A Stampede That Can't be Stopped

The Saratoga 22-and-under college wood-bat team continues to win, even though they’re not exactly burning up their wooden bats.
With a record of 16-2, the Stampede has managed to win 16 of 17 games since their opening-day road loss to the Tri-County Bees.
Even though Saratoga still hasn’t found its groove yet with the wooden clubs, manager Paul Mound has been able to guide his team to victory by enhancing other aspects of their games, such as pitching, defense, and taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes.
For example, last Tuesday night the Stampede defeated the P.N.A. Eagles by a score of 9-5, but they managed just seven base hits. The Stampede won by taking advantage of P.N.A.’s three errors, as well as the nine bases-on-balls from the Eagles’ pitching staff.
Saratoga plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning when Eagles starting pitcher Will LaRose walked two of the first three batters in the inning.
In the second, the Stampede scored their third run thanks to a leadoff error by P.N.A. second baseman Dan Conley. The error landed Saratoga catcher Kenny Recore at second base, and then he went to third on a wild pitch. He would score two batters later when Neil Callahan grounded out to third.
Saratoga added another run the following inning when it looked like they were going to be sent down in order.
After Ryan Washburn and Andy Brown struck out, back-to-back walks put runners on first and second. A passed ball moved the runners up a base, and then a wild pitch plated Bobby Murphy.
The Stampede scored five more runs over the next two innings on just four hits. Again they preyed on the weakness of their foes, as they made use of five walks, mixing them in with a couple of hits to drive home three of the walked batters.
Saratoga did get a taste of its own medicine, however, as P.N.A. scored five unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning off of two Stampede errors to take a then 5-4 lead. But Saratoga starting pitcher and Skidmore College product Ed Reilly sucked it up and held on for the complete-game win, raising his record to 3-0 on the year. Similarly, the Stampede scored nine runs on only six base hits against Ravena last Monday, they scored 14 runs on just eight hits against Niskayuna on June 7, and they plated four runs on three hits against the Tri-County Bees on June 5.
Mound is confident that his team’s batting average will improve as the season goes on.
“Early on the adjustment that is made between hitting wood and aluminum is huge,” said Mound. “No Matter what type of hitter you are, you have to make a major adjustment from metal back to wood bats.”
The Stampede is beginning to make the necessary adjustments needed to win games.
“We’re hitting the ball on the screws right now,” said Mound. “Every ball that they’re hitting, they’re hitting hard. Once they made the adjustment to where the sweet spot is, the team batting average was raised by 70 points, from .200 to .270 as a team.”
When asked if he could name one player who could help the club significantly once he got hot with the wood bats, Mound did not hesitate to answer.
“Without a doubt, when Matt Kelley makes his adjustments, he’s capable of carrying a team solely on his back,” said Mound. “We’re also getting offensive contribution right now from Kenny Recore, Andy Brown, and Bobby Murphy.
Mound also spoke of Dan Randall, who has been Saratoga’s best hitter this far.
“Dan Randall has been consistent from day one with wood in his hands. He is probably one of the most feared hitters in our league, regardless of having wood or metal in his hands,” said the coach.
However, during this “slump”, it has been the Stampede’s pitching that has kept them in the win column.
Ed Reilly, Skidmore College’s ace, is undefeated at 3-0. The southpaw did a great job of keeping his composure as he surrendered five unearned runs last Tuesday night while holding on for the complete-game win.
“We’ve had consistent performances up and down our rotation,” Mound said. “We’ve gotten some solid performances out of Kevin Gent, as well as Travis Wilson. For that matter, Matt Kelley and Ryan Washburn would be indicative of our team’s 0.85 earned run average.”
Whether they start to hit the ball or not, the Stampede is still doing all the little things right that equate to wins: good defense, solid pitching, and taking advantage of the gifts that the opposition gives you.
Maybe that’s why their record is 16-2.