Silversmiths ride hot start to top of division

The Sherrill Silversmiths have been one of the hottest New York Collegiate Baseball teams around Central New York so far in 2018.

After dropping the season opener to Rome on the first day of June, the Silversmiths bounced back to take their next five games. The winning streak started with back-to-back victories over the Syracuse Saltcats, followed by wins over the Olean Oilers, Niagra Power and Rome Generals.

The Silversmiths followed with a pair of defeats to the Cortland Crush on Saturday and Monday, before bouncing back with an 11-3 win over Rome on Tuesday to move into sole possession of first place in the NYC BL Eastern Division with a 6-3 record.

Part of Sherrill’s success so far can be attributed to hot hitting. As of Tuesday, Marist College infielder Robert Armitage leads the Silversmiths with a .429 batting average, good for the fourth highest average in the NYCBL. Southern New Hampshire University’s Sean Doherty currently sports a .381 for ninth in the league, and Marist’s Reece Armitage represents the third Silversmith batter in the league’s top ten hitters for average with a .375.

As a team, the Silversmiths lead the league in runs scored with 73; the next closest team is Wellsville at 57 runs scored. Sherrill is also tops in team hits with 102, doubles with 18, homers with 14, and RBI with 61. The Silversmiths also blend pa- tience in their approach to the plate, drawing 57 walks for the second-highest total so far this year.

Silversmith Chris Turco, a Universtiy of Albany product, is currently tied for the league lead in home runs at four. Utica College’s Matthew Fitzgerald, a Clinton native, is right behind him in a tie for second with three homers. University of UMass Lowell commit and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill senior Andrew Roden and Reece Armitage are tied for third in the

league with two each.

Turco is also at the top of the league in RBI with 12. Roden currently rests at third in the league in RBI and hits with nine and 13, respectively.

American International College pitcher Joseph Kemlage, a Massachusetts native, leads the Silversmith staff with two wins in three starts on the hill. Kemlage currently sports a 3.75 ERA and is tops on the staff in innings pitches with 12. VVS product and Onondaga Community College’s Connor VanDreason has not earned a decision in either of his first two starts this season. VanDreason pitched well against the Syracuse Saltcats in a 4-3 Silversmith win on June 2nd, allowing two runs across 6.2 in- nings, but struggled to silence the Rome Generals in his next start on June 8, giving up six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3.2 innings of work. Cazenovia pitcher and Elrbidge native Ryan Cooper is the only other starter with at least two starts, and after pitching seven strong innings of no-run, four-hit ball against Olean on June 5th, yielded five runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings in a 9-8 loss to Cortland on Monday, June 11.

Relief pitchers and Oneida High School products Rylan Baker - St. John Fisher College - and Mitch Cavanagh - Keiser University - have yet to allow runs out of the bullpen in five combined relief appearances.