Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, June 2, 2011
Baseball and softball season for area schools comes to a close
By Jordan J. Michael
The 2011 spring sports season is now complete after all the local baseball and softball teams still in competition lost this week in the quarterfinal rounds of the sectional playoffs.
The Voorheesville baseball team, a clear favorite in Class CC as the number-two seed, lost to Cambridge at home, 2 to 1, in the quarterfinals last Thursday. The Cambridge Indians ended up going all the way, beating Lake George, 4 to 3, for the Class CC title on Tuesday.
Junior Kevin Connolly pitched well for the Blackbirds last Thursday, but the offense struggled against Cambridge pitcher Todd Hunt. J.D. Springer scored the only run for Voorheesville in the first inning off a past ball.
The Birds were 12-3 in the Colonial Council and 14-5 overall. Connolly was named co-MVP of the league, and Mike Cheseri and Jake Nussbaum each made the Colonial Council First Team. Ryan Duncan, Anthony Scaccia, and Nico Church made the Second Team.
“We have top-to-bottom talent,” Head Coach Kyle Turski said on May 21 after a loss to Albany Academy. “This team has a great attitude and we expect good results.”
After beating Mayfield, 15 to 2, on May 25, the Voorheesville softball team lost to St. Johnsville, 5 to1, on Friday in the quarterfinals. The Hawks’ runs were all unearned. The Blackbirds grounded into three double plays, including one in the sixth inning with the bases loaded.
“The plays didn’t really go our way,” said Head Coach Matt Fiato. “We hit the ball hard, but the defense was good.”
Sophomore Amanda Gatt was named to the Colonial Council First Team. She eclipsed the Voorheesville single-season record for both strikeouts and batting average. Gatt had 245 strikeouts, breaking the previous record of 206. She batted .406, passing the mark of .400 set by Kelsey DeZalia three years ago.
“She mixes her pitches (curve and change up) well, but sometimes she just over powers batters with the speed of her fastball,” Fiato said of Gatt, who pitched every game for the Birds this year. “With her on the mound, we have a chance to win any game we play.”
In 69 at bats this season, Gatt struck out only five times. She led the team in RBIs with 16.
“She has a trainer and works really hard,” said Fiato. “She’s in good shape.”
BKW
Last Thursday, Berne-Knox-Westerlo traveled to Lake George for the Class CC baseball quarterfinals, losing a close contest, 6 to 5. The Bulldogs were ahead, 5 to 3, but the Warriors scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead.
“We had our chances in the sixth inning, but couldn’t get a timely hit,” Head Coach Jeff Teats said. “You walk off the field thinking you’re the better team, but things just didn’t work out.”
BKW had a solid season, finishing with a 14-6 record.
G’land
The Lady Dutch softball team walloped Schenectady in the first round, 17 to 1, but faced an uphill battle against top-seeded Shenendehowa on Friday.
Guilderland got a home run from Jessi Peck in the second inning and the game was tied at 1 to 1 going into the bottom of the fourth. Shenendehowa scored two runs in the fourth inning and two more runs in the sixth to win, 5 to 1.
Senior Cori Hilt, who pitched and hit a double for the Dutch, thought that her team played “really well” against Shenendehowa, which is a superior opponent. “It’s just that one inning,” she said. “All season long, we would have that one bad inning.”
Guilderland had its opportunities to score more runs on Friday, but a few players made some costly base-running mistakes. Also, Shen’s pitcher, Cameron Sprague, was making it difficult for the batters.
“We were competitive for the entire season,” said Head Coach Beth Ray. “But, sometimes it was hard for us to pull it back together when we were down in a game.”
Ray, who is expecting a child on July 27, won’t be coaching the Lady Dutch next year. “It’ll be interesting to see who takes over,” she said.