Michael FItzsimmons (Ole Miss) fields a ball.
ALBANY, NY—The Glens Falls Dragons (18-17) scored 5 runs in the first two innings against the Albany Dutchmen (15-18), starting another double-digit offensive night against Albany to top the hometown team 10-6.
Glens Falls, currently occupying the final playoff spot in the PGCBL East, has won 6 of the first 7 contests in the Subway Summer Series against Albany, the team looking up at the Dragons trying so desperately to run them down.
Normally a solid contributor in the Dutchmen pen, Zak Spivy (Polk State College) struggled in his first start of the season, lasting three and a third innings while relinquishing 11 hits. Once his day concluded and the runners the bullpen inherited were accounted fori, Spivy was touched up for eight earned runs.
Glens Falls started the scoring in the top of the 1st. Ryan Hooper (UC Davis) belted a 2-run homerun to left, clanging off the foul poll, and giving the Dragons an immediate advantage. After a scoreless bottom of the first, the Dragons poured on three more runs against Spivy on an RBI single by Mark Powell (Bucknell) and a 2-run single by Jake Vieth (Tacoma CC).
In their first two at-bats, the Dragons sent 15 batters to the plate, while scoring five times and stranding four base runners. All in all, the Dragons carved out 15 hits in the game, and stranded that number on the base paths, which for a while kept the Dutchmen in the game.
In an early 5-0 hole, the Dutchmen did their best to claw their way back into the game. In the bottom of the 2nd, RBI singles by Simon Palenchar (Radford), Grayson Lewis (Rice) and Zach Remillard (Coastal Carolina) sliced the deficit to 5-3.
But, that was as close as the Dutchmen would get. After an RBI double and with the bases loaded in the 4th, Danny Oliveri (Triton) roped a bases clearing double down the left field line, plating a trio and pushing the advantage to 9-3.
Trailing 10-4 in their final at-bat, the Dutchmen pushed across two runs and even brought the tying run to the plate with the bases juiced. But, Robert Hardy (Binghamton) fanned Slayton Vaughan (Oral Roberts) and induced a Hunter Boose (Georgia Regents) fly ball to center to end it.
Both teams will head to Glen Falls for a scheduled double header Wednesday. After another double-header in Newark Thursday, the Dutchmen return to Bob Bellizzi Field Friday for a showdown with the Victor Rail Riders.
Prior to the 7:05 start Friday, country music star Chelsea Cavanaugh will perform, in conjunction with a major fundraiser in support of Maddie’s Mark, a local organization providing best days ever to children suffering from terminal illnesses. There will be a huge raffle with excellent prizes, including a mounted picture of the New York Yankees Core Four and two UAlbany men’s basketball season tickets packages. There will also be baseball bingo at the ballpark.
