MUCKDOGS THROTTLES GENEVA IN LAST REGULAR SEASON ROAD GAME

Geneva, NY
Muckdogs offense stays hot in a shellacking of Geneva on the road.

It was lefty reliever Jake Slisz who took the bump for the Muckdogs in an unusual start for the tall southpaw. Before this game, Jake’s longest outing had been a 3-inning relief appearance against the Niagara Ironbacks back on July 2nd. For the Red Wings, it was the Ohtani-esque Jack Turner getting the start. I say Ohtani-esque because Jack is primarily a positional player, but he can pitch as well.

The Muckdogs lineup picked up right where it left off against Auburn, putting up a 3-run first inning. Hits by Brayden Horton and Cooper Fesh, along with poor defense from Geneva, allowed three runners to cross the plate in the top of the 1st. Slisz had an easy-going first inning, capped off with an inning-ending double play, leaving the score at 3-0 after one inning of play.

Geneva’s defense helped the Muckdogs again in the 2nd, as Justin Espinal reached on an error to start the inning. After two quick outs, Brayden Horton struck again, driving home Espinal with a double to make it 4-0. Another double play in the bottom half of the inning ensured a spotless frame for Jake Slisz, and the score remained 4-0 after two.

In the top of the 3rd, Batavia added another run to its lead. A hit-by-pitch to Omar Carreras, a walk to Cooper Fesh, and a single by Sean Mindas loaded the bases for Jackson Inman, who delivered a sacrifice fly to center field. Jack Turner escaped the inning without further damage, keeping the score at 5-0 in favor of Batavia. Slisz continued to dominate in the bottom of the 3rd, recording a flyout and two strikeouts to keep Geneva quiet.

After two quick outs in the 4th, another Geneva error allowed Tyler Castratoro to reach base. He then stole second, putting himself in scoring position for Omar Carreras, who delivered with an RBI single to increase Batavia’s lead to 6-0. In his longest outing of the year to that point, Slisz kept rolling, recording another strikeout and holding Geneva scoreless through four innings.

The 5th inning was uneventful, with no scoring from either side. But the 6th inning told a very different story.

The Muckdogs offense exploded for three more runs in the top of the 6th. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Tyler Castratoro, who brought them all home with a 3-RBI double, ballooning Batavia’s lead to 9-0. Slisz’s excellent day ended after five stellar innings, allowing just one hit, no earned runs, and striking out seven.

Samuel Gil came in for relief in the bottom of the 6th, but Geneva's lineup jumped on the opportunity. Gil issued two walks and allowed a single to load the bases with one out. A hit-by-pitch brought in Geneva’s first run of the game. His outing was cut short, and he was replaced by Garret Beaver, who didn’t fare much better. A single and a double from Geneva brought in four total runs for the Red Wings that inning. Beaver would eventually stop the bleeding with a strikeout, making it 9-4 after six innings.

The Muckdogs responded immediately, roaring back with five runs in the top of the 7th, with contributions from nearly every player in the lineup. The real damage came when Tyler Castratoro hit a towering fly ball to center that was lost in the lights by Geneva’s defense. The ball dropped in for yet another bases-clearing double, propelling Batavia into mercy rule territory with a 14-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th.

Beaver returned to the mound and shut the door, completing the mercy-rule win for Batavia — their second straight victory — and cementing their spot atop the West Division standings.

With the win Batavia’s record moves to 29-13-1 on the season. More importantly, Batavia stays in first place. Geneva’s record sits at 7-33-2 and are still in last place in the West Division .There are only 2 games left in the season!

The Muckdogs are back in action today, July 26th, as they take on the rival Elmira Pioneers in at home in Dwyer Stadium. The game begins at 6:30 PM and will be livestreamed on the Batavia Muckdogs YouTube Channel. The Muckdogs return home tomorrow on Sunday, July 27th, at 4:00 PM versus the Jamestown Tarpskunks for a fight for first place!

You don’t want to miss it! Tickets start as low as $9.
To purchase tickets or learn more information, please call (585) 524-2260 or visit our website at www.canusamuckdogs.com.