The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Late heroics push Smith over Sherrill in extras
Seven innings was not enough for Sherrill and Smith Posts during Legion play on Tuesday.
Trailing Sherrill 2-1 in the bottom of the top of the seventh, Smith Post 24 used a pair of solo homers from Justin Swavely and Cole Donnelly to wrest the lead from Post 230 heading into the final half inning of a thriller at Noyes Park.
TJ Horodnick led off with a walk to start the Sherrill rally in the bottom of the seventh. Swavely, on the hill in relief for Smith Post, retired the next two batters to bring Sherrill down to its last out before Tyler Rotach delivered for the hosts, plating Horodnick on a single to send the contest to extras.
After watching a one-run lead evaporate in the bottom of the seventh, Smith Post sent three runners across in the top of the ninth for a 6-3 advantage, and this time, the lead stuck as Swavely closed out the ninth for a 6-3 victory.
Swavely earned the win for Smith Post, bouncing back from a missed save opportunity to pitch a pair of scoreless innings in the eight and ninth. Post 24 starter Derek Switzer tossed six innings of two-run ball, scattering three hits and five walks.
Post 230 starter Ryan Chevier yielded one run in five innings on the hill. Sam DiGeorge gave up a pair of runs in 2.1 innings of relief. Zach Nell yielded three runs (one earned) on two hits in the final 1.2 innings of play.
Donnelly led the way for
Post 24 at the plate, going 2-for- 4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Teammate Riley Brawdy went 3-for-5 with two RBI of his own.
Alex Kipp paced Sherrill Post at the plate, going 3-for- 4 with a solo homer. Rotach, Blake VanDreason, and Nell all added singles for Post 230 in the loss.
“We left a ton of runners on base,” Post 230 coach Barry VanDreason said. “I’m happy with the way the guys swung the bat tonight. They are hitting the ball, making contact. Good things are going to happen when you hit the ball. Pitchers have done their job; we’re going to be fine and right there with everybody at the end.”
Prior to the dramatic close to the contest, the game was largely a pitchers’ duel between Chevier and Switzer.
The two starters work a scoreless first inning, and after surrendering a leadoff double in the top of the second, Chevier and Post 230 recovered to retire the next three Smith batters to escape the frame.
Kipp broke the contest open with a solo shot to right field in the bottom half of the second for a 1-0 home team lead.
Chevier worked another scoreless frame in the third. After Preston Mecca took first via an error at shortstop, Post 230 catcher Jorden Barlow helped bail out his defense, nabbing Mecca on a steal attempt at second base before Chevier induced a pop-up to exit the inning.
Sherrill ran into a bit of tough luck in the bottom half of the third as Tyler Rotach and Zach Nell lined out on back-to-back well hit balls to end the frame.
Chevier continued to work in and out of trouble in the fourth. After putting a pair of runners on via a walk and a hit-by-pitch, the Post 230 starter escaped trouble yet again to preserve the 1-0 lead.
Smith scratched its first run across in the top of the fifth on a fielder’s choice. With one out and runners on second and first, Sherrill was unable to complete the back end of a 4- 6-3 double play on a Donnelly grounder, allowing Mecca to cross home plate for the 1-1 tie.
Sherrill got back on top in the bottom half of the sixth with a one- out rally. Zach Nell doubled to straightaway center, Blake VanDreason walked, and Kipp singled to load the bases. Barlowcame through with a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat to score Nell for a 2-1 lead.
Following the seventh inning drama, Sherrill threatened in the bottom of the eight. VanDreason singled to open the frame, advancing to second base to represent the game-winning run. Kipp followed with a moon shot to center, but the Smith center fielder was unable to track down the ball as it fell to the outfield grass. In the ensuing confusion, VanDreason and Kipp both ended up near the second base bag, and Smith had a pair of Sherrill runners in a pickle. The Post 24 infield elected to go for the lead runner, getting VanDreason for the first out of the inning. A Barlow ground- out sent Bryce Cousin, running for Kipp, to third, but Swavely struck the Ryan Shantal to preserve the 3-3 tie.
“It’s toughwhen you think the kid is going to catch the ball and drops its,” VanDreason said. “It froze everybody. That stuff happens. It is part of the game.”
Donnelly and Swavely had their fingerprints all over the rally in the top of the ninth. Donnelly drove in Swavely on a single against Nell before crossing home with Zach Taylor on a Brawdy hit to help Smith Post to a 6-3 lead.
Sherrillput runners onsecond and first with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Swavely struck out the final Post 230 batter he faced to close out the win.