LITTLE FALLS MINERS 6, SARATOGA PHILLIES 4

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Between the rain drops the Little Falls Miners have rediscovered a winning path.

Nate Bayuk threw six effective innings and earned his first New York Collegiate Baseball League victory Sunday and the Miners held on to defeat the Saratoga Phillies 6-4 for their second consecutive win and second straight victory at East Side Recreation Park.

Eric Fama got the Miners out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth then worked into and out of another in the ninth to nail down his sixth save of the season. The hard-throwing Rhode Island College right-hander inherited runners at first and second with two outs and three runs already home in the eighth inning; Dennis O’Grady popped up to shortstop Zach Thoma and Little Falls trotted off the field with a 6-4 lead.

After Billy Vernon set the Miners down in order in the top of the ninth, Fama walked Nate Holland to start the bottom of the inning and brought Little Falls nemesis J.D. Martinez to the plate as the potential tying run. Martinez, who has five home runs off Little Falls pitching this season, grounded out to second base for the first out of the inning. Ty Hohman singled, putting the tying runs on the corners with one out before Fama struck out Vince Farfaglia and retired Mike Moss on a ground ball to first base to end the game.

Fama has saved six of Little Falls’ eight victories and failed to convert only one opportunity. He has yet to allow an earned run in 14 2/3 innings.

Bayuk (1-2) went six innings in his third start and limited Saratoga to a single run in the first inning and three total hits. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced after Farfaglia doubled leading off the fourth inning. Joe Rodriguez pitched a scoreless seventh inning before running into trouble in the eighth with a 6-1 lead.

Martinez and Hohman singled to start the eighth and Rodriguez fanned the next two batters. A double by Tyler Biddix drove home two runs and back-to-back singles by Kyle Meyer and Domonique Rodgers plated another run before Fama was summoned.

Phillie Jason Zinser (1-1) made quick work of the Miners in the first three innings, allowing one hit and striking out five of seven batters in one sequence. Zinser hit Jeff Lieneck with a pitch to start the fourth inning and one out later Joaquin Valdes homered to center field for a 2-1 Little Falls lead. The Miners added a run in the fifth on Taylor Traub’s sacrifice fly then got three more in the seventh. Nick Campbell and Lieneck singled in the seventh inning and Campbell scored when Mike Augustine grounded into a force play. A throwing error on Valdes’ grounder to third put runners at second and third with two outs and both scored on a single by David Wendt.

Wendt singled twice for the Miners who were outhit 10-7. Hohman, Meyer and Rodgers all had two hits for Saratoga.

The Miners are home at Veterans Memorial Park for back-to-back doubleheaders Monday against Amsterdam and Tuesday against Watertown. Monday’s doubleheader was rescheduled from Saturday when afternoon rain left the field unplayable; the doubleheader also includes a make-up game from Thursday’s postponed Little Falls Hospital Night. Tuesday’s doubleheader includes a game rescheduled from Thursday.

Both twinbills begin at 5 p.m. and tickets from both postponements will be honored at the gate. Tickets for the Little Falls Hospital-sponsored raffle of two New York Mets tickets and bats autographed by Derek Jeter and Vernon Wells will be sold both nights with winners to be drawn Tuesday; winners will not need to be present to claim their prizes.

LITTLE FALLS MINERS 6, SARATOGA PHILLIES 4

Little Falls  000 210 300 — 6  7  0

Saratoga  100 000 030 — 4  10  2

Nate Bayuk, Joe Rodriguez (7), Eric Fama (8) and Jeff Lieneck. Jason Zinser, Matt Tomshaw (6), Josh Simmons (8), Billy Vernon (9) and Mike Moss. W — Bayuk 1-2. L — Zinser 1-1. Sv — Fama (6). 2B — Saratoga, Vince Farfaglia, Tyler Biddix. HR — Little Falls, Joaquin Valdes (2). Records — Little Falls 8-9; Saratoga 8-11. Attendance — 200.

Compiled From Evening Times Staff Reports