Amsterdam baseball earns walk-off win against Broadalbin-Perth

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stan Hudy

Amsterdam's Ryan Reagan (5) celebrate his game-winning single against Broadalbin-Perth with teammate Brady Foss at first base following a Foothills Council showdown at Shuttleworth Park Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

AMSTERDAM — The Broadalbin-Perth baseball defense took its chances in the bottom of the seventh inning on the road against Amsterdam at Shuttleworth Park.

The Rams made the Patriots pay for that Wednesday in walk-off fashion.

With Broadalbin-Perth nursing a one-run lead with two outs and a runner on base, the Patriots elected to grant intentional walks to Amsterdam’s Spencer Cotugno and Noah Marshall to load the bases.

Ryan Reagan made sure the gamble didn’t pay off.

The Amsterdam junior hit a two-run, walk-off single for a 7-6 Foothills Council win on Amsterdam’s senior night.

Reagan said he had to battle adrenaline and nerves in his final at-bat, but just tried to make sure he didn’t over-swing in the big moment and instead sent the pitch the other way.

“I’ve had success doing that this year,” Reagan said. “My body did that, [and I] put it over the second baseman’s head.”

Before the intentional walks, Manny Santos reached on a two-out single, then stole second and third, which led to Broadalbin-Perth’s decision to walk Cotugno and Marshall.

That set the stage for Reagan.

“It was just one of those intense moments where you want to be the guy,” Amsterdam coach Robby Hisert said. “They took it away from Spencer with the walk and they walked Noah. We were all yelling, ‘They want you, make it hurt,’ and he did.”

Broadalbin-Perth (5-10) was closing in on a much-needed win, but couldn’t seal the deal.

“Reagan came up with a big hit and put a good swing on the ball,” Broadalbin-Perth coach RJ Pingitore said.

“Something about senior night,” Hisert said. “All year, we’ve been talking about playing for somebody else, someone besides yourself — putting in the work for those guys.”

Amsterdam led 5-1 after two innings, but Broadalbin-Perth — with help from six Amsterdam errors — chipped away. Broadalbin-Perth tied it at 5-5 in the fifth inning, then went ahead 6-5 in the sixth after Nicolino Bianco was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run.

For Amsterdam, Santos went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored, and also earned the pitching win after relieving Noah Marshall in the fourth inning. Brady Foss was 1 for 3 with a double and two RBI.

Broadalbin-Perth’s Michael Magliocca gave up seven runs, only two of them earned — the final runs scored by Amsterdam in the seventh. He scored two runs and walked twice.

It was the second senior day walk-off win in as many days for an Amsterdam team at Shuttleworth Park. On Tuesday, senior Shelby LaMont lifted the Amsterdam softball team to a 21-20 win with a three-run home run in her team’s final at-bat.

Wednesday’s contest was Amsterdam’s second in as many nights. On Tuesday night, Amsterdam defeated Johnstown 5-4. Kai Brennan allowed one run in six innings in the Foothills Council win, while Marshall had a pair of hits to lead the Rams’ offense.

Broadalbin-Perth 103 011 0 — 6 8 2

Amsterdam 320 000 2 — 7 7 6