WEBSTER, N.Y. — With Syracuse already down by 10 in the seventh, Brendan Flynn needed to plate Vince Gamberdella on third to extend the game. The lefty swung and connected on a flyball to right field, easily handled by Jorge Arispuro. Gamberdella tagged up and broke for home, but Rochester’s outfielder fired a strike on-the-fly to catcher Connor Sackett, nailing the Spartans’ catcher at home plate to end the game.

Not much went right in the Syracuse Spartans’ (4-8-1, 9 points) 10-0, seven-inning, mercy-rule loss to the Rochester Ridgemen (10-3 20 points) on Monday afternoon. The home team not only kept Syracuse without a run, but they also kept the visitors without a hit until the top of the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Jack Knapp never settled in on the mound for the Spartans, surrendering eight earned runs in his second loss of the campaign. Rochester won its fifth straight game and is the first team to 10 wins in the 2023 NYCBL season.

But Robert Johnston gave Syracuse life to lead off the first, drawing a four-pitch walk. Rochester starter, Ed Hall, erased the threat when Spartans newcomer David Marchetti grounded into a double play on the first pitch he saw. The right-hander plunked Joe Wike with a changeup but came back to freeze Adam Sullivan for the third out.

The first-place Ridgemen looked true to form in the bottom of the first, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead off Knapp. Cooper Mills began the frame with a single, then a sacrifice bunt by Rafael Gomez moved Mills all the way to third. Joey Grabanski’s RBI single got past Ryan Pelton at third, scoring the first run of the ballgame. Clayton McAllister blooped a two-run single to right field with the bases loaded and two outs, extending the home team’s advantage.

Despite no hits, walks and hit-by-pitches by Hall helped the Spartans load the bases with one out. Joshua Gilkey lined a fastball right at Grabanski at first for the second out, then Johnston got under a flyball that Mason White caught in left, bailing out the right-hander.

In the bottom of the second, Grabanski smashed another RBI single to make it 4-0 Rochester, his second hit and RBI of the day. Syracuse couldn’t work around Hall’s third hit-by-pitch in the top of the third, as Wike grounded into a double play. Knapp would toss his first scoreless frame, setting down the Ridgemen in the bottom of the third.

Carter Schorg took over for Hall, working around a two-out walk to blank the Spartans in the fourth. The Briar Cliff College right-hander had extra life on his fastball, chucking in the upper 80s in his three innings of work. Rochester’s freshman whiffed two in the fifth, keeping Syracuse without a hit in the contest.

The Ridgemen continued to pour it on in the fifth inning, adding five runs. First, Kody Putnam split the gap in left-center field for a two-run double. Arispuro followed with a two-run double of his own down the left-field line, and Cade Nolan’s sacrifice fly plated Arispuro for Rochester’s ninth run. 

After Schorg retired Syracuse in order to end the top of the sixth, the Ridgemen tallied their tenth run when Alec Blakestad raced home on a passed ball. The home team now had only three more outs to get for a 10-run, mercy rule no-hitter.

Vince Gamberdella ended any chance of the rare no-hitter, lining the first pitch he saw from Christian Blatter into right field for the Spartans’ first hit. Jacob Bowman followed with an infield single but was thrown out at second as Gamberdella took third for the first out. With Syracuse needing to plate the runner on third, Brendan Flynn cracked a flyball to right field. Arispuro made the catch and threw out Gamberdella at home with a throw on-the-fly, ending the game in dramatic, mercy-rule fashion.

The Spartans return home to battle the Syracuse Salt Cats on Wednesday night. First pitch from the Onondaga Community College Sports Complex is set for 7:00. Fans can watch the Spartans’ live broadcast by visiting our website, https://syracusespartans.com/live/.