Another slow start proved to be costly for the Albany Dutchmen.
Saratoga scored three runs in the first inning and five more in the decisive third inning to defeat Albany 10-5 in last Saturday’s New York Collegiate Baseball League game at Bleecker Stadium.
The win kept the Phillies (12-18) alive for a berth in the NYCBL playoffs, while the Dutchmen (7-20) fell further off the pace.
I tell the guys that we’re still in this, said Saratoga coach Greg Zackrison. `All of our remaining games are against teams that are battling for third and fourth place [in the East Division].`
Center fielder Jesse Bruinsma started Saratoga’s three-run first inning with a one-out RBI double. Bruinsma scored on first baseman Mike Augustine’s single, and left fielder Pat Epps scored on an error.
Blake Gibbs got all those runs back and more in the bottom of the first inning. The left fielder came up with the bases loaded and launched a grand slam over the left-center field fence to put Albany ahead 4-3.
`Early in the game, I was just looking for the right pitch,` said Gibbs. `Luckily, I got ahead in the count, and [Saratoga pitcher Justin Thompson] threw it where I wanted it.`
`He’s been very steady in the middle of the lineup,` said Albany assistant coach Hank Coogan, who filled in as manager for Ryan Horning, who was at a wedding. `I think tonight is just an example about the kind of player he is.`
That was one of the last mistakes Thompson made against Albany. The University of Virginia hurler limited the Dutchmen to one more run and four hits over the next four innings to pick up the win.
`Tonight was his first start. He was getting his feet wet,` said Zackrison. `He had some early problems, but he battled and did a great job.`
Saratoga’s offense gave Thompson plenty of run support. After second baseman Sean Allaire’s RBI single tied the game at 4 in the second inning, the Phillies battered Albany pitching for five runs on five hits in the top of the third. Allaire and right fielder Adam Dimino had the big hits for Saratoga with back-to-back two-run doubles.
`The offense has been playing well for the last week,` said Zackrison. `We’ve been more patient at the plate, getting better pitch counts and taking better swings.`
Gibbs gave Albany fans a reason to cheer in the bottom of the third inning when he belted a solo home run nearly in the same place where his grand slam landed, but that was the last highlight for the Dutchmen. Thompson and three Saratoga relievers shut down Albany’s offense the rest of the way.
`They scored all of their runs on two swings, all by the same guy,` said Zackrison.
Albany’s bullpen also did a good job, as four relievers combined to limit Saratoga to one run on four hits over the final six innings.
`I think our bullpen did a great job of coming in and giving us a chance to come back,` said Coogan.
Both Saratoga and Albany face a busy schedule over the final two weeks of the regular season, thanks to several rainouts in June. Albany started a stretch of 12 games in 10 days Tuesday against Saratoga, while the Phillies have to play virtually every day to regain some of the contests they lost.
`With the rainouts, it’s been hard to get in a rhythm as a team,` said Coogan. `If the weather can cooperate down the stretch, it will give the guys a chance to experience the daily grind of a baseball season again.“