The Syracuse Spartans held off a late rally from the Syracuse Salt Cats to take a 7-4 win on Saturday night.

The Spartans struck early in the second, third and fourth innings. A RBI single from Chaz Anthony and a RBI groundout from Yoon Chae gave the Spartans an early 2-0 lead. The Spartans opened up the game in the third with four runs. A Salt Cats error pushed across one run and a wild pitch brought home a second. A two-run triple from Anthony ended the frame with six runs for the Spartans. A bases-loaded walk in the fourth gave the Spartans seven runs on the day.

That’s all the cushion that Spartans starting pitcher John Tully needed to cruise through the game. He only allowed one run in the bottom of the second inning. Tully only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five batters over seven innings for his second straight quality start against the Salt Cats.

The Salt Cats wouldn’t go away quietly. After Tully exited the game, the Salt Cats scored three runs on an inside-the-park home run to trim the Spartans lead to 7-4. The Salt Cats would get the tying run to the plate, but John Francesconi locked down his second save of the season to secure the win.

With the win, the Spartans have won two games in a row for the first time this season. They are the final team in the NYCBL Eastern Division to reach double-digit wins this year.

The next Spartans game is a doubleheader against the Salt Cats at home on Monday, July 15. First pitch for game one is set for 5:00 pm.