GLENS FALLS -- Darren Clark turned around and jogged off three steps toward the cavernous East Field bleachers before he knew reliever Brian Johnson had made a mistake.

Clark didn't need to give chase to the fly ball Plattsburgh's Ted Mullen deposited into the right-field seats. Not too many baseballs reach the right-field bleachers at East. There was little question about this one.

Mullen crushed a 2-1 fastball from Johnson for a three-run home run in the top of seventh, handing Glens Falls a 4-1 setback Monday.

The loss was the Golden Eagles' seventh in their first eight games. Aside from Ryan Saltzgaber's gapper and a Danny Hughes' liner, Glens Falls' listless lineup never threatened after a laborious first inning when it scored its lone run.

Head coach John Mayotte realizes his team is in the throes of the early season, a stark contrast from a successful summer a year ago. The pitching has been adequate. The hitting, however, has been a struggle.

"It's a different cast of characters this season. Some guys show up, some don't," Mayotte said. "It's been like that all year for us. Pitching. Yes. Hitting. Nowhere to be found."

If anything was salvaged from the loss, it was the appearance of Glens Falls starter Casey Walsh.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander from Ithaca who now attends the University at Albany, made his first start in more than two years against Plattsburgh. Walsh underwent Tommy John surgery as a high school senior and appeared in minor relief stints since arriving at Albany.

But this summer serves as a rehabilitation assignment for Walsh. He was on a 65-pitch count and completed four innings before he left a tied game. Walsh fell into some old habits in the start. He cupped his wrist, had problems hitting corners with his fastball, but managed to leave the game almost unscathed after a near-disasterous first inning.

"The arm's still a little tight, but I started to feel comfortable after awhile. It's going to take some time," Walsh said. "This summer is serving its purpose. Two and a half years is a long time. That's why this is important for me."

Pitching hasn't plagued Glens Falls, though. Even with an anemic lineup, the Golden Eagles still had opportunities to manufacture runs. Twelve runners were left on base, though, giving Mayotte another offensive concern in the early stages of the summer.

Still, one pitch was the difference against Plattsburgh. And Mullen corrected Johnson's mistake.

"In a 9-8 game, that pitch is meaningless, but in this one, when runs are tough to come by, it's not good," Mayotte said. "One bad pitch, but that thing sure took off."



PLATTSBURGH GLENS FALLS

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Hollis cf 4 2 2 0 Saltzgaber ss 4 1 1 0

Richardson lf 5 1 4 0 Hill lf 3 0 1 0

Wyland 3b 5 0 0 0 Groff ph 1 0 0 0

Mullen 1b 4 1 1 3 Ferguson 1b 4 0 0 0

Chapman dh 2 0 1 1 Clark rf 3 0 0 1

Harrigan rf 4 0 0 0 Valdez c 3 0 0 0

Mingin c 3 0 0 0 Hughes dh 3 0 1 0

Maranges 2b 4 0 0 0 Hagey 3b-2b 2 0 1 0

Bouchard ss 3 0 2 0 Clausen cf 3 0 0 0

Flagello p 0 0 0 0 Cox 2b 2 0 0 0

Budinsky p 0 0 0 0 Konstanty 3b 1 0 1 0

Walsh p 0 0 0 0

Johnson p 0 0 0 0

Dougher p 0 0 0 0

Totals 34 4 10 4 Totals 29 1 5 1 Plattsburgh 100 000 300 -- 4

Glens Falls 100 000 000 -- 1

E -- Harrigan. LOB -- Plattsburgh 13; Glens Falls 12. 2B -- Richardson (3), Saltzgaber, Hughes. HR -- Mullen. SB -- Bouchard (2), Hollis, Hagey, Clausen. CS -- Bouchard, Cox.

IP H R ER BB SO

Plattsburgh

Flagello, W 7 4 1 1 4 9

Budinsky, S 2 1 0 0 1 0 0

Glens Falls

Walsh 4 5 1 1 1 4

Johnson, L 3 4 3 3 2 2

Dougher 2 1 0 0 0 0 4

HBP -- Harrigan (by Walsh), Clausen (by Flagello), Bouchard (by Johnson), Mingin (by Johnson), Cox (by Flagello). WP -- Walsh, Flagello. T -- 2:41. A -- 69.