On the grounds of Batavia’s Dwyer Stadium, the Amsterdam Mohawks took the game required and are PGCBL champions once more. This was after the Batavia Muckdogs took them down in the first game of the doubleheader, forcing a winner take all game three.
Trailing in the series 1-0, Batavia took the game two lead in the third inning. After Aidan Kidd (NJIT) let runners on, Tyler Cannoe (Salve Regina) sent two across the plate when he blasted a double. Daniel Burroway (Alvin CC) then added another to the inning’s total with a double of his own. Burroway finished the game with two hits and the lone RBI.
The Mohawks’ offense came out of the gate flat-footed, unable to string the requisite hits together to match the Muckdogs’ scoring pace. Amsterdam put up 1 run on 10 hits in the opening contest, a lead-off home run by Zach Gardiner (Marshall). This fourth-inning shot was his second home run of the postseason.
Batavia responded with four runs over the next two innings, two coming on a sixth-inning two-run home run by Mitch Flemming (Montevallo), securing the lead. He and Burroway led the Muckdogs with two RBIs.
Julian Pichardo (Fort Lauderdale) received the win for Batavia. His evening ended after six innings, allowing nine hits and one earned run. Kidd took the loss, striking out six batters but allowing three runs over four innings.
The early portion of game three went in Amsterdam’s favor. The Mohawks kicked the scoring off in the third, where Brett Coker (Middle Tennessee State) ripped a two-run single into center field after they scored the go-ahead run. Amsterdam carried this three-run lead until the seventh, where Cameron Love (Rutgers) drove another in with a single. He finished the game with three hits and two RBIs. Amsterdam’s final runs of the season came in the eighth, where the bottom of the lineup drove in three runs.
The standout performance of the game was Mohawks starter Santhosh Gottam (Brown). After receiving the game-three nod, Gottam pitched into the eighth inning, allowing four baserunners and one run by Levis Aguila Jr (Felician). The start warranted the curtain call that the fans clamored for after coach Keith Griffin opted to go to Luis Misla (Hudson Valley CC) to close the game out. Gottam was later named Finals MVP.
This championship marks the 6th PGCBL title for the club and the 11th championship in the club’s history. For Griffin, this is his eighth title in Amsterdam. The Mohawks’ most recent championship came in 2019, with a Finals loss to the Saugerties Stallions in 2021.
All stats and scores can be found on Pointstreak.