By CODY LOVE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Salt Cats are hitting their stride in mid-July.
Solid outings from SUNY Brockport pitchers Tyler Clifford and Kyle Perez plus a heavy dose of hitting in the nightcap propelled the Syracuse Salt Cats to a sweep of a “home and home” doubleheader against the Sherrill Silversmiths by scores of 2-0 and 8-1 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Onondaga Community College on Tuesday.
“One earned run in fourteen innings,” Salt Cats manager Mike Martinez said. “I’m very, very pleased with them.”
Clifford pitched the complete game shutout in the first seven-inning contest, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking none.
“Once I was ahead of the hitters, I was going to my curveball,” Clfford said. “I dropped down a couple of times and was able to get a lot of bats that way.”
Perez, in his first start of the season, lasted five of the seven innings in game two, allowing one earned run on six hits.
“I really just attacked hitters with my fastball,” Perez said. “The offense did a good job of getting us a lead early, so I was comfortable out there.”
That lead came right from the Salt Cats’ first frame at the plate.
A Brian Bilello (Concordia) RBI single was quickly followed by a Jose “Manny” Colon RBI base hit to get the Salt Cats an early 2-0 advantage against starter Thomas Bond (SUNY Oneonta) in the bottom of the first.
But the Salt Cats weren’t done in that inning thanks to some clever base-running by the two NYCBL All-Stars.
Bilello had advanced to third on Colon’s single, and Colon attempted a steal of second base mostly to draw a throw that would allow him to score.
While Colon was caught at second, Bilello did indeed cross the plate to make it 3-0.
The third inning was the biggest of the day for the Syracuse hitters.
Matt Mastroianni (SUNY Oneonta) got things started with a single and quickly stole two bases.
Lucas Tevlin (Binghamton) walked and stole second in the next at-bat.
Bilello picked up his second RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Then, consecutive walks by Colon and David Nuzzo (Onondaga Community College) loaded the bases.
Julian Bilodeau (Palm Beach Atlantic College) picked up an RBI on a walk, and Adam Thoryk (Alma Coll) hit a 2-RBI single to make it 7-1.
Bilello made it three RBI on the game with an eighth inning single that closed out the scoring.
The Salt Cats had a much more difficult go of it in game one, as Clifford was matched most of the way by his counterpart Casey Hershfield (Pomona-Pitzer College).
Hershfield also completed the game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out nine.
The Salt Cats manufactured a go-ahead run in the fifth after Mastroianni singled, stole second, and made it to third on a wild pitch.
After two outs were recorded, Mastroianni was finally knocked home on an RBI single by Anthony Galanoudis (Molloy).
Galanoudis would also provide a valuable insurance run in the top of the seventh by hitting another RBI single that scored Johnny Knight IV (Walsh).
Zach Taylor (Haverford) was 2-for-3 in game two for Sherrill.
Luke Johnson (Bucknell) had the only RBI of the day for the Silversmiths, knocking home Michael Patrick-Buckley (Seton Hill) on a single in the top of the second inning in game two.
Evan Holland (Florida International) went 2-for-3 with a walk in game one for Syracuse.
Kyle Kuhr (Seton Hill) and Matthew Colon (Cumberland County College) each pitched a scoreless inning of relief in game two.
The Salt Cats have now won five in a row and sit twelve games above .500.
Both the Salt Cats (25-13) and Silversmiths (7-30) are off until after the NYCBL All-Star Game, which headlines a day-long festival of events in and around Damaschke Field in Oneonta.
Sherrill is sending pitcher Nick Banman (Ft. Scott CC), and outfielder Connor Bowie (Mt. Aloysius).
In addition to Bilello, Colon, Tevlin, and Holland, the Salt Cats are also sending pitchers Cory Vogeli (Misericordia) and Anderson Burgess (Coppin State).
Bilodeau and pitchers Cameron Jack (Mt. Hood CC) and Kyle Taylor (Gloucester County College) will also head to Oneonta to take part in the MLB Scouting Skills Competition on Thursday Afternoon.
Both teams return to action on Friday, with the Silversmiths traveling to Cortland to take on the Crush, and the Salt Cats hosting the Oneonta Outlaws.
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