RECAP: Hitmen Win Third Straight; Second against Salamanca, 7-1

Horseheads, NY - The Horseheads Hitmen returned to the win column on Sunday night, taking down the Salamanca Lizards by a final score of 7-1 in front of their home crowd.

Horseheads struck first and never looked back, plating a run in the bottom of the first before adding two more in the third. The Hitmen held a 3-0 lead into the seventh, where they tacked on another run before breaking the game open with a three-run eighth inning.

Clay Cook led the offensive charge, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while also swiping two of the team’s six stolen bases. Jayren Foster made the most of his lone at-bat, smacking an RBI double and scoring a run.

Dominic Vogel, Alex Davis, Kota Itoh, and Drake Lee each contributed RBIs as Horseheads tallied eight hits and nine walks.

On the mound, Kazuto Matsuda delivered a strong start, tossing five shutout innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Ashtyn Knoll followed with two scoreless innings of relief before Cook closed out the final two innings, allowing Salamanca’s lone run in the eighth.

Salamanca struggled to capitalize on opportunities, stranding 13 runners despite drawing nine walks. Frank Kula provided the Lizards’ only RBI, while six different players accounted for their six hits. Starting pitcher Josh Martos battled through six innings but was tagged for three earned runs and eight walks.

With the win, Horseheads improves to 4-4 on the season, while Salamanca drops to 2-3-1. The Hitmen travel to Dansville on Tuesday for an 11:00 AM matchup against the Gliders.