WATERTOWN WIZARDS 8, LITTLE FALLS MINERS 7, nine innings, first game

LITTLE FALLS MINERS 3, WATERTOWN WIZARDS 1, second game

LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. — The Little Falls Miners pulled out all their stops in an effort to win the opening game of Tuesday’s doubleheader — and lost. They cobbled together what they had left and defeated Watertown Wizards 3-1 in the nightcap to salvage a split with the Wizards.

After blowing a six-run lead and losing the opener 7-6 in nine innings, the Miners faced an uphill battle in Game 2. With only three regular pitchers available for what manager Justin Gordon had termed a “staff game,” Little Falls squared off against Jefferson Community College right-hander Luis Castillo, a returning New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star who was making his first start of the summer.

“To be quite honest we went for it in Game 1,” Gordon said. “We used the three pitchers we thought gave us the best chance to win.”

The Wizards got a run for Castillo in the first inning when Jordan Kreke led off the second game with a single an scored on a two-out hit by Derek Marshall. That run would be the last of the night for Watertown.

Jared Barnes, a right-hander who has not started a collegiate game in three years at Wheaton College, gave the Miners 4 2/3 solid innings before turning the game over to what was left of the bullpen. Barnes struck out three batters and walked one while allowing eight hits.

“We didn’t know going into the game if he had one inning or two or three,” Gordon admitted.

The Miners helped Barnes and reliever Joe Rodriguez out where they could defensively. Watertown hit into three line-drive double plays in the second game and was unable to score in the fifth inning despite getting a runner to third base with nobody out.

Khyle Dimino bunted for a hit, Kreke reached base with an infield hit and a double steal put the runners at second and third to start the fifth. Shortstop Andrew Stafford held the runners on Jake Gorman’s grounder before Barnes walked Keli’i Zablan to load the bases. The Miners brought their infield in with Marshall at the plate and third baseman Joaquin Vasquez turned a ground ball into a force out at the plate. Gordon then summoned Rodriguez from the bullpen to pitch to Curtis Lazar and the left-handed swinger was retired on a called third strike to end the inning.

Castillo walked Stafford and John Spatola, the eighth and ninth batters in Little Falls’ lineup, to start the bottom of the fifth. A but by Nick Campbell moved each runner up one base and brought Taylor Traub to the plate. Castillo’s first pitch to Traub was in the dirt and deflected off Marshall’s shin guard toward the visitors’ dugout as Stafford dashed home from third base to score the go-ahead run.

The Miners added a run in the sixth when Mike Augustine and Valdes started the inning with back-to-back singles. Valdes was forced out at second base on David Wendt’s grounder to shortstop but Gorman’s relay throw to first base sailed past its target and allowed pinch-runner Tony Luciani to score.

Wendt had scored the first run for  Little Falls back in the second inning. Wendt singled with one out, went to third on a hit by Zach Thoma and scored on Stafford’s sacrifice fly.

Rodriguez earned his second victory in as many decisions with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He walked the leadoff batters in the sixth and seventh innings but picked Ryan Faidley off in the sixth and erased Kreke when Gorman lined into a double play in the seventh.

The first game got off to a great start for the Miners but went downhill after that. They matched their most productive inning of the season when they scored four runs in the bottom of the first after Jimmy Hoyt set the Wizards down in order with two strikeouts in the top of the inning. A single by Campbell, a double by Traub and Jeff Lieneck’s walk loaded the bases with nobody out and the first run came home when Augustine lined out to right field. Valdes followed Augustine to the plate and deposited a pitch from Kyle Hamman beyond the fence to the left of center field for his third home run of the season and the first for a Miner at Veterans Memorial Park.

A two-out error led to two more runs in the third inning and a 6-0 lead for the Miners. Dimino dropped Wendt’s fly ball in center field, allowing Lieneck to score on the play. Wendt ended up at second base on the miscue and scored when Thoma singled to left field.

Hoyt retired Watertown’s first two batters in the fourth before running into trouble. Having escaped a bases-loaded jam one inning earlier, Hoyt gave up a double to Sam Mahoney and an infield hit to Greg Herbst to put runners on the corners with two outs. Brad Felder drove in one run with a single and two more came home when the speedy Dimino made up for his error with a triple into the right field corner. Tom Barry’s single was the fifth consecutive hit for the Wizards and drove home their fourth run.

The Miners made a pair of errors behind Jake Arendsen in the fifth inning and allowed Watertown to tie the score with two more runs.

Little Falls had missed a chance to add to its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Watertown’s Jordon Allen gave up hits to the first two batters he faced then hit Lieneck to load the bases with one out before striking out Augustine and Valdes.

Eric Fama relieved Arendsen with Wizards on first and second and one out in the sixth. He struck out the next two batters to end the inning and begin a streak of five consecutive strikeouts. Fama retired seven batters in a row before Barry fisted a single into center field with one out in the eighth. Barry stole second base and scored when Gorman dropped a double on the left field line.

Trailing for the first time Little Falls fought back in the bottom of the eighth. Wendt singled leading off and Ryan George relieved Allen for Watertown. Thoma’s bunt advanced Wendt to second base and a wild pitch moved him to third. Stafford worked a walk after Mahoney, the Watertown catcher, missed his pop fly in foul territory. One out later Campbell knocked in the tying run with a check swing single over Kreke at shortstop.

Herbst doubled in a run with two outs in the ninth to give Watertown the lead again and Little Falls was unable to come back a second time. Brett Fratzke walked Lieneck to start the bottom of the ninth but ended the game with a strikeouts and a double play grounder.

Campbell had three hits for Little Falls in the opening game and Thoma also had a three-hit night with two in the first game and one in the second.

Barry had three hits leading off in Game 1 and two more as the No. 8 hitter in the nightcap.

The home win was a rarity for the Miners whose loss in Tuesday’s opener was their ninth in 11 games at Veterans Memorial Park. Little Falls had lost seven consecutive home games since beating Bennington June 12.

The Miners will play single 5 p.m. games the next two nights against the Bennington Bombers. The teams meet Wednesday in Bennington, Vt., and Thursday in Little Falls before the league takes Friday off to celebrate Independence Day. Morgan Smith is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Miners Wednesday with Jared Freni taking the mound the following night.

WATERTOWN WIZARDS 8, LITTLE FALLS MINERS 7, nine innings, first game

Watertown  000 420 011 — 8  12  3

Little Falls  402 000 010 — 7  10  2

Kyle Hamman, Jordon Allen (4), Ryan George (8), Brett Fratzke (9) and Sam Mahoney. Jimmy Hoyt, Jake Arendsen (5), Eric Fama (6) and David Wendt. W — George 1-0. L — Fama 0-1. Sv — Fratzke (1). 2B — Watertown, Mahoney, Jordan Kreke, Jake Gorman, Greg Herbst; Little Falls, Taylor Traub. 3B — Watertown, Khyle Dimino. HR — Little Falls, Joaquin Valdes (3).

LITTLE FALLS MINERS 3, WATERTOWN WIZARDS 1, second game

Watertown  100 000 0 — 1  9  1

Little Falls  010 011 x — 3  5  1

Luis Castillo and Derek Marshall. Jared Barnes, Joe Rodriguez (5) and Jeff Lieneck. W — Rodriguez 2-0. L — Castillo 0-1. 2B — Watertown, Jake Gorman. Attendance — 254.

Compiled From Evening Times Staff Reports