Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Section II baseball Class B championship: Albany Academy vs. Saratoga Central Catholic, 5/24/17

After two thrilling games decided the Class C & D titles Tuesday, the Class B championship kicked off the Wednesday double-header at Joe Bruno Stadium. Albany Academy, the last team representing the Colonial Council in baseball, squared off against Saratoga Central Catholic, out of the Wasaren League, which covers Washington, Saratoga, & Rensselaer counties.

The Cadets jumped on SCC starter Terel Tillman in the first inning. With one out, Ethan Duda drilled a triple down the line in left. With E. J. Birch at the plate, Tillman threw a wild pitch to plate Duda. Tillman then gave up a single to his opposite number, Ben Seiler, to make it 2-0. The Cadets were up, 4-0, before Seiler took the mound.

SCC clawed back with three runs in the 3rd, aided by a wild pitch by Seiler. Meanwhile, Tillman had settled down, retiring eight in a row up until the 5th inning. In the visiting 5th, Young led off with a walk. Birch doubled, and Seiler singled to make it 6-3. That forced SCC coach Phonsey Lambert to make a pitching change, sending Tillman to 3rd, and putting Connor Farrington on the mound. That didn't help, as the Cadets batted around, adding two more runs in the frame, and then four more in the 6th. In all the Cadets batted around three times. Kaden-Philip Learch put the fire out in the 6th, and gave up just a single to Seiler in 2 innings of work.

Seiler pitched into the home 7th before swapping places with Birch, as SCC tried to rally, getting a run on 2 hits, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly. Learch drew a walk, but Cadhan McFadden grounded into a double play to end the game. Cue the dogpile at the mound.

Up next for Albany Academy will be state tournament play, against an opponent to be determined.

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