By Justin Lada
GENEVA — McDonough Park, home of the Geneva Red Wings, provides a lot of history; at one time or another it housed several different minor league affiliates in the New York Penn League. On Saturday the Salt Cats had a game they won’t want to commit to memory, falling to the Red Wings 10-5.
The Salt Cats made four errors in the fifth inning, allowing eight Red Wings to cross the plate as they sent 13 men to the plate in the inning.
Beau Houser walked to lead off the inning later scored and also struck out for the second out of the inning. An error while trying to throw out Leon Stimpson by Corey Mingin, in relief of Salt Cats starting pitcher Joe Riley, opened the flood gates.
Errors by Jimmy Napolitano, Dan Fiorito, and Jake Cintolo allowed the Red Wings to plate the eight runs on just three hits.
Riley was pulled after allowing the leadoff walk to Houser, giving him a final line of four innings pitched, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked three and also struck out three.
Mingin retired Jesse Puscheck, the fifth batter he faced in relief of Riley, on a strikeout, but it was the only batter he retired, allowing seven runs (none earned) in 1/3 of an inning.
Roberto Morales relieved him and got what looked to be an inning-ending grounder hit back to him. Mixed up in long inning, no one was covering first on the groundball, allowing Stimpson to reach safely.
A double by Manzi plated two more before Phil Rosenblum struck out two batters later to finally end the nightmarish inning
The Salt Cats did tack on a few runs late, including one following the eight run sixth from Geneva; a leadoff blast over the left field wall by Conor Thompson, making it 10-1.
In the eighth the Salt Cats plated a pair of runs, thanks to a pair of balks from Cory Finkler, scoring Bud Morton, who singled to open the inning. Thompson scored on the second balk, after reaching on an error by third basemen, Puscheck.
Play was halted for a good 15 minutes in the bottom of the third inning, regarding the Red Wings lineup. The elongated delay didn’t affect Riley in the third.
Thompson wiped out Leon Stimpson trying to steal second after reaching on a base hit with one out. Riley would go on to strike out Jon Leroux to end the inning, after allowing Richie Manzi to reach on a two out single.
Mike Martinez loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth after being hit by a pitch, following Mike Mascari reaching on a fielder’s choice and Nick Carlson working a walk off Geneva starting pitcher, Matt Hockenberry.
The 6’3 right hander from Temple struck out Napolitano swinging to leave them loaded.
Hockenberry exited after five shutout innings for the Red Wings, allowing just four hits and a walk, striking out five Salt Cats in his first win of the season.
Geneva also reached Syracuse starter Riley for a pair of runs in the fourth. After allowing a leadoff walk to Rosenblum, Salt Cats catcher Thompson attempted to pick off Puscheck, who reached on single. The throw wound up in right field and Ricky Moses followed with a single scoring both, breaking the ice on the scoreboard with Geneva leading 2-0 after four.
Riley would bounce back to get Brian Sullivan to ground into a 4-6-3 double play and Lucas Sokol to line out.
The Salt Cats looked to make something happen following the Geneva two-run inning. After Ed Charles was erased on a fielder’s choice, Ethan Braddock attempted to steal second, but was forced back to first base when Fiorito was called for batters interference. Jake Cintolo grounded out to end the threat.
Alex Pachella and Fiorito finished the night for the Salt Cats on a good note. Pachella threw two hitless innings of relief and Fiorito hit an opposite field home two run homer in the top of the ninth, making it 10-5.
The Salt Cats fell to 1-4 and return home Sunday to host the Utica Brewers at Rockwell Park on the campus of Le Moyne College at 5 p.m. Sean Williams (1-0 0.00) will make his second start of the year for Syracuse.
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