The Broadalbin-Perth High School varsity baseball team needed a big hit. They needed a big win. Noah Martin made sure the Patriots got both with a double in the sixth inning delivering Tyler Schmidt with the game winning run in Broadalbin-Perth’s 4-3 win over Amsterdam Saturday afternoon at Shuttleworth Park.
Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the sixth inning, the Patriots Logan DeNeuville started the rally with a lead off walk. A ground ball off the bat of the next batter Zach Morreale looked to be a sure double play, but the toss from Amsterdam Rams shortstop Brett Flint didn’t quite find the glove of second baseman Kyle Agresta and the infield error put runners in scoring position for Tyler Schmidt, whose single brought in DeNeuville cutting the lead to one run. A well executed squeeze bunt by Riley Martin plated Morrelae to tie the game and set the stage for Noah Martin.
“Noah’s been struggling at the plate lately,” said BPHS coach Dan Simonds. “He had a couple of good cuts earlier in the game. To finally get one off the barrel of the bat was good for us.”
Martin had driven a pair of fly balls to center field that resulted in a pair of deep outs in both the second and fourth innings, but when his bat collided with a pitch from AHS hurler Tony Isabel in the sixth inning it headed to the wall in left easily scoring Schmidt putting the Patriots up 4-3..
“That hit to push across the go ahead run was huge,” said Coach Simonds.
The Patriots had the lead and needed only to rely on their defense to keep a determined bunch of Amsterdam Rams from tying things up or winning the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Bryan Stanavich was hit by a pitch from Patriots hurler Tyler Graham to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Stanavich then stole second in front of a walk to Brett Flint putting both the tying and winning runs on base with nobody out. It wasn’t an ideal situation for any team to be in, but the Patriots defense was up to the challenge.
AHS third baseman Ben Rhodes nearly executed a perfect sacrifice bunt during the next at bat, but the ball rolled into foul territory as it crept down the third base line. Unable to get the bunt down, Rhodes put a charge into a fly ball to center field that became the first of three outstanding defensive gems by the Patriots courtesy of Connor Pigitore. After a double steal put the tying run only 90 feet away, a chopper off the bat of Kyle Agresta down the third base line was snared by Riley Martin, who fired the ball home in time to get Stanavich at the plate. Flint took third on the play still representing the tying run. Two pitches later, Brady McGillin’s ground ball was scooped up by shortstop Brett Getman who threw to first ending a long day for the Patriots on a winning note.
“That was a great play in center field by Connor Pingitore and a great play by Riley (Martin) to gun the runner down at the plate,” Coach Simonds said. “That’s a big win for us. To play the way we did this morning and to come back with that kind of energy, that’s why we play baseball.”
Broadalbin-Perth had to play an earlier game Saturday at Shuttleworth Park against South Glens Falls due to the Patriots field at BPHS still dealing with the recent poor weather. BPHS lost that game to the Bulldogs before rallying in the second game against Amsterdam.
“We gave them (Amsterdam) some runs, yet we proved to ourselves that we can play good defensive baseball,” said Coach Simonds. “We proved to ourselves that’s what we can do against a good team like Amsterdam.”
Amsterdam put up single runs in the first three innings getting a single in the first from Bryan Stanavich who later scored on an error. Back to back singles by Dale Stanavich and Kyle Sherlock and an RBI bunt by Tony Rodecker plated another run in the second, and Rhodes’ single became the third run on an RBI grounder from McGillin in the third inning giving Amsterdam a 3-1 lead. Broadalbin-Perth started the scoring with back to back singles by Pingitore and Brett Getman leading to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Schmidt in the top of the first. Patriots starter Tyler Graham went the distance giving up only six hits, walking two and striking out six, and got plenty of help from his teammates keeping the Rams from getting a big inning,
“We put up single runs,” Amsterdam coach Brian Spagnola said. “We had runners in scoring position, but didn’t get them across. When you let a team like that stay in the game that’s what’s going to happen.”
Tony Isabel went the distance for Amsterdam (7-3, 5-3 Foothills Council). Isabel surrendered only five hits walked three and struck out one. The senior hurler tossed an impressive fifth inning throwing only five pitches to get the three outs in that frame, and also picked off a runner at second base in the second inning. Isabel also benefited from a fine defensive gem from the glove of shortstop Brett Flint, who took a base hit away from Getman with a diving grab for the last out of the fifth.
Broadalbin-Perth will next travel to Cooperstown on Tuesday to take on Warrensburgh in a game that will be played at historic Doubleday Field. Amsterdam will return to action in a home game on Monday against Johnstown at historic Shuttleworth Park. The first pitch is slated for 7pm.
(Photos by Scott Mulford)
