By CODY LOVE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Crush got exactly the start it needed in a critical four-game series against the Salt Cats.
“We knew what we were up against,” Crush manager Bill McConnell said. “We came out with good adrenaline and good focus.”
A four-run third inning provided all the runs that Cortland needed as the Crush topped Syracuse 5-2 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Onondaga Community College on Saturday afternoon.
In the first two innings, it looked like this was shaping up to be a pitcher’s duel between Crush starter Patrick Graham (Neumann College) and his Salt Cats counterpart Anderson Burgess (Coppin State).
But after he recorded two quick outs in the third, the Crush got to Burgess.
Julian Gallup (Niagara) singled to keep the inning going and stole second.
He was knocked home by an RBI single by Grant Hoover (Shippensburg).
Hoover advanced to second on the throw home, and got to third as a result of a walk by Zephan Kash (Mansfield) and a single by William George Haaland (Trinity).
He scored on another walk by Jose Arebalo (Eastern Nazarene).
The biggest hit of the inning came from Hank Pellicciotti (Binghamton) whose 2-RBI double increased Cortland’s lead to 4-0.
“First two pitches he threw me in,” Pellicciotti said. “I was just looking for an inside fastball to turn on. He put it right where I wanted it and I got a good swing on it.”
Burgess stayed in the game until the fifth, being charged with the loss after a four and one third innings long outing in which he allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out four.
Graham picked up the win with an excellent outing, lasting six innings and keeping the Salt Cats scoreless while allowing three hits and two walks. He struck out two.
“I was locating well,” Graham said. “I was throwing the fastball for strikes and getting ahead of hitters early.”
The Crush added another run in the sixth, thanks to heads-up baserunning from Pellicciotti.
After a walk, he advanced to second on a groundout by Luke Gilbert (SUNY Brockport).
Seeing that nobody was covering third, Pelliciotti took that base as well.
He then ran on contact and scored on a Matthew Alberino (Northland College) groundout.
The Salt Cats tried to assemble a rally in the ninth.
Jose “Manny” Colon (Rutgers-Camden) hit an RBI single that got Syracuse on the board and advanced Brian Bilello (Concordia) to third.
The rally began to falter though, as a ground ball by Chris McGee (Binghamton) hit the foot of pinch-runner Alex Duca (Rutgers-Newark), making him the first out of the inning and forcing Bilello to return to third.
A pickoff attempt would then leave McGee caught in a rundown for the second out, and although Bilello scored, the Salt Cats were unable to push across any more runs.
Pellicciotti led the hitting, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored.
Colon had a solid defensive day for Syracuse at catcher picking off two runners at third from behind the plate, and another stealing second.
The Crush (24-16) now sit two games behind the Salt Cats (26-14) in the Eastern Division, with a doubleheader coming up tomorrow in Cortland.
With the Salt Cats magic number sitting at five, and one more game between these two teams on Monday, a sweep of the remaining series games by either team could prove to be pivotal in determining the division winner.
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