By Nate Discavage
ONEONTA, N.Y. — The Oneonta Outlaws and Syracuse Salt Cats split a doubleheader Thursday night at Damaschke Field in New York College Baseball League action. The Outlaws took game one 9-8 in extra innings thanks to a walk- off double by Matt Pelt (Wofford College). The Salt Cats withstood an intense rally by Oneonta to pull out on top 6-5 in the nightcap.
Ramon Osuna Sanchez (College of Charleston) reached on an error with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning (scheduled seven-inning game) in game one. Pelt stepped up to the plate and hit a groundball past the third baseman, Anthony Romino (Mount Union College) and into the left field corner as Osuna Sanchez hustled his way around the bases to just barely beat the throw to the plate.
The Outlaws were out of the dugout and mobbing Pelt the moment Osuna Sanchez was called safe.
“I was just looking for something over the plate,” Pelt said. He poked fun at his teammate afterwards saying, “Obviously I had to drive something in the gap or down the line to score Ramon, so I was thinking that the whole way looking for a fat pitch to drive.”
Oneonta took the lead early in the game. Ben Mauseth (Grand Canyon University) doubled to lead off the bottom of the first and eventually came around to score on an RBI groundout by Dan Fickas (University of South Carolina-Upstate) to put the Outlaws ahead 1-0.
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Syracuse was not intimidated, however, and proceeded to score five runs in the top of the second. Tom Nagy (Bentley University) walked and reached second on a fielding error. He came around to score when Alec Romanowski (Stevenson University) overthrew Osuna Sanchez on a bunt attempt by Ben Sawyer (Alvernia University). Matt Mastrioanni (SUNY Oneonta) followed Sawyer with an RBI single lifted just inches over the glove of shortstop, Tyler Martis (Siena College). Patrick Ortland (Siena College) drove in Sawyer with a successful safety squeeze play to put the Salt Cats ahead 3-1. Nick DeRegis (University of Rhode Island) hit an RBI double and later scored on Anthony Massicci’s (Canisius College) infield single.
Jimmy Hand (Northeastern) got a one-out single in the bottom of the second and advanced to third when Kyle Brennan (University of Buffalo) reached on a fielder’s choice and an error. He scored as the throw to first sailed over, first baseman, Cody LaBadia’s (Southern Vermont College) glove.
Nagy would reach base again and score his second run of the night on an RBI double by Sawyer in the top of the third. The Salt Cats led the Outlaws 6-2.
Oneonta drew closer in the bottom of the fourth when Brennan doubled and Kody Ruedisili (Wofford College) singled to put runners at the corners with one out. Mauseth lined a two-run triple to right field to bring the Outlaws within two runs of Syracuse. They closed the gap to one when Taylor Jones (University of North Georgia) hit an RBI single to right field.
LaBadia singled to lead off the top of the fifth and promptly stole second. He came across to score on an RBI single by Mastrioanni.
Relief pitcher, Matt Hardy (Nova Southeastern University) hit Osuna Sanchez with a pitch and walked Frank D’Agostino (Temple University) to start the bottom of the fifth. Hand brought the Outlaws within one as he hit an RBI single to right field. Martis followed up with an RBI double to tied the game at seven and put runners at second and third with no outs. After Hardy struck out Brennan and Ruedisili, he intentionally walked Mauseth to load the bases. This backfired as Jones would walk on five pitches to push the go ahead run across the plate for Oneonta.
Ryan Roman (Concordia College) hit a one-out double in the top of the seventh before scoring to tie the game on an RBI single by Mastrioanni. Syracuse managed to get runners to second and third in the inning but left them stranded when Ethan Evanko (Grand Canyon University) forced a groundout the end the threat.
Neither team threatened again before Pelt hit his game winning double.
Evanko earned the win for Oneonta. He pitched one and two-thirds innings and struck out three. Evanko improved to 3-3 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.05.
Scott Orr (SUNY Plattsburgh) took the loss in game one. The only two batters he faced were Osuna Sanchez and Pelt.
Ramonowski started the game for the Outlaws. He pitched six innings and allowed seven runs (only three earned) on twelve hits.
Shane Cochran (Saginaw Valley State University) started on the mound for the Salt Cats. He allowed seven runs on nine hits through four innings of work.
Massicci and Mastrioanni combined to go 6-9 with four RBI apiece. LaBadia and Jon Borchert (Keuka College) both had two hits in game one.
Mauseth, Jones, Hand, Martis, and Ruedisili all had multi-hit games for Oneonta. The Outlaws combined for 12 hits as a team in the victory.
“I was just going out there and having fun,” Jones said. “We wanted to have fun today, and after seeing Dan [Fickas] pitch, we really got fired up.”
The Salt Cats hung on to beat Oneonta 6-5 in game two. After jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, the Outlaws rallied to pull within one. After Syracuse scored two vital insurance runs in the top of the seventh, Oneonta managed to score two runs in the bottom of the inning and left the tying and winning runs at second and third.
LaBadia walked, Mastrioanni singled, and John Galanoudis (Molley College) walked in the top of the second before Julian Bilodeau (Franklin Pierce University) worked a bases loaded walk against, Oneonta starter, Casey Wenzel (Binghamton University) with one out to put Syracuse ahead 1-0. Wenzel then bore down and struck out the next two batters to escape the jam with limited damage.
The Salt Cats tacked on three more in the top of the third. Massicci worked a one-out walk and came around to score on Adam Thoryk’s (St. John Fisher College) RBI single with two outs. Syracuse continued a two-out rally when Galanoudis hit an RBI single and Thoryk trotted home when Brennan overthrew second base on an attempted stolen base. It was 4-0 after three innings.
Oneonta managed to get Mauseth and Jones on second and third but could not score them in the bottom of the third. In similar fashion, they loaded the bases in the fourth inning but could not push across a run.
The Outlaws noticed the momentum begin to change in the fifth inning. Fickas moved from third base to the pitcher’s mound to mark the first time a position player has towed the rubber for Oneonta. To everybody’s surprise, Fickas lasted two and one-third innings and struck out five batters. He only allowed two hits.
“He [Oneonta coach, Joe Hughes] told me before I went in to just get it over the plate,” Fickas said. “It’d be fun [to pitch again], but I think this is just a one-time thing.”
Oneonta loaded the bases again in the fifth on two walks and a double before Osuna Sanchez hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Mauseth scored the first run of game two for the Outlaws.
The sixth inning was the third straight inning that the Outlaws loaded the bases against Syracuse. Jones hit a fielder’s choice which allowed Carson Waln (Wofford College) to score Oneonta’s second run of the night. Reudisili cut the Salt Cats’ lead to one after he scampered home to score on a passed ball.
LaBadia reached on an error in to lead off the top of the seventh. He scored on another error. Bilodeau drove home Thoryk when he just managed to leg out an infield single to put Syracuse ahead 6-3.
A walk by Osuna Sanchez and back-to-back singles by D’Agostino and Hand loaded the bases for the Outlaws for the fourth straight inning in the seventh. After two shallow fly outs by Martis and Waln, Ruedisili hit a two-run single to left field to bring Oneonta within one. A wild pitch moved Hand and Ruedisili to second and third before Mauseth grounded out to first to end the game. LaBadia beat Mauseth by half a step at first to seal the win.
Paul Fahey (Franklin Pierce University) earned the win for the Salt Cats. He pitched a hitless inning and won his first game of the season.
Wenzel suffered the loss for Oneonta. He pitched four innings allowing four runs on five hits. Wenzel struck out five but walked six. He threw 108 pitches in just four innings.
Syracuse starter, Brad Banker (St. Martin’s College) pitched four scoreless innings for the Salt Cats. He allowed four hits and struck out five while walking two.
Thoryk led both teams offensively. He went 3-3 with an RBI, two runs, and a stolen base.
“I was just up there relaxed, trying to see every pitch,” Thoryk said. “I had a good approach up the middle and tried to hit the ball where it was.”
Syracuse coach, Mike Martinez was proud of his team that was able to stay focused and pull out a win in the second game.
“We had timely hits and executed and got some offense going,” Martinez said. “We made some nice plays, our pitching was okay, and we just held on for a win.”
“We fought hard all day long,” Hughes said. “We had a lot of chances in the last few innings to tie or go ahead, including getting the winning run to second with two outs in the seventh, but unfortunately made an out to end the game”
Oneonta (27-18) remained one-and-a-half games behind the Geneva Red Wings (28-16) in the Eastern Division. They will travel to Syracuse for a rematch with the Salt Cats (22-22) in the final game of the regular season.
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