BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Saratoga Springs 12U score 12 runs in final two innings for sectional win
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The Saratoga Springs Stars 12-yearold Little League all-stars are looking to become road warriors once again and punch their ticket to the New York State championship tournament with a win Sunday afternoon at District 37 champion Marcy-Deerfield after Saturday’s double-digit win.
It took a four full innings for the Blue Shirts to adjust to Marcy left-handed starter Jordan Hughes and his offerings before MORE PHOTOS ON-LINE: Visit www.saratogian.com/sports to see our media center gallery for photos from Saturday’s win. jumping out to a 5-run lead in the fifth and piled on for an eye-popping seven runs in the top half of the sixth for a 12-1 sectional win and put them one win away from a berth in the Bronx event.
“A lot of times a team is stuck, they’re just not quite figuring out a pitcher, they’re just ahead of it, just behind it, above it,” Saratoga Springs Stars manager Marc Delnicki said. “Sometimes what it
takes that first hit.
“I’ve seen it happen in many games and then all of the sudden you get that first real big hit and people just snap out of it. All of the sudden the pitcher isn’t unhittable, all of the sudden this stuff happens because of it is psychological.”
Hughes was in control, striking out six batters, including the side in the third inning before the locals found a way around his pitching and it came as the bench came through for the breakout inning.
Pinch-hitter Carter Vaughn reached on a fielder’s choice and moved around the bags on wild pitches from Hughes and were combined by substitutes Patrick Temple and Ricky Rossi each reaching on walks. Frank Hill joined the walks around the bases before Matt Sgambati delivered a two-out two-run single for a 3-0 lead. Michael Mack delivered his own RBI single to drive in Hill before Sgambati made a mad dash towards home on a throw to the second baseman in an attempt to fool Mack at first on an assumed stolen base attempt to give Saratoga a 5-0 lead.
Sgambati broke the game open, but said the table was set for him.
“The kids before me they had nice at-bats and then I just hit them in,” Matt Sgambati said. “It was big, but it wasn’t like Billy Fuccillo big.”
Sgambati is familiar taking on an opponent’s No. 1 start in the Little League Williamsport Division tournaments.
“It’s been kind of tough facing No. 1 but we’ve been working good pitch counts and we’ve been getting them out of the game,” Sgambati said. “Then we usually jump on their bullpen.
“Sometimes we do hit their No.1 pretty hard, too.”
With runs on the board and Hughes reaching his pitch limit, Saratoga’s Evan Ash became even cooler than his ice in veins self, on cruise control to guide the Stars in for an opening round win.
“There is a little more pressure, not that much more,” Evan Ash said about another big game start and facing another No. 1 pitcher. “I just try to focus on my pitching usually.”
Utilizing a two-pitch set up, his curve ball broke on the Marcy Deerfield batters leading him to a seven strikeout performance and spotting his fast ball time and time again.
Ash hit his own Little League pitch limit and turned the ball over to Sgambati who was welcomed with an RBI single by Marcy’s Andy Pawolski, but that would be it for the Utica-area stars as he enticed a grounder and a comebacker that he took to the first base bag by himself to end the fifth inning.
Josh Bettit came on for the bottom of the sixth and had a 1-2-3 inning with a final batter strikeout to put Saratoga one win away from a berth in the state tournament.
“Our main goal is to get to the states and from a pressure standpoint we don’t have the same pressure we had, (two mustwins in district play), but from a standpoint of winning, I think we all just want to end this thing as quickly as we possibly can,” Delnicki said. “Hopefully we can tomorrow.”
Saratoga will travel to take on Marcy-Deerfield at 2:45 p.m. The ‘if necessary’ contest would be hosted by Saratoga Springs at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at West Side Rec.