It was Kids Eat Free Night at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Little Falls on Friday night. The first 150 kids that would walk through the gate would get a meal (a hot dog and a drink) for free.

However, it was the Albany Dutchmen who would do the feasting, as they would score three in the seventh and eighth innings to defeat the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, 9-5.

The Dutchmen would get on the board first, as some confusion by the Diamond Dawgs would score Jack Weiller (Waccabuc, New York/University of Virignia), but also end the first inning, as Zach Remillard (Cohoes, New York/Coastal Carolina University) would get caught stealing at second base to end the inning.

Ryan Stekl (Lancaster, New York/Canisius College) would tie the game up with one swing for Mohawk Valley in the second. Stekl hit a shot to the deepest part of Veterans’ Memorial Park’s center field to tie the game at one.

Anthony Herrera (McKinney, Texas/University of Louisiana-Monroe) would put the Diamond Dawgs in front in the third, when his single would score Thomas Walraven (Pine Bush, New York/University of New Haven) from second.

Albany seemed to tie up the score in the top of the fifth, but the umpire determined that the batter had interfered with Mohawk Valley catcher Andrew Turner (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania/Long Island University-Brooklyn). After a heated discussion between Dutchmen manager Nick Davey and the second base umpire, everyone was sent back to their respective bases and play was allowed to continue. The Dutchmen would eventually score in the inning, as a wild pitch by Diamond Dawg starter Marc Iseneker (Sherill, New York/St. John Fisher College) would score Hunter Boose (Evans, Georgia/Georgia Regents University). Another wild pitch would put the Dutchmen in front, as Tom Moore  (Burnt Hills, New York/Schenectady CC) would score, but the speedy and quick-thinking Herrera would gun down Weiller coming in from second to end the fifth.

Albany would add some insurance in the seventh, as a passed ball by reliever Shawn Kanwisher (Washington Township, New Jersey/Manhattan College) would score Boose. Moore would score on another passed ball from Kanwisher, and yet another passed ball would score Grayson Lewis (Heath, Texas/Rice University).

Herrera would keep the Diamond Dawgs in the game in the seventh, as he would use his speed to not only get to second on a fly-ball single, but also score Matt Pagano (Cranston, Rhode Island/Marist College). However, that would be all Mohawk Valley would get in the inning, as Albany starter Gavin Wallace (Madison, New Jersey/Fairfield University) would force Troy Scocca (Syosset, New York/Fairfield University) into a ground out to end the seventh.

Kanwisher would load the bases full of Dutchmen in the top of the eighth. Moore, who was batting zero coming into the day (no hits in 19 at bats), would make him pay, as his single would score Sean Aspinall (Upland, California/Azusa Pacific University) and Adam Gauthier (Highlands Ranch, Colorado/Dartmouth College). Moore would garner two hits on the night (and his first two hits of the season), raising his batting average to .090. One batter later, another single to center field from Lewis would score Jesse Cooper.

Albany reliever Mike Reitcheck (Crystal Lake, Illinois/University of Pennsylvania) would load the bases full of Diamond Dawgs in his half of the eighth with two outs. However, Reitcheck would force Walraven into a ground out to first base to end the inning.

Stekl would try to keep the Diamond Dawgs in it in the bottom of the ninth, as his single would score Pagano. Reliever Taylor Hoesen (Bandera, Texas/Trinity University) would then load the bases after that, and would score Scocca on a wild pitch. However, Hoesen would strike out Colin Hawk to close the book on the game.

Iseneker would get the loss for Mohawk Valley (25-18). Wallace would get the win for Albany (20-24).

With the loss, Mohawk Valley sees their six-game winning streak come to an end. With Glens Falls’ doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Amsterdam Mohawks tonight, however, the Diamond Dawgs’ magic number to make the playoffs is reduced down to two.

Mohawk Valley will try to be the third team into the 2015 PGCBL playoffs on Saturday as they continue their four-game home stand against the Saugerties Stallions. Albany will head off to the Robert Smith Sports Complex in Boonville for a game with the Adirondack Trail Blazers.