By Kathryne Davis
SHERRILL, N.Y. — Kevin Brice (Pomona-Pitzer Col) went a perfect 5-5 with four singles, one double, one run batted in and two runs scored as the Sherrill Silversmiths defeated the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs 9-5 on Wednesday evening at Noyes Park in New York Collegiate Baseball League action.
The win is the Silversmith’s tenth in a row and they sit in first place in the Eastern Division.
Syracuse started scoring early in the game when Matthew Kozuch (Fordham U) singled to drive in Brian Burns (Ithaca College). The next two batters got out to end the inning and stop the scoring at one run.
Brian Dudek (University of Buffalo) started off the third inning with a double. He stole third base and scored on a Vinnie Mallaro (University of Buffalo) sacrifice fly to center field.
The home team cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third. Ellington Hopkins (Monroe CC) led off the inning by getting on first after being hit by a pitch. The next two batters got out, but allowed Hopkins to advance to the next two bases. Brice came up with Hopkins on third and singled to drive in a run.
Brice’s hot-hitting continued as he led off the sixth with a single. Alex Saville (Monroe CC) drove in Brice and tied the game at two. Sherrill was not finished yet. Bryan Baquer (Washington College) knocked in Saville with a single. The final run of the inning came when Christian Triplett (North Carolina Central U) stole home. The catcher threw the ball two second in an attempt to tag Baquer out. This allowed Triplett to score. Both players were save and the Silversmiths led by two.
“This was a crazy game,” said Brice. “I could hit the ball hard four times and get four outs or four hits. Today, they dropped for hits.”
Sherrill added another three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Kellen Brown (Florida Atlantic U) led off with a double. The next batter, Reid Neal (Florida Atlantic U) hit a long single. Brown scored and Neal was tagged out trying to stretch his single into a double. Brice hit another single and David Wright (SUNY Oneonta) and Saville walked to load the bases. Triplett walked and Brice scored. Baquer was hit by a pitch, which allowed Wright to score.
Mark Martin (Bryant U) drilled a two-run home run as Syracuse trimmed the deficit to 7-4 in the eighth. Mallaro double and scored on Martin’s blast into the trees.
The Smitties answered with two in the home half. Wright plated Brown and Neal with a bases-loaded double.
Syracuse threatened with a two-out rally in the ninth. Gabe Levanti (Northeastern U) doubled. Mallaro singled. With runners on the corners, Martin brought home Levanti with a base hit.
Dominick Pisciotto (St. John Fisher College) got Thomas Eng (Adrian College) to fly out to right field to end the game.
“We started the game flat because of the field conditions,” said Silversmiths Head Coach Greg Dombrowski. He continued to say that the team started to come together in the fifth inning.
Starting pitcher Zach Vennaro (Monroe CC) earned the win for the Silversmiths going 7.2 innings and allowing four earned runs. John Bednarek (St. Thomas Aquinas College) went five innings and took the loss for the Jr. Chiefs.
“Zach did a great job,” said Dombrowski. “We’ve gotten outstanding pitching performances. He was able to eat innings.”
This gave the bullpen a chance to relax and not use their arms.
Even though the outcome was not what the Jr. Chiefs would have liked to see, their head coach felt they played well.
“We played hard all nine innings,” said Head Coach Chris Haynes. “We swung the bats well.”
As for the game tomorrow, Haynes said that the team “will take the same approach and be aggressive.”
Martin went 3-5 with three RBI.
Sherrill (12-4) and Syracuse (4-11) will face off against each other again tomorrow at Noyes Park. First pitch is at 5 p.m.
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