By Gina Papineau
WEBSTER, NY — The Sherrill Silversmiths have done an about face from the first week of the season. After starting with four consecutive losses, the Silversmiths reeled off four straight triumphs.
During their streak, the Smitties only allowed 10 earned runs with 13 hits and 15 walks in 34 innings. Their pitchers combined for an ERA of 2.65 while their opposing batters combined for an average of .120.
Monday night’s result makes it five as the Smitties shut out the Rochester Ridgemen 8-0 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.
“We’ve got a quality group of guys in there and it’s a tribute to them, about that five-game winning streak,” commented Head Coach Dennis Duffy. “They really turned things around and started having quality at bats while throwing strikes. It’s all on them.”
Like his fellow hurlers before him, right hander Josh Griffith (Ft Scott) did his part against the Ridgemen.
Griffith threw six full, racked up five strike outs, issued zero walks and surrendered just one hit – a harmless flair to shallow right field.
“I’m doing better each time I come out and just getting ahead with strikes is one of my biggest troubles,” said Griffith of his performance at the mound, “Tonight I got ahead and stayed ahead.”
“He really capitalized tonight on what we’ve been talking about all year with him which is, first, his strikes and then getting ahead in the count. His stuff plays when he does that,” said Duffy on Griffith’s game, “He’s getting ahead in counts and he did that extremely well tonight.”
The Smitties came into the season on the wrong foot and lost four straight until they found their momentum, and they haven’t looked back.
Sherrill pitchers authored a pair of two-hitters last week.
Kevin Carpentier (Finger Lakes CC) went the distance in a 6-2 victory over the Syracuse Salt Cats in the first game of a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. The right-hander struck out five and walked two for his first win of the season.
Last Wednesday, Payton Logan (Fort Scott CC) and Edward Zakrzewski (Mohawk Valley CC) combined to shutdown the Geneva Red Wings. Logan started and went seven. The southpaw fanned eight, walked two and allowed one run on two hits. Zakrzewski tossed two scoreless stanzas for the win.
“We came out in the first couple of games and we were extremely nervous,” Duffy said of his team, “It’s a group of guys from all over and they’ve really settled down and are starting to stay within themselves by playing the way they can.”
Surprisingly, Duffy and the Smitties haven’t done anything differently to get out of their losing streak.
“The only thing we’ve done different is that we have a little picture that we hang up every single game in the dugout of one of our players that was taken during one of the games we lost,” the coach added, “He’s just got a funny face on and we just hang it up in the dugout every single night now and it’s been working so far.”
Griffith helped start the five game streak when he allowed three runs (two earned) over seven innings in Sherrill’s 8-4 win over Oneonta on June ninth.
The Smitties will look to keep their streak alive against the Geneva Red Wings and Geneva Twins Tuesday in a rare double header at McDonough Park. Rain and subsequent poor field conditions have dictated some creative scheduling. The Smitties play two games in one day at the same park against two different teams.
“It’s gonna be up there tomorrow,” Duffy commented about the picture, “I guarantee that much.”
Pitching stats compiled by Tim Mullhaupt/NYCBL Intern
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