It was a bad day to be a Big 10 baseball team in the Section II, Class AA playoffs.
Outside of top-seed LaSalle, which received a bye, no Big 10 teams won their opening round games Thursday.
Colonie began the day by knocking off Big 10 runner-up Albany 5-2 at Bleecker Stadium. Derek Zielinski kept the Falcons’ bats quiet by pitching a complete-game five-hitter with 12 strikeouts, and Matt June delivered the big blow with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to give the Garnet Raiders (14-9) a 5-1 lead.
June also doubled and scored Colonie’s first run in the top of the third inning and added two more hits as the Garnet Raiders advance to this weekend’s quarterfinal game against Columbia in East Greenbush.
Shaker kept the theme of Suburban Council-beating-Big 10 going by defeating crosstown rival Christian Brothers Academy 8-3 Thursday. The Blue Bison (12-10) scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie, and they never looked back.
Mike Casey had a two-run single as part of Shaker’s fifth inning rally, and Tom McDonald scattered nine hits in a complete-game pitching performance.
The Blue Bison meet Suburban Council Gold Division champion Bethlehem this weekend in the quarterfinals, while CBA finishes its season with a 13-7 record.
Elsewhere in Class AA, Guilderland throttled Schenectady 24-4, and Niskayuna downed Amsterdam 11-5.
Jake Colavito and Matt Zanotta each homered to lead Guilderland’s 20-hit attack against Schenectady. Zanotta also doubled, while Andrew Simpson drove in two runs and scored four times after doubling twice and singling once.
The Dutchmen (14-11) meet unbeaten LaSalle in the quarterfinals this weekend.
Niskayuna (17-7) jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings and added a four-run third inning to take control against Amsterdam (11-12) and advance to this weekend’s quarterfinal against Suburban Council Blue Division champion Shenendehowa in Clifton Park.
In Class B, defending Section II champion Saratoga Central Catholic scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back in ousting Coxsackie-Athens 8-5 Thursday. Canaan Tyner and Jack Keller each singled three times for the Saints (20-5), who are scheduled to travel to Granville Saturday for a quarterfinal game.`