After a pair of tough losses to Watertown and Glens Falls to start the season, the Albany Dutchmen broke into the win column with a 5-3 victory over the Saratoga Phillies in last Saturday’s New York Collegiate Baseball League game at Bleecker Stadium.
Three Dutchmen pitchers Ben Klimesh, Jack Dilday and Jon Shepard combined to strike out 15 Phillies, and shortstop Kevin McCall walked four times and scored two runs in Albany’s win.
`It’s good to get into the win column,` said Albany manager Ryan Horning. `The thing that sticks out in my mind is that the team chemistry is strong. In a summer league, it’s important to get that team chemistry down pat early, and we’ve done that.`
Neither starting pitcher was sharp in the first inning, as Klimesh and Saratoga’s John Shippee ` a Shenendehowa High School graduate ` each allowed bases-loaded walks. But while Klimesh was able to work his way out of his jam allowing just the one run, Shippee allowed a bloop single by designated hitter Sean Munley that gave Albany a 2-1 lead.
`It was a wild beginning,` said Saratoga manager Greg Zackrison. `Both pitchers didn’t have their control, but for all of those walks (allowed) and all those miscues, not a lot of runs were scored.`
McCall was a thorn in Saratoga’s side early on. After walking, stealing a base and scoring a run in the first inning, McCall repeated the feat in the bottom of the second. This time, he came around on centerfielder Jarred Jimenez’s two-out RBI double to the left-center field wall, which gave the Dutchmen (1-2) a 3-1 lead.
`The coaching staff has been searching for a No. 2 hitter, and I think we’ve found one,` said Horning of McCall, a freshman infielder from the University at Buffalo. `He’s very patient at the plate, and he’s very fast on the basepaths.`
Klimesh got over his early wildness and pitched well in the second and third innings before running into trouble in the top of the fourth. Following a single by first baseman Pat Epps and a double by leftfielder R.W. Zeller, catcher Patrick Reardon laced a single to drive in Epps and trim Albany’s lead to 3-2.
The Dutchmen gave themselves the breathing room they needed in the bottom of the fifth inning. Third baseman Brad Steinbach drove in his second run of the game by punching a single into left field, and Munley added a sacrifice fly to put Albany ahead 5-2.
Once they had a three-run lead, the Dutchmen turned to Dilday and Shepard to secure the victory. Dilday threw three strong innings, allowing only a run on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning, and Shepard worked a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save.
`We got a great quality start from Ben Klimesh, and then Jack Dilday and Jon Shepard came in and pitched four quality innings,` said Horning.
Shippee pitched six innings for Saratoga, which saw its record fall to 1-2 with the loss.
`He battled. I guess you could call it wildly effective,` said Zackrison of Shippee, who is coming off a season with Monmouth. `He didn’t pound the (strike) zone, but he kept us in the game.`
Albany and Saratoga will become more familiar with each other this week, as the teams are scheduled to play each other twice in Saratoga Springs Wednesday and Friday.
`I think we’ve got a really competitive team,` said Horning of the Dutchmen, who lost to Watertown 13-12 and Glens Falls 3-1 in extra innings in their first two games.
`I’m very confident we can turn it around,` said Zackrison. `We’re missing four or five guys who will hit in the middle of the line-up when they get here.“