Manny Santos magic and early offense propel Albany Academy baseball to the top of Class A

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany Academy baseball star Manny Santos hadn't started a game on the mound all season for the Cadets. In the biggest game of the year, head coach Adam Penrose handed him the ball, and it might've been the best decision Penrose has made all season.

Santos, backed by some early run support via the long ball, allowed just two runs in six innings, while striking out nine, leading Albany Academy to a 5-2 victory over top-seeded La Salle in the Section II, Class A championship game Wednesday night at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

"I was like, "Coach, I want the ball,"" said Santos. "I have that chip on my shoulder. This is why I transferred here. Couldn't have done it without my teammates; they believed in me to get the ball."

The Cadets' journey as a six-seed through the tournament was a surprising one to many, knocking off the one-, two- and three-seeds.

But it wasn't a surprise to this group.

"Since the first day, we knew that we could do it," said Santos. "We had the talent and motivation to win a championship."

The victory is all the more impressive considering Academy was swept by La Salle in the regular season, and lost to them just 16 days ago, 17-2.

"These guys believed in themselves; they knew they could go do it," said Penrose. "And, I tell ya what, with Manny Santos out on the hill - he's a special young man. Can't say enough about 'em."

But before Santos even threw a pitch, the Albany Academy offense had already done some serious damage. Nico DeSanto and Brady Sears blasted back-to-back home runs - DeSanto's a three-run shot; Sears' a solo - to spot their starting pitcher a 4-0 lead.

La Salle managed to chip away in the bottom of the third inning, scoring two runs after loading the bases with no outs. The Cadets' best opportunity to generate some offense outside of that came in the fifth frame when they got runners on first and second with one out. But Santos locked down, recording a strikeout and pop out to work his way through the trouble.

Following a one, two, three sixth inning from Santos, Penrose handed the ball to Scott Hanson in the seventh. He retired the side, in order, securing Albany Academy's first section title since 2018.

The Cadets also avenged a heartbreaking loss last year in the Class A final, where they fell to eventual state champion Columbia in extra innings - a loss DeSanto, a senior, remembers all too well.

"This was all I wanted," said DeSanto. "I felt a different type of pain losing [last year]; never being able to play with those guys again. I knew I wasn't going to let my team feel that way ever again."

Albany Academy advances to the state tournament, where it will await the Section VII champion in sub-regional play on Thursday, May 30. The Cadets will head to SUNY Plattsburgh for that contest.

La Salle's season comes to an end. The Cadets finish with a 16-5 overall record.