Stahler powers Cougars past Spa Catholic
By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald
POSTED: May 16, 2008
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Three two-out errors, one each in the third, fourth and fifth innings led to four Saratoga Catholic runs, but Stahler fell a triple short of the cycle leading the Cougars to a 6-5 win.
“We still didn’t play D [defense],” Canajoharie coach Brent Watterson said. “Four of their five runs came on errors. If we can play some D now, we’ll be back because we’re hitting again.”
The biggest of Stahler’s three hits was a two-run home run to left-center field in the bottom of the fifth inning that gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead off the Saints’ top pitcher Dennis Tario. Stahler gave Canajoharie its first lead since the Saints put up three runs in the third.
“It helped put us up,” Stahler said. “Then we came up and got some outs and we won.”
The Cougars (13-6 overall, 11-5 WAC) rapped out 12 hits off Tario, putting runners on against him in every inning although Stahler was erased on a double play in the first inning.
After Stahler’s fifth-inning home run, the Cougars loaded the bases with one out, but Dylan Slater hit a fly ball to right field that was caught by Tucker Carlson, who cut down pinch runner Riley Smith trying to score.
“It’s disappointing,” Saratoga Catholic coach Alphonse Lambert said. “I think we played a great game. We played good enough to win. We got out-hit. The kids played well. We had a couple of nice plays. That pickoff in a first-and-third situation got us out of that inning.”
Looking for insurance, the Cougars put runners on first and third with one out and Lambert brought in freshman Billy McDonough to pitch. After he struck out Stahler for the second out, catcher Jack Keller picked Jake Tamsett off third to end the inning.
“He did a great job,” Lambert said. “It’s tough because Dennis is a senior and McDonough’s a freshman. Dennis has been a warrior for us. He’s a top-notch pitcher and he didn’t have it today.”
Ryan Howard got the start for Canajoharie and went the first four innings and pitched the fourth after getting hit in the left shin by Keller’s ground ball to end the third. He allowed was charged with four runs, two earned.
“We’ve been tired all week,” Watterson said. “The Bower Tournament took all our pitching out. Howard started today and he shouldn’t have started today, but I didn’t have anything else to go to.”
Watterson went to Anthony Taylor in the fifth and despite getting off to rough starts with his control, walking the first three batters in each of his two previous outings, he allowed only one run on his own throwing error and retired the top of the Saints’ batting order 1-2-3 in the seventh for the win.
The Cougars got on the board first when Zach Fleisher homered to left in the second inning, but the Saints (17-5 overall, 12-5 WAC) came right back in the top of the third.
Howard walked Logan Valenty to start the inning and Carlson moved him over to second with a sacrifice bunt. After McDonough crossed him over to third base with a ground out, Danny O’Rourke tied the game with a single up the middle.
Shane Matthews gave the Saints their first lead of the day when he tripled into the right-center field gap chasing O’Rourke home. Howard appeared to be out of it when he induced a grounder to shortstop from Tario, but Dane O’Neil got caught on an in-between hop and was unable to make a play. The inning finally ended when Keller grounded out off Howard’s shin.
The Cougars pulled to within a run on Stahler’s two-out double, but Jake Horning dropped Carlson’s two-out fly ball in the top of the fourth allowing Logan Valenty to score giving the Saints a 4-2 lead.
Run-scoring singles by Howard and Ehrenreich tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth, but Taylor allowed a double to Shane Matthews with one out in the fifth.
After Tario grounded to shortstop, Taylor threw away the throw on Keller’s ground ball , allowing Matthews to score and give the Saints a 5-4 lead.
“We’ve had a few errors and we definitely hit the ball today,” Stahler said.
Oeser singled to start the fifth inning putting himself on base for Stahler’s home run that gave the Cougars the lead.
Taylor did the rest retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh to earn the win. He struck out two in his three innings.
“His previous two starts, he’s walked the first three batters in each game on 12 pitches,” Watterson said. “Here he throws well and he’s not healthy, but I give him a lot of credit.”
Canajoharie 6, Saratoga Catholic 5
Saratoga Catholic 003 110 0 – 5 4 2
Canajoharie 011 220 x – 6 12 3
Tario, McDonough (7) and Keller; Howard, Taylor (5) and Fleischer
