By RAEGAN RYAN
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Cortland Crush came into Western Division territory for a match-up with the Genesee Rapids and left with a 10-5 win Saturday night in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.
The Crush came out strong in their first trip to the plate scoring two runs to make a 2-0 start. The Rapids tied things up in the bottom of the second at 2-2.
Cortland continued in the third, tacking on two more runs for a 4-2 lead.
The 4-2 spread was too close for comfort for the Crush. So, William Haaland (Trinity University) stepped up with two men on base and took one deep for a three-run home run to make the score, 7-2.
The Rapids fought back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs on hits from Philip Wells (Baldwin Wallace), Brian Hodges (Niagara CC), and Jacob Burlingame (Canisius), making the sore 7-5.
Cortland continued their consistent offense in the seventh scoring two runs, and again in the eighth with one run to round out the 10-5 score.
“Our pitching wasn’t where we would like it today but our approach at the plate was very solid,” Crush coach Daniel Payne said. “Every game, every inning, you try to get the edge on your opponent. That approach worked out for us tonight and hopefully it will continue to work for us going forward.”
Holland finished with a stellar performance at the plate. He finished 3-for-4 with five RBI, three of which came from his home run in the fifth.
Matthew McCuen (Niagara University) came in to close the game in the ninth and single handedly took care of business, striking out the last three batters to finish the game with a 10-5 spread.
Other multiple hit performances came from Luke Gilbert (Brockport), 2-for-5, Andrew Taft (Buffalo) 2-for-5, and Anthony Searles (UMasss-Boston) 2-for-4.
The Rapids will resume NYCBL play on the road Sunday for a double header against Sherril and Rome at 10:00am and 3:30pm respectively.
Cortland takes on the Syracuse JR Chiefs Sunday. First pitch is slated for 7:00 pm.
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