The Cayuga Community College Spartans split a doubleheader on Tuesday at Herkimer, falling 10-0 in the opener before responding with a 7-1 victory over the Herkimer College Generals to move to 27-11 overall and 17-3 in East Division play.
Cayuga Community College struggled to find momentum in the first game as Herkimer College jumped out early and never looked back. The Generals plated five runs over the first three innings to take control, while Cayuga managed just three hits in the contest. Jeremy Recio, Eathen Yoon and Joshua Lightburn each recorded a hit, but the Spartans were unable to string together offense against a sharp Herkimer pitching performance.
The Spartans answered quickly in game two, setting the tone with a pair of runs in the opening inning. Jakson Ross crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Black, and Recio followed by scoring on a forceout to give Cayuga an early edge. Starting pitcher Jancarlos Rodriguez took over from there, delivering six strong innings while allowing just one run and striking out five to keep the Generals in check.
Cayuga broke the game open in the seventh inning with a decisive two-out rally, scoring five runs to put the game out of reach. Lewis Huang started the surge with an RBI single before Ross added a two-run hit. Black capped the inning with a two-run single, finishing with three runs batted in. Ross totaled two hits, two runs and two RBI, while Recio added two hits and scored twice.
Cayuga Community College returns home on Wednesday to host Hudson Valley Community College in a key doubleheader, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].