Cortland Standard .net

ONEONTA — The Cortland Crush’s bats were active in the first game of the team’s New York Collegiate Baseball League doubleheader at Oneonta Monday before being silenced in the nightcap.
Cortland scored five runs over the first three innings and went on to beat the Outlaws 7-4 in the opener before left-hander David Ehmen threw a complete-game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the hosts gained a split with a 3-0 win in the second game to end a four-game Crush win streak.
The Crush, now idle until Friday during the league’s All-Star break, is now 22-16 and in second place in the Eastern Division, two games behind the first-place Syracuse Salt Cats (23-13), who were to host Sherrill in a doubleheader today. The Geneva Red Wings (18-16) and Syracuse Junior Chiefs (20-18) are tied for third, two games behind Cortland. Oneonta was to visit the Red Wings in a doubleheader today.
Cortland 7, Oneonta 4: Monday’s opener saw the Crush waste little time in taking the lead for good. Rightfielder/centerfielder Luke Gilbert beat out an infield single, went to third on a single by Homer’s Zephan Kash, the designated hitter, and scored on an throwing error after first baseman George Haaland flew out to center.
Second baseman Wes Burghardt reached on an error to lead off the second and went to second on a single by leftfielder/rightfielder Jose Arebalo. A passed ball then moved each runner up a base before catcher Alex Loberger singled up the middle to score Burghardt, Arebalo then came home from third on a double steal while Loberger was caught in a rundown. that he eventually escaped for a stolen base.
Two more runs came home in the third for the visitors as Haaland reached on an error and third baseman Sean Getman singled before both came home when Arebalo tripled to center.
The Outlaws scored their first run in the bottom of the third as centerfielder C.J. Krowiak got on via fielder’s choice and eventually scored on a groundout by rightfielder Jordan Bradley.
Haaland doubled with one out in the fifth and eventually scored on a groundout by Getman to give the Crush a 6-1 lead. Oneonta answered in the bottom of the inning as Bradley singled to center with two outs and scored on a triple to right-center by first baseman Zack Blonder.
Loberger singled to left with one out in the sixth and later scored on a double to left-center by Gilbert to close out the Cortland scoring. The Outlaws scored twice in the seventh on an RBI single to right by Bradley and a bad throw to third that allowed shortstop Tyler Bruno to score.
Tyler Saundry, the visitors’ fifth pitcher in the game, then got two strikeouts to end the game and chalk up his eighth save of the season. The win went to T.J. Peterson (5-2), who came on in relief of starter Yale Brian Hughes and gave up four hits and an earned run in 2 2/3 innings with one strikeout.
Arebalo (triple, two RBIs, one run scored) and Loberger ((RBI, run) both went 2-for-3 while Gilbert went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run for the Crush. Oneonta got 2-for-4 games from Bradley (two RBIs, run), Blonder (triple, RBI) and Bruno (double, run). Oneonta starter David Wright (0-1) was the losing pitcher.
Oneonta 3, Cortland 0: Burghardt had two of the Crush’s three hits in the nightcap He led off the fourth with a single to left after the first nine Cortland batters had been retired in order by Ehmen (2-0) and also beat out an infield hit in the sixth. The visitors left two runners on in that inning as Ehmen got a flyout and strikeout to end the threat.
Arebalo singled to left to lead off the fifth and eventually got to third, but was stranded there.
Oneonta scored its first run in the third off reliever and losing pitcher Patrick Graham (1-3) as Bruno led off with a single to left and later scored on an error following an infield single by Blonder. An error on a throw from the outfield after a single to center by leftfielder David Wright allowed second baseman Nicholas Spangler, who had singled to right, to score. Spangler came home moments later as catcher Jessey Valdez tripled to center.
Blonder went 2-for-3 for the winners.
The Crush next plays on Friday, entertaining Sherrill in a 6 p.m. start on Greg’s Field. Cortland then visits the Salt Cats Saturday starting at 2 p.m. before hosting the Salt Cats in a doubleheader Sunday starting at 3 p.m. The same two teams also meet on Greg’s Field Monday, the first pitch slated for 6 p.m.