By PAUL GOTHAM
GENEVA, N.Y. — Geneva’s Red Wings took advantage of good fortune on Saturday afternoon. The result could be momentum going into the next week.
Matt Eastman (St. Bonaventure) delivered in the final at bat as Geneva swept the Sherrill Silversmiths (6-3/2-1) in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at McDonough Park.
Eastman plated Tanner Ivey (Alabama A&M) and snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-out single up the middle.
“I got a 2-0 count and was looking fastball,” Eastman said. “He threw it, and I made contact to hit it right back up the middle.”
Sherill tied the game in the top of the inning before Ivey reached on a one-out base hit. The Red Wing second baseman stole second and third to set up his teammate’s game winner.
“It was good to go out and answer back right after they put up one,” said Geneva manager Ryan Kassab. “It was good to not have to drag that out in extra innings or anything.”
Brandon Humbertson (Salisbury) won for the second time in as many outings. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits over six innings. He fanned six and walked one.
“He followed up a nice outing in his first start,” Kassab said. “Very effective when you have a starter going like that. He was keeping the pace of the game going and keeping the defense in the game.”
Zack Tomasko (Elizabethtown) tossed a scoreless frame for the save. He struck out one.
“He might have found himself a role in the late innings of ball games,” Kassab noted.
The first game was the completion of a contest which was suspended Friday night when storms rolled along the shores of Seneca Lake.
Geneva scored six unanswered to erase a three-run deficit left over from the previous night.
“We kinda got a little lucky with that rain out yesterday,” Kassab stated.
Sherrill’s Nick Banman (Fort Scott CC) allowed three hits over four shutout stanzas, but the Red Wings wasted little time on Saturday tallying two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.
“They had a decent arm keeping us off-balance,” Kassab noted. “Guys came out big and put up two.”
AJ Compton (Elmhurst College) and Harry Roberson (Amherst College) drove in runs in the fifth. The Wings broke it open in the sixth.
Boardman Adams (Howard Payne) hurled three shutout innings out of the bullpen for the win. The southpaw retired three on punch outs, walked one and allowed one hit.
Josh Appel (SUNY Brockport) tossed a scoreless ninth.
“Our pitching just held them down the rest of the way,” Kassab said.
Casy Kies (SUNY Oneonta) finished the day with four hits in six trips to the plate. He collected two RBI and scored twice for Geneva.
Mason Schoettlein (Lawson State CC) scored two runs on two hits and a walk.
Sherrill’s Zack Kesterson (Duke) singled and scored two runs in the first game.
Jake Dyer (Fort Scott CC) had three hits.
Geneva (3-2) dropped back-to-back 4-3 decisions to Oneonta and the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs coming into the day.
“It’s important to get the momentum going,” Eastman said. “We lost two one-run ball games. Just to get the ball rolling and coming up on a big week. The two wins will give us a little momentum going into next week for some more W’s.”
Geneva gets two days off before traveling to Syracuse to take on the Jr. Chiefs, Tuesday night.
Sherrill (0-4) will host a doubleheader with Oneonta on Sunday. A 2 p.m. first pitch is scheduled.
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