From Shuttleworth Park on Tuesday night, the longest win streak in Mohawks (34-4-1) history ended with a 6-6 tie in 10 innings against Saugerties (22-16-2). Amsterdam had previously won 14 in a row, which tied for the best stretch ever in the PGCBL. The tie was also the first extra innings contest for the Mohawks this summer.
Holden Phelps (Missouri) started his fourth game and in the top of the first allowed a pair of two-out singles. The sophomore managed to work out of the jam and keep the Stallions scoreless. In the bottom of the frame, Saugerties starter Noah DeLuga (Minnesota) let Amsterdam get hot. First, Ian Petrutz (Maryland) launched a high flyball to right that initially looked foul but dropped fair for his third home run this season. Then, following a two-out single from Zach Gardiner (Marshall), Briggs Rutter (Middle Tennessee State) brought him home with an RBI double. The Mohawks weren’t done yet, as Hunter Thomas (Arkansas State) lined one to shallow right to increase the lead 3-0.
In the top of the second, the Stallions got one back as they loaded the bases with one out. Phelps tossed a wild pitch in the dirt that bounced by Thomas and let JP Tighe (Georgia Southern) touch home plate. Despite a leadoff double for Frankie Marinelli (Manhattan) in the bottom of the frame, the score stayed 3-1 Amsterdam after two. Saugerties couldn’t score in the third, as Phelps finished the night with three innings pitched and one run allowed off two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. DeLuga’s night was done after just two frames, surrendering three runs (two earned) off six hits with a punchout. Saugerties called upon Jake Kolkhorst (Blinn CC) out of the bullpen and the freshman provided a scoreless bottom of the third.
All-star reliever Luis Misla (Hudson Valley CC) entered the ballgame in the top of the fourth and instantly found himself in trouble. The Tampa native surrendered two hits before Jahlani Rogers (Sante Fe CC) blasted an RBI single to make the score 3-2 Mohawks. The Stallions then loaded the bases but a flyout from Garrison Berkley (TCU) ended the inning. Amsterdam bounced back in the bottom of the fourth as it added a pair of runs off a sac-fly from Nick Giamarusti (John Logan CC) and an RBI single from Cam Love (Rutgers). Love attempted to stretch said run-scoring single into a double but was thrown out at second to end the fourth.
Unfortunately for the Mohawks, that three-run advantage vanished after the top of the fifth. Misla returned for his second inning of work and allowed both a walk and a single before recording an out. After a flyout, a former Amsterdam player, Kip Fougerousse (Evansville), decided to punch one over the rightfield wall for a game-tying three-run homer. Up next was Mason Speaker (TCU), who crushed a pitch over the leftfield wall to make the score 6-5 Saugerties. However, after further review, the infield umpire said the sophomore did not step on first base while making his way home, which wiped the go-ahead run off the board.
What followed was a scoreless 4.5 innings thanks to some amazing work from both teams’ relievers. Kolkhorst hurled a scoreless bottom of the fifth and finished the game with three innings pitched and two runs allowed off five hits and a walk. Misla was replaced in the top of the sixth, giving up a season-high four runs in two innings off five hits plus two walks. Hagan Banks (Alabama) silenced Saugerties over the next three frames with his best performance yet. The freshman retired all nine Stallions he faced and added six strikeouts in the process. All-star reliever James Reilly (St. Thomas Aquinas) matched Banks’ efforts and kept the contest tied through eight with three scoreless innings of his own.
Up next for the Mohawks was the reigning PGCBL Pitcher of the Week, Santhosh Gottam (Brown). In the top of the ninth, the freshman retired the side as he deduced a pair of groundouts before Berkley went down looking. Reilly returned the favor in the bottom of the frame with a 1-2-3 inning of his own to force extra innings.
Similar to the MLB’s rule, both squads started with a ghost runner on second base to begin the 10th. For the Stallions, that was Berkley, who was forced out at second after Jake Skrine (Indiana) grounded a ball to third. Skrine reached on the fielder’s choice, moved to second on a passed ball, and eventually scored on a single from Tighe that gave Saugerties the 6-5 lead. With runners on the corners and two out, a strikeout from Gottam kept it a one-run contest headed into the bottom of the 10th.
Amsterdam’s ghost runner was Paul Winland (Florida SouthWestern), and Saugerties’ pitcher for the fifth inning in a row was Reilly. Michael O’Shaugnessy (Davidson) led off and grounded out to second, which allowed Winland to advance to third. All-star Mark Black (Gardiner-Webb) then walked to put the go-ahead run on first. With runners on the corners and one out, Love swung at the first pitch he saw and put a high flyball to centerfield. Easton Bertrand (Lipscomb) secured the putout, but Winland tagged up and scored to tie the game once again. Love secured the game-tying sac-fly for his second RBI of the evening. The night ended with a groundout to second from Petrutz that left the go-ahead run stranded along the basepaths.
Cade Bush (Florida State), Brett Coker (Middle Tennessee State), Thomas, and Marinelli all finished with multiple knocks for the Amsterdam. No Saugerties player had more than one hit, but all but one Stallions recorded a knock. The Mohawks are off until Friday night when they host the DiamondDawgs at 6:35 pm. Watch the video broadcast on the Amsterdam Mohawks’ Facebook page through Facebook Live.