SARATOGA SPRINGS —Late-season play has not been easy on the first-place Glens Falls Golden Eagles.
Heading into Thursday night's doubleheader against the fourth-place Saratoga Phillies, the Eagles were on a two-game losing streak for the first time this season. The losing streak stretched to three games with a 2-1 loss in the first game.
In the first game, the Phillies capitalized on Bryan Rose's single and an error in the third inning, which sent Mitch Davis home for the first run of the game. One hit later, on a single by Sean Allaire, Rose ran in for Saratoga's second score.
Glens Falls retaliated with an RBI double by Rodarrick Jones, but the Eagles' lone run was not enough to top the Phillies.
In the second game, Glens Falls managed to squeeze out a win similar to how Saratoga squeaked by in the first.
The Eagles came out strong with No. 2 hitter Anthony Giansanti charging from first to home on Chris Lashmet's single in the first inning. Lashmet's deep drive down the right-field line was poorly thrown to the cut-off man, allowing Giansanti to score.
"We were just trying to get something going," said Giansanti, a right fielder. "I got a good jump off the pitcher, and coach sent me home."
Glens Falls head coach John Mayotte was pleased with his team's nightcap performance.
"In the second game, I thought we had some good things going. ... (Giansanti's) a good base runner," he said. Mayotte was also impressed with Kevin Berry's run-scoring double in the fourth, which made for the Eagles' second and final run of the game. The final result, however, ultimately boiled down to pitcher Willie Beard's six-inning shutout, he said.
"I thought he had great command," Mayotte said. "He's one of the only guys in the league that when he gets a breaking count, he can throw anything."
Mayotte sent in reliever Francis Brooke to close the seventh after Beard had thrown 88 pitches. "We didn't want him to go too far," he said, "and he was losing it a little."
The combined pitching performance solidified the shutout and boosted Glens Falls to 26 -11 after three consecutive losses.
"We're very happy with the shutout, and obviously if they don't score, they can't win," Giansanti said. "I just think our hitters are starting to push a little too hard. ... (The) hitting is going to come around sooner or later, and when it does, we'll be dangerous."