By CODY LOVE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After a frustrating loss, the Salt Cats put on a fireworks show one day early.
The Sherrill Silversmiths beat the Syracuse Salt Cats 3-2 in extra innings in game one, but Syracuse roared back with nine runs over the course of their final three hitting frames in game two to earn the split by a score of 9-0 in New York Collegiate Baseball League doubleheader action at Onondaga Community College Friday evening.
Both games were scheduled to go seven innings, and the first one added an extra eighth.
Smitties Take Game One
Both starters found themselves in trouble spots early in the first game, but settled down to become dominant as the day went on.
Salt Cats pitcher Cory Vogeli (Misericordia) got two quick outs to start things out in the first, but Michael-Patrick Buckley (Seton Hill) singled to keep the inning alive.
Connor Bowie (Mt. Aloysius College) was next up and hit an RBI double to put the Silversmiths ahead 1-0.
He too came around to score as the next batter, Kevin Jordan (Pomona-Pitzer), reached base on an errant throw to first base from shortstop Lucas Tevlin (Binghamton), who typically plays third base.
It was his only error in a full day played at shortstop.
Bowie would hit another double later in the game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in game one.
Vogeli would settle down and last the entire scheduled slate of seven innings, allowing seven hits and just the two first inning runs (one of which was earned), walking three and striking out eight.
After a 1-2-3 first inning by Sherrill pitcher Casey Hershfield (Pomona-Pitzer), the Salt Cats struck back in the bottom of the second.
Singles by Brian Bilello (Concordia) and Jose “Manny” Colon (Rutgers-Camden) proved valuable as David Nuzzo (Onondaga Community College) and Evan Holland (Florida International) each picked up RBIs to tie the game.
Hershfield too would then settle in nicely, lasting six innings while allowing six hits and two earned runs, walking one and striking out six.
In extra innings, the Silversmiths managed to grab the winning run.
A wild pitch by Corey Ross (St. Thomas) with runners on first and second in the top of the eighth put both in scoring position.
Then Tim Corapi (Le Moyne) hit a sacrifice fly to center that brought home pinch runner Daniel Lowndes (Siena) as the winning run.
The Salt Cats had the winning run in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth, but could not bring him home.
The bases were loaded with two out in the seventh, but relief pitcher Luke Brust (Monroe CC) struck out Bilello to end the threat.
Then in the eighth, with runners at second and third and only one out, William Fellows (St. Lawrence) struck out Matt Mastroianni (SUNY Oneonta) and induced a grounder back to the mound by Johnny Knight IV (Walsh) to get the Silversmiths out of game one with the win.
It was the first victory for Silversmiths manager Bob Shaffer who took over the team on Thursday.
“It took us extra innings to get it, but it felt good,” Shaffer said. “We executed a little bit better..I thought we earned that one.”
Brust picked up the win, with the loss charged to Ross.
Fellows got the save, redeeming himself after a difficult relief performance the day before.
Mitch Sloan (Ft. Scott CC) went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
Evan Holland was the best hitter in game one, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Salt Cats Dominate Game Two
The story of game two appeared to be solid pitching once again, with only one hit for each team through three and a half.
But the Salt Cats rewrote the narrative in the bottom of the fourth with a six-run explosion.
Two leadoff walks brought an end to the day for Sherrill starter Alex Bellardini (Monroe CC), who was replaced by Dan Shelton (SUNY Oneonta).
After two quick outs, Brandon Cornelius (Rutgers-Camden) lined into left field scoring Colon from third.
He then would steal second, and an errant throw would allow Julian Bilodeau (Palm Beach Atlantic) to score.
The hot-swinging Holland would come through with an RBI triple to deep center field to bring the score to 3-0.
“I got myself into a 3-1 count and was looking for a good fastball to get,” Holland said. “I hit it pretty deep and was able to get three on it.”
After Tim Hunter (Tyler JC) walked, a Tevlin RBI single scored Holland and advanced Hunter to third.
Bilello would then come up, and after Tevlin stole second on the first pitch, Bilello would hit an 2-RBI single up the middle to make it a 6-0 game.
The Salt Cats would add three more runs over the next two innings to make it a 9-0 rout.
Manager Mike Martinez was thrilled to see his bats finally come to life, after offense had been a struggle for the team most of the season.
“We don’t have to rush up to take a swing,” Martinez said. “Get a good look, hit good pitches, and the result is 11 or 12 hits and we win the game.”
The Salt Cats benefited from a brilliant start (and finish) on the mound by Thomas Burke (Concordia).
Burke pitched a complete-game shutout one-hitter, walking four and striking out five.
He gave up his only hit to leadoff hitter Jake Dyer (Ft. Scott CC) in the first and saw him advance as far as third, but got out of the inning, and it was smooth sailing from there.
“Just making pitches in key situations,” Burke explained. “I can’t allow runs to score.”
Burke got the win, with the loss going to Bellardini.
Evan Holland went 2-for-2 with two RBI and two walks in game two, completing a stellar day in which he had five hits and three RBI total.
“They gave me good pitches, and I took swings on them,” Holland said. “Happy to get it done.”
Luke Tevlin went 2-for-3 with an RBI and also had a hit in the first game, meaning he now holds a 12-game hitting streak.
Anthony Galanoudis (Molloy College) and Adam Thoryk (Alma College) each had multiple hits in game two.
Galanoudis went 3-for-4, while Thoryk went 2-for-3.
Manny Colon doubled and walked in the second game.
The Salt Cats (16-10) took two out of three games over the last two days against the Silversmiths (6-18).
They will feature as the home team in an Independence Day Syracuse showdown against the Jr. Chiefs at 7:00 at Onondaga Community College.
The Silversmiths are also in action on Independence Day, traveling to Damaschke Field to take on the Oneonta Outlaws at 6:00.
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