Wednesday, April 23, 2016 by Aidan Joly
After losing twice in a week, Saratoga failed to get back on track.
After a loss to Shenendehowa last Monday by a score of 7-3, Saratoga was back at home the following Wednesday, taking on Ballston Spa. The bats struggled to come alive, and they fell by a score of 5-2. In a game on Friday, they lost to Mamaroneck by a score of 8-1.
Ballston Spa got started early on Wednesday, roughing up Saratoga starter Danny Coleman for four runs on two walks and two hit batsmen in the first inning to take a quick 4-0 lead.
“Our goal was just to get him early. If you let a guy like that get settled in, like the second, the third, the fourth, and he’s tough to hit,” Ballston Spa head coach Curtis Nobles said.
The Saratoga bats were shut down by the strong pitching of Zach Durfee, who tossed a complete game, and gave up just five hits. Despite giving up a run in the first inning, he didn’t look back later in the game.
“When you have a four run lead to start the game, you can just throw strikes and make them beat themselves,” Durfee said of his afternoon.
Coleman would settle down after the first, retiring 11 straight batters at one point. He would give up another run in the fifth inning, after which his day ended.
“He did settle down, he’s very capable,” Saratoga head coach Andy Cuthbertson said. “If guys don’t get three not very good hits, it’s a whole different ball game.”
Base running mistakes also proved costly for the Blue Streaks, as Brian Hart was tagged out in the second inning trying to stretch a double into a triple, and Nick Kondo was gunned down at home in the third to end the inning.
“I talked to those guys specifically about base running, and I have no problem with them being aggressive,” Cuthbertson added.
They had the tying run at the plate in the final inning, but did not convert that run.
The Streaks continued on for another home game on Friday night, as they took on defending state champions Mamaroneck in a rematch of last year’s state championship. Saratoga would fall yet again.
The Tigers scored early and often Friday, scoring two runs in the first and two more in the third on a two-run double from Emerson Genovese to make it 4-0 in the third.
“Peter Matt base hit to drive in the first run was big, you have a jump already. Especially heading into the twilight, where it really gets hard to hit for a couple innings,” Mamaroneck head coach Michael Chiapparelli said.
A big addition to the scoring came in the fifth inning, as Jarret Naghtigal hit a double with the bases loaded and drove in three runs to make it 7-0.
Saratoga led off their offense in the first inning on a leadoff triple from Nick Kondo, but failed to bring him the final 90 feet to score the run.
“It’s crucially important for us to come out and win the first inning, and we’ve talked about that, so anytime you start out like that , it puts you back on your heels,” Saratoga assistant coach Brett MacArthur said, as Cuthbertson asked not to be interviewed post-game.
The story of the game was the pitching dominance of Mamaroneck pitcher Truman Devitt, who threw a complete game, allowing just three hits. Saratoga scored their only run on a Sac Fly from Kyle Powell in the fifth inning.
“I was just feeling good, curveball was working from the start, Jarret was helping me from behind the dish, just felt good,” Devitt said.
Saratoga starter Shane Barringer struggled early on, giving up four runs in four innings, and Matt Triola gave up three runs in less than an inning. Zach Vavasour was the final pitcher of the night, setting down the Tiger bats.
“I was really happy, number one with the passion and the fire that he had, because that’s exactly what we’re looking for,” MacArthur said.
Saratoga falls to 2-5 on the 2016 season, matching their regular season loss number from the entirety of the 2015 season. They will be back at home on Monday, taking on Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake and then Mohonasen in a doubleheader. Those two games will begin at 11 AM and 4 PM, respectively.