PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Junior Mariners were still displaying the effects Tuesday of their disheartening finish in the American Legion District 4 baseball tournament over the weekend in Saratoga Springs.
The Mariners, in a fight to make the Next Level Baseball League (NLBL) playoffs, dropped a 10-2 decision to the Colchester (Vt.) Junior Cannons at Lefty Wilson Field. The Mariners (12-15) were shut out until the seventh inning and were outhit 14-6.
“We played four really close games (in the district tournament) and I think the kids had a tough time tonight (Tuesday) getting up for this one,” acknowledged Mariners’ coach Gary Duquette.
The Junior Mariners will have little time to recover, however. They need to beat the Vermont Jays tonight at South Acres to reach the NLBL playoffs. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
The Junior Cannons (5-8-1) jumped on the listless Mariners early Tuesday. They took a 4-0 lead through three innings and then broke it open with a six-run fourth.
“They were hitting the ball all over the park,” Duquette said. “Our pitchers struggled a little bit with their command — they walked five and hit three batters.”
In the decisive fourth, the Cannons capitalized on three hits, an error, a hit-batsman and a base on balls.
Brandon Arel collected three hits with a triple to lead the Cannons. Josh LaRoche, Derek Sanderson and winning pitcher Luke Russell each chipped in with two hits. The visitors also had four extra-base hits.
The Mariners scored twice in the seventh. Dominick Delello singled, Andrew Kneussle reached on an error and Blake Altizer followed with an RBI single. Adam Goldfarb’s sacrifice fly plated the other run.
Nathan Emery had two hits, including a triple, for the Mariners.
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Jr. Cannons 10, Jr. Mariners 2
Jr. Cannons 013 600 0 — 10 14 1
Jr. Mariners 000 000 2 — 2 6 3
Russell, Lamphere (6) and Rylant. Q. Barber, Kneussle (4) and Altizer. WP- Russell. LP- Q. Barber. 3b- Arel (C), Emery (M). 2b- Moore (C), D. LaRoche (C), Sanderson (C).
