By Justin Lada
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — If you can hold the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs to 10 runs, that’s a pretty big accomplishment. Unfortunately when you score just six runs against them, you’re going to lose. That’s exactly what happened when the Syracuse Salt Cats squared off against their hometown rivals, losing 10-6 at Gillette Road Field in New York Collegiate Baseball League action.
The Salt Cats looked like they were going to give the J-Chiefs all they could handle right off the bat.
Eddie Charles (Oswego State) led the game off with a double down the line and wound up going to third after an attempted sac bunt by Andrew Medeiros (Westfield State) turned into an error, putting runners on the corners with no one out for Dan Fiorito, who would single in Charles.
Fiorito (Manhantanville College) had himself a day beyond that RBI single in the first. He reached base every time he came to the plate on Friday, singling three times, walking once and hit a laser for a home run in the second inning, a two run shot that tied him for the league lead (6) in long balls.
After Fiorito’s home run, the Salt Cats led 6-2 and looked like they were going to show the little Chiefs a thing or two about how to handle a bat.
JD Tyler had other plans for the Salt Cats. After the six runs in two innings knocked up Chiefs starter Nick May in two innings, Tyler put up five zero’s on the board for the Chiefs.
Tyler got the win going five innings, allowing three hits, walking one and just struck out one.
Mike La Londe (Hiram College) took the loss. After a rocky start in the first and second innings, he faced seven batters in the fourth and fifth innings combined before being pulled after walking the leadoff batter in the sixth.
The Salt Cats pitching staff walked a total of 11 batters, four of whom eventually scored.
The Chiefs got 3 RBIs from Zach Lauricella, with a home run and a two run double.
After trailing by three to start the game, the Chiefs plated two in the bottom of the of the first thanks to an RBI triple by Riley Moonan, who also scored on a passed ball.
The four spot the Chiefs put up got started with Lauricella’s solo shot then followed by back-to-back doubles from Corey Caswell and Christian Knott.
The Chiefs plated a pair of runs in the top of the 8th off of Matt Larangera (Rutgers-Newark).
The Salt Cats had chances in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. They hit into two double plays in three innings in a row that ended the inning and failed to lay down a sac but in the fifth and eighth.
The game was just the second between the two clubs this season, who are scheduled to play six more games. The Jr. Chiefs had previously put up 29 and 22 runs in two of their last three games each.
The Salt Cats will take on the Utica Brewers Saturday at Donovan Stadium at 7pm.
Sean Williams (Oklahoma State-Panhandle) will make his sixth start of the year (2-0 4.45), who struck out 10 in eight innings in his last start.
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