After a red-hot 9-0 start to the season, the Salamanca Warriors baseball team finds itself in a frustrating six-game skid. Their latest defeat came Wednesday evening in a 10-0 loss to the Southwestern Trojans, dropping their record to 9-6 overall and 2-6 in CCAA 1 league play.
“This is going to be a terrible interview, I’m just warning you,” Salamanca head coach Greg Herrick said after a lengthy postgame meeting with his team.
Southwestern’s Seven-Run Fifth Inning Breaks Game Open
The Warriors were competitive through the first four innings, trailing 3-0. However, a disastrous seven-run fifth inning by Southwestern sealed Salamanca’s fate.
Freshman pitcher Wilson Genareo was dominant for the Trojans. He tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
On the other side, Salamanca starter Cory Holleran couldn’t match that performance. Though he limited the damage early, Holleran ultimately surrendered eight earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched. A stretch of three consecutive walks in the fifth inning set the table for Southwestern’s offensive explosion, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Cooper Charles.
Charles finished the day 3-for-3 with four RBIs, leading the Trojans’ charge. Teammates Gavin Anderson (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Lucas Genareo (2-for-3) also had strong offensive showings.
Salamanca’s Offensive Struggles Continue
Opportunities were scarce for the Warriors. Their best chance came in the third inning when they managed to get two runners on base, only to see both picked off. That was the only inning Salamanca had multiple base runners, underscoring their offensive frustrations.
“I’m concerned with the level of competitiveness out of some of the younger guys,” Herrick admitted. “This school has won recently in a lot of different sports because they have the right attitude and the right compete level.”
Herrick emphasized that a shift in mindset and confidence is critical for the team to turn things around.
“What can help us immediately is mindset, compete level and confidence,” he said.
What’s Next for Salamanca
The Warriors will look to snap their six-game losing streak on Friday when they host Olean. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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