By Justin Lada
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Salt Cats well-documented needs to reach the playoffs took a hit on Thursday. In a wild 3 ½ hour game the Salt Cats dropped into a tie for fifth place with the Geneva by losing to the Red Wings 11-10 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action.
The 11-10 slugfest was filled with two teams looking desperate to hang on to playoff hopes but also reasons why each team is currently on the outside looking in on the playoffs at the moment.
Grant Heyman showed why he was an 11th round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays last month. The left-handed hitting outfielder, who didn’t sign in lieu of a baseball scholarship to the University of Miami, cranked two home runs. He hit a two run bomb to right-center in the first inning off of Salt Cats starter Roberto Morales (Walsh University) and then another two run jack, this time an opposite field two run job off of reliever Maso Cotton (Virginia State University)
Morales took the loss, also allowing a three run home run to Leon Stimpson (Alvernia University) in the second inning. The Salt Cats second year right hander threw 2.2 innings, allowing six runs on four hits.
Cotton would allow just those two runs on the Heyman home run, which gave the Red Wings a 10-3 lead after five innings.
The Red Wings pitching staff, the reason they are now tied with the Salt Cats looking up at the last playoff spot, tried to give the Salt Cats the game.
Jon Dunn, the Red Wings starter, was making a homecoming of sorts as he is a pitcher for the Le Moyne College Dolphins where the Salt Cats play their home games, uncorked three wild pitches in the fourth inning. The three misplaced pitches allowed three runs to score, sandwiched by a Kevin Bailey (Alvernia University) RBI single.
That was enough for Dunn, but Jeff Croteau, who the Salt Cats beat on Thursday, allowed an RBI double to Jake Cintolo (Suffolk University) Cintolo cranked two double to right center in the game, but his spot in the lineup would later cost the Salt Cats in the game.
Nick Myers, who faced 15 batters last night, came on in the sixth and retired just one batter. He would allow three hits, two runs, thanks to a two run double by Eddie Charles (Oswego State) .
Myers helped the Salt Cats get to that point by throwing a wild pitch and walking a batter.
Cameron Stimpson, arguably the best Red Wings reliever recently, who is an outfielder by trade, came to finish Myers’ sixth. He would throw three wild pitches of his own, plating a pair of runs that were charged to himself.
Thanks to three walks, three wild pitches Charles’ two run double, the Salt Cats trailed 11-9 with the tying run in Cintolo at the plate.
On a 1-2 pitch, Cintolo fouled a ball off and appeared to injure himself, not allowing him to continue the at bat. Nick Carlson (University of Rochester) finished the at bat and struck out.
Much like last night, the Salt Cats had the winning runs on base and grounded into a game ending double play.
After an Jimmy Napolitano (Rutgers-Newark) RBI double to make it an 11-10 game, the Salt Cats had the tying run on third in Bailey and the winning run on first in Napolitano. Ethan Braddock (St. Lawrence) hit into a game ending double play on a nice play by Zach Augustine, fielding a hot shot to the mound to spin the 1-6-3 double play to put themselves into a tie for fifth place.
Augustine recorded a three inning, nine out save. He allowed an unearned run on four hits.
Matt Larangera (Rutgers-Newark) and Kyle Cushman (Onondaga CC) combined for three scoreless innings of relief, giving the Salt Cats a chance heading into the ninth.
A double header, possibly playoff deciding showdown looms on Saturday between the Salt Cats and Sherrill Silversmiths.
The Salt Cats need to sweep the double header in order to tie the season series, which is the first tie breaker for the final playoff spot.
Corey Mingin (Oklahoma State-Panhandle) and Sean Williams (Oklahoma State-Panhandle) are slated to start the 1pm and 5pm double header at Noyes Park on Saturday.
Follow the Salt Cats on twitter for all in game updates or on Facebook for pictures and stories.
You can reach Justin Lada at Justin.Lada89@gmail.com
Geneva RW 2 3 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 – 11 11 1
SYR Salt Cats 0 0 0 3 1 5 1 0 0 – 10 15 2
2B–J.Puscheck (4), E.Charles (8), J.Cintolo 2 (7), K.Bailey (7),
J.Napolitano (2). HR–L.Stimpson (3), G.Heyman 2 (4). RBI–L.Stimpson 4
(16), G.Heyman 4 (13), B.Blumer (7), E.Charles 2 (17), J.Cintolo (22),
K.Bailey (16), J.Napolitano (15), E.Braddock (8). HP–J.Puscheck (3).
SH–C.Gapski (0). SB–J.Puscheck (1), G.Heyman (2), D.Fiorito (17).
CS–A.Mederios (2), K.Bailey (2). E–J.Puscheck (12), B.Morton 2 (6).
LOB–Geneva RW 9, SYR Salt Cats 8.
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