TROY — Between the Colonie and Troy baseball teams last spring, the two rosters featured four of the area’s premier pitchers. Three of those standouts graduated and the one returning, Colonie senior Gio Conte, is currently sidelined with an injury. The opener of the 2023 Suburban Council season for the two squads Monday afternoon would be about establishing some new stars on the mound.
Colonie junior Brendan Shea stood up and delivered for the Garnet Raiders by working the first four innings and striking out nine. He also served as the catalyst for a five-run uprising in the top of the third with a leadoff single in helping Colonie post an 8-5 victory over the Flying Horses.
Shea worked out of trouble in the first inning and retired the last eight hitters he faced. He only allowed a leadoff single in the first to Kolin Behan.
“Today, I had to fulfill my role and fill up the strike zone and get outs,” Shea said.
Last spring, Colonie was the top team during the regular season in the Suburban Council, spearheaded by a rotation featuring Tyler Sausville (New Haven), Sam Falace (Pittsburgh) and Conte (Connecticut). Troy was paced on the mound by Mike Kennedy, the Times Union Large-School Athlete of the Year in 2021 and 2022 who was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Shea struck out the side in the first as he escaped with having runners on first and second by striking out Brad Fraser looking on a curveball.
“It was big to get out of that jam,” Shea said.
“I think he settled in from there on out. It was a big spot and he competed,” Colonie coach Mike Morrissey said. “With the middle of their lineup, it got a little dicey. He threw that 3-2 curveball. That showed a lot of confidence and I love that out of him.”
Troy coach Chris Stack realized how big it was for Shea to escape the trouble he…
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