Shen rallies past Saratoga
CLIFTON PARK » Monday’s showdown with Saratoga Springs was a match-up had been in the back of many members of the Shenendehowa baseball team’s heads since they fell to the Blue Streaks 1-0 in the Section II Class AA final a year ago.
The Plainsmen had lost the game prior as well, and didn’t want to lose three straight to their rivals.
Shenendehowa used a big three-run third inning and four-run fourth to overcome an early deficit and outlast the Blue Streaks 7-3 at Plainsmen Park.
“Each team has their own characteristic and this team might be one where we just grind and grind and grind,” Shenendehowa head coach Greg Christodulu said.
“It’s nice to see the bats wake up a little bit. We changed our
CLIFTON PARK >> After Shen put up more than 40 runs in a doubleheader over the weekend, Monday’s Suburban Council meeting between rivals Saratoga and Shenendehowa had a chance to be high scoring.
The Blue Streaks made things interesting early but the Plainsmen found their groove for a 9-2 league win in Clifton Park.
Saratoga scratched out two runs in the top of the first inning.
Jenna Conroy walked to start the rally and Kaeli Conroy reached on an infield single before Madison Chandler walked to load the bases. Kayleigh Reome drilled a line drive to short and Chandler was doubled up at first base trying to get back, but Shenendehowa wasn’t out of the clear yet.
Isabel Jones hit a sharp grounder to third and the ball was thrown away to allow Jenna and Kaeli Conroy to score for the early 2-0 lead.
The Plainsmen took advantage of the visitor’s mistakes in the bottom half of the first.
Sadie Evans snuck a grounder inside the third base line then advanced to third after Kelly Barkevich sent a missile that was dropped at third.
With two outs, Nicole McCarvill hit a high pop fly near first base which could have resulted in a routine third out, but it was dropped and both Evans and Barkevich scored to make it 2-2.
With the game even, Shenendehowa senior Abby Shields found her groove, giving up two more hits over the next six innings and saw her offense generate five runs along in the third inning for the 9-2 final and her fifth win of the year.
“The girls came prepared and you can’t give Shen five errors, they are going to take full advantage of that,” Saratoga coach Geoff Loiacono said. “I think we had four hits today, I think they had five, six tops and in the first inning we get two outs and they give us two runs. When Shen gives runs you try to take advantage of that.
“They played clean the rest of the way and we left a lot of runners on base today and we just couldn’t come up with a squeaky hit or a little base hit to just get that little edge. We didn’t have an answer for them today.”
Shen senior Kelly O’Gorman added to the Plainsmen hit parade with her solo home run to lead off the third inning and Sadie Evans continued to show off her hitting stroke with a 2-RBI triple in the five-run fourth.
“One through nine, we can all hit them,” O’Gorman said. “Heading into this game six of us had one (home run) we’re all sneaky, we can all combine and hit one over the fence. I think that’s what makes our team so different from everyone else. It’s not just our three; four and five hit those bombs.”
Despite her 2-for-4 day at the plate that included two runs scored, Sadie Evans credited Saratoga’s Kayleigh Reome for keeping the score as close as it was.
“I think a lot of girls were struggling with their first pitcher’s rise ball, we had trouble getting it on the ground and a lot of us were popping it up,” Evans said. “With that line drive that got the runs in, I got around, I think I did a good job of keeping on top of the ball and getting through the zone.”
The league loss doesn’t diminish the Blue Streaks performance Monday afternoon.
“I think it’s a moral victory in that you look at Shen puts up 22 runs, 23 runs, if you read the paper this weekend two or three girls had home runs,” Loiacono said. “I’m happy. We gave up one big home run, she made a great swing at it, the pitcher missed the spot and she took full advantage of that.
“Holding them to under 10 runs, they’ve been putting up a lot of runs on people and our defense, we had our issues, had a couple of back to back errors that put us back on our heels.” SARATOGA 2, SHENENDEHOWA 9 Saratoga 2000000–235 Shenendehowa 2150100–982 2B – (SH) Kelly Barkevich. 3B – (SH) Sadie Evans. HR – (SH) Kelly O’Gorman.