JULY 14, 2004
Blunt, Golden Eagles continue mastery of Phillies
By WILL SPRINGSTEAD
springstead@poststar.com

ERIN R. COKER - THE POST STAR Saratoga’s Sean Ensel is tagged out at third base by Glens Falls’ Brad Beatty on a bunt attempt to advance Ensel during Tuesday’s game.

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- It took the Glens Falls Golden Eagles a little while to separate themselves from their rival Saratoga Phillies on Tuesday, but when they did, the result was one both teams have become used to.

The Golden Eagles broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning and went on to win 6-3 at East Side Recreational Field, giving the Eagles (24-9) a 6-1 lead in the season series and more comfort atop the East Division of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

Once again, leadoff hitter Terry Blunt was a disruptive force for Glens Falls, going 3-for-4 with a walk and four runs.

In fact, the top four hitters for Glens Falls -- which included Dave Williams, Ryan Basham and Chris Carlson -- delivered all the goods, figuring in on all of the runs.

Glens Falls manager John Mayotte was particularly pleased with his top three guys.

"When those top three hitters are doing what they're supposed to, we're a whole different team," Mayotte said. "And by their doing that, it allows us to be more aggressive, be more certain.

"And with Terry getting on base like he does, it's like a double or a triple every time," he added.

That's because Blunt has the green light to steal pretty much at will, which he took advantage of in the top of the first when Glens Falls jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Blunt led off with an infield single, stole second and moved to third on Basham's fielder's choice before Carlson knocked a two-run homer over the 362-feet sign in center field.

"I loved that," Mayotte said, "especially with a two-strike count on him. He hit it straightaway, which means he stayed within the swing, too."

But Saratoga (16-14) is nothing if not scrappy, and the Phillies tied it by scoring a run in each of the first two innings. Jeff Carroll's RBI single scored Gil Kim in the first, while Caleb Mangum's RBI single to center in the second brought in Shawn Ensel.

Getting hits wasn't a problem for the Phillies. They managed a total of 14, including 13 over eight innings against Glens Falls starter Jeremy Hall. But Saratoga often couldn't close the deal, stranding 11 (including two innings with the bases loaded) and hitting into three double plays.

"It's part of getting over the hump," Saratoga manager Matt Mueller said. "I still don't think we're there yet. We're just going to break out that one time and then it will be done."

In the fifth, Blunt had a one-out single to right field. Williams immediately followed with a double to right-center field.

The Eagles added two more in the seventh. Blunt walked, stole second and third and scored when first baseman Carroll made an errant throw into center to try to catch Williams stealing at second. Basham then singled Williams over to third and Carlson hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Williams and make it a 5-3 Glens Falls lead.

Glens Falls added another run by Blunt on a two-base throwing error in the top of the ninth before Saratoga rallied in the bottom of the inning.

Shawn Ensel (3-for-3) made it 6-3 for Saratoga after he scored from third on a wild pitch. He had made it that far by being hit by a pitch, moving to second on Jeff Nichols' single and a walk.

Wit the bases loaded, Casper Wells hit a deep grounder to second base. He appeared to beat the throw to first, but the umpire called otherwise to end the game, much to the displeasure of the Phillies and their fans.

"Unfortunately it had to end on a play like that, but we put ourselves in that point...we didn't particularly play good defense," Mueller said.

Both teams next play at Amsterdam, with Saratoga traveling to the Mohawks' field Thursday and the Eagles doing do Friday. Amsterdam is just ahead of Saratoga for second place in the division, so the game means a lot to the Phillies as they try for the division's second playoff spot.