June 12, 2026
By Steamers GM Paul Welker
The Hornell Steamers turned in one of their most complete performances of the season Thursday night, combining timely offense with dominant pitching to earn a 4-1 victory over the Genesee Rapids at Kerr-Pegula Field. Hornell scored in the opening inning and never trailed, improving to 3-3 on the season while handing Genesee just its second loss of the year. The Steamers manufactured a run in the first without recording a hit. Nolan Winthrop (Pomona Pitzer) reached on an error, stole second and third, and came home on an RBI groundout by John Greenwood (North Park) to give Hornell an early 1-0 advantage. The lead remained intact thanks to a strong outing from starter Evan LaMothe (Johnson & Wales). The right-hander worked 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out six. LaMothe consistently pitched out of trouble and kept the Rapids off the scoreboard through the first five innings.
Hornell added to its lead in the fifth when Wyatt Argentieri (Bethany Lutheran) walked, advanced into scoring position on a passed ball and wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rylan Stokes (McMurry) to make it 2-0. The Steamers created breathing room in the sixth. Luke Manders (Kalamazoo) and Taylor Joseph (North Park) opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Argentieri worked a walk to load the bases. Winthrop then delivered the biggest hit of the night, lining a two-run single to center field that scored Manders and Joseph and extended the lead to 4-0. Genesee answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single from PJ Ortiz, but Hornell’s bullpen took over from there. Peter Pipikios (North Park) provided 1.2 scoreless innings of relief and struck out three batters. Aidan Moore (Washington (MD) followed with a scoreless eighth inning, punching out two, before Zachary Emmer (Kalamazoo) closed the door in the ninth with two strikeouts.
The Steamers’ pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts while limiting the Rapids to six hits and one run. Winthrop paced the offense with a hit, two RBIs, two walks, and two stolen bases. Greenwood collected two hits and drove in a run, while Joseph finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Manders added a hit and a run scored as Hornell recorded eight hits on the evening. Despite leaving 10 runners on base, the Steamers capitalized on key opportunities and played error-free baseball defensively. Hornell will look to carry the momentum into game two of their series vs. Genesee. First pitch at Maple City Park is at 7 p.m.
