ALBANY, NY _ The Upper New York State Stan Musial Tournament concluded in thrilling fashion as the Albany Senators outlasted the Colonie Raiders for the second straight night to take home their second Upper New York State crown in three years.

After nipping the Raiders, 6-4, the night before to force a second championship game, Albany defeated Colonie, 10-9, in the decisive title game at Bleecker Stadium in front of a crowd of approximately 400. Both wins avenged a 9-1 loss the Senators took from Colonie in the fourth round of the tournament leaving the Raiders as the last defeated team in the nine-team event at the time.

The championship game heroics came in the top of the seventh inning when Senators second baseman Mike Serbalik hit a 2-2 pitch off Raiders' right hander Ed Haldeman over the right-center field wall. Serbalik's two-run homer erased a 9-8 lead Colonie had forged just an inning earlier when the Raiders scored the go-ahead run on Josh Kean's RBI single. After Kean's one out hit off Albany reliever Tom Matland, Senators head coach Joe Altieri called on left hander Keith Lansley to face left-handed hitter Phil Klaiber with men on first and third. Lansley struck out Klaiber and induced a ground out to escaped from further damage.

Lansley held Colonie hitless over the final four innings while striking out three and walking two as he earned his second win of the tournament. He was named Tournament Most Valuable Player for his win in the title game and for a complete-game win in a third round win over the Syracuse Merchants.

Earlier in the game, Colonie jumped out to a 3-2 lead when Raiders' shortstop Mike Grasso drove home Scott Mastrianni on an RBI single in the fourth inning. Colonie quickly lost the lead but battled back to re-take it with a 6-5 score setting the stage for Albany's Ed Scott. Scott, who hit an RBI single in the first inning, drove a pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run to give the Senators an 8-6 lead.

The Senators (22-18-2) got two singles and an RBI each from Jarrod Kussler and Bob Case while Colonie (18-8-1) had Grasso finish with three singles and an RBI and Tyler Desmairis, Frank Davis and Klaiber had two singles apiece.

The Senators advanced to the North Atlantic Final Six Regional Tournament and

placed fourth with a 1-2 record. Albany's lone win came against eventual Regional champ, Long Island Storm (Metro-New York winner) by an 11-5 score in the second round.

TOURNEY NOTES…All three Albany Twilight League teams finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the tournament (Davies A.C. placed 3rd)…Defending State Champion Sherman Park was eliminated in the first two games of the tournament…This was the third straight trip to the State Championship for the Senators...400 people was the highest turnout of the year for a semi-pro game held at Bleecker Stadium this year.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

Electric City Giants  3         Middletown Cobras       11
Colonie Raiders       8         Sherman Park Phillies    2

Davies A.C.           5         Albany Senators         19
Rotterdam Bulldogs    2         Binghamton Knights       9
SECOND ROUND
Syracuse Merchants    1         Middletown Cobras        3
Davies A.C.           0         Colonie Raiders         21

Sherman Park          3         Binghamton Knights       3
Rotterdam Bulldogs    4         Electric City Giants     2
(Sherman Park eliminated)       (Electric City eliminated)
THIRD ROUND
Syracuse Merchants    1         Davies A.C.             13
Albany Senators      10         Middletown Cobras        1
                                (Middletown eliminated)
Binghamton Knights    3
Rotterdam Bulldogs    4
(Binghamton eliminated)
FOURTH ROUND
Albany Senators       1         Rotterdam Bulldogs      6
Colonie Raiders       9         Syracuse Merchants      9
                                (Rotterdam eliminated)
FIFTH ROUND
Colonie Raiders       8         Albany Senators         4
Syracuse Merchants    3         Davies A.C.             2
(Syracuse eliminated)           (Davies A.C. eliminated)
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Colonie Raiders       4
Albany Senators       6
(both now with one loss each)
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Albany Senators      10 (ALBANY WINS UPPER NEW YORK STATE)
Colonie Raiders       9
(Colonie eliminated)