Five Saratoga Phillies errors led to three big innings for the Albany Dutchmen in Sunday’s New York Collegiate Baseball League game at Bleecker Stadium.
The Dutchmen scored three runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull away for a 13-7 victory over the Phillies.
Things started out well for Saratoga (8-15) when Patrick Reardon hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning for a 1-0 lead. But everything unraveled in the bottom of the third inning when the Phillies committed a pair of errors, one of which kick started a six-run Albany rally.
Stewart Park walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning and advanced to second on an error. A walk to Jordan Lurie set up a double steal to move Park and Lurie into scoring position. Zach Jones then walked to load the bases for Kyle Wong, who singled in Park to tie the game. Lurie was thrown at home for the first out of the inning, but Jones and Wong moved up a base on the play.
Following a walk to Bryson Raiher to re-load the bases, Jarred Jiminez hit a grounder to second baseman Logan Bowers, who stepped on the bag to get Raiher out. However, Bowers’ throw to first sailed wide, which allowed Jones and Wong to score to put Albany (5-13) ahead 3-1.
Blake Gibbs hit an RBI double and scored on Rob Deveney’s single to increase the Dutchmen’s lead to 5-1. Deveney then stole second and scored on Ryan Mallory’s single for the final run of the third inning.
The Phillies posted their own six-run rally to regain the lead in the top of the fifth inning. JoJo Sharrar and Matt Carvuto each hit two-run singles, and Sean Allaire walked with the bases loaded to give Saratoga a 7-6 advantage.
The lead was short lived, though. Park hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth and scored on an error to put Albany ahead 9-7. Wong then highlighted the Dutchmen’s four-run eighth inning with a three-run homer to seal the victory.
Carvuto, Reardon and Sharrar each had two hits to lead Saratoga’s 10-hit attack. Wong and Lurie both had two hits for Albany.
Saratoga’s loss to the Dutchmen came two nights after Amsterdam came to East Side Recreation Field and swept the Phillies in a doubleheader. The Mohawks (12-9) scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull out a 3-2 victory in the opener, and they handled the Phillies 4-1 in the nightcap.
Tillman Pugh had the big hit for Amsterdam in the opener with a three-run homer. Adam Dimino and Miles Silverstein drove in Saratoga’s two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Mike Augustine added a pair of hits.
Silverstein, Pat Epps, Drew Fann and Biss Larsen had the Phillies’ four hits in the nightcap.`