By KATIE FAULKNER
WELLSVILLE — A late rally in both the seventh and eighth inning pushed the Syracuse Salt Cats past the Wellsville Nitros for an 11-8 win in New York Collegiate Baseball League action on Sunday. Wellsville fell to 8-15 on the season.
Wellsville struck first when Mike McNicholl (Eastern New Mexico) singled in his first at-bat. Harry Montero Jr. (Bloomfield) connected on an RBI double to plate McNicholl. However, the Salt Cats answered when Johnny Knight IV (Walsh) singled to lead off the second. Anthony Galanoudis (Molloy) drove in Knight with an RBI single to even the score at 1-1.
The Nitros extended their lead when Montero drove in Brett Migliore (Canisius) for his second RBI of the night. McNicholl would score on a passed ball to extend the lead to 3-1. Wellsville tacked on three more runs before the first Syracuse rally in the seventh.
James Thomas (Walsh) got things going for the Salt Cats with a double, followed by an RBI double courtesy of Joshua Rodriguez (SUNY Institute of Tech). Knight would connect on an RBI single, plating Rodriguez before Joseph Anselmi (Manhattanville) drove in Knight and Shannon Baker (IUPUI). Justin Clark (Lesley) plated Anselmi to tie things up at 6-6.
Henry Pellicciotti (Binghamton) scored the go ahead run in the eighth on a Christian Sanchez (Ave Maria) RBI single. A handful of walks scored four more Salt Cats to stretch the lead to 11-6. A Jacob Sims (Roane State CC) two-run homer in the ninth wouldn’t be enough for a Nitros rally.
Anselmi paced the Salt Cats defense going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Knight added two hits and two runs, while Thomas added two hits and an RBI.
Charles Davis (Northwestern) gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings pitched for Syracuse. Kyle Boarman (Franklin Pierce) and Evan Plante (Potomac St.) combined for 2.3 innings on the mound. Plante was credited with the win, giving up one hit and retiring one.
“We were down 6-1 coming in and I knew I had to do something to help,” said Plante. “The momentum definitely shifted when I got on the mound and I knew it was a lot to put on my back, but I wound up finding all my pitches and it worked out.”
Wellsville’s Sam McCumiskey (Brockport) gave up three runs on six hits in 6.1 innings pitched. The Belfast, New York native struck out four before being replaced by Michael DEletto (Central Methodist). DEletto gave up eight runs on six hits. Migliore finished the night on the mound, giving up one hit in 1.1 innings.
Pat Scholla (John Carroll) went 3-for-4 with an RBI to pace the Nitros defense while Montero and McNicholl added two hits apiece. Montero is ranked second in the NYCBL with a .386 batting average.
Wellsville hosts the Genessee Rapids (7-17) on Monday, June 27th at 7 p.m.
The Salt Cats (11-7) will face the Sherrill Silversmiths (6-13) on Monday at 7 p.m.
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