BLUE STREAKS WALK-OFF WITH FIRST I-87 CUP
Brian Hart delivers walk-off HR in bottom of 8th vs. Shenendehowa
There may not have been a better day to play the inaugural I-87 Cup contest between Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa, a bright, sunny afternoon tilt between the rivals, played at Shuttleworth Park on Good Friday and no one could have scripted a more suitable ending.
The Blue Streaks captured their second game in their final at-bat in extra innings when Brian Hart deposited Plainsmen reliever Tom Barkevich’s second pitch of the eighth inning over the right field fence for a game-winning home run. Hart was ecstatic rounding the bases and was greeted at home by the entire Saratoga Springs squad, jumping on home plate and the I-87 Cup trophy will reside with the Blue Streaks until next year.
“I looked back to my teammates after I hit it, just a rush of adrenaline ran through me, I was so excited when they were running out there I was so hyped,” Hart said. “It feels good.
“Shen is a great team; they played hard the entire game. We were down, we had great innings at the end of the game and that homer just topped it off. That was great.”
There was little guarantee that Hart would even get a chance as Saratoga found itself in a 4-1 deficit after four and ahalf innings.
“I challenged their intensity when I brought them in after making those two errors that should have ended the inning,” Saratoga Springs coach Andy Cuthbertson said. “I said ‘Right now we’re kind of stale and they’re dugout is high intensity and we have to bring that same type of intensity.”
Ryan Seales led off the inning with a double to right and Lewi Clarke walked before Devin McArthur singled to center, scoring Seales and cutting the lead, 4-2.
Things then went from bad to worse for Shenendehowa starter Brendan Spulnick.
Jake Fauler laid down a bunt looking to advance the runners, but Spulnick’s throw gets past the first baseman allowing Clarke and Arthur to score, knotting the contest at four runs apiece.
The teams would remain deadlocked through the next two innings before Hart delivered his historic shot in the firstever I-87 Cup contest.
Friday’s contest was set as a non-league tilt between the two Suburban Council rivals.
With the expanded Suburban Council schedule dating back to last year that now includes Schenectady and CBA, each team faces their 15 league foes once with four available non-league spots open. Coaches Cuthbertson and Christodulu came together to establish the idea of a trophy, the schedule, the premiere non-league site to make the most of the planned new annual showcase.
The loss spoiled the outing for Shenendehowa’s Spulnick who went seven innings and gave up only one earned run on three recorded hits, striking out two but also walking six on the afternoon.
“Brendan can be a very fierce competitor and you saw that at different parts of the game today and he just needs to be able to carry that through all seven innings or all 100 pitches that he threw today,” Shenendehowa Coach Greg Christodulu said.
“With a young group you have to remind them to stay focused, you have to remind them to remain disciplined throughout and as I said earlier, flush the bad plays and build on the good ones and continue to be competitors on every pitch.
“Brendan at times threw some non-competitive pitches and that needs to improve so he can win these types of game.”
Wednesday’s gamewinning walk-off hero Matt Triola started for the Blue Streaks, going 3 2/3 innings, giving up three runs, only one earned, on five hits. He walked three and struck out one batter before being relieved by Jack Cairns. He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up a run on a hit and walking two batters.
Saratoga will be able to enjoy its Easter weekend with two walk-off wins in six days and retain possession of the I-87 Cup trophy. “I think it’s awesome, the kids battled, we struggled in the middle of the game there and what a better way to win in the bottom of the inning and have your four-hitter hit a walk-off home run,” Cuthbertson said.