June 21st, 2022

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. — Back at Shuttleworth Park after sweeping Watertown in a road doubleheader on Sunday, Amsterdam (12-2) dropped its second game of the summer with a 3-2 loss to Boonville (6-6). The Mohawks are now 1-1 on the season against the Baseball Club, as Amsterdam defeated Boonville 11-0 in seven innings last Friday.

The Baseball Club came out strong in the top of the first, as Ryan Rifenberg (Lansing CC) battled in an RBI double to put Boonville ahead 1-0. Zach Gardiner (Marshall) responded for the Mohawks in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single to tie the contest at 1-1. Amsterdam wouldn’t put another run on the board until the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a stellar outing from Boonville starter Marcus Liss (Mohawk Valley CC). The Utica native picked up the win by tossing 7.1 innings, surrendering six hits, two runs, and five walks without a strikeout.

While the Mohawks were held off the board, the Baseball Club built an advantage. To lead off the fourth, Scott Seeker (Western Oklahoma State) blasted a solo home run over the right-field wall off Amsterdam starter Jacob Lapham (Hudson Valley CC), as Boonville retook the lead 2-1. Then in the fifth, Dan Tauken (Rockland CC) notched an RBI double to extend the lead 3-1 for the Baseball Club and end Lapham’s evening. In Lapham’s third start of the summer, the sophomore pitched 4.1 innings while giving up three runs with seven strikeouts and three walks.

The combination of Jack Slyvia (St. Lawrence), Jude Abbadessa (UConn), Ryan Van Buren (Maryland), and Luis Misla (Hudson Valley Community College) kept Boonville without a run over the final 4.2 innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Amsterdam’s offense woke up as Cade Bush (Florida State) ripped a single through the hole and into right field, allowing Brett Coker (Middle Tennessee State) to score and tighten the deficit to 3-2.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Timmy Flippen (Citrus High School) recorded two quick outs before walking Ian Petrutz (Maryland) to put the tying run on first base. With one on and two outs, Coker came to the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, Coker took ball three to work the count full while at the same time, Petrutz attempted to steal second base. Unaware of the ball three call, Petrutz soon found himself in a rundown between first and second after a pickoff attempt from Flippen. The freshman was successfully tagged out to end the game in Boonville’s favor, 3-2.

The Mohawks have a chance to bounce back on the road tonight in their first East/West series of the summer against the Doubledays in a doubleheader that begins at 5 pm from Auburn. Meanwhile, Boonville also has a doubleheader on the road against Albany.