Saints open with Wasaren win
Saratoga Catholic tops Mechanicville 10-2 in league debut
Opening the season with a win is a nice way to start. Opening a season with a win and pulling off a hidden ball trick is an even better way to start and Saratoga Catholic did just that.
Saratoga Catholic beat Mechanicville 10-2 in the Wasaren League debut for the Saints baseball team. Saratoga Catholic played Stillwater in the second game of a doubleheader that was not completed by press time.
Head coach Phonsey Lambert said his team was ready to play after a disappointing end to last season.
“Unfortunately, we pitched real well, we played good defense, but we didn’t hit real well last season,” Lambert said. “That has been a focus all winter and we have hit every Sunday in our gym and the kids have been hitting at All star academy. The kids have been taking a ton of swings in preparation for this year.”
Along with hitting, the Saints were able to pull off a little trickery.
In the fourth inning, Saratoga Catholic pulled off something many teams dream of doing. They picked off a runner with the hidden ball trick. With Kaden Learch on the mound the play was put into motion. Learch set up for his wind up and checked the runner. He threw the ball over to first and it went past first baseman Cadhan McFadden, but it didn’t, Learch never released the ball. He ran over and tagged Mechanicville’s Billard and getting the last out of the inning.
Lambert said that it is something the time has in their back pocket at all times.
“It is something that we have in our bag of tricks for years,” Lambert said. “With this new pitch count stuff we have to get out of in-
nings and I thought instead of prolonging this inning, lets get out of this batter. I saw the kid leaning a little bit and we had an opportunity. It is something we have been doing for years; it is no real hidden secret.”
Learch said it was something the team worked on last season.
“WE had that play last year and we knew about it this year,” Learch said. “Rocket (McFadden) was on the team last year, so he knew about it and I knew about it. I have never run it as a pitcher. When he called what he did, I knew what to do.”
Starting the season with a 10 run win is a good way to start after working on your offense all offseason.
Lambert said that Mechanicville threw the ball well, but the top of the lineup helped them win.
“We feel behind in counts, but Connor and Zac both had super days at the plate,” Lambert said. “It is promising to see kids hit this early.”