With one swing of Nate Pupons' bat, a gritty pitching performance from Seamas LeBuis and a spectacular game-ending catch from Matt McCarthy, the Albany High baseball team shook up the Section 2 Class AAA playoffs on Tuesday.
With the Falcons down to their final out against one of the state's best teams, Pupons smacked a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning for the lead before McCarthy closed out a thrilling 3-2 win in the bottom half with a sliding grab in centerfield after CBA had loaded the bases.
LeBuis worked 6 1/3 innings across the steamy afternoon to keep Albany High within striking distance, giving up just two runs before his teammates rallied with their backs to the wall.
Seeded seventh and competing in sectionals for just the second time in 17 years, the Falcons (11-7) knocked off the state's No. 12 team. The Brothers (17-4) finished the regular season 14-2 in the tough Suburban Council and came in riding a 12-game winning streak.
“We always get put down. We don’t get anything. Like, nothing gets handed to us,” LeBuis told the Times Union after the win. “This is just unbelievable for the city of Albany, and especially this program in our school. I mean, that was the most unbelievable game I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Next up for the Falcons is a semifinal series with third-seeded Colonie (15-6), which is ranked No. 17 in the state and survived its own quarterfinal scare against sixth-seeded Shenendehowa on Tuesday. The three-game series begins Friday at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam's Shuttleworth Park.
Game 2 of the series will be Saturday at 4 p.m., also at Shuttleworth, and a deciding Game 3 will be played at Shuttleworth on Monday at 4 p.m. if necessary. Tickets for all games must be purchased via the Go Fan website. Children 12 and under are free.
Tuesday's upset over the Brothers was the culmination of focus, hard work and determination by both our Falcon players and our coaching staff.
While LeBuis limited the Brothers' offense, the Falcons missed golden opportunities to score in the fourth and fifth innings, loading the bases both times without being able to break through.
Down to their last chance, that changed in the seventh.
Trailing 2-0, Chase Solomon led off with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Willie Morris, who stole second and third to bring up Colin Paulsen with two outs.
Paulsen rapped a clutch RBI single to make it 2-1, bringing Pupons to the plate. The junior belted the go-ahead homer over the right-field fence to make it 3-2.
"Six seasons worth of work for coach Justin Pruiksma and the Albany High baseball team paid off in one lightning bolt off the bat of junior first baseman Nate Pupons," was how the Times Union described it.
CBA loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and McCarthy hustled in to make a sliding catch in center to end the game and send the Falcons and their faithful into jubilation -- and into the semifinals for the first time since 2009!
Let's go Falcons!