DOGS BUST LOOSE, HOLD ON.(SPORTS)

Byline: BILL IANNONE Staff writer

COLONIE -- For seven-plus innings, the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs played the kind of baseball that was expected of them when the Northeast League baseball season began in late May.

The Dogs, who struggled in the first half of the season, used timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, strong defensive play and excellent starting pitching from Watervliet native Kevin Legault to take an 8-1 lead into the eighth inning against the Southern Division leader Allentown Thursday night at Heritage Park.

But a frightful eighth inning forced the Dogs to hold on for a 9-7 win, snapping their three-game losing streak and ending the …