Scotties pound Plainsmen in Class AA semis

TROY, NY » In baseball, youth can serve one well. The game is meant to be fun and when you’re young and having fun, the rest takes care of itself. In their 11-1 Class AA sectional semifinal victory over the No. 1 seed Shenendehowa Plainsmen, the No. 5 seed Ballston Spa Scotties had plenty of fun from the get go and never allowed the pressure to set in.

“We’re confident. What you saw was confidence and we were present in the moment,” Scotties’ head coach Curtis Nobles said of his squad’s mentality throughout the game. “We didn’t back down, we weren’t thinking about what they did to us last game, we were thinking about today. We always talk about winning the day and that’s what we did.”

The Scotties certainly won the day and seized the moment in the early going.

During the first frame, following a single to left by Evan Fox and a walk to Colman Hinman, Jake Manderson drilled an RBI-single to left off Mitch Wright, posting the Scotties to a 1- 0 lead. With runners at the corners, ensuing batter Donovan Rhoden lashed an opposite-field RBI-single to right, doubling the Ballston Spa advantage.

In the third inning, the Scotties really ramped up their offensive attack. Following a leadoff hit to right by Luke Gold, Manderson clocked a two-run

tater to left, doubling BSpa’s margin to 4- 0.

“I was just trying to be aggressive, hit line drives up the middle and it was just great,” Manderson said of his approach at the plate.

From there, the Scotties kept the wheels churning. Rhoden singled to center, Chance Checca also lined a one- out single to center, chasing Wright from the game. Ensuing batter Mack Bumford caught Brandon Roberts off guard and laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases. Ricky Miller followed with a tworun double to right, making it 6- 0. A wild pitch capped off the five-run frame and

gave the Scotties a 7- 0 lead.

Yet, the Plainsmen did not hang their heads during the home half of the frame against Gold.

Griff Wallner got the party started with a single to center. Devin Smith coaxed a walk and Roberts singled to center to load the bases. Ensuing batter Joe Novenche plated a run on a 6- 4 fielder’s choice. Still on the ropes, Gold was able to escape the jam by turning a Brendan Spulnick comebacker into a 1- 6-3 inning ending double play.

“It was huge,” Gold said of dousing the threat. “I was just looking to pitch down in the zone and that’s how you get ground balls. I was just trusting my defense, not trying to overthrow, trying to put it in the zone and make them put it in

play.”

Gold stuck to that strategy of attacking opposing hitters and it paid off again in the fifth. With Shen trying to scratch together another rally, Gold took Novenche and the Plainsmen on a trip down 6- 4-3 double play lane and thwarted another potential rally.

“I felt awesome. I had a lot of time to prepare before the game,” Gold said. “I knew all I had to do was throw strikes, our defense is really good. I got a ton of ground balls and they just made plays for me.”

Those plays were crucial against a veteran laden Shen squad which a day earlier made a thrilling comeback walk- off victory against the Guilderland Dutchmen.

“Unfortunately we came

up short tonight. Maybe we were emotionally spent after last night’s come from behind dramatic win and in 24 hours we felt the positives of playing in this game in a late inning victory and then we’ve also been at the other end of the spectrum at this point,” Plainsmen head coach Greg Christodulu said of the tumult of emotion this game can throw at you. “That’s what you sign up for and at times we’ve experienced the emotions of this game in 24 hours.”

“The pressure’s always there because you’re wearing Shen on the front of your jersey and for the players that played in the program previous to this group, so they know the spotlight’s on the program and they worked their butts

off to do everything they could to get back to the final game, which was a goal for them,” coach Christodulu said.

While Shen couldn’t quite ride the momentumof the previous game, Ballston Spa used the fifth inning double play to spur their offense in the sixth.

After Miller and Anthony Devizzio drew consecutive free passes, the Plainsmen retired the next two. Yet, they couldn’t quite solve the mashing Manderson.

“I was sitting first pitch fastball and he gave it to me,” Manderson said of his Bruno Stadium blast. “I had to do what my team wanted me to do and put more runs up and put them away.”

The three-run jolt to left was a no- doubter and cer-

tainly worthy of a bat flip, as the Scotties surged even further ahead at 10-1.

Following an impressive victory, the Scotties know they have a battle in front of them with the Columbia Blue Devils in the Class AA sectional title game Tuesday night.

“We expect a dogfight. They can swing it, they can pitch it, they can field it but we can do the same,” coach Nobles said. “It’s going to be whoever can get to 21 outs the cleanest and who can put the ball in play more.”

A dogfight. An apt description given how the pair of underdogs have battled to reach the title game. The stakes will be even greater but that’s what makes this time of the season the most fun of all.