By Lance Reynolds
Andrew Quezada turned in a solid performance on the mound in his first start of the season, and the Y-D Red Sox got back into the win column with a 4-2 victory over the Brewster Whitecaps at Stony Brook Saturday.
Quezada, who made five appearances out of the bullpen prior to Saturday?s start, fired six shutout innings allowing four hits and a walk, while striking out six.
After retiring the first six Whitecap hitters in the first two innings, Quezada allowed his first baserunner on a leadoff walk in the third. In the fourth, he allowed his first hit on a single from Brewster?s Julian Infante.
Quezada found himself in trouble with one out in the sixth, as he loaded the bases on two singles and a hit batter. However, it proved to be Quezada?s sixth scoreless inning, as he struck out Infante and Chandler Taylor to end the frame.
Throughout his start, Quezada was backed by some solid defense, including an inning-ending double play in the fifth turned by second baseman Nico Hoerner and shortstop Connor Kaiser.
Jake Wloczewski took over for Quezada in the seventh and got out of a bases loaded jam on a Christian Molfetta groundout.
Hunter Parsons allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of work before Brandon Nail recorded a one-out save.
Y-D, who scored just two runs in Friday?s 4-2 loss to Chatham, matched that run total by plating two in the top of the third.
Kaiser led off the frame with his ninth double of the season, got to third on a bunt-out by Darrin Trainor, and scored the Red Sox first run as Nico Hoerner laid down a perfect suicide squeeze. Hoerner came around for Y-D?s second run on a double down the third base line off Alfonso Rivas? bat.
Rivas picked up his second RBI in the fifth inning on an infield error bringing in Trainor and the Red Sox took a three-run lead, 3-0.
In the seventh, Kaiser stroked a single to left field ? his second hit of the game ? that ended with Kaiser on third base, with the ball getting through the legs of Marty Costes. A batter later, Trainor stayed hot at the plate and singled up the middle to bring in Kaiser for Y-D?s fourth run.
Y-D (25-13-1) and Brewster meet up again Sunday to finish their season series with a 5:00 pm first pitch at Red Wilson Field.
