By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — With a significant chance to grab some crucial points in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) West Division playoff race, the Salamanca Lizards had the league-leading Genesee Rapids on the ropes.
However, as the game wore on and Genesee continued to produce at the plate and on the mound, Salamanca was left behind, resulting in a 9-5 defeat.
Lizards assistant coach Brandon Higley, handed it to his team’s opposition. It was just about as well-rounded of a game any team could ask for, racking up 15 hits on offense and 11 strikeouts on the bump. Salamanca was able to match the intensity early, but over time, simply ran out of steam.
“That’s a good ball club,” Higley said of Genesee. “They never faltered when they lost the lead, when we came back there. I think we played good enough baseball to win the game. I think that’s just a good lineup, a tough lineup to face five times through. They had some barrels, and that’s what good teams do, they just find a way to claw at you and pull ahead.”
The Rapids did not miss a beat, starting out the game jumping on Lizards’ starting pitcher Aidan Gruber (0 SO, 5 BB). They batted through the lineup in the top of the first inning, racking up three runs on three hits and putting immediate pressure on the hosts.
But Salamanca’s bats came ready to battle, grabbing two runs back immediately in the bottom of the opening frame. The runs, scored by Frank Kula (1-for-3, 2 runs, 2 walks) and Harley Hoag (2 runs, 2 walks), were a timely answer to the early Genesee surge. A sign of resiliency not at all unfamiliar to Higley.
“It’s what we do,” Higley said of his team’s mettle. “We score a lot of our runs in bunches, our pitchers give us a shot to be in the game in the later innings, it just got away from us at the end there. But the resilience was never a question, I had a feeling we were going to be in that down to the last pitch. So, I’m really proud of the effort.”
But not only was the offense producing at a high rate in the early innings, so too was the Salamanca defense. Genesee only struck out three times over the course of the game, posing questions of its hosts’ defensive capabilities. Questions that were answered with three blank innings between the second and fourth, highlighted by a triple play initiated by catcher Gavin Lasko.
“(Genesee’s) going to put the ball in play,” Higley said. “There wasn’t many strikeouts at all on that side. They do a great job working the count, putting the ball in play and giving themselves a chance. … We made a couple of web gem plays, made nice routes to the ball in the outfield and I thought we got the ball in quickly. (The defense) for sure gave us a chance to win tonight.”
And the Lizards offense continued to churn in the wake of their defensive excellence. After both sides went scoreless in the second and third innings, they erased the Rapids’ lead entirely and took one of their own in the fourth.
Echoing the early success of their opposition, Salamanca — powered by the bats of Matt Smith (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and NYCBL All-Star Connor Smith (2-for-4, run, 3 RBI) — put up another three runs on three hits.
The Smiths, of no relation, have been powerhouses for the Lizards this season. Connor Smith, who Higley described as “one of the best players in the league” currently ranks 11th in the NYCBL in batting average (.355). He is also tied for fourth in the league in extra base hits (13) and walks (22) and ranks fifth in on base percentage (.496). Meanwhile Matt Smith’s tally of 28 RBI is currently tied for the third-most of anyone in the NYCBL.
“We always feel like we got a shot to score runs in when they’re coming up,” Higley said of the duo. “They work the count great, they know what they’re swinging at, (we get) a lot of barrels out of those two. It’s kind of wild, they used to both be pitchers. They’re really, really good hitters and I’m proud of both of the seasons they’re putting together.”
Salamanca’s Aidan Gruber (23) delivers a pitch against Genesee. Gruber threw five innings for the Lizards in their loss to the Rapids. (Spencer Bates)
Unfortunately for Salamanca, that is where the production came to an end. After recording two more hits — that did not result in scores — in the fifth inning, the Lizards were no-hit the rest of the way.
This is when Genesee came back to life.
Scoring twice in the top of the fifth, the Rapids knotted up the affair, only to jump ahead with another three-run inning in the sixth. An insurance run in the eighth eventually sealed the victory.
“We had a couple barrels again tonight that didn’t fall, with guys on base,” Higley said. “So, it’s just about finding some grass and working the count and swinging at the right stuff, which I didn’t think was the problem tonight. I think it was just they beat us tonight.”
Now, with the loss — Salamanca’s seventh in its last 10 games — the Lizards face an uphill battle in the race for the playoffs. The third-place Olean Oilers currently sit eight points (four wins) ahead of the Lizards in sixth with only eight games left in the regular season.
Salamanca will suit up next on July 13 at 2 p.m. against the Horseheads Hitmen at home.
AT SALAMANCA
Genesee 300 023 010 R:9 H:15 E:1
Salamanca 200 300 000 R:5 H:8 E:1
Gene: Williams (5 SO, 6 BB), Alexander (4 SO, 3 BB), Adkins (0 SO, 0 BB), Cooper (2 SO, 0 BB) and Walker
Sala: Gruber (0 SO, 5 BB), Jackson (3 SO, 1 BB) and Lasko
