Cortland Standard .net

GENEVA — The Cortland Crush got the bats working and ended a three-game losing streak Thursday night, piling up 15 hits in a 7-1 New York Collegiate Baseball League victory over the host Geneva Red Wings.
Seven different players had two hits each as the Crush ended a three-game losing streak and evened its record at 10-10. Designated hitter Alex Loberger went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs while leftfielder Julian Gallup (two runs) and catcher Chris Mattison both went 2-for-4. Swinging 2-for-5 bats were centerfielder Grant Hoover (double, three RBIs), second baseman Wes Burghardt (double, two runs), rightfielder Luke Gilbert (RBI, run) and first baseman George Haaland (double).
The Crush’s other hit was a ninth-inning single by Sean Getman off the leg of Red Wing reliever Casey MacClaren, Getman’s first hit of the season in his second game with the team.
Starter and winner Shae Edmonds (1-1) and a trio of relievers, meanwhile, limited Geneva to just six hits. Edmonds surrendered two of those and one earned run (on a sixth-inning home run by Red Wings leftfielder Jackson Rhodes) with six strikeouts and no walks.
Geneva starter Andrew Shreiner (0-2) took the loss, giving up 10 hits and six earned runs in 4 1-3 innings with a walk and a strikeout.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Gilbert, from The College at Brockport, said of Cortland’s offensive display. “We had a nice win streak going a week ago, but we lost two to Oneonta. It’s good to get hot with the bats and head home (today).
“I was out the past two games with a wrist injury. I’m healthy now. I think the two-day rest helped clear my head and got me back in the right zone to hit.”
The Crush wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Gallup led off the game with a walk, stole second and scored on a single to right by Hoover. The winners went up 2-0 with a third-inning run. Shortstop Hank Pellicciotti reached on an infield error to lead off the inning before Loberger also got on via an error. Gallup then beat out a bunt single to load the bases. Pellicciotti scored on a wild pitch one out later.
The visitors collected five hits in the four-run fourth to take control of the contest. Second baseman Wes Burghardt led off with a single to center and went to second on a single to left by Gilbert. Each runner moved up a base on a groundout and, after the second out of the inning, Loberger stroked a two-run single to left and went to second on the late throw home. An infield single by Gallup put runners on the corners before Hoover lashed a two-run double to left-center to score them both.
A 41-minute rain delay followed the Crush’s outburst, and after Geneva went down in order in the bottom of the frame Mattison led off the top of the fifth with a single to center. He was gunned down trying to score on a double to left by Burghardt, who scored seconds later when Gilbert singled to right.
Rhodes cracked his third homer of the season to right in the sixth to close out the scoring. He went 2-for-3 with that round-tripper, RBI and run.
Mattison left the Crush for a short while for family matters after coming to the team straight from the NJCAA Division II World Series with Frederick (Md.) CC. “I think I did need that little break,” he said. “I feel rejuvenated now. It does feel better.”
Edmonds gave Mattison, his catcher, much of the credit for being able to shackle Geneva’s bats. “Chris was calling a lot of off-speed stuff for the two, three, four and five guys,” he said. “We tried to keep them on their toes. It was really my curveball that was working so well. They couldn’t hit my outside fastball either. Mixing that with my curveball really did keep them off-balance.”
“(Pitching coach Daniel Payne) starts out calling the pitches,” Mattison said. “He does a good job and I just go off of that. It helps to figure out what patterns we should use. After that it’s just figuring out the hitters as the game goes along.”
Cortland remains in fifth place in the NYCBL’s Eastern Division after Thursday’s games. Geneva is still on top at 11-7, percentage points ahead of the Syracuse Salt Cats, who improved to 12-8 by beating Sherrill 8-6. The Syracuse Junior Chiefs downed Oneonta 10-7 in the other Eastern Division game.
The Crush was to host the Red Wings in a doubleheader today on Greg’s Field, the first game set to start at 3 p.m.