CONTACT: Jeff Foley (518) 629-8085 or (518) 210-4161
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Friday, May 3, 2002
http://www.hvcc.edu
May 3, 2002, Schenectady, N.Y. - A pair of batterymates powered Hudson Valley Community College's baseball team to a crucial road win today. Playing at Schenectady County Community College's windy field, Shawn Miller (Troy H.S.) tossed a complete-game four-hitter and catcher Jason Martin (Pine Bush H.S.) belted a pair of home runs, leading the Vikings to a 4-3 victory over Schenectady.
The win was a minor upset - Schenectady came into the matchup as the No. 8 team in the nation among Division III junior colleges, and Hudson Valley is an Honorable Mention squad. The game also had a regional impact: Schenectady (27-9 overall) is now 21-2 in NJCAA Division III Region III competition; Hudson Valley (27-12-1 overall) now sports a 17-1 Region III record.
The Region III playoffs kick off on Tuesday, May 7, and Hudson Valley is currently the only Region III team with just one regional loss, which puts the Vikings in the hunt for the tournament's No. 1 seed. Eight teams will qualify for the Region III tourney - there are approximately 30 colleges, located across the Northeast, in Region III - and the winner of the tourney will advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series, which Hudson Valley competed in last season.
While Miller kept Schenectady off-balance -he allowed just one hit in the game's first six innings - Martin blasted a solo homer in the top of the fourth and a game-winning two-run shot in the fifth, giving him eight dingers on the season. Martin, who leads Region III in runs batted in, also had a single.
Schenectady did all of its scoring in the seventh inning, but Miller stifled any thoughts of a rally, holding Schenectady hitless and scoreless in the final two frames and preserving Hudson Valley's one-run lead. He finished with five strikeouts and advanced his record to 5-2.
Hudson Valley helped Miller throw with confidence, playing nine innings of errorless ball. Outfielders Jason Lansing (Trumansburg H.S.) and Justin Meagher (Colonie H.S.) each contributed a stellar play. In the seventh, Meagher, playing left field, gunned down a runner at the plate. Then, in the eighth, Lansing tracked down a fly ball 20 feet beyond the foul line in left field.
Meagher also contributed a pair of singles. Josh Goodbred (Lansingburgh H.S.) had a double and Ryan Barbera (Niskayuna H.S.) had two singles. He also scored Hudson Valley's first run, coming home in the third inning on a throwing error.
Hudson Valley 4, Schenectady 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 r h e
HV 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 11 0
SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 4 2
Miller and Martin; Kennedy, Rodriquez (9) and Horan.
