By Stephen Borgna
CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Cortland Crush took two from the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs (5-4/8-1) in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Beaudry Park, Tuesday evening.
The sweep saw Cortland snap a five-game losing streak in an evening where the Crush put all the pieces together.
“Everything’s starting to gel for us,” Cortland Head Coach Yale Hughes said. “We knew it was going to turn around.”
The Crush started off the evening strong by jumping on the board first. In the first inning, RBI singles from Alex Lind (Lake Erie College) and Connor Griffin (SUNY Cortland) put the Crush up 2-0.
Cortland’s offense stalled for the next three innings, and the Jr. Chiefs got the bats going—pulling ahead 4-2 in the fourth. It wasn’t until the end of the fifth inning until the Crush saw some offensive life—tacking on three runs to pull ahead 5-4. The score would stay the same for the remainder of the first contest.
However, it was the second game where Cortland’s offense really began to click.
In the game, Cortland pounded Syracuse’s defense right off the bat. Of the eight runs the Crush scored in the game, six were acquired in the first inning.
The early lead was due to an RBI single from Greg Jasek (Clarkson University), an RBI single from Connor Dwyer (Saginaw Valley State University), and a two-RBI single from Adam Smith (SUNY Cortland). Dwyer added another run when he stole home, and another on a Joel Brophy (Niagara University) bases-loaded pinch hit, sending Zephan Kash (Mansfield University) from third to the plate.
“Hitting is contagious,” Hughes said. “When we were not hitting well, nobody was hitting well. It just took a little bit to turn us around, push the first domino over, and now they’re all starting to fall.”
Defensively, the Crush remained steadfast. The first game featured the Crush holding their ground, with the Jr. Chiefs within a run of tying after the fifth. The game featured Yale Hughes (West Liberty) starting on the mound, with Derrick Murphy (Virginia Intermont) relieving in the seventh, and sealing the win.
The defensive highlight of game one came from Lind. The left fielder made a diving catch, sprung up and fired a strike to first for the 7-3 double play.
In game two, the Crush barely gave an inch, allowing the Jr. Chiefs only one run. Daniel Karasinki (Concordia College) started on the mound for the Crush, and set the defensive tone of the game. In three innings on the mound, Karasinki held the Jr. Chiefs to three hits, zero runs, and got three strikeouts.
“My slider, my two seamer was moving again, mixing in a little change-ups; it felt good”, Karasinski said.
Ryan Contegni came on the mound in the fourth for the Jr. Chiefs, limiting the Crush to only two more runs. However, the Jr. Chief’s offense—despite putting the bat on the ball—struggled to keep up.
At the end of the second game, in dramatic fashion, Geoffrey Seto (Niagara University) fielded a groundball at the top of the seventh, and tossed it to second base to initiate a double play. The play sealed the game for the Crush—putting a stamp on a great overall performance.
“I think after that first game, pulling out that win sparked another win for the second game,” Karasinski said.
“They worked to hard to continue not to play,” Coach Hughes said. “Their work ethic really turned it around. Good players and hard workers will not be in a slump for long.”
The Crush (4-6) host the Oneonta Outlaws (4-4) at Beaudry Park this Thursday at 7p.m.
The Jr. Chiefs (4-10) travel to Sherrill and take on the first-place Silversmiths (11-4). First pitch at Noyes Park is slated for 5 p.m.
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