On Saturday night from Shuttleworth Park, the Mohawks (40-6-1) defeated the Outlaws (23-24-1) 9-2 in the East Division Semifinals. With the win, Amsterdam advances to the East Division Finals on Monday, when it’ll host the three-seed, Saugerties. Oneonta’s season is over, after making its first postseason trip since 2016.
Arlon Butts (Arkansas State) made his sixth start for the Mohawks and second against the Outlaws. The sophomore held Oneonta off the board in the top of the first, as the Outlaws left one stranded. Amsterdam’s leadoff batter, Gage Miller (Bishop State CC), set the tone after seeing just two pitches from Joel Hayner (Herkimer CC) in the bottom of the inning. The All-Star destroyed a ball over the leftfield wall for his eighth home run to put the Mohawks up 1-0. After a fly-out, the next batter up was fellow All-Star Brett Coker (Middle Tennessee State), who preceded to launch one past the wall in left-center for the second home run of the frame.
Butts recorded two quick outs in the top of the second via a strikeout and a groundout but then got into trouble. Back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases for Oneonta. Then, Jeff Pierantoni (Yale) worked out a bases-loaded walk that brought Logan Hutter (SUNY Cobleskill) home to make it 2-1 Amsterdam. The Mohawks got out of jam after Butts deduced a groundout from All-Star Devin Boone (Marist). Hayner quieted the Amsterdam offense in the bottom of the second to keep it a one-run contest. In the top of the third, Butts returned to the mound and held the Outlaws scoreless for the second time in three frames.
The top of the order was due up for the Mohawks in the bottom of the third, with Miller leading off once more. The Pennsylvania native lit the building on fire with his second leadoff homer of the night to bring the Amsterdam advantage to 3-1. One batter later, Coker reached on a hit by pitch and moved all the way to third following a passed ball and a groundout. Coker’s collegiate teammate, Briggs Rutter (Middle Tennessee State), drove him home on an RBI single that made it 4-1. Next up was Ian Petrutz (Maryland), who capped off a four-score inning with a two-run shot to left field, his fourth home run of the summer. The Mohawks led 6-1 after three, and Hayner was handed the loss as he allowed six runs off six hits.
Amsterdam returned for more in the bottom of the fourth off reliever Kieran Finnegan (Oswego State). After Miller reached on a fielder’s choice, Cam Love (Rutgers) launched an RBI double to centerfield that let Miller touch home plate and increased the lead to 7-1 Mohawks. Neither team scored over the next 2.5 innings, as the bullpens took over. Butts was done after four innings pitched, surrendering only one run off two hits and three walks with four punchouts. Hagan Banks (Alabama) entered in the fifth and received the win as he pitched three shutout frames without allowing a hit. Finnegan also lasted three innings, giving up one run off two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Oneonta replaced him with Ryan Miles (Wagner), who let Amsterdam seal the deal in the bottom of the seventh. A Zach Gardiner (Marshall) walk and a Petrutz single put runners on the corners with one out. Thanks to another passed ball from Hutter, Gardiner slid in safe to the dish. Moments later, a high flyout to rightfield from Cade Bush (Florida State) turned into a sac-fly as Petrutz tagged up and scored from third. The Mohawks were in complete control with a 9-1 lead after seven. Jude Abbadessa (UConn) recorded the final six outs for Amsterdam, allowing one run off three hits with four punchouts. The Outlaws’ final run of the year came in the top of the ninth off a two-out double from Connor Cooney (Holy Cross) which scored Carter Dorighi (Lafayette).
Petrutz took over in his final game as a Mohawk, going 3-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Miller finished 2-3 with two homers, a pair of RBIs, and came home three times. In another win-or-go-home battle, Amsterdam hosts Saugerties on Monday night for the East Division Finals. A trip to the PGCBL Championship Series is on the line. The Stallions actually won their first league title against the Mohawks last summer, as they swept Amsterdam in two games. In 2022, Amsterdam has dominated Saugerties, with an 8-0-1 record. First pitch is at 6:35 pm, so make sure to watch the video broadcast on the Amsterdam Mohawks’ Facebook page through Facebook Live then.