Cortland Standard .net

SYRACUSE — After losing Sunday’s New York Collegiate Baseball League game against the host Cortland Crush on an 11th-inning outfield error, the Syracuse Junior Chiefs got a bit of revenge at home Monday night.
The two starters — Cortland’s Nate Verst and Cory Poplawski of the Junior Chiefs — engaged in a pitcher’s duel, but both had exited the game before the hosts pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth for a 1-0 victory.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Crush, who have won eight of their last 10 games. Cortland is in third place in the league’s Eastern Division at 9-8, a half-game up on both the Junior Chiefs (9-9) and Oneonta Outlaws (7-7).
The Geneva Red Wings lead the Eastern Division at 10-5 after sweeping a doubleheader from the Sherrill Silversmiths Monday, 4-3 and 11-4. In the Western Division on Monday, Hornell downed Wellsville 9-2 while Olean was a 6-5 winner over the Geneva Twins and Genesee beat Rochester 4-1.
The Junior Chiefs managed just four hits against Verst over seven scoreless innings, in which he had seven strikeouts and two walks. Poplawski, meanwhile, allowed four hits as he kept the visitors of the scoreboard over eight innings with 10 strikeouts. Neither pitcher was part of the final decision.
“I’m very pleased,” Kentucky Wesleyan rising sophomore Verst said of his outing. “Both of us gave it our all. It was a fun game. It came down to who wanted it more at the end. I felt really good. This was the best I’ve thrown in awhile.
“Towards the end I felt like I was getting stronger. I had a lot more confidence in all my pitches. My defense had me covered up the middle the whole game. I knew I could get ground balls and fly balls and the guys behind me would make the plays. That really helps a pitcher’s confidence when he knows his defense will make the plays,” he added.
Shawn Brody relieved Verst to start the eighth and left a man stranded on third. Syracuse reliever George Max Navadel kept the visitors off the board in the top of the ninth, walking one batter, and was the winning pitcher.
Junior Chiefs designated hitter Brian Colbert led off the bottom of the ninth with a single off Brody. Alex Schutz came on to pinch-run, stole second and kept going to third as the throw went awry. Tyler Saundry relieved Brody with a 1-1 count on third baseman Tyler Flaherty and got the strikeout. The next two hitters were intentionally walked to set up the double play. Rightfielder Michael Elfreth then grounded to short and was just able to beat the throw to first after a forceout at second as Schutz scored the winning run.
No one had more than one hit in the game for either team. The two clubs have now split eight games so far this season.
“It was just an off night for our hitters,” Verst said. “We’ll come back tomorrow and use this as a little bit of fire. We’ll use this as a building stone for another winning streak.”Weather permitting, the Crush was to host Oneonta at 6 p.m. today on Greg’s Field in the completion of a suspended game from June 12, the Outlaws up 6-0 after the first half-inning of play.
THE CRUSH’S T.J. Peterson has been named NYCBL Pitcher of the Week for his performance last week. The rising junior at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota won both of his starts, allowing eight hits and three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.
Peterson is now 2-2 on the season, having allowed 13 hits and nine runs (eight earned) with 13 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings and a 3.37 ERA.