and did not allow his first hit until the fifth inning. The sophomore erased a baserunner that reached on an error in the first by inducing a ground ball double play and faced just three batters over the minimum until the eighth inning.
The Genesee bats were held in check and the Cougars managed just a single hit through the first eight innings. Manuel Tejeda singled in the bottom of the fourth but was left stranded and GCC had only a single baserunner after until the ninth.
The rain came in the middle of the seventh but both pitchers returned to the mound after play resumed, and Guary gave up the game's first run in the top of the eight. Adirondack put together back-to-back one out singles and a GCC throwing error gave the Timberwolves a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars went in order in the bottom of the eighth, but Guary kept the deficit at one by retiring Adirondack one, two, three in the ninth to give Genesee a chance.
Imanuel Gonzalez walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth and moved to second on a wild pitch. Down to the final out, Brandon Henshaw hustled out an infield single and an errant throw allowed Gonzalez to score and tie the game at 1-1.
Guary pitched the 10th and worked around a two out single to keep Adirondack off the board.
After the first two Genesee batters were retired in the bottom of the 10th, Cory Regnet singled with two outs to keep the inning going. Andrew Shapiro followed with a single of his own and turned the lineup over to Delgado, who drove a line drive single into left field that scored Regnet with the game winning run.
Guary's complete-game 10-inning effort included seven strikeouts and just four hits allowed.
Delgado, Tejeda, Henshaw, Regnet and Shapiro picked up the only hits for GCC, all singles, and with the win Genesee moves on to the regional final four next week at host site Finger Lakes CC. Series game times and opponent to be announced.
