Generals end regular season with sweep of Adirondack

Glens Falls, NY – Herkimer's baseball team traveled to historic East Field in Glens Falls to meet the much-improved SUNY Adirondack Timberwolves on hot, sunny Tuesday afternoon. The Generals, who entered the week ranked #10 nationally in the NJCAA poll, ended their regular season with a two-game 7-6 and 8-1 sweep of the Timberwolves.

Herkimer got on the board in the first inning of Game One with RBI hits by Ryan Watson and Cody Newbigging. They extended their lead in the third inning with four more runs, keyed by back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles by the 7, 8, and 9 hitters in the Generals' lineup.

The visiting Generals used most of their pitching staff for short stints in preparation for the playoffs this coming weekend. Adirondack made a late-game surge, but Herkimer hurler Nick Burch closed the door. The Generals had 13 hits in the contest. Cody Newbigging was four-for-four and Ryan Watson went two-for-four. Kyle Garrison got the win, improving his record to 6-1 on the season.

Herkimer posted 16 hits in Game Two and won 8-1. Chris Burns hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, sending the blast crashing into the center field bleachers. It was Burns' fourth round-tripper of the year. Brandon Overstreet went three-for-four, Chris Burns (2-3) batted in three runs, and Dan Smith went three-for-four. Freshman Ben Moxley got the win, working three innings to improve to 3-3 on the season.

Herkimer finishes the regular season 27-12 overall. The Generals went 26-4 in the region, which is the best record in Region 3. They went 24-2 in the Mountain Valley Conference, winning the conference championship. Freshman Kyle Garrison went 6-1 this season, with a 1.80 ERA in 40 innings with 33 K's and 12 walks. Other freshmen shined on the mound. Rob Hardy went 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA, Ben Moxley went 3-3 with a 2.11 ERA, Nick Burch went 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA, and Mike DeCarlo went 4-1 with a 3.45 ERA. DeCarlo struck out 40 batters in 28.2 innings pitched. The pitching staff posted an overall ERA of 3.37.

The Generals hit .328 for the regular season. They stroked 12 home runs and only struck out 133 times over 1095 at-bats. Ryan Watson led the team with a .453 average. Watson hit six doubles, drove in 23 runs, and stole 11 bases.

A late charge by Cody Newbigging raised his average to .431, while No. 3 hitter Brandon Overstreet capped his season at .422 with eight doubles, two triples, and two home runs, with 31 RBI's and seven stolen bases. Dan Smith finished with a .340 average with six doubles and three home runs. Cleanup man Chris Burns hit .336 with eight doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Burns had a team-leading 39 runs batted in. Leadoff man AJ Fabrizio hit .271 with eight doubles and 15 stolen bases, and Hayden Caffey hit .290 with eight stolen bases.

The Generals' national ranking this week marks eight years in a row that the program has entered the national rankings at some point during the season.

Herkimer will host a sub-regional playoff game on Saturday at noon with a team yet to be determined. Herkimer will also host the Regional Final Four at Veteran's Park in Little Falls May 17-19.