By: Dave Van Gorder
SHERRILL, N.Y. — Mike Mazzara wasn’t looking to do anything special at the plate when he came up in the 10th with the game tied and the winning run on second: “I didn’t want to change anything, I was just looking for a pitch to drive.”
Mazzara came through in the clutch, singling to right and scoring Byron Campbell from second to seal the win as the Sherrill Silversmiths defeated the Geneva Red Wings, 4-3 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Noyes Park.
“I didn’t get the solid contact that I wanted but it was enough,” stated the hero after the extra-inning win.
Sherrill jumped out to a three-run lead in the third, capped off by a two-run home run by Wes Van Boom. The homer is Van Boom’s third in the last two games; he also banged a ground-rule double in the first.
Geneva scrapped back by scoring an earned run in the fifth and two unearned runs in the seventh off of Sherrill starter Oliver Pratt. Pratt pitched well, but left the game with the score tied and two runners on in the seventh. Jordan Doroshenko relieved Pratt, getting Ricky Moses to strike out with the go-ahead run on third. Doroshenko pitched a scoreless eighth before turning the ball over to Derek Dubois. Dubois went two scoreless innings and picked up the win after Mazzara’s game-winner in the tenth.
Luke Sokol scored two runs for Geneva, and Chris Murphy threw tossed scoreless innings in relief. Reliever Zach Augustine picked up the loss for the Redwings.
With the win Sherrill improves to 11-17 on the year. Combined with the Geneva loss, they are now tied with the Redwings for fourth in the NYCBL Eastern Division.
Sherrill travels to Utica on Friday after the NYCBL all-star break.
Geneva (10-16) travels to Auburn, Friday night to take on the Syracuse Salt Cats (10-17). First pitch at Falcon Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Dave Van Gorder is a senior Communications/Journalism major at Saint John Fisher College. He webcasts every Sherrill Silversmith home game on teamline.cc. To reach Dave email dav04497@sjfc.edu
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