Pitching Leads Spartans to Sweep of #10 Vikings

Dominant starts from Matt Rumney and Austin Doyle-Miller gave Cayuga Community College Baseball a home sweep of #10 Hudson Valley Community College on Tuesday.

The Spartans salvaged a season split with the Vikings by winning the opener 10-2 behind Rumney's complete game and taking the finale in a 1-0 shutout from Miller and reliever Brantley Griggs. Cayuga improves to 11-9 on the season and 6-4 in divisional play.

"Great pitching and great defense all day for us," said Cayuga Coach John Rizzo. "Our bats came alive in the first game. We knew that sooner or later we were going to start swinging it better. These were two good wins against a great regional opponent."

In the opener, the Vikings loaded the bases in the first but Rumney pitched out of the jam, allowing only one run. Perry Chetney smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give Cayuga a brief lead, but the Vikings tied it in the second.

Rumney threw a shutout over the final five innings, but Cayuga only led 3-2 before breaking the game open with a six-run fourth inning. After Chetney and Juan Perez doubled home runs, Brandon Hoftijzer tripled and Jacob Laird hit an inside-the-park homer to centerfield to make it 9-2.

Rumney struck out two and allowed just four hits for the complete game win. Chetney finished the game three-for-four with a homer, double, three RBI and two runs, and Perez went four-for-four with two RBI and a double. Laird, Kevin Dolan and Alex Gaudet each had two hits, with each scoring once and Laird driving in two. Cayuga's lineup recorded 17 hits in the game.

In the second game, Miller shut down the Vikings' lineup, but the Spartans' were unable to take the lead until the fourth inning. After Bradley Soto-Diaz singled, he moved to third on a base hit by Chetney and slid home under the tag after the Vikings overthrew the plate.

Miller earned the win for Cayuga, allowing only three hits and striking out four in five innings. Griggs recorded the save, allowing two hits and striking out one in two innings. Soto-Diaz went two-for-three with a double.

Cayuga is on the road Thursday, April 18, against Mid-State Athletic Conference opponent Finger Lakes Community College. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m.