By Kathryne Davis
SHERRILL, N.Y. — The Sherrill Silversmiths lost a heart breaker against the Geneva Red Wings, 8-7 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Monday evening at Noyes Park.
J.C. Pena (Central Florida) went a perfect 3-3 with a single, triple and home run to lead the Silversmiths in hitting.
Sherrill held a 1-0 lead until the fifth inning after Kevin Brice (Pomona-Pitzer College) scored on a passed ball in the second.
“We should have had a minimum two-run lead,” said Silversmiths Head Coach Greg Dombrowski.
Geneva took the lead after Travis Kreitz (Kutztown U) sent the ball into the trees for a two-run shot. Sam Kim (Hawaii Hilo) also scored after he reached base on an error in the previous at-bat. The team added another run after Cameron Coons (Alvernia U) scored after John Cruz (Dowling Col) doubled.
The lead was short-lived. Sherrill answered right back with two runs to tie the game. Christian Triplett (North Carolina Central U) and Nick Duarte (Siena College) both led off the inning with singles. Triplett scored after Bryan Baquer (Washington College) got out at first. Duarte scored in the next at-bat after Kellen Brown (Florida Atlantic U) singled.
The sixth was similar to the previous inning as Geneva scored three runs and once again took the lead, only to have Sherrill answer and tie up the game.
Ricky Gorrell (Kutztown U) singled and came around to score on Mark Huddle (John Carroll U) single. He scored on a Kim double. Coons hit a sacrifice fly, which led to Kim coming in to score and put the visiting team up by three.
Reid Neal (Florida Atlantic U) walked to start the bottom of the inning. Pena tripled, and Neal scored. Alex Saville (Monroe CC) hit a come-backer which glanced off the face of Tyler Fletcher (Charleston). The Red Wing starter managed to stay in the game.
Another run came in to score after Triplett singled in Ellington Hopkins (Monroe CC), pinch-running for Saville, came in to tie the game as he slid hard into home.
Geneva picked up two runs in the top of the eighth when Cruz walked with the bases loaded, allowing Kim to score. Kreitz scored the final run for the Red Wings on a passed ball.
Pena hit a solo home run in the eighth, which brought the Silversmiths to within one.
David Wright (SUNY Oneonta) walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and represented the tying run. He reached third, but Baquer made the final out before Wright could score and tie the game for the Silversmiths.
“We played up and down,” said Dombrowski. “The pitchers battled tonight. I liked the intensity. We had competitive at-bats later in the game.”
Fletcher pitched seven innings and earned the win.
“It was a gutsy performance,” said Red Wings head coach George Schaefer. He also added that his team played “good enough to win.”
Andrew Mercer (Southern Indiana) took over in the eighth and pitched the final two innings to get the save.
Cory Poplawski (Salve Regina)took the loss. He pitched the eighth and gave up a run.
Triplett had two hits for the Silversmiths and scored one run.
Marc Iseneker (St. John Fisher) was the only pitcher in the game who did not allow a run. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out a batter.
Kim and Kreitz led the team with three hits apiece. Kim also scored three runs and picked up an RBI. Kreitz knocked in two runners and scored two. Huddle got two hits, scored one and hit in one.
Sherrill (14-12) and Geneva (14-11) play again Thursday for the middle of a three-game set. First pitch is at 5 p.m.
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