Marlboro splits double header against Burnt Hills

By Kyle Adams
Posted 4/20/22

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the 2021 Section 2 Class A runner-up, visited Marlboro on Saturday, April 16 for a double header.

Burnt Hills took the first game by a score of 7-4. The Dukes responded …

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Marlboro splits double header against Burnt Hills

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Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the 2021 Section 2 Class A runner-up, visited Marlboro on Saturday, April 16 for a double header.

Burnt Hills took the first game by a score of 7-4. The Dukes responded in the second, picking up a 9-4 victory.

“In that second game we had a lot of guys contributing,” said Marlboro coach John Morrissey.

“Guys were getting on base. We had eight hits from seven guys, so it was really a team effort.”
Burnt Hills opened the first game with two solo home runs by Kyle DeCresce and Luke Haluska, in the first and second innings. The Spartans went on to lead 6-0 after a five-run second.

“They were not afraid to swing,” Morrissey said of Burnt Hills. “They were swinging, putting the ball in play and hitting it hard. For our guys to see that and get that experience against a program like that, it’s refreshing to see them compete in that kind of baseball game.”

In the top of the third, Michael Valente walked and then came around to score on an error, getting Marlboro on the board. In the bottom of the fifth, John Ryder had a RBI double, Harrison Conn scored on an error and Ryder scored on a wild pitch, making it a two-run ballgame.

Burnt Hills tacked on one more in the top of the seventh before closing out their victory.

“They don’t give up,” Morrissey said. “Momentum is a real thing and they have the ability to change a game when they put their focus to it.”

Valente started and went for innings for Marlboro. He was charged with six runs on six hits and two walks, striking out eight. Nicholas Gephard went the final three innings and allowed two hits and one unearned run. He struck out five and walked one.

Very early in the first game, Marlboro catcher Collin Casey was removed from the game after being hit in the groin, leaving to receive medical attention.

“I checked in on him on Saturday night and he’s good. He said he’s ready to play,” Morrissey said on Sunday. “He’s a big piece for us. He’s one of our leaders and we’re really going to need him.”

“We had three players start who haven’t started at all. Our catcher, Sam Garitta, came in after one pitch in the first game and really settled in. We brought him up just for a few innings, since we haven’t had a double-header this season, and he ended up catching in both games.”

In the second game both teams got right to it, each putting up three runs in the first inning.

Marlboro added two runs in the top of the third and BHBL scored one in the bottom half, as the Spartans were the home team for game two.

The Dukes broke the game open with four runs on the top of the fifth.

Ryder was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Tommy Benfer had a double, two walks and scored three runs. Mitch Neer was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Benfer and Neer were each just called up from junior varsity.

Ryder started the second game and went three innings, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk. He struck out two and earned the win. Conn threw two scoreless innings in relief. He gave up one hit, one walk and had one strikeout. The game was called after five and a half innings, due to weather.

Early in the second game, Ryder made a bare-handed grab on a one-hop liner back to the mound, drawing some praise from the Spartan’s dugout.

“It gave me flashbacks to a few years ago when we had a player cut up his hand on a comebacker. I always get nervous when guys stick their hand out like that, but it was a great play,” Morrissey said. “He had a couple of nice plays on comebackers to the mound.”

The Dukes (2-2-1) picked up their first win on April 12 with a comeback over Rondout, 6-4. Conn hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning to give the Dukes the lead. He had two hits and three RBI . Casey had a single and double in the game, Neer contributed a double and Ryder picked up the win on the mound.