The West Division Official Opens Its Season Today
The second week of the NYCBL kicks off on Monday with three scheduled games, including a doubleheader between the second place 3-1 Watertown Wizards and the third place 2-2 Saratoga Phillies, in addition to an exhibition game between the Geneva Red Wings and the Elmira Pioneers.
Having played both the Phillies and the Wizards already this season, losing two pitching duels to Saratoga and defeating the Wizards with their biggest offensive output of the immature season, the Glens Falls Golden Eagles find themselves tied with the Phillies for third place in the NYCBL East Division.
Official league games start for the West Division on Tuesday when the Pioneers travel to Webster for a showdown with the Yankees and the Brockport Riverbats go on the road to play the Allegany County Nitros.
The Golden Eagles next play the Amsterdam Mohawks at Shuttleworth Park on Tuesday, June 9. Last season, the Mohawks finished second in the East Division behind the Golden Eagles and currently sit in first place with a perfect 3-0 win-loss record. Glens Falls handed Watertown their first lost of the season on Saturday night, erupting for 19 hits in a 12-7 win over the Wizards.
The last time the Golden Eagles played Amsterdam away from East Field, in the 2008 playoffs, they lost 5-2 in game two of the conference championships. Behind the right arm of sophomore Jamie Storey (Midland College) the Golden Eagles trailed 3-0 after the first and never quite recovered. Game two; however, was a different story as the Golden Eagles hung on to a 6-5 win over the Mohawks and tied the playoff series at one game a piece. Sophomore reliever/outfielder Anthony Giansanti (Siena) picked up his second save of the 2008 postseason, both in the Amsterdam series, striking out three in one and two-thirds innings in the deciding game.
Both Giansanti and Storey return to the 2009 Glens Falls Golden Eagles roster. Expect Storey to make his first appearance on Tuesday in a start against the Mohawks and the everyday player Giansanti to spend time roaming the outfield.
Down the stretch and in the 2008 playoffs Giansanti proved virtually un-hittable, allowing zero runs in over seven innings, saving three games, striking out nine batters, and holding opponents batting average to .087. Of the 23 hitters he faced during the playoffs, two knocked base hits and none walked. During the 2008 season, Giansanti appeared in eight and two-thirds innings, allowed one earned run and one walk in six games. With an ERA just above one, Giansanti struck out 12 hitters and notched one save.
As a batter in the box, Giansanti managed five runs scored, five stolen bases, and 12 hits in 56 at-bats. He played in the second fewest games, starting in the outfield for 13 of his 18 games.
Sophomore pitcher Jamie Storey enters his second season the Glens Falls Golden Eagles.
Despite impressive regular season stats, Storey struggled slightly in the post season. He allowed nearly one hit per inning to push his ERA to the high six’s. Opposing hitters batted .217 against Storey during the season, and in the playoffs, opposing hitters batted .243. Storey finished with a 0-1 record in the playoffs, which includes a seven-inning start in game two against the Mohawks, in more than nine total innings-pitched with eight strikeouts and three walks
In his four starts during the regular season, Storey led the NYCBL with three complete games and ranked second on the team with a 1.47 ERA, five wins, seven earned runs. In 43 innings-pitched during the season, Storey struck out 39 hitters, and walked 19.
As a sophomore for the Midland College Chaps, Storey posted a 2-2 record in five games started in 2009. Totalling 40 strikeouts in 27.1 innings, Storey led the Chaps with 13 strikeouts per nine innings. Siena junior pitcher/outfielder/third basemen Giansanti has emerged as a productive offensive weapon for the Saints this season, leading them in several offensive categories, including slugging percentage, homeruns, doubles, triples, and stolen bases—just to name a few.
Following their three-game road trip, with games Wednesday against the Little Falls Miners and Thursday against Saratoga, the Glens Falls Golden Eagles return to host the Miners on Friday, June 12 for Boy Scouts Day and $1 Hot Dog Night.