By STEPHEN DRAVIS
Special to The Post-Star
GLENS FALLS - After picking up win No. 2 in the still young New York Collegiate Baseball League season, the Glens Falls Golden Eagles were not turning cartwheels.
But they are hoping their 5-3 win over Watertown on Friday night can help them turn the corner going into a long weekend at East Field.
"We were getting a little bit frustrated," Glens Falls first baseman Danny Hughes said of the team's 1-9 start. "But we know we've got a good team, and we started to swing the bats tonight. Hopefully that will keep rolling over into the next few games.
"We have four games this weekend. So this was a good way to get it started."
Hughes, a rising senior at Brown University, helped get the Eagles' bats rolling with a single and a run scored in their three-run third inning. He went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to lead a seven-hit Glens Falls attack.
On the mound, SUNY Cortland's Jim Dougher allowed two runs in seven innings for the win, and his Cortland teammate and Queensbury resident Justin Mattes earned his second save of the season.
Dougher struck out nine, walked one and pitched around three of Glens Falls' four errors for his first win of the year.
Most importantly for Glens Falls coach John Mayotte, Dougher's performance kept the rest of the bullpen intact with double-headers today and Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Drew Mahan and Mattes each pitched an inning of scoreless relief.
"We needed to get at least seven innings (from Dougher)," Mayotte said. "We don't mind going with two guys short because they now can come back tomorrow and possibly on Sunday as well.
"If we don't get a quality start from Dougher, we're in trouble for the weekend."
Dougher went 5-0 with a 1.65 ERA this spring for Division III Cortland. On Friday, he showed that he can put up the same kind of numbers against a Division I-dominated lineup.
"He continues to throw his pitches for strikes," Mayotte said. "He can throw his breaking ball for a strike. And you always feel he's capable of getting out of a tough situation. He's a great competitor, and he has command of at least two pitches."
Watertown starter Mike Schellinger had command of the Golden Eagles (2-9) for two innings and took a 1-0 lead into the third.
But Darren Clark drew a leadoff walk and went to second on Hughes' single. After John Burt bunted both runners into scoring position, Ryan Saltzgaber drove in the Eagles' first run on a sacrifice fly.
Shaun Hagey was hit by a pitch before Tony Clausen singled to drive home Hughes and put runners on the corners with two out. Glens Falls executed a double steal with Hagey coming home for a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles tacked in single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Clark and Hughes doubled back-to-back in the fourth. Saltzgaber tripled and came in on Hagey's sac fly in the fifth.
Watertown (7-3) rallied for a couple of runs in the seventh, but Dougher got two Wizards to pop up with the bases loaded to end the rally.
Glens Falls hosts Allegany County of the NYCBL's West Division today.
WATERTOWN GLENS FALLS
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Pennell cf 2 1 0 0 Saltzgaber ss 3 1 1 1
Grantham ss 5 0 1 0 Hagey 2b 2 1 0 1
Feeney 3b 4 0 1 0 Clausen cf 4 0 1 1
Conley rf 5 0 1 1 Ferguson lf 4 0 1 0
Mendillo c 4 0 0 0 Konstanty 3b 4 0 1 0
Hussey 2b 4 1 0 0 Falasca dh 4 0 0 0
Anderson 1b 4 1 1 0 Clark rf 2 2 1 0
Beltz dh 4 0 0 0 Hughes 1b 3 1 2 1
Lyon lf 4 0 2 2 Burt c 2 0 0 0
Totals 36 3 6 3 Totals 27 5 7 4
Watertown 100 000 200 -- 3 6 1
Glens Falls 003 110 00X -- 5 7 4
E -- Schellinger, Konstanty (2), Hagey, Saltzgaber. LOB -- Watertown 10, Glens Falls 5. 3B -- Saltzgaber. 2B -- Anderson, Clark, Hughes. SB -- Hagey, Clausen, Konstanty. Sac Bunt -- Pennell, Burt. Sac Fly -- Saltzgaber, Hagey.
IP H R ER BB K
Watertown
Schellinger, L 7 5 5 5 1 10
Hastry 1 2 0 0 0 1
Glens Falls
Dougher, W 7 6 3 2 1 9
Mahan 1 0 0 0 0 1
Mattes, S 1 0 0 0 2 1
HBP -- Hagey (Schellinger), Clark (Schellinger). PB -- Mendillo.
Time-- 2:14. A-- 150 (est)