SYRACUSE –– The Cortland Crush led the Syracuse Salt Cats 2-1 through eight and a half innings, but the Salt Cats scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth and the Crush failed to score in the ninth and lost 4-2 Wednesday at Onondaga Community College. The Crush are now 4-3 on the season.
The score was tied at one through seven innings, but Cortland managed to take the lead in the top of the eighth. Thomas Woodridge (Wofford College) led off the inning with a single then, following two putouts from Syracuse, Carson Molinaroli (Anderson University) hit an RBI single to give the Crush a 2-1 lead.
Cortland turned to its bullpen in the bottom of the eighth and Mason Smith (Wells College) entered the game. Smith faced just two batters and failed to record an out as he hit a batter and surrendered a single. Abixael Sosa (Thomas Jefferson University) then came in and couldn’t find his rhythm on the mound. Sosa walked three straight batters and allowed two runs, giving Syracuse a 3-2 lead. Following the walks, the Salt Cats got an insurance run on a sacrifice fly to go up two.
In the bottom of the ninth the Crush looked to rally and things looked good early as Jack Coogan (Molloy College) led off the inning with a single. Following Coogan’s single though, Jamison Howland (Assumption College) flew out to right field, Carson Cherry (Wofford College) popped out to the catcher and Nick Mahar (SUNY Brockport) popped out to shortstop to end the game.
The first run for the Crush came in the sixth on an RBI single from Jake Freed (Brandeis University).
Freed went 1-for-3 with an RBI, Molinaroli went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Woodridge, Cherry and Coogan had a hit.
Joseph Derienzo (Salve Regina University) had a quality start for Cortland, throwing seven innings allowing one run on five hits and struck out seven. Brian Young (Capital University) recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning after Smith and Sosa’s outings.
The Crush play again at 6 p.m. today at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex against the Rochester Ridgemen.
