Byline: PRESCOTT ROSSI Special to the Times Union
ValleyCats 2
Muckdogs 1
Two days ago, Andrew Smith was living in Las Vegas and out of professional ball. On Saturday night, he scored the winning run for the Tri-City ValleyCats.
Eric Taylor's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the ValleyCats a 2-1 victory over the Batavia Muckdogs in front of 4,175 fans at Bruno Stadium.
Smith, a 22-year-old who played at the University of San Francisco, scored the winning run just hours after he flew into the Capital Region.
'He arrived off the plane after 6:20. I never got a chance to really talk to him,' said Tri-City manager Gregg Langbehn. 'I asked if he could steal bases and he said `Yeah,' so I put him in.'
In the bottom of the 10th, Tri-City's James Goethals reached base on a two-out walk. A single by Nick Moresi, followed by a wild pitch and an intentional walk to Tim Torres, loaded the bases.
Smith replaced Goethals after the wild pitch to put speed on the bases. Taylor then worked a seven-pitch at-bat before hitting a grounder up the third-base line that was too difficult for Cody Montgomery to field cleanly and throw to first, allowing Smith to score the winning run.
Fans were treated to a pitchers' duel for the first nine innings. After giving up a run to the first batter of the game, Tri-City pitchers did not allow another run. Starter David Qualben again pitched brilliantly, allowing only one run on five hits in six innings. Cory Lapinski threw four hitless innings of relief and earned the win.
Taylor tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with his first home run of the season. Through 25 games, the ValleyCats have hit only four home runs.
The ValleyCats (15-10) will try for their fourth straight win as they play the middle game of the three-game set with Batavia (13-9) at 6 p.m. tonight.
Prescott Rossi is a local free-lance writer.
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James Goolsby/Times Union DAViD QUALBEN pitches six strong innings for the ValleyCats but does not factor in the decision.
