Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, June 4, 2009
Guilderland bats are silenced by Albany in first- round loss
By Jordan J. Michael
ALBANY –– The Dutchmen baseball team knew its first round Class AA sectional game wouldn’t be easy with an ace on the opposing mound.
Albany beat Guilderland, 3 to 1, at Bleecker Stadium in Albany, behind a three-hitter by Michael Hughes. He had 11 strikeouts on the night.
“We were up against a kid that was throwing nearly 90 miles an hour,” Dutchmen Head Coach Doug LaValley said of Hughes, who is bound for a Division I college. “We braced for a battle and that’s what we got. We just couldn’t get the bats going.”
One of Guilderland’s three hits was a towering home run by Steve Anderson to right center field in the first inning. The Falcons tied the game in the third inning off a wild pitch by Jeremy Affinito.
Affinito also had a fine night on the mound, giving up six hits and striking out nine.
“Affinito threw the ball well all season and he was ready to face off against Hughes,” LaValley said on Friday. “He did a great job and pitched well enough to win. He just didn’t get the offensive help that he needed.”
Matt Roth made an excellent play at third base for the Dutch in the fourth inning off a Steven Richards’ grounder. Pat Landers gave Albany the go-ahead run with two outs and the score was 2 to 1.
All of the Falcons’ runs on the evening came with two outs. “Their hits were very timely,” said LaValley.
Javonte Osterhout drove in the third and final run for Albany in the fifth inning with a double. The Falcons are the number-one seed out of the Big 10 conference.
LaValley told The Enterprise that this year’s team was one of his all-time favorites to coach. The team went 6-2 in the second half of the season to reach the post-season.
“My seniors were upset with the ending, but I couldn’t be more proud,” LaValley said. “These guys battled to the bitter end and never thought about quitting. They have true character.”