SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The difference between winning and losing in baseball is so minuscule.

Throughout their losing skid in the first 16 games of the New York Collegiate Baseball League season, the Glens Falls Golden Eagles weren't necessarily a bad team, just one that didn't come through in the clutch.

But lately, the big hits that weren't are suddenly falling in, and pitching and solid defense aren't being wasted.

Tuesday night at East Side Rec, the Golden Eagles continued their recently improved play with a 5-2 win over the Saratoga Phillies in 11 innings.

The Golden Eagles have now won six of their last 10 games. Not exactly an imposing streak, but nonetheless, it's progress.

"I think everybody's relaxing a little more now that we're finally starting to hit," said designated hitter Pat Ferguson. "We're getting better swings and guys are expecting good things to happen."

It was Ferguson who made the most important good thing happen Tuesday. With the score tied at 2 in the 11th, the Golden Eagles took advantage of a big mistake. A grounder by Glens Falls' Danny Hughes was bobbled for an error by Chris Matesich, his second miscue of the game. After Mike Konstanty sacrificed Hughes over to second, Ferguson ripped a 1-1 fastball from Saratoga's Mike McLaurin into left field, scoring Hughes and helping Glens Falls beat the Phillies for the first time in four tries this summer.

A two-run single by Nick Valdes gave the Golden Eagles a three-run cushion.

"Pat's been struggling but he's hitting the ball harder; everybody's hitting the ball harder," Golden Eagles coach John Mayotte said. "Baseball's a funny game; we're being more aggressive and getting results."

Glens Falls (8-19) looked like it would go down meekly before capitalizing on that aggressiveness in the eighth.

With Queensbury native Will Groff on first and two outs, the Golden Eagles' David Williams hit a slow roller to Saratoga shortstop Matesich. Matesich's throw to first was low and bounced away from first baseman Adam Cronk. Groff, running on the play, scampered all the way home, beating a throw to the plate, to tie the score at 2.

Glens Falls threatened to go ahead, but on a passed ball, Williams was thrown out trying to score from second.

Early on, the game looked like it might be a rare night for offense to shine in the NYCBL. The two teams combined for nine hits and three runs in the first two innings, as both Shaun McNamara and the Phillies' David Schwimmer struggled with their location.

The Golden Eagles, who saw the University of Virginia's Schwimmer shut them down on one run and five hits back on June 22, jumped ahead in the top of the first. Back-to-back singles by Groff and Tony Clausen put runners on first and third with no outs, and Williams' subsequent fielder's choice gave Glens Falls an early 1-0 lead.

But the Phillies (11-15), after blowing a bases-loaded, no outs chance in the first, broke through in the second. Brian Thielemann and Kendall Horner laced singles, followed by Fuller Smith sending a hot shot past Groff at third, good for a base hit that tied the game at 1.

With McNamara, a right-hander from Brown University scuffling, UAlbany's Leo Corvino (three hits) drove in the go-ahead run when a chopper to short took a crazy hop over the head of Glens Falls' Ryan Saltzgaber.

The Phillies return to action tonight at home against Amsterdam at 7 p.m., while Glens Falls plays host to Watertown at 7 p.m.







GLENS FALLS SARATOGA

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Groff 3b 6 2 3 0 Corvino 6 0 3 1

Clausen cf 5 0 1 0 Whitman 3b 4 0 0 0

Williams rf 3 0 0 1 Greiner c 3 0 1 0

Hughes lf 4 1 1 0 Cronk 1b 5 0 0 0

Konstanty 1b 4 0 1 0 Merrell rf 5 0 1 0

Ferguson dh 4 1 2 1 Matesich ss 4 0 2 0

Saltzgaber ss 5 1 1 0 Thielemann dh 5 1 1 0

Hagey 2b 4 0 0 0 Horner 2b 5 1 0 0

Burt c 2 0 0 0 Smith cf 4 0 1 1

McNamara p 0 0 0 0 Schwimmer p 0 0 0 0

Valdez ph/c 3 0 1 2 McLaurin p 0 0 0 0

Salivar p 0 0 0 0

Mattes p 0 0 0 0

Totals 40 5 10 1 Totals 41 2 10 2



Glens Falls 100 000 010 03 -- 5

Saratoga 020 000 000 00 -- 2

E -- Burt,Matesich 2, McLaurin. LOB -- Glens Falls 8, Saratoga 12. 2B -- Matesich, Ferguson. 3B --. HR -- . SB -- Corvino.

IP H R ER BB SO

Glens Falls

McNamara 8 9 2 2 3 0

Salivar 2 1 0 0 3 4

Mattes 1 0 0 0 0 1

Saratoga

Schwimmer 8+ 8 2 1 2 6

McLaurin 2 2 3 2 0 4

WP: McLaurin. T -- 3:00. A -- 200 (est).