WEBSTER –– The Cortland Crush and Rochester Ridgemen couldn’t stop scoring runs Friday night at Basket Road Field, as both teams had 15 hits and the Crush scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to win the high-scoring affair 13-12. The Crush move to 15-19-1 on the season.
Cortland trailed by three heading into the final inning, but its offense, much like it had been all game, remained locked in. After Nick Mahar (SUNY Brockport) walked and Joseph Manesiotis (Gardener-Webb University) singled, Jamison Howland (Assumption College) and Zach Masnikoff (Oberlin College) struck out in consecutive at bats. Ryne McKinney (Capital University) then came to the plate and tied the score with one swing of the bat on a three-run home run. Zach Young (Wells College) kept the inning alive with a hit by pitch and Grayson Saltzer (Molloy College) came in to pinch run. Saltzer made an immediate impact as he stole second and third base and then scored on an error from Rochester catcher Michael Ucci to take the lead.
Scott Scherrer (Wells College) recorded the first out of the bottom of the ninth for Cortland, then Angelo Agro (SUNY Brockport) came in for the save. One runner got on against Agro due to an error, but he managed to shut the door and gave the Crush the win.
After a scoreless first inning, it was all offense for both teams the remainder of the game. Cortland scored three runs in the top of the second inning on an RBI single from Manesiotis, an RBI on a walk from Masnikoff and Carson Molinaroli (Anderson University) working a walk and later scoring on an error. Ben Ryan (Juniata College) added a two-run single in the top of the third.
Rochester responded with five runs on four hits in the bottom of the third off Crush starting pitcher Orion Frailey (Thomas Jefferson University). Frailey went one more inning and allow another run before being pulled for Brian Young (Capital University). The Crush trailed the Ridgemen 6-5 through four innings.
Brian Young struggled in the fifth, allowing three runs on two hits to put Rochester up four, but Cortland stayed right in it with three runs in the sixth. McKinney hit a two-run double and Molinaroli hit an RBI single to make it 9-8. The Ridgemen then went back up 10-8 with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
After a scoreless seventh inning, Cortland got back within a run in the eighth on an RBI triple from Molinaroli. Scherrer came into pitch the eighth, but Rochester stayed hot at the plate and pushed its lead to three runs before the Crush rallied in the ninth.
McKinney went 4-for-6 with five RBIs, Manesiotis had four hits and an RBI, Molinaroli went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Ryan had a hit and two RBIs, Masnikoff had a hit and an RBI and Zach Young and Matt Doherty (Lyndon State College) added a hit apiece.
The Crush play again 2 p.m. Sunday at Onondaga Community College against the Syracuse Spartans.
