SYRACUSE –– The Cortland Crush handled the Syracuse Salt Cats in the first game of a doubleheader with a 4-1 win, but the Salt Cats bounced back and defeated the Crush in Game 2 3-0 Tuesday at Onondaga Community College. The Crush move to 13-18-1 on the season and are currently in fourth place in the New York Collegiate Baseball League East Division, eight games behind the first-place Salt Cats. The Crush play again at 4 p.m. today at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex against the Rochester Ridgemen.
CRUSH 4, SALT CATS 1
Hunter Harmon (Mohawk Valley Community College) threw a complete game and Cortland’s offense gave him the run support he needed as the Crush were able to hang on for the 4-1 win.
Harmon’s complete game was seven innings due to the doubleheader, but the right-hander pitched to contact and trusted his defense throughout his outing. Harmon allowed one run on six hits and three walks and struck out one. The lone run from the Salt Cats came on a second-inning sacrifice fly.
Cortland’s offense gave Harmon the lead he needed in the first inning. Jamison Howland (Assumption College) began the inning with a triple, then Zach Masnikoff (Oberlin College) hit an RBI single to make it 1-0. Ryne McKinney (Capital University) and Carson Molinaroli (Anderson University) then hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs. Nick Mahar (SUNY Brockport) and Jack Coogan (Molloy College) put a halt to the momentum as they committed the first two outs of the inning, but Joseph Yovino (Elon University) was hit by a pitch to score a run to make it 2-0.
The Crush scored their final two runs in the third. McKinney hit a leadoff double and Mahar walked to put runners on the corners. Coogan then hit an RBI single, scoring McKinney and advancing Mahar to third base. Coogan was caught stealing second the following at bat, but Mahar took a gamble and scored on a steal of home to push the lead to three.
McKinney went 2-for-2, Coogan and Masnikoff had a hit and an RBI and Howland and Molinaroli each added a hit.
SALT CATS 3, CRUSH 0
Cortland was unable to sweep the doubleheader as the bats went cold with just two hits and the Crush lost 3-0.
The Crush’s offense couldn’t get anything going against Salt Cats starting pitcher Joseph Ditzel. The Crush went 2-for-23 against Ditzel, with Molinaroli hitting a two-out single in the fourth inning and Mahar adding a one-out knock in the seventh. Ditzel looked untouchable outside of the two hits, as he tossed a complete game and struck out 13 on 110 pitches.
Despite Cortland’s offensive struggles, the pitching kept it in the game until the finish. Brian Young (Capital University) got the start and tossed 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out three. Scott Scherrer (Wells College) then threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, a walk and striking out two.
