The Albany Dutchmen (22-19) and Glens Falls Dragons (16-25) would split a doubleheader on Saturday night at Bellizzi Field, a night that had almost six hours of baseball prolonged by a long rain delay in the first game.
Game One
In Game One, Albany would be the first ones to put up a crooked number on the board, as Jack Gethings (Fairfield University) would take a leadoff walk and after moving to second on a Kyle Skeels (Coastal Carolina University) sacrifice bunt, would come around to score on a Jon Skidmore (Dallas Baptist University) single in the bottom of the second.
Albany would add on to that lead in the bottom of the fourth, as John Novenche (Canisius College) led off the inning with a single. After stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch, Novenche would easily trot home on a RBI double off the bat of Skeels and make it a 2-0 game.
Glens Falls would quickly turn the tides on the Dutchmen, as they put up four runs in the top of the fifth and three more in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of command issues from Dutchmen starter Evan Giles (Indiana State University) in the fifth, and Nate Harris (Louisiana Tech University) in the sixth. Giles struggled all night with his command, fighting the high heat and humidity on the steamy night.
The Dutchmen would look to come back down 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, and Mychael Goudreau (Azusa Pacific) would quickly start the rally, crushing a first pitch fastball to straight away center, as he hustled into third with a leadoff standup triple. He would quickly come home, as Carson Klepzig (University of Mississippi) would single him home to cut it to 4-3.
After the three run top of the sixth gave Glens Falls a 7-2 lead, the dark skies above Bellizzi Field would prove ominous, as the umpires along with the fans spotted lightning in straight away center, sending the game into a dead halt only one pitch in to the seventh inning. The rain would soon follow, but by then the Dutchmen had already tarped the field saving the rest of the evening’s baseball after what would be a hour and 14 minute rain delay.
Ryan Steffens (Southern New Hampshire University) would set the Dragons down quickly, but the Dutchmen rally would fall short in the bottom of the seventh, as the hosts could only manage one run even with loading the bases with no one out, and the Dutchmen would fall 7-4.
JJ Shimko (University of South Carolina Upstate) would have a record-breaking evening, as the leadoff speedster stole a pair of bases in the top of the first to extend his total on the year to a modest 26, breaking the previous record of 25 held by Jarred Jimenez, a 2009 Dutchmen product.
Klepzig would earn Player of the Game for his efforts, as he finished 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI. Skidmore would also finish with a more than solid game, going 2-for-3 with a RBI. Childers would complete Game 1 going 1-for-3 with a RBI and a walk.
Game Two
The Dutchmen would bounce back in the 2nd game of the double header after the rain delay and break the momentum with a 5-3 victory.
Dylan D’Anna (Siena College) who was last week’s Spotlight Player of the Week, got his fourth consecutive win in as many starts. D’Anna went five innings and although he allowed three earned runs, got help from his offense in the bottom of the fifth to secure him the winning pitcher.
That help came when Mychael Goudreau (Azusa Pacific University) slapped a clutch, two-out single up the middle scoring John Novenche (Canisius College) and Jack Gethings (Fairfield University) from 3rd and 2nd base, respectively.
D’Anna now moves to 4-1 on the year, but it’s his last four games that have been utterly dominant. In his last four starts, he’s thrown 22.2 innings, allowed only 13 hits, four earned runs, and has struck out 13 batters.
Jared Gold (Coastal Carolina University) came in relief in the 6th inning allowing only one hit, allowing Troy Montemayor (Baylor University) to get the save as he struck out the side on a remarkable 10 pitches, giving him his team-leading fifth save of the season.
On offense for the Dutchmen, Justin Childers (Ohio Dominican) contributed an RBI in the bottom of the first as did Brent Alford (Augusta University) to give the Dutchmen an early 3-0 inning in the first.
The Dragons host the Amsterdam Mohawks Sunday night in Glens Falls at 7:00 p.m.
Albany will go on the road to Geneva as they take on the Red Wings at 7:05 p.m.
The Dutchmen return home this Wednesday, July 27, when they host the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday will be Olympic Celebration night at Bob Bellizzi Field, along with it being Werner Ladder Giveaway Night, which includes three ladders along with other great prizes.
Also, the Dutchmen magic number to clinch a playoff berth in the PGCBL East Playoffs is at 3.
