JUNE 11, 2004
Glens Falls wins again
Tennessee connection leads Golden Eagles past Plattsburgh
By MICHAEL LEWIS Local Sports, THE POST-STAR

GLENS FALLS -- Steven Calicutt knew nobody in New York last week except for his friend Jeremy Hall.

The pair of East Tennessee State University teammates are new to Glens Falls, but they're fast becoming fan favorites as pitching aces for the Glens Falls Golden Eagles.

Hall is already 2-0, and Calicutt showed he's capable of keeping up Thursday night at East Field.

The right-hander stifled the undefeated Plattsburgh Thunder for seven innings, helping Glens Falls rip off a 5-2 win before 204 fans.

The Golden Eagles (6-2) won their third straight game and moved just a half-game behind Plattsburgh (6-1) for first place in the New York Collegiate Baseball League's Eastern Division.

The quiet Calicutt said he and Hall are enjoying themselves so far.

"My first experience with New York has been good, real good," said Calicutt, who'll be a junior at ETSU this year. "My host family has taken me out to O'Toole's (Restaurant) a couple of times, and the guys on the team are great."

Calicutt, a 6-foot-2 hard thrower, is looking to rebound this summer from a tough spring season, when he went 5-9 with a 9.04 ERA for the Buccaneers as the team's No. 2 starter (Hall was No.1, Calicutt said).

Calicutt faced the Thunder last Saturday in Plattsburgh, and after a strong four innings lost his control and was hit around while suffering the loss.

But Thursday he was stellar, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out eight.

"He was getting a little too far underneath on his curveball (Saturday), but tonight he was really snapping it off and throwing well," said Golden Eagles head coach John Mayotte. "I saw him and (Hall) down in Florida during the college season, and I thought both of them had great stuff."

Calicutt's only major trouble came in the top of the sixth, when two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out and the Eagles leading 3-0.

But Calicutt blew a 2-2 fastball by Ryan Mitchell for the second out, then induced a flyout by Ryan Price to end the threat.

While Calicutt (1-1) was mowing down Plattsburgh's hitters, Glens Falls batters were doing just enough off Thunder pitcher Nicholas Biron. The Eagles got at least one hit in the first six innings, and took a 2-0 lead on center fielder Terry Blunt's solo home run in the bottom of the third.

"He jammed me my first time up and I decided I wasn't going to let that happen again," Blunt said. "A homer with a wood bat feels twice as good as one with aluminum."

After building a 3-0 lead, the Eagles suffered some anxious moments in the eighth, when, with the score 3-1, Plattsburgh's Price ripped an RBI double off former Glens Falls High School hurler Dane Cory. But Shawn Ryan came on and with one pitch snuffed out the threat, getting a double-play groundout.

Tommy Hill had two hits and two RBIs for the Golden Eagles, while Jeremy Goldschmeding and Ryan Basham had a pair of hits as well.

Glens Falls enjoys its first day off of the season today, then returns to action Saturday, playing host to Saratoga.

Extra-base hits: Brett Zamzow, a Golden Eagles pitcher from Navarro Junior College, was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 28th round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft Tuesday night; Golden Eagles owner Charles Adams said Thursday he expected Zamzow to remain with the club, though ... The Golden Eagles had a tribute to Ray Charles, who died Thursday, at the game. Charles' rendition of "America The Beautiful" was played after the sixth inning.