By Paul Gotham
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — There’s no place like being on the road. At least that appears to be the case in the New York Collegiate Baseball League Eastern Divisional Series between Geneva Red Wings and Syracuse Salt Cats. Two games in and the home team has yet to find comfort in the familiar confines.
Jeremy Hutchison (Neumann) had a shutdown performance out of the bullpen, and Mark Huddle (John Carroll) knocked in the game winner as Geneva edged Syracuse, 7-6 in a back-and-forth affair at Onondaga Community College, Tuesday night.
Hutchison came on in a four-run Syracuse sixth with runners on second and third and one out. He retired the two batters he faced (fly ball for a sacrifice and ground ball) to end the inning.
It was the last time the Salt Cats scored.
“I knew I was called on to shut it down,” Hutchison said. “I know I gave up that run (on the sacrifice fly). I had to go back out and do just what I did and throw up zeroes. That’s all my job is coming out of the bullpen.”
The 6-3 right-hander allowed a leadoff walk in the seventh before setting down the next two on punch outs and getting a tapper back to the mound to end the inning.
“My fastball was obviously working,” Hutchison explained. When you got a fastball that’s working, your breaking ball just becomes that much better.”
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Clinging to a one-run lead, Hutchison faced the top of the Salt Cats order in the eighth. Nick Degis (Rhode Island), Anthony Morino (Mt. Union) and Anthony Massicci (Canisius) combined for three hits, three runs and three RBI on the night. The Upper Chichester, PA native fanned all three.
“My cutter and slider were moving real well,” Hutchison continued. “I threw two splitters. With commanding your fastball, your breaking stuff is going to be just that much better.”
For an after-dinner desert, Hutchison struck out the first two in the ninth including Tom Nagy (Bentley) who had two hits on the night and his first home run of the post-season.
With two outs in the eighth, Huddle rapped a first-pitch fastball from Sean Pisik (Ursinus) into centerfield for the game winner.
“I had been looking at a lot of first-pitch strikes throughout the game,” Huddle stated. “I figured he wanted to get ahead of me with a guy on third.”
The Penfield, N.Y. native plated Travis Kreitz (Kutztown) and gave the Wings all they would need with a 7-6 lead.
“I was looking for something up that I could drive,” Huddle added. “It was there. I took advantage of it.”
Geneva sent eight to the plate and jumped on Salt Cat starter, Brad Banker (St. Martin’s) for four runs in the first. Ricky Gorrell (Kutztown) led the night with a walk. One out later, Andrew Utterback (Alabama A&M) reached on a flare to center. John Cruz (Dowling) loaded the bases with a base hit. Julio Nunez (Alabama A&M) brought home the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly.
Chris Burns (Alvernia) stayed hot with a double in the left center gap scoring two. The Geneva designated hitter had a home run, double and three RBI in the game one.
“I’m just looking for fastballs and trying to hit ’em the best I can,” Burns commented. “Keeping it simple. The simpler the better.”
Conner Gunn (Amherst) capped the inning with an RBI base hit, and Geneva had a 4-0 lead.
Red Wing starter, Drew Doring (John Carroll) scattered two hits and two walks over the first three. Syracuse left four on base before Nagy got the Cats on the board in the fourth with a solo shot to center.
Doring, the 2014 NYCBL ERA Champion, left after five with a 5-2 lead.
Andrew Mercer (Southern Indiana) came on in relief. The right-hander, who tossed four no-hit innings in his most recent appearance, struck out the first batter he faced. The next five Salt Cat batters reached base.
“Mercer’s been good all year,” Red Wing coach George Schaefer said. “He’s going to do well again the next time he throws. It just wasn’t his night. The zone was a little tight at times, but you have to adapt and overcome.”
Ben Sawyer (Alvernia) singled up the middle. John Galanoudis (Molloy) popped a base hit to left. DeRegis loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Morino hit a tapper just past the mound to score a run. Massicci tied the game when he brought home a pair with a single through the right side of the infield. Morino and Massicci moved up on the throw to the plate.
Cody LaBadia (Southern Vermont) made it a 6-5 game with a fly ball to left.
After surrendering a four-run lead in the game one, it appeared the Red Wings were destined for an early exit from the post-season.
“This is the grittiest team I have ever been a part of – playing career and then my limited coaching experience,” Schaefer stated. “Over the course of the season, our pitching has carried us. Recently, our bullpen has struggled at times. It happened the other night in game one. There were glimpses of it again tonight.”
Burns tied the game in the seventh with a two-out base hit down the line past a diving Morino at third setting the stage for Huddle’s winner.
Hutchison made it stick.
“That was crazy,” Hutchison said of the comeback. “That was awesome. That was what we needed to do get some momentum going into the next game.”
“Thankfully, Hutchison came in and shut the door,” Schaefer commented. “He’s embraced the long-relief role. He’s given us an opportunity to win.”
Huddle and Nunez each collected two hits.
Nagy’s home run was the first allowed by Doring this summer. The right-hander had tossed 43.2 innings without allowing any yard work.
Morino and Massicci worked one-out walks in the fifth. Nagy brought home Morino with a two-out single. A wild pitch put runners on second and third, but Doring stranded the pair with a punch out.
Erik Poldroo (Concordia) added two hits for Syracuse.
Matt Hardy (Nova Southeastern) took the loss. The right-hander allowed two runs on one hit and two walks.
Cory Craig (California U of Penn) hurled a scoreless ninth.
The teams will decide the series at McDonough Park, Wednesday. A 5 p.m. first pitch is scheduled.
“The winner of this series is going for a ring,” said Syracuse pitching coach Shaun Caveny. “You can mark it down.”
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