The Cortland Crush fell to the Rochester Ridgemen 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader but bounced back with a walk-off 9-8 win in the second game Wednesday at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex. The Crush sit at 14-19-1 on the season.
RIDGEMEN 7, CRUSH 4
Cortland rattled off four runs in the top of the sixth inning, but a fast start from Rochester proved to be too much for the Crush as they could not complete the comeback and lost the first game of a doubleheader.
Rochester led 7-0 through the first five innings and looked like it was going to cruise to a win, but the Crush kept fighting and finally got to Ridgmen starting pitcher Stephen Pearson. Pearson threw five shutout innings prior to the rally from the Crush in the sixth. He finished his day with 5.1 innings pitched and allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks and struck out one.
Ryne McKinney (Capital University) began the sixth inning with a triple, followed by Zach Young (Wells College) reaching on an error. Robby Harrison (Capital University) then hit an RBI single and Matt Doherty (Lyndon State College) hit a two-run triple to cut Rochester’s lead to four. Jack Coogan (Molloy College) then hit an RBI single to make it 7-4.
McKinney and Young began the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts, but Carson Molinaroli (Anderson University) walked and Harrison singled to keep the inning alive. Doherty then came to the plate with a chance to keep the rally going, but he lined out to center to end the game.
Rochester scored all seven of its runs in the first three innings, with three coming in the first and two runs in both the second and third inning. Julian Salinas (Salve Regina University) started for Cortland. He tossed two innings and allowed five runs on four hits and two walks and struck out one. Scott Scherrer (Wells College) then threw four innings and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks and struck out four.
Doherty went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, Coogan and Harrison had two hits and an RBI, McKinney had two hits and Zach Masnikoff (Oberlin College) had a hit.
CRUSH 9, RIDGEMEN 8
Cortland bounced back from its loss in game one with a walk-off win in extra innings in the second game. Max Atkinson (Salem International University) delivered the winning hit with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
After a back-and-forth seven innings, the score was tied at seven. Rochester took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth, but Cortland had the last opportunity at the plate. After Jack Coogan struck out to leadoff the inning, McKinney hit a triple and Grayson Saltzer (Molloy College) hit an RBI double to tie the game again. Molinaroli and Nick Mahar (SUNY Brockport) then walked, with Mahar’s walk being intentional to load the bases with one out. Atkinson then delivered the game-winning single to send the Crush home happy.
Rochester got on the board first earlier in the game with three runs in the top of the second inning off Crush starting pitcher Axibael Sosa (Thomas Jefferson University). Cortland responded with four runs in the bottom of the third.
McKinney hit an RBI single, Molinaroli reached on an error scoring McKinney and then later scored stealing home and Mahar hit an RBI single.
The Crush continued to rally in the fourth with two more runs to take a 6-3 lead, with Masnikoff and Joseph Manesiotis (Gardner-Webb University) both scoring unearned runs.
Joseph Yovino (Elon University) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief while the Crush took the lead and Benjamin Young (Juniata College) allowed one run in one inning of work. Angelo Agro (SUNY Brockport) allowed Rochester to take the lead in the top of the seventh as he allowed four runs on four hits.
Mahar delivered the hit that sent the game to extra innings with a one out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.
Atkinson delivered the big hit and went 4-for-5 at the plate. Mahar went 3-for3 with two RBIs, McKinney had two hits and an RBI, Saltzer had a hit and an RBI and Masnikoff, Coogan, Young and Manesiotis had a hit.
