July 21, 2023
(GLENS FALLS, NY)-- The Albany Dutchmen (18-18) continued their July success on Friday night against the Glens Falls Dragons (12-22), winning by a score of 12-0 in seven innings via the run rule. CJ Kuentzel (Iona) took the win for the Dutchmen, with a team effort on the offensive side leading the Dutchmen to an early victory.
Will Binder (UAlbany) got the ball rolling for the Dutchmen in the top of first, as after he reached on a fielder’s choice before moving to third with the help of Brody Keneston’s (Le Moyne) double, Tyler Kipp’s (Fairfield) RBI single gave the Dutchmen the early lead. Starting pitcher Kuentzel acted early against the Dragons in the bottom of the first, getting a fly out and a strike out. After a rally from the Dragons which saw the bases loaded, Kuentzel got the job done for Albany and sent the Dragons back to their dugout on an inning-ending strikeout.
The second inning saw both the Dutchmen and the Dragons held scoreless to keep the game a close 1-0 lead for Albany. After drawing a hit by pitch, Ryan Meyer (Fordham) was caught stealing, with a strike-out and a flyout to end the top of the second. Kyle McNeff (UMass-Dartmouth) would reach on a dropped third strike in the bottom half, but Kuentzel would quickly retire the side with a pair of fly outs following.
Leading off the third, Binder stepped up to the plate and crushed his first home run of the summer over the left field fence to advance the Dutchmen to a 2-0 lead. Glen Falls attempted to close the gap in the bottom of the third, getting runners on first and second after two quick popouts. Kuentzel remained unphased, getting Jack Griffin (St. Rose) to chase his two-strike offering and strike out.
In the top of the fourth, Nick Plue (Cortland) came inches away from his second home run of the summer, having to settle for a double that ricocheted high off the left field fence, giving the Dutchmen hopes of their next run with only one out on the board. After a delayed steal for third, Plue capitalized on a Dragons’ error to take home and put Albany up 3-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Kuentzel worked around a one out infield single with a strike out and a weak ground ball right back to him to hold off the Dragons for yet another inning.
The Dutchmen continued to extend their lead in the fifth inning. After drawing a one-out walk, Binder advanced to third on Keneston’s single to right field, and Kipp followed with his second RBI single of the evening. Although the Dragons were able to put a runner on with a two-out infield single, Kuentzel continued to dominate, closing out the inning with his season-high eighth strikeout of the night, extending his consecutive scoreless innings up to 17.1.
With a solid lead heading into the top of the sixth, the Dutchmen bats came out red hot, scoring six runs off five hits and a pair of walks. Back-to-back singles to lead off the inning from Plue and Meyer allowed them perfectly execute a double steal, and Josh Foglia (St. Rose) cashed in on the opportunity for the Dutch and brought them both in with a single to center field, making it 6-0. Then it was Foglia’s turn to make it home, which he achieved through a steal and a pair of wild pitches. After Binder and Keneston drew back-to-back walks another double steal was pulled off, with a wild pitch and a groundout bringing them both in, advancing the lead to nine. JT Vance (Mississippi College) hit a single to left field to join the action, and advanced to third from Joe Karpierz’s (Xavier) single. Another wild pitch from Ryan Alt (Lyndon State) allowed Vance to make it across and take the Dutch up to a 10-0 lead. After holding the Dragons scoreless for five straight innings, Kuentzel was released from his duties and Greg Shaw (Manhattan) took to the mound in the bottom of the sixth. Glens Falls managed to get a leadoff single, but Shaw bounced back with a smooth 4-6-3 double play ball and a strikeout to end the inning.
The offensive output from the Dutch just kept rolling in the top of the seventh, with back-to-back doubles from Meyer and Foglia extending the lead to 11-0. After Foglia advanced to third on a passed ball, Shaw, showing off his two-way versaility, drove Foglia in with a sacrifice fly, allowing the Dutch to close out the seventh with a comfortable twelve-run cushion. After Shaw struck out the first batter, the Dragons looked to capitalize on Dutchmen errors in return by reaching first. Albany, however, carried out another beautiful 4-6-3 double play to close out the ballgame and send the Dutch home with another win on the road.
Both the Dutchmen’s offense and the shutout performance from both pitchers caused an outstanding victory in Glens Falls that saw the game completed early due to the run rule. Kuentzel ended the game with a season-high of eight strikeouts, allowing just four hits and two walks in his five-inning shutout performance. Kipp and Foglia led the offense, each going 2-4 at the plate with three RBIs, with Foglia also scoring a pair of runs. Each of the 10 that Albany sent to the plate throughout the game produced, with five Dutch recording two hits and six different individuals recording at least one run. The Dutchmen finished the game with twelve runs off thirteen hits and held the opposition to no runs from their six hits.
The win in Glens Falls takes Albany’s record in their last eight to seven and one, showing you just how hot it has been in upstate New York this July. Albany is set to have another three games on the road before they return to Dutchmen Field, where they will face the Dragons on their home turf, which is sure to be a great game to close out the Dutchmen’s home schedule on Tuesday. First pitch for that contest is set for 6:35, with a live broadcast on the Albany Dutchmen Facebook page. Albany returns to action Saturday, as they will travel to Boonville for a doubleheader with the Lumberjacks. First pitch from the Robert Smith Sports Complex is set for 5:00 PM.
