Scotia-Glenville vs. Gloversville: Tartans win 10th

SCOTIA — Dan Zeglen crushed one, Scotia-Glenville stole a run and the Tartans held off Gloversville, 3-2, in a Foothills Council baseball game Wednesday pitting two of the league’s youngest teams.

“I’m proud of my guys,” said Gloversville coach Mike DeMagistris. “We scored two runs in the seventh and had a shot at the end. We’re going to get there.”

Scotia-Glenville is already there, despite a roster that includes three sophomores and three freshmen. The Tartans played beyond their years in their 10th victory, using six shutout innings from 10th-grader Mike Borbee, seven stolen bases and Zeglen’s two-run inside-the-park home run to prevail.

“We’ve only got three seniors, but we’re coming along pretty good,” said Tartans coach John Striffler. “We’re learning and getting better all the time.”

Anthony Oathout had allowed an unearned run when Zeglen made it 3-0 in the fifth inning with his first homer of the season, and second inside-the-parker of his varsity career.

“I looked at it before I hit second base. I thought there was going to be a close play at third,” said Zeglen, a junior shortstop and one of the holdovers from last year’s Section II Class A runner-up team. “Coach [Striffler] waved me around.”

Peter Marola singled to start the Scotia-Glenville fifth, stole second with one down and Zeglen drilled Oathout’s curve ball deep into the right-center gap. That curve was Oahout’s only big mistake.

“He pitched well,” said DeMagistris of the sophomore. “He hung a curve. He knew it.”

Zeglen had singled in the first, but in the fourth, he flew out after Marty McCollum doubled. Zeglen also mishandled a grounder in the second.

“You try to erase that and move on,” said Zeglen. “Coach told me to move up in the box, and he hung a curve. I got a hold of it.”

Scotia-Glenville (9-2, 10-4) scored its first run in the fourth. Brett Sarnowski walked with one down, stole second and took third on a passed ball. After Juliano Febo walked, he stole second and Austin Luci’s throw sailed into center field, allowing McCollum to trot home.

“First-and-third play, we’re supposed to hit the second baseman. Cut the ball,” said DeMagistris. “We’re a young team.”

Febo and McCollum were two of seven different players to steal a base for the Tartans, who were 7-for-8 in their attempts.

“The kids are fast,” said Striffler. “You don’t always get fortunate to have that.”

Gloversville (1-10, 2-12) broke through in the seventh against reliever Matt Talbot, who issued a pair of one-out walks before Justin Putnam delivered a run on an infield single and Zack Frazier lofted a sacrifice fly. Talbot ended the contest with a strikeout.

Borbee allowed four hits in his shutout stint with seven strikeouts and one walk.

“He kept his composure and made pitches when he needed to,” Zeglen said of Borbee, a lefty. “He kept us in the game.”

Borbee wiggled out of threats in the first three innings, each time after Gloversville put runners in scoring position.

“No better place to learn than in a game,” said Striffler. “He got out of some tough situations.”

Borbee got some help from catcher Nick Schaub in the fifth after Putnam reached on an error and Frazier moved him up with his second single.

With Brad Mulligan at bat, Schaub fired to McCollum at second when Putnam drifted too far off the bag. Putnam broke for third, and McCollum’s throw and Matt Dagostino’s tag ended the threat.

“Schaub has a strong arm. He may have the best arm in the league,” said DeMagistris. “I told my guys he’ll snap throw behind us, and he did.”

Gloversville 000 000 2 — 2 5 1

Scotia-Glenville 000 120 x — 3 4 2

Oathout and Luci; Borbee, Talbot (7) and Schaub.