ADAMS, Mass. -- After falling behind by five runs early, the Berkshire Americans high school all-star baseball team almost battled all the way back before suffering a 6-5 loss to the Adirondack Hawks on Wednesday night.

 

The Americans, who have players from five different Berkshire County high schools, fell to 8-4-2 in the Eastern New York Travel Baseball League.

 

But despite the loss, the Americans showed the kind of spirit that got them where they are.

 

"Overall, I'm happy with the attitude we had tonight," Berkshire coach Mike Gladu said. "Any time you spot a team a bunch of runs, you're going to battle from behind. And that's never an easy thing to do in a seven-inning game.

 

"I think the hitting was there. I think we threw the ball around a little bit."

 

Five Berkshire errors led to three unearned runs for the Hawks.

 

Another factor was early control issues for starting pitcher Isaiah Clark, who walked five in an inning and two thirds.

 

His Drury teammate Tyler Briggs came in from third base and went the rest of the way, allowing just one unearned run on four hits over 5.1 innings.

 

"He did great," Gladu said. "To come in in a situation on three days rest and throw 60-something pitches.

 

"I tell the pitchers, you've got to pitch to contact. When you have a good defense, you've got to make them work. When you don't pitch to contact, there's no defense for a base on balls."

 

It was 5-0 midway through the second when McCann Tech's Sean Davis singled to left for Berkshire's first base runner.

 

He moved up on a ground ball and an error and came home on an errant pickoff throw to make it a 5-1 game.

 

That same errant pickoff try got Briggs to second, and Hoosac Valley's Joey Buonemani reached when he was hit by a pitch. A ground ball moved both men into scoring position, Pittsfield High's Evan Bossio doubled to left to score two and get Berkshire within two runs.

 

Adirondack stretched its lead with an unearned run in the top of the third, but Briggs shut them down from there.

Meanwhile, Berkshire scratched out a run in the third and a run in the fourth.

 

In the third, Jake Tatro reached on an error and came home on a base hit by Kevin Donati.

 

In the fourth, Kyle Shade reached on an error, moved up on Bossio's sac bunt, went to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch.

 

Berkshire will be home again on Saturday at Renfrew in a double-header at 11 a.m. The Americans will play more than 30 games by the end of July before heading to Myrtle Beach for a tournament next month.

 

More photos from this game here.