The Mohawks (29-4) kept the good times rolling from Shuttleworth Park on Monday night, securing a 5-2 win over the Dutchmen (16-15) for their ninth victory in a row. Amsterdam has now won 13 of its last 15 and is a perfect 5-0 this season against Albany. With the loss, the Dutchmen dropped from second place in the East Division to fifth.
Holden Phelps (Missouri) made his third start for the Mohawks and got the job done. The sophomore retired the first nine batters he faced, allowing Amsterdam to build a 3-0 lead through three innings. In the bottom of the first, Gage Miller (Bishop State CC) waisted no time by blasting a leadoff home run over the left-field wall against Albany starter JT Larson (North Florida). Later in the frame, Cade Bush (Florida State) dropped a single into shallow right field that let Ian Petrutz (Maryland) extend the lead 2-0 Mohawks. In the second, Miller came back for more as his RBI single scored Connor Moore and soon after ended Larson’s night. The redshirt junior allowed three runs off six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Phelps tossed another three innings and ran into some problems along the way. Caden Shapiro (Princeton) added the Dutchmen’s first knock of the game with a leadoff double in the fourth and later scored off a groundout from Tyler Young (Lehigh). Then in the top of the sixth, a Max Gebauer (Franklin Pierce) sac-fly let Zach Ranney (Southern New Hampshire) come home to bring Albany within one. In six innings of work, Phelps gave up two runs (one earned) off just two hits with seven punchouts and no walks.
Amsterdam responded in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a bunt single from Cameron Love (Rutgers). The sophomore then stole two bases to work his way to third, before Mark Black (Gardiner-Webb) drove him home with a single through the hole and into left field. Albany reliever Dan Keaney (Marist) then preceded to load the bases and hand out a walk to Nick Giamarusti (Pittsburgh) to force in a run and extend the Amsterdam lead 5-2. Keaney pitched 2.2 innings, surrendering five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Connor O’Neill (Manhattan) entered the contest with the bases still loaded and two outs, and on his first pitch deduced to a flyout from Miller to end the inning.
Hagan Banks (Alabama) struck out the side in the top of the seventh and recorded two scoreless innings to hold the Mohawks’ three-run lead heading into the ninth. There, Nolan Lamere (George Mason) picked up his fourth save of the season while collecting three strikeouts. O’Neill hurled a scoreless 2.1 frames for Albany with a strikeout and a walk. Phelps improved to 3-0 on the campaign while Larson fell to 2-1. Miller finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
The Mohawks stay at home tonight to face the Outlaws at 6:35 pm. Make sure to watch the video broadcast on the Amsterdam Mohawks’ Facebook page through Facebook Live. At the same time, Albany returns to Dutchmen Field and hosts Saugerties.