June 10th, 2022
LITTLE FALLS, NY – The Amsterdam Mohawks scored five runs in the top of the first and never really looked back, but thanks to three combined home runs, it was a lot closer than they wanted it to be.
Fortunately for the visitors, they picked up more (two to one) in the 7-3 victory.
Amsterdam started off their day with two free passes (a walk and a hit batsman) from Mohawk Valley starter Troy Butler (Fort Plain, NY/Binghamton). The hit batsman, Gage Miller (Palmyra, PA/Bishop State CC) came home on a sacrifice fly from Josh Overbeek (Cincinnati, OH/Pittsburgh), while Brett Coker (Hendersonville, TN/Middle Tennessee State) came home on a bloop single by Zach Gardiner (Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Marshall). Hunter Thomas (Russell Springs, KY/Rend Lake CC) extended the lead to five before Mohawk Valley could even pick up a bat with a three-run blast to left field, his second of the year.
Miller followed up his unintentional hit in the first with an intentional hit in the second, a solo shot to the last row of the center-field bleachers. Thomas would also score another run, this time in the fifth, on a sacrifice fly to center that scored Gardiner.
The Diamond Dawgs finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as a passed ball by Amsterdam pitcher Jack Sylvia (/) scored Noah Lucier (Sandown, NH/Fairfield). They’d add another soon after, scoring Pete Durocher (Emerson, NJ/Manhattan) on an RBI single by Richie Sica (Wyckoff, NJ/Rider).
Mohawk Valley pulled even closer in the sixth when Ernesto Polanco (/Coastal Carolina) parked a solo home run of his own into left-center field to cut the Amsterdam lead to four.
That would be as close as Mohawk Valley would get, however, as they would only get one base runner over the next three innings to end the win streak at two games.
Aidan Kidd (Laguna Beach, CA/NJIT) got the win for Amsterdam (5-0), while Butler was saddled with the loss for Mohawk Valley (2-3). Luis Misla (Tampa, FL/Hudson Valley CC) picked up the five-out save for Amsterdam.
Mohawk Valley will be back in action Friday night when they host the Saugerties Stallions. Former Syracuse basketball star John Wallace will be in attendance, taking pictures and giving autographs. The Mohawks will also be in action on Friday night, back at Shuttleworth Park to take on the Oneonta Outlaws.