Schalmont’s bats came alive at the right time.
The Sabres belted three home runs on their way to an 11-3 victory over league-leading Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk in Monday’s Colonial Council baseball game in Ravena.
We really have been hitting the ball well, said Schalmont coach Bob Anderson, who picked up his 201st career win. `The key is we’re playing good defense. The pitchers are throwing more strikes because they are trusting the defense.`
Schalmont (3-2 league, 4-4 overall) needed the victory if it had any hopes of winning the Colonial Council title. The Sabres trailed R-C-S (4-1, 6-2) by two games entering the game, and a loss might have put them too far behind to catch the Indians.
`We would have fallen three games back with a lot of (other) teams ahead of us,` said Anderson.
The Sabres rose to the challenge. They scored two runs in the top of the first inning and broke the game open with a four-run rally in the fifth.
Fred Davidson led Schalmont’s 13-hit attack with a home run and a pair of doubles. J.P. Sportman and Matt Torres also homered in support of pitcher Joe Amorosi’s complete-game six-hitter. Amoroski struck out nine batters for the second consecutive start as he improved his record to 2-0.
The Sabres were coming off a successful vacation week trip to Kentucky. Besides taking in a University of Kentucky baseball game and visiting the Louisville Bat factory, they split a doubleheader against Danville last Thursday to give Anderson his 200th career victory. Schalmont edged Danville 8-7 in the first game before losing 2-1 in the nightcap.
`To win 200 games over 13-14 years you have to have a lot of good players, and I did,` said Anderson.
Kyle McKelvey provided the power for Schalmont in its victory over Danville. McKelvey belted two home runs and added a single, while Amorosi added a home run.
Anderson said the Kentucky trip was as much about building team chemistry as giving his team a chance to play outside of New York.
`We played some nice competition down there at some good facilities, and it brought the kids closer together,` he said.
Schalmont looked to pick up another Colonial Council win Wednesday at Watervliet. The Sabres travel to Cobleskill-Richmondville Thursday before hosting Albany Academy Friday.
In other baseball action Monday, South Glens Falls handed Scotia-Glenville its second Foothills Council loss of the season with a 9-0 victory in Scotia.
South Glens Falls had only five hits, but Scotia-Glenville pitchers issued 11 walks, and the Tartans’ defense committed four errors to help the Bulldogs pull out the win.
Scotia-Glenville (3-2, 3-4) was coming off a 13-3 league win against Glens Falls last Friday. Nick Myers doubled and singled, and Elliott Gordon added a pair of hits for the Tartans.
After visiting Johnstown Wednesday, Scotia-Glenville returns home to play Hudson Falls Friday.“