TROY — To get past Saratoga in the Class AA baseball semifinals, Guilderland Head Coach Doug LaValley said that his team needed its “A” game. And, with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning, the Dutchmen didn’t have it.

Three Guilderland batters — Evan Sanders, Matt Schiller, and Brandon Peda — approached the plate at Joe Bruno Stadium on Saturday in the bottom of the sixth; all three struck out.

“We just wanted to hit the ball hard,” said Peda, a senior, who swung and missed on Cory McArthur’s sinking curveball to end the sixth inning. “That’s all we needed to do. None of us could get the job done, and it really cost us.”

Guilderland entered the bottom of the sixth inning with one total hit and a 4-to-0 deficit. Dan Hobbs had pitched five solid innings for Saratoga, but he started to lose some control. Hobbs walked Ryan Cullam, gave up a single to Brandon Das, and walked Jack Grabek on four pitches to load up the bases for the Dutch.

Guilderland’s dugout was getting louder and louder. This is when Saratoga made a pitching change — McArthur relieved Hobbs, who got a nice ovation from the crowd.

McArthur’s pitching didn’t bode well in the beginning. He ran Andrew Blair’s count to three balls, one strike, and then allowed the walk, which let Cullam trot home for Guilderland’s first run. But McArthur’s time on the mound was about to get better.

“It was a learning experience,” McArthur said of facing the heart of the Dutch’s order with the bases loaded. “I was trying to find my release points for my change-up, and each batter prepped me for the next. I started getting more comfortable.”

To the batters’ box came Sanders with nobody out. McArthur worked Sanders to a full count, and then Sanders whiffed on the next pitch for strike three. McArthur then worked another full count to Schiller, who fouled off the next pitch, and then missed on a swing for the third strike. Then it was Peda, who told The Enterprise that strike three was a curve that “surprised” him with how much it broke; the ball hit the dirt.

“Either you can hit or you can’t hit,” Peda said after Guilderland lost, 4 to 1. “We put in our best effort, but it wasn’t good enough today.”

^{_{Sun block: Guilderland’s Matt Pierce throws a pitch during the Class AA semifinals at Joe Bruno Stadium on Saturday; he started the game and threw six innings. The Dutch lost, 4 to 1, finishing at 16-6 on the season. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

McArthur said that he and Hobbs have been a strong pitching combination all season. “I closed the door,” he added.

When the Dutchmen had the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Coach LaValley liked the chances. “You have to put the ball in play,” he said. “That’s what it comes down to. We were where we wanted to be in the line-up — we can’t be having three guys strike out. You need clutch hits in big spots, but today was not the day.”

Saturday’s semifinal was practically decided in the sixth inning. The Blue Streaks got one run in the fourth from a sacrifice fly, but scored three in the sixth. Jack Herman singled past the second baseman, Dan Coleman hit a triple to the gap in right centerfield, and Zach Guzi’s hit to right field fell to the ground after Das seemed to misjudge the ball.

Peda had no regrets about Saturday’s game, but he wished he had hit the ball with the bases loaded. He was speaking for his teammates, too; one hit would have changed the whole complexion of the game.

“We still had three more outs in the seventh, and the toughest three outs are the last three,” LaValley said. “You keep fighting to the end, just keep battling.”

^{_{I got it! Third baseman Brandon Peda tracks the fly ball before catching it for Guilderland on Saturday at Joe Bruno Stadium. Peda was one of 10 seniors that played their final game for the Dutch. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

But Joe Bruno Stadium was at its quietest during the seventh inning.

“It’s tough,” said Peda. “If you can’t get those situational at-bats down; that gets you in trouble, and that’s what happened today.”

The Dutchmen weren’t a team that could compile a bunch of hits at once, Peda said, but the team worked to improve its hitting. Guilderland’s successful record (16-6) relied mostly on pitching, fielding, and small ball — like bunts and hit and runs.

“We knew how our team was supposed to play baseball,” said Peda. “It was a great time playing baseball.”

Guilderland was a grinding team, LaValley said, and its 13-3 record in the Suburban Council was its second-best finish ever in the league. Last Thursday, Schenectady had the bases loaded in the seventh inning of the Class AA quarterfinals, but Guilderland got the out to win, 1 to 0.

The Dutchmen won nine games by two runs or fewer this season.

“We do what we have to do to grind,” said LaValley on Saturday. “I’m proud of our record. It’s a good record.”

For more photos from Saturday's semifinal, click here.