Spa Saints wrap up a big season

Spa Saints wrap up a big season

Though a local school's baseball team's winning season stopped shy of the New York State championships, its coach believes that 2011 will be the year.

Saratoga Central Catholic High School's Saints succumbed to John F. Kennedy Catholic High School of Somers June 12 during the semifinals at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton.

After a sleepy start, the Spa Catholic Saints squeezed in three hits and two runs in the final inning, but players couldn't catch up to the work their opponents' pitcher had done. The final score was 4-2. West-hill High School of Syracuse beat the Somers team in the finals.

This was the first year since 2000, when current major league pitcher Tim Stauffer was a Spa Catholic senior, that the Saints made it to the semifinals. Coach Alphonse Lambert attributes this to the many college-bound athletes on the current team. Their record in the regular season was 23-3.

"We've had a tremendous season," said Mr. Lambert, who was the youngest coach in the state when he started at the school in 1984. His record is 390 wins.

"It's pretty remarkable what we've done. We've proven that we could win a close game," he noted, referring to games against Granville and Potsdam in the Class B Finals and the Class B Regional Finals, respectively. "These kids have answered my expectations."

Mr. Lambert is confident of the team's 2011 prospects because 12 out of 14 current players will return. Six players achieved batting averages higher than .400.

"We're really looking forward to a big year next year," he declared.

(06/17/10)