LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Ben Seiler (Siena) shut down the Saugerties Stallions (3-3) on Saturday as the Albany Dutchmen (3-4) returned to the win column with a 9-2 win.
Seiler controlled the game from the very beginning. The left-handed pitcher struck out seven Stallions in his second start for the Dutchmen, which matches a season-high in strikeouts for a Dutchmen pitcher this season. Seiler performed much better than his first start, when he allowed three runs in 4.2 innings. Against the Stallions, Seiler only allowed one run in five innings.
“Ben made some adjustments mechanically in the bullpen and it showed,” said Dutchmen Head Coach Nick Davey. “He had a great performance.”
The Dutchmen bats also came alive against the Stallions, as Albany produced multiple times with runners in scoring position. Mike Handal (Fairfield) and Aaron Roose (Azusa Pacific) drove in two runners each and scored two runs each.
“Guys didn’t try to do too much today,” said Davey. “They didn’t try to press and make the situation bigger than it was.”
Albany stayed consistent throughout the game, scoring two runs in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Dutchmen out hit their opponent for the fifth time this season, but have only won two of those games, including Saturday’s win over the Stallions.
All the batters in Albany’s lineup chipped in during the win. Every batter in the Dutchmen lineup recorded a hit expect for Ben Metzinger (Louisville) who’s six game hitting streak was snapped on Saturday. Tommy Pellis (Seton Hill), Connor McCaffery (Iowa), Luke Franzoni (Xavier), Handal and Roose recorded two hits.
The Dutchmen bullpen returned to form with strong outings from Brendan Roberts (St. John Fisher) and Luke Walter (Manhattan). The two Albany relievers combined to allow only four hits and one run in four innings of relief.
With the win Albany snapped a two-game losing streak and pulled to within one game of .500 this season. The Dutchmen haven’t been over .500 since the first game of the season.
“To get a win in front of these fans is great,” said Seiler.
The Dutchmen are back at home on Sunday when they take on the Glens Falls Dragons at 5:05 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit dutchmenbaseball.com
