Monday 6/27 (Schenectady) - After a postponement in their first meeting, the Americans hosted the Pirates at the A-Diamond in Central Park on Monday evening. Manager Mike LaBarge has put together a solid group, who all seem to contribute. The Pirates were playing a little short-handed, (down 6 starters) but took it as a challenge, not an excuse, as guys played positions they hadn't played before, and held their own.
The Americans sent the always tough Jim Konstantakis to the hill, and his assortment of changing speeds with movement, was something the Pirates had seen, but hardly ever solve, and this night would be no different. The Buccos countered with Everyday Jimmie Dalton, and it looked like a long night in the making, as Mike Lannon and Vinnie Koster singled and doubled and came around on rbi fielder choice plays by Rich Garbarino, and LaBarge, to jump out 2-0. Pirates battled right back on knocks by "out of retirement" Darnell Baker, Kim Burns, and Kenny Shaw, to plate a singleton, followed by a Cos DiBari rbi as he reached on an error. Konstantakis bore down, and got a 6-4-3 DP to shut it down, but Pirates has wrestled a 3-2 lead. Dalton's struggles continued as 3 consecutive errors, followed by Koster and Garbarino singles, added 3 runs to a 5-3 lead. Pirates closed to 5-4 in the 3rd, on the second of Jim Ansel's 2-hit nite, followed by a one-hop double off the left field fence by Baker. Jim K. then found his stride, retired 10 of the next 12. Dalton also settled in with 1 run over the next three frames. At 6-4, Bucs got on the board again, on a Shaw single, grabbing a bag at 2nd, and coming around on Harold JenkinsFC, rbi. That's as close as Konstantakis, would let the Pirates get on this nite, with LaBarge turning in a sparkler on a back-handed grab at 3B on a shot ticketed to double territory, to continue to frustrate the Black and Gold boys.
The Saber-rattlers had won their last two in walk-off fashion, but the hill became a mountain as Dalton came back out for the 6th. After only one 3-ball count through 5, Dalton lost the zone walking the lead-off man Brad Buchan on four pitches, and then a single to long time battery mate Billy Smith. Another walk from the tiring pus-thrower, had the bases drunk with Americans. With the infield in, Baker made a nice play to get a force at the plate for the 1st out. Next batter Lannon lined a shot against the drawn in infield that the Bucs "D" briefly mishandled allowing a run to score but recorded the 2nd out, and Pirates were still in it. Koster's 3rd hit of the day, followed by the Toyota Turning Point of the game, a triple ripped in the gap by Garbadino, his 2nd hit and 3rd rib-eye steak on the nite, and iced the "W" for the Americans, by a final tally of 11-5!
Kudos to Pirates Kim Burns manning up as the emergency catcher, and doing a great job!
A fun game to be part of, as it was a reunion of the old 38-Division Waterford Fordians, with Lannon, Koster, Smitty, and Konstantakis from the Amerks playing across from Baker and Dalton....where have you gone House, Hondo, Donnie McCann, Read Shepard and Harry Ferguson, et al!!
IP H R ER BB K WP Dalton - LP 2-5 6 10 11 5 2 1 1 Konstantakis - WP 7 9 5 3 4 2 1
