The Syracuse Spartans entered Rochester Saturday for a 7:30 first pitch, as the Rochester Ridgemen searched for a much needed win in the battle for a playoff berth in the Eastern division of the NYCBL. With their 4th game in a row, the Spartans pitching staff was once again running short, and their 11-1 mercy rule loss to the Ridgemen Saturday night proved so. 

Josh Martin – the usual closer for the Syracuse ballclub – earned the nod for the weekend matchup. LHP Ian Mcnabb was the starter for Rochester. 

Mcnabb – in contrast to Martin – held Syracuse scoreless and hitless through 3 innings. As for Josh Martin, he allowed 2 runs in the very first inning, from a Colby Seelig single, then a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Martin followed by allowing a third run in the second inning as well, a Cade Ross sacrifice fly to score Cornellis Miller.

The 3rd and 4th innings represented the only scoreless stretch of an otherwise offensive display from Rochester in the ballgame. The 5th represented the expected offensive eruption for Rochester, adding 5 runs on top of a 3-0 lead to go up 8-0 into the 6th. It started with Colby Seelig’s second RBI single of the evening, followed by a bases-clearing Tommy Gwinn triple, and a Taso Kovack back-to-back RBI triple immediately afterward to cap things off. 

Logan persse had to inherit two of those baserunners, coming in relief for Josh Martin with one out in the 5th inning. Martin finished the game with 4.1 IP, and 8 ER on 7 H and 3 BB, but also a modest 5 K’s as well. 

The Spartans responded with their only run of the game in the 6th. After Bryce Moore hit a 1-out triple, Noah Roots had a productive out, scoring Moore on a sacrifice fly. Moore’s triple was the only hit of the game for the Spartans, who were still being blanked by relief pitcher Michael Ribis at that point. 

The Ridgemen then tacked on a run per inning afterward, scoring that mercy-rule run in the bottom of the 8th, by way of a couple of wild pitches. Jacob Crystal was accredited the ‘walk-off’, having come into relieve Logan Persse’s efforts for the Spartans. 

Syracuse dipped below .500 for the first time this season yesterday evening, and are now tw games below, standing at 14-16, still in second place in the Eastern division.