By MIKAEL DeSANTO
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Casey Claflin (University of Northwestern Ohio) went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs to help the Rochester Ridgemen beat the Syracuse Salt Cats 12-10 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field, Thursday.
“The biggest thing is getting momentum and keeping momentum,” Claflin said. “When momentum shifts it can be devastating for either team, but for us right now it’s just be going back and fourth, so tonight, pulling off a game like that, it’s been huge.”
Justin Dillard, the Ridgemen’s head coach, said his team stuck with their approach all game and handled the adversity they faced.
“I felt like they put their foot on the gas and they didn’t take it off, they competed the entire time,” Dillard said. “Offensive approaches were great all game, and where we ran into trouble, once again, was during walks, but they played well enough to overcome it, so it was great.”
The Ridgemen sent Ean Walda (Grand Rapids Community College) to the mound for the start, his fourth of the year, and the Salt Cats started Joe Cominsky (East Stroudsberg State), who was making his second start of the year. Cominsky pitched an inning and one-third, surrendering seven runs on fives hits and three walks, while striking out two.
“I just couldn’t find the zone, left all the balls up in the zone,” Cominsky said. “I have to stay back more on my delivery, help me get the ball down, and just be more level headed on the mound.”
Walda pitched five innings, giving up two runs on two hits and seven walks, but also struck out six batters.
“I would get out in front, get 0-2, 0-1, threw a lot of strikes early in the and just gave away pitches towards the end of at bats,” Walda said. “Usually I always just take it pitch for pitch, really just live one pitch to the next not dwell on the last one, I would just try to get up there, really just focus in and trust my field behind me that they would make a play.”
The Ridgemen jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs to open the game. Joe Done (Skagit Valley College) started the scoring with an RBI single to score Devin Cerrato (Covenant College) and move Ethan Luna (Southwestern University) to third, advancing to second himself. After Hayden Houts (Northern State University) walked, Brooks Pitaniello (Harding University) drove in Luna with a sacrifice fly, and then Claflin cleared the bases with a two-run triple.
“He goes 3-0 on me, I took a fastball away and pretty much just said ‘I’m gonna throw my back in as fast as I can and we’re hitting this ball as hard as I can’,” Claflin said. “That’s it, got good barrel on it and kept seeing him go, running and running, so it’s just a good adjustment.”
They continued to pour on the runs the following inning, plating five runs in the second to extend their lead to 9-0. Luna drove in Cerrato, who had reached on a single, for the innings first run. Done plated another two runs with a double the following at bat, as Bram Wood (Olney Community College), who walked earlier, and Luna scored. Claflin capped off the inning by knocking in another two runs on a double of his own after Pitaniello walked.
“I was just looking for pitches I could drive and hit well,” Luna said. “The second at bat just got a gift with a nice curveball I was able to take down the line, but I always look for pitches I can hit well and hit hard.”
The Salt Cats got two runs back in the third when Brandon Cornelius (Rutgers University-Camden) hit a two-out, bases loaded single to drive in Shannon Baker (IUPUI) and Johnny Knight IV (Walsh University), who had both walked. However the Ridgemen added a run back in the bottom half when Jared Piper (Hillsdale College) singled, stole two bases and Luna drove him in from third on a single later in the inning.
“I just have to focus on getting my foot down, swinging at good pitches and keeping my head on the barrel, so that’s just what I think when I’m up there,” Cornelius said. “Felt good at the plate, felt comfortable, so thank God it worked out tonight, just have to carry it over throughout the season now.”
The Salt Cats had their break-out inning in the sixth, scoring seven runs and cutting the lead to just one run. The first came with a walk to Baker, who later scored on a sacrifice ground out by Joshua Rodriguez (SUNY IT), with the bases loaded, followed by a double by Knight IV to score Chris McGee (University of Binghamton) and Christian Sanchez (Ave Maria University), who walked and singled respectively. A triple by Anthony Galanoudis (Molloy College) plated Knight IV, then Cornelius singled in Galanoudis and scored on a ground out by McGee on his second at bat of the inning.
“I was looking to drive the ball with runners in scoring position,” Knight IV said. “I was getting myself in hitters counts and trying to take advantage of it.”
The Ridgemen further extended the lead following the Salt Cats’ rally by scoring two runs off a Luna walk and Houts triple, who then scored on a wild pitch. The Salt Cats could only muster one final run in the ninth on a Cornelius single to score Knight IV, who walked to start the inning. Walda finished with the win, Cominsky took the loss and Luna picked up a save in relief.
Mike Martinez, the Salt Cats’ head coach, said his team did not play up to their capability and did not begin the game the way they needed to.
“We’re a better team than that,” Martinez said. “We were flat today, we came out early, sat back and let the Ridgemen score some runs on us, until we figured out we were in a baseball game. Then we started hitting the way we normally could hit and it was just a little bit too late, too short.”
The game pushed the Ridgemen’s record to 8-19, putting them two and a half games back of a playoff spot, and dropped the Salt Cats to 12-10.
Josh Call (Utica College) pitched one inning of relief for the Salt Cats, giving up no runs, one hit and striking out one batter.
Brady Sass (Alfred State College) did not register an inning pitched in relief of Walda, giving up five runs on two hits and three walks before being pulled.
Jimmy McCarty (Oneonta College) pitched the final two and two-thirds innings for the Salt Cats, limiting the Ridgemen to one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.
Luna pitched the last three innings on the Ridgemen side, also giving up one run on two hits, but walked three and struck out two.
The Salt Cats next game will be against the Olean Oilers at 7 p.m. on July 1 at Onondaga Community College.
The Ridgemen will play the Genesee Rapids on July 1 at 7 p.m., the final game of a four game home stand.
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