(June 15 Game)
By: Joshua Krizar – dutchmenbaseball.com
The Albany Dutchmen (5-5) traveled to Saugerties to face the Stallions (3-4) for the third straight time after their postponement against Utica on Wednesday, and ended up winning the game in comeback fashion, 9-8. The victory gave the Dutchmen their first road win and first win against the Stallions this season in four tries.
The Stallions got to starter Brayden Childress(Warner University) in the third inning when River Hart (UMASS Lowell) doubled to right center field. The Dutchmen threw Hart out at third on a 9-4-2-5 relay for the first out of the inning. However, later in the inning the Stallions would score three more runs on a sacrifice fly and an error.
The Stallions starter, Ga’van Wray (Georgia Southern), held the Dutchmen hitless through the first three innings. Their first hit came off the bat of Vince Venditti (St. Rose), who hit a leadoff single in the fourth off Will Robbins (Georgia Southern). Venditti would steal second and third base and would end up scoring on a passed ball to make it 4-1.
The Stallions would score four more runs against Jake Memoli (Fairfield) in the fourth off an RBI single by Evan Dieter (St. Bonaventure) and two errors with the bases loaded that scored all three runs. The Dutchmen would trail 8-1 at the end of the fourth inning.
And that’s when the Dutchmen bats woke up.
The Dutchmen started their comeback with back to back three run innings in the seventh and eighth. In the seventh Donavan Canterberry (Xavier University) led the inning off with a triple and then scored on Brody Keneston’s (Le Moyne College) RBI single to left field. The Dutchmen got two more runs when JT Vance(Mississippi College) grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Keneston and Anthony Paskell (Rider University) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Steven Nitch (Barry University).
In the eighth, the Dutchmen walked the bases loaded with one out. Keneston followed that up with another RBI single, followed by Venditti scoring on a wild pitch and Donavan Canterberry scoring on Tyler Cannoe’s (Salve Regina University) RBI fielder’s choice. This cut the Stallion’s lead down to one.
The comeback was completed in the top of the ninth when Paskell was hit by a pitch and later scored on AJ Fasolino’s (St. Rose) fielder’s choice. Fasolino would then score from first base on Venditti’s go ahead RBI double to left field.
Jackson Smith (Kankakee CC) would come on in the bottom of the ninth. He would get his first save after striking out the first batter he faced and then stranding an infield single by inducing an unassisted groundout to Cannoe and getting a pop up to Keneston at third base
The Dutchmen pitching quartet of Nick Kolze (Xavier University), Ryan Bates (SUNY Binghamton), Greg Mays (SUNY Cortland), and Smith kept the Dutchmen in the game by pitching five shutout innings of relief effort striking out seven and only allowing three hits.
Despite the four errors the Dutchmen showed some good defense. Keneston reached over the fence to catch a foul ball to end the first inning. Canterberry ended the fourth inning by making a leaping grab and touching second base for an unassisted double play. In the fifth, a single was hit to Venditti who threw the runner out trying to stretch it into a double, and in the ninth, Keneston would then repeat his first inning play for the final out of the game.
Albany returns to action on Friday at Amsterdam to face off with the Mohawks for a 6:35 first pitch. They will then return home to Dutchmen Field for a double header on Saturday against the Utica Blue Sox, with Saturday’s games being broadcasted live on Facebook. First pitch from Dutchmen Field at Keenholts Park is set for 5:00 PM.