The Dutchmen battle Saugerties at Cantine Field.
The Albany Dutchmen (14-17) claimed both contests at Cantine Field in Saugerties, knocking off the Stallions (11-21) 4-1 and 11-8 in the two games.
Jon Reid (Azusa Pacific) took the ball in game 1 for the Dutchmen. The Albany southpaw ducked in and out of trouble throughout the contest, keeping Saugerties off the board for much of the game.
The Dutchmen struck first in their first at-bat. After Grayson Lewis (Rice) led off the game by rifling a double by the third base bag, Zach Remillard (Coastal Carolina) then switched places with Albany’s second basemen. Remillard stroked a double to right center, tucked between two oncoming Stallions to start the scoring.
Trailing 1-0 with a runner on first in the bottom of the 2nd, Saugerties’ John Giakis (Farleigh Dickinson) hit a groundball to the hole at short. He reached on a late, looping throw from Patrick Hisle (Maryland). But, with Pat Dorrian (Herkimer CC) rounding second and heading for third, Michael Fitzsimmons (Ole Miss) grabbed a high throw and slammed the tag down on Dorrian’s foot for an unconventional 6-3-5 putout.
Remillard came up a second time with a runner aboard after Adam Gauthier (Dartmouth) looped a single to left with two outs in the 3rd. Remillard smashed a 1-1 high changeup north of 400 feet to straightaway center for his first round-tripper of the season.
Up 3-0, Reid continued his balancing act. Saugerties put a runner on base in every inning, including a runner in scoring position in the last six frames. Reid used his fastball to get ahead of the Stallions batters, before stymieing them with off-speed pitches.
Saugerties got on the board in the 6th inning. With runners at first and second, Tom Moore’s (College of Saint Rose) throw behind the runner at first glanced off the glove of Michael Bollmer (Louisville), trickling down the right field line and allowing an unearned run to score.
Like he did for most of the day, Reid calmly avoided any more trouble in the final two innings for his 3rd Dutchmen win.
Like in game 1, Albany struck first in their first at-bat of the second contest. An RBI single for Michael Fitzsimmons plated Grayson Lewis, providing the lead for the Dutchmen starter, Chris Amorosi (Siena).
In the bottom of the frame, the Dutchmen defense could not support their starter. Three defensive miscues allowed the Stallions to score four times. Though, the damage could have been greater. With runners at the corners and one out, Saugerties tried to mobilize both runners. Dominic DiCaprio (Rice) pump faked to second, before firing behind the runner caught in between third and home. The return throw to the plate nabbed Joseph Venturino (Rampano) for a big second out.
Saugerties grabbed another run in the 2nd before the Dutchmen began chipping away at the lead. Albany eventually reclaimed the advantage in the 4th inning. On the strength of two hits, Albany capitalized on three walks and multiple wild pitches to take a 6-5 advantage.
In this see-saw battle, the Dutchmen would take the lead three times in the game, with Saugerties coming back to take the lead once, and even the score two more times.
With the game 7-7 in the top of the 6th, Saugerties issued an intentional walk to Remillard, loading the bases for Fitzsimmons. With the bases loaded, the Dutchmen third basemen muscled a hit to left, scoring a pair and giving Albany the lead for good. Albany scored two more runs in the frame on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.
Nick Davey then called upon Zak Spivy (Polk State) for the final four outs in the contest, earning a save and collecting an 11-8 win for the Dutchmen.
Albany heads to Utica to battle the Brewers (14-18) Sunday, before a scheduled day off.
The Dutchmen return to Albany Tuesday for a Subway Summer Series showdown with the Glens Falls Dragons (17-16). It will be Scout Night at the ballpark, with the team honoring members of both boy and girl scout troupes. It is also 2 for 2uesday at the ballpark.
