The Record Blogs: Off the Record: LaFlamme-thrower and a glove affair lifts Hoosick Falls over Granville

LaFlamme-thrower and a glove affair lifts Hoosick Falls over Granville

With a shot at a share of the Wasaren League title on the line, the Hoosick Falls baseball team showed up ready to play Thursday afternoon against league-leading Granville.

Josh Mulready literally ran through a wall for his team Thursday afternoon, making this great grab in the first inning to rob Granville's Connor Hoagland of a home run. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Josh Mulready took one of the oldest lines in the book of coach clichés to heart Thursday afternoon in the biggest game of the season so far for the Hoosick Falls High School baseball team.

For head coach Mike Lilac Jr. and sophomore starting pitcher Cody LaFlamme, he literally ran through a wall.

LaFlamme walked Granville’s Kyle Rathburn to open the game and Connor Hoagland followed, ripping a towering fly ball to left center field. Mulready, Hoosick Falls’ fearless sophomore center fielder, raced for the ball and caught it just as he collided with the outfield fence.

Thanks to that catch, LaFlamme carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and finished with six strikeouts in a complete-game performance. Adam Ferrannini, forced into the starting lineup because of injuries and illness to regular Panthers starters, drove in two runs in the second inning and scored the game-winner in the fifth, lifting Hoosick Falls to a 4-2 Wasaren League victory on its home field.

For the full story, read Friday's edition of The Record. For a video, scroll down.

Cody LaFlamme gets ready to throw a pitch during Thursday's game against Granville. He went the distance, scattering two runs and striking out six to earn the complete game win. (Carras photo).

Friday, Hoosick Falls (10-3, 12-4) travels to Greenwich (10-3, 15-4) for the Wasaren League finale. Whichever team wins will tie Granville (11-3, 17-3) for the regular season title. Schuylerville (9-3, 12-6) also remains in the title hunt.

The Panthers, however, will be without starting shortstop Tanner Williams, who recently broke his hand. Third baseman Seth Foster, who was ejected from Thursday's game, will also have to sit out one more game by Section II rules.

Hoosick Falls junior catcher Mike Brewster has been a calming influence behind the plate for a mostly young Panthers team in 2010. (Montgomery vidcap).

Having played on the Panthers' New York State Class C semifinalist football team and the Section II Class C finalist basketball in the winter, Mike Brewster had an interesting perspective on how the baseball team has exceeded all expectations in 2010.

"You just apply what you learn from other sports to other sports," Brewster said. "It’s a lesson of life, really. You’re going to be dealt bad stuff during life and how do you react? Cody reacted in a great way. He pitched a great game."

It will be interesting to see how the Panthers stack up in the Section II playoffs. They're likely to garner a high seed and with LaFlamme on the mound, anything looks possible for them. Can they use some of this late-season momentum to carry them to yet another Section II title game for the 2009-10 season?