WEBSTER, N.Y. — Rochester slugger Mason White dug into the batter’s box, looking to replicate his home run swing from his last at-bat. The designated hitter turned on a 2-2 pitch and blasted a fly ball headed toward right field. Robert Johnston could only watch as the ball smacked the grass over the fence for the second time today, extending the Ridgemen lead.
The Syracuse Spartans’ (3-5-1, 7 points) pitching staff never found its footing in a 10-5 loss to the Rochester Ridgemen (6-3, 12 points) on Thursday night. The home team scored in every inning but one, eventually erasing a four-run Spartans lead from the second inning. Conversely, Syracuse only scratched the score column once over the final seven frames. Despite the loss, Syracuse remains just one point back of Sherrill for third place in the Eastern Division.
“This is the second game in a row where we had their starter on the ropes, and we just didn’t do enough to get him out of the game early when we needed to,” head coach Christian Lalomia said.
After the Spartans came up empty in the first, Rochester took the early lead on a double steal of second and home off Syracuse’s starter Noah Wieczorek. The right-hander would whiff two batters in the frame, keeping the Ridgemen up 1-0 after the first.
Like yesterday in Genesee, the Spartans responded immediately, rallying for four runs in the top of the second. Vince Gamberdella drew a walk with one out, Tanner De Grazia singled, then an RBI double to left field by Brendan Flynn plated both runners. Ryan Pelton’s single scored Flynn, and a free pass issued to Zach Garcia marked the fifth straight baserunner for Syracuse. With the table set for Jacob Bowman, the designated hitter smashed an 0-2 fastball to center for an RBI single, putting the Spartans up 4-1.
But the Ridgemen clawed back with a run in both the second and third innings. Kody Putnam led off the second with a triple down the right-field line and came home on Cade Nolan’s groundout, cutting the visitor’s lead to 4-2.
In the third, Rafael Gomez Jr. started the frame with an infield single, then stole second, his 11th in as many tries this season. Joey Grabanski moved the speedy Gomez to third on a flyout, and Alec Blakestad’s groundout to first scored Rochester’s leadoff man. Wieczorek got Putnam on a ground ball his second time around, keeping the Spartans ahead 4-3 after three.
After Ridgemen starter Drew Schreck set Syracuse down in five pitches, two-out magic by Gomez Jr. gave Rochester the lead back. With two outs and runners on second and third, the left fielder beat out a dribbler to short for an RBI single. A throwing error by the Spartans on the play brought in Cooper Mills from second, giving the home team a narrow 5-4 edge.
Joe Wike’s single in the top of the fifth put the tying run on first, but Schreck induced an inning-ending groundout from Adam Sullivan to keep Rochester in the lead. Mason White padded the Ridgemen lead in the bottom of the frame, blasting a no-doubter, solo home run over the right-field fence.
Gamberdella’s walk and a De Grazia single set the table again for the Spartans in the sixth, starting on the corners with no outs. Flynn’s RBI fielder’s choice got Syracuse within a run, 6-5, but Pelton and Garcia could not tie the game in their at-bats.
Jack Knapp entered in relief for the Spartans and tossed a scoreless bottom of the sixth, the first clean frame by Syracuse pitching all night. In the seventh, White continued the scoring onslaught for the Ridgemen, launching his second round-tripper in as many at-bats. Entering the game with one hit all season, the designated hitter blasted two homers, tying himself for the most in the NYCBL this season.
Rochester reliever Satoru Arai took over for Schrenk and shut down the Spartans in the seventh. Robert Johnston drew a leadoff walk but was gunned down trying to steal second by catcher Clayton McAllister. The right-hander set down Syracuse in order on nine pitches in the top of the eighth.
The Ridgemen deliver the knockout punch in the bottom of the eighth inning, adding two more runs to take a commanding 10-5 advantage. McAllister crushed an RBI triple to left-center, then Mills’s RBI single to center scored the catcher for the 10th run. Gomez Jr. beat out his fourth infield single of the night, but reliever Eric Korzeniewski left the speedster stranded.
Arai finished the job for the home team, enforcing a Johnston groundout to end the ballgame. The Rochester reliever earned his first save of the season, tossing three scoreless innings.
The Spartans travel to Dansville for a doubleheader battle against the Dansville Gliders. First pitch of game one from Babcock Park is set for 2:00, with game two to follow. Fans can listen to the Spartans’ radio broadcast by visiting our website, https://syracusespartans.com/live/.