By Cody Marshall-Sultan of Sports

GALWAY–After losing to Mayfield 8-7 in the season opener, the Galway varsity baseball team wanted nothing more than to win Wednesday’s league game and prove that the first game was a fluke. With all facets of the game being executed, the Golden Eagles were able to do just that.

After taking a tough loss in a relief appearance on Monday, Adam Berlin was given the start against the Panthers. Berlin consistently made quick work of the Panthers early on, holding them scoreless in the first inning. In the bottom half, the Galway offense looked as though it would be just as cold as it was against Duanesburg. After Shane Marshall flew out and Adam Berlin grounded out, it looked as though the Golden Eagles would be right back on defense. However, Kyle Collins managed to reach on a ball that went through the third baseman’s legs. After stealing second, Collins would then come around to score on a single by Nick Manna that dropped in just in front of the charging right fielder. Cody Marshall followed that up with another single, through the left side. From there, the Golden Eagles couldn’t quite get anything else going, but led 1-0 through one.

The second inning went quietly for both teams as neither side could push a run across. However, Galway exploded in the third inning with eight runs. The Golden Eagles managed to bat around for the first time all season and used walks and key hits to build their lead to 9-0 by the time the inning was over. That lead would hold until the top of the 4th when Mayfield managed to get a run back to make it 9-1, but Galway would respond with two more runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead to 11-1. Mayfield would then add one more run in the 5th to finish the scoring on the day.

Adam Berlin (1-2) was nearly flawless on the mound as he picked up his first win on the year, allowing just 2 hits over the full 7 innings of work. Berlin also struck out 14 on the day, the highest for a Galway pitcher in one game this season. On the offensive side, Nick Manna and Kyle Collins drove in 3 runs each, while Manna was 2-for-2 on the day. Cody Marshall also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored.

The win gives Galway their first league win of the season after dropping the first two to Schoharie and Duanesburg. The Golden Eagles (2-4, 1-2 WAC) will look to take this win and momentum into Friday’s contest with Northville. The loss drops Mayfield to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in the WAC. The Panthers will look to bounce back when they take on Middleburgh on Friday. The Golden Eagles currently stand in 5th place in the North, with just one game separating them from 3rd.

WAC North

1. Fort Plain                     3-0        4-1

2. Saratoga Catholic     2-0        4-0

3. St. Johnsville             3-2         4-3

4. Canajoharie                1-1          1-4

5. Galway                          1-2         2-4

6. Mayfield                       0-4         1-5

7. Northville                   0-4          0-5