The Albany Dutchmen returned home on Friday night to play host to the Watertown Wizards on Phillips’ Hardware Night at Bellizzi Field. Kasceim Graham (UAlbany) took the ball for Albany, and pitched well, striking out 8 in five and a third innings of work. However, he was done in by a lack of run support, as well as the Wizards’ Donald Walters. Walters finished the night 3-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored.

Graham would depart in the sixth, giving way to Grant DeWitt (Eureka), Cody White (Southern Idaho) and Brian Gauthier (UAlbany) in succession. Albany’s bullpen pitched well as a unit, but the bats couldn’t quite come through and provide a late rally. The top Dutchmen performers offensively were Will Remillard (Cohoes, N.Y./Coastal Carolina), and Ryan Gasporra (Centenary). Both Dutchmen catchers finished 2-4, with Gasporra’s fourth-inning double driving in Remillard with Albany’s first run. Gasporra also added a sacrifice fly in the ninth, plating Will’s younger brother Zach Remillard for Albany’s second and final run.

The Dutchmen could not muster any more offense against Watertown’s Nick Bradley (Western Michigan), however. Bradley kept Albany off balance all night, allowing just one run on three hits through six innings of work. A strong performance by the Wizards bullpen, culminating in Jonathan Perez fifth save of the summer, wrapped up the win for Watertown.

The Dutchmen visit these same Wizards tomorrow and then travel to rival Glens Falls on Sunday before returning home for a contest Monday night against the Amsterdam Mohawks. First pitch is 7 PM.