HORNELL – The message for both the Cortland Crush and the Hornell Dodgers entering the final week of action is fairly simple. For the Crush, it's a chance to extend their Eastern Division lead, while for the Dodgers, it's a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive in a wide open Western Division behind the Niagara Power.

The two foes met on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Maple City Park to settle the score. Hornell gave the Crush a battle, but in the end, the Eastern Division leaders came out on top, holding the Dodgers to a pair of runs in each game, including a game two where they pulled ahead after a 2-2 tie to take the 5-2 win to sweep the Sunday twinbill.

In game one, Hornell was the first team to strike after a scoreless first inning. The Dodgers were able to load the bases up behind two gorgeous bunts from Tucker Holden and Jon-Michael Allelo. Despite a 6-4-3 double play turned by the Crush, it allows Josh Laurie to score from third base to give them a 1-0 lead.

Not long after, Cortland doubled up Hornell in the top of the third with no outs on the board. Jack Lynch and Stephen Bennett reached base on back-to-back at-bats, with Lynch scoring a single. Alex Flock brought both runs in off a one-out single to right field to give the Crush the lead, ultimately for good.

“We left all the guys on base, and we couldn't come up with the big hit,” Dodgers manager Justin Oney said. “We played some small ball early, and got the guys over into position each time. We couldn't get the swing when we needed it. It all came down to consistency at the plate, and we played pretty well through the first game. Spencer gave us everything he had, and Austin held them where they were at.”

From there, they added one last piece of insurance after they shut down the Dodgers offense in the bottom of the third, with help from Sean O'Malley, who scored off a Drew Boli single into the left center field gap. Hornell would cut the lead back down to one again later in the fifth, with Josh Laurie singling to right to plate Nick Wimmers.

The door was ulitmately shut in the seventh, when Cortland left Andrew Littlefield on base with a three strikeout, one walk save from Cregg Scherrer. In all, Hornell totaled two runs on nine hits worth of offense, with Laurie, Allelo and Kevin Higgins recording a pair of hits each to lead the way. On the mound, Spencer Weyand fanned three and walked two in his five-inning start.

In the next game, a defensive battle came about between Cortland's Charlie Hammel and Hornell's Austin Warfel. Through the first three innings, each team combined to make up just two hits, garnering one on each side.

But the Crush found their way on the board in the top of the fourth using a pair of errors to their advantage, scoring a run off a catcher's interference call at the plate after a steal on home, and later a pick-off attempt going wide of first base to account the other run.

Through the day of missed opportunities, Hornell made up for lost time in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game with a pair of runs coming across. The first came after Jack Henby led off the inning with a single into left. After a bunt moved him over, Andrew Littlefield traded places with him on a one-out double to left field.

The game found its way to a tie two at-bats later, after Nick Wimmers reached. Kevin Higgins provided a big two-out double down the left field line to plate Littlefield. Wimmers was waved around as the go-ahead run, but Cortland was able to tag him out at the plate to keep the game tied going into the sixth.

The play at home also built momentum for the Crush, who took the lead back with one swing. With a pair of runners on, Kam Holland's bat came through with a big two-run single into right to give the purple and orange the lead back for good. It also saw the exit of Warfel, who provided another solid outing on the mound, striking out six and walking four.

“We had another good outing from Warfel, and he's continuing to pitch really well,” said Oney. “The errors really hurt us, and the way they scored their first two runs was weird, and our errors played a role in that. A catcher's interference call, and then a pick-off that goes wide. In the sixth, I left Warfel in a little too long, and (Dakota) Borman wasn't ready to go yet.”

Cortland was able to lock up the victory with one last insurance run in the top of the seventh, before the defense recorded a quick inning in the bottom half.

Wimmers led the bats for the Dodgers with two hits, while Littlefield, Higgins and Henby followed with one. Dakota Borman added three strikeouts and two walks in relief of Warfel.

Hornell will start the final week of regular season action Monday night back at Maple City Park, as they welcome in the Genesee Rapids for one of their last two meetings of the regular season at 7 p.m. 

Fresh off an 11-strikeout complete game against the Syracuse Salt Cats earlier in the week, Alex Foppe will get the nod from Oney and the Dodgers.

“We have to step it up, and play how we've been used to play,” said Oney. “We actually had a pretty decent ball throughout, we have to come in and play like our hair is on fire, and put the pressure on them. We'll have Foppe on the mound, and he'll be ready to go. He struck out 11 the last time he was out, so he gives us a great chance to win.”

The Dodgers have the most games remaining on their schedule out of all the teams in the Western Division, with nine entering Monday's game with the Rapids. As for his message to the team heading into the last week of action, he says his team knows where they stand as they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“Everyone knows the spot we're in. Everyone behind Niagara is still two or three points separated from each other. Taking this game against Genesee would be huge, and if we come out and play good baseball, we'll have success. We just have to take it one pitch at a time, and see where the cards lay.”

Game 1
Cortland       002 100 0 – 3 5 1
Hornell         010 010 0 – 2 9 0   

COR – Zachary Kemp (WP) (4K, BB), Jonathan Triesler (6) (2K), Cregg Scherrer (S, 7) (3K, BB), and Dylan Nolan.
HOR – Spencer Weyand (LP) (3K, 2BB), Austin Berglund (6) (K, BB), and Colin Johnson.

Game 2
Cortland       000 202 1 – 5 9 0
Hornell         000 020 0 – 2 5 2

COR – Charlie Hammel (5K, 3BB), Benjamin Mack (WP, 5), Jacob Simon (6) (K, BB), Jimmy Tatum (S, 7) (K, BB), and Kam Holland.
HOR – Austin Warfel (LP) (6K, 4BB), Dakota Borman (6) (3K, 2BB), and Nick Wimmers.