It's that time of year when pitchers are needed to dominate. For New York Mills (15-6)coach Jerry Fiorini the choice was easy when he got to hand the ball to his left handed ace Jeff Albright. When a pitcher of Albright's quality heads to the hill the whole team has more pep in its step.
That was the case today in Class D Quarterfinal action at DeLutis Field in Rome.
When the dust settled and the winning run crossed the plate for the New York Mills Marauders, fans of the blue and orange gathered together to celebrate their favorite team's heart pounding 2-1 win over a stubborn and determined group of Hamilton High Emerald Knights.
As dominant as Albright was, and he was, striking out 14, often caught looking, green and gray clad Knights, it took all 14 strikeouts and more to put away the CSC III pests from Hamilton (12-8).
Coach Joe LePage can be mighty proud of the effort his team put forth in their second Section III playoff game.
(Winning pitcher Jeff Albright delivers as the Marauders advance.)
Hamilton had sent Sackets Harbor home for the holidays with a 10-8 win on Tuesday night to earn today's shot at the #1 seeded New York Mills Marauders.
Hamilton headed into DeLutis a confident team and as the game got underway one wondered if the momentum would carry them to even greater heights.
I know one thing for sure, New York Mills fans have seen enough. Despite Jeff Albright's stellar pitching line, 14k's, 4 hits, 6 walks, it was a nervous bunch of Mills fans who sat on their hands waiting for the underdogs to act like underdogs.
When Hamilton scratched out the game tying run in the visitor's half of the fifth inning, the season was on the line for the top seed from CSC IV.
Dan Meeks, who can really motor, did just that to beat out an infield single to start the game tying rally. Catcher Jack Sullivan worked out a one-out, walk to move Meeks into scoring position.
(Hamilton starter Kinnion- Nelson-Finkel lets one fly.)
The other left starter in today's tilt, Kinnon Nelson-Finkel, helped his own cause, tremendously, by lacing an RBI single to left to score Meeks, who motored home to make it a game that would go down to the wire.
If not for a great job by Jeff Albright to wiggle out of a mess he created for himself, Hamilton's only run of the game might just have been an insurance run.
Albright had a Jekyll and Hyde first for sure, hitting leadoff man Lucas Ryhde who took a free ride to first and then walking Dan Meeks to get in trouble.
One batter later, after striking out Jack Sullivan, Albright walked the opposing pitcher to cause Mills fans to shudder and to cause his dad to pace the press box like a caged tiger.
Dad was smiling two strikeouts later, as his son got out of the mess by striking out the side.
Albright did it the impressive way, posting 3 straight K's in the fourth inning, sending Don Philhower, John Andrzejek and Adam Mcbain back to the bench mumbling and strikeout victims.
Albright tends to blow hitters away, while his counterpart, Kinnon Nelson-Finkel is more of a finesse pitcher. The lefty mixed his pitches well all game long and did what good pitchers do, allowing his defense to play well behind him.
(Jeff Albright looks on to see if his pick off throw to John Sadallah works.)
The Marauders offense barely touched him, scoring just two runs.
The first run, and the game's first, came in the home fourth when first basemen John Sadallah singled to left and then raced all the way to third when Nelson-Finkel made a critical throwing error allowing Sadallah to end up in scoring position with an errant pick off throw.
The error was one of two the Knights committed in this well played, fast paced game.
Coach Fiorini, who has been to a few rodeos in his day, tried to manufacture a run and put pressure on the Knights by having DH Jim Fellone lay down a squeeze bunt to get the go ahead run home.
The bunt attempt went just foul and Fellone took a deep breath before moving his hands up the bat just a bit.
The junior came through with a hot shot up the middle, as pinch runner Frank Walczak danced his way home. As we already told you, Hamilton came right back to tie it at 1-1.
As batter after batter took a quick trip back to the dugout, both teams fought hard to pull out the win.
The Emerald Knights had a real shot to make the Marauders turn green, when with two outs Jack Sullivan made his aluminum lighting rod sing a loud song as he doubled to deep center to get himself in scoring position.
(New York Mills celebrates and moves on with 2-1 win over Hamilton.)
Not wanting Kinnon Nelson-Finkel to beat him, Jerry Fiorini quickly instructed Jeff Albright to intentionally walk him and take his chances with Ben Yacavone, who had been stuck out three previous trips to the dish. Form held, as Albright recorded the biggest K of the day and maybe the season.
With big time momentum on his their side, the Marauders dug deep to plate the game winning run in their last at bat.
Senior, Eddie Schulze doubled to deep center and moved to third on a passed ball. The little mistakes killed Hamilton all game long.
With one out, one of the youngest Marauders, freshman Jonathan Ross lifted a sac fly to left and Schulze raced into the arms of his teammates with the game winning run.
Baseball at its best, as the Emerald Knights and Marauders put on quite a show at DeLutis.
New York Mills 2 Hamilton 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Hamilton 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 2
New York Mills 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 7 0
