Friday, August 05, 2011
Mohawks Win Game One

Mohawks Win Game One.

By Kyle Kesses

Photography by Erich Neuhaus of The Leader-Herald

Updated 8/6/11 9:39 AM EST

The Mohawks stole the first game of the PGCBL semifinals. Or maybe the Golden Ealges gave it to them. Either way, when Abram Williams (Radford) struck out P.J. Leto (Lureen B. Wallace C.C.) on a slider to end the ballgame, Amsterdam escaped town with a 4-3 win and a chance to end the series at home tomorrow night.

The tempo of the game, and perhaps the tide of the series, changed in the top of the sixth. Glens Falls had built a 3-0 lead and appeared to be riding the right arm of Keyvon Bahramzedah (Kansas State) to a game one victory. Then, Ricky Claudio (St. Thomas) lost the ball in the lights.

With runners on the corners and two outs, Jude Vidrine (Lamar) lifted a fly ball into right-field and Claudio never saw it. As it deadened in the grass 10 feet in front of the right fielder, Josh Alexander (Utah) and Andrew Green (East Tennessee State) touched home to cut the deficit to one.

An inning later, again with two outs and runners on the corners, Golden Eagles Coach John Mayotte lifted Bahramzedah in favor of Antwon Brown (Santa Fe). The righty promptly slipped a fastball through the legs of his catcher Dan Klein (Kansas State) and the game was tied.

In the second half of the season, the Mohawks Brett Houseal (Marist) established himself as the ace of the best pitching staff in the league, his is work earned him a game one start in the PGCBL playoffs.

The righty got off to a less than stellar beginning when he allowed Claudio to snake a liner inside the poll down the right-field line for a 1-0 Golden Eagles lead in the first. In the second, Klein, who batted .149 in the regular season without a home run, launched a 3-1 pitch to the left of the scoreboard and over the left-centerfield fence for a two-run homer and the Hawks were looking up at a three run deficit.

However, after allowing consecutive one-out hits in the second inning, Houseal settled in and surrendered just a single base knock over his final five and two thirds innings of a no decision.

The flashing neon sign that followed the Hawks into East Field on Friday night read “DEPLETED OFFENSE.” Amsterdam, who had already lost Josh Netheway (Albany) and Parker Morin (Utah) for the season, found out on Friday afternoon that they would be without their sixth hitter and third baseman Matt Mack (Radford) due to illness. Despite their diminished roster, the Mohawks found a way to scrape together four runs and hijack a game one victory.

Bahramzedah yielded a single to Zach Shank (Marist), the second batter of the game, and then set down 14 consecutive Mohawks before Alexander singled to start the two-run top of the sixth.

After Derrick Brewer (Radford) got the side after facing just three batters in the eighth, Williams trotted in for the ninth.

The leadoff hitter smashed a single past the closer’s left shoulder to put the leadoff man on in a one-run game. The next hitter, K.J. Alexander (Dallas Baptist), took ball one after showing bunt and then struck out swinging. Williams went on to strikeout the side and give the Mohawks the early advantage in the best-of-three semifinal.

Game Two will be held at Shuttleworth Park on Saturday night at 7:00. Listen to the game on amsterdammohawks.com by clicking on blue and white TEAMLINE link on the right side of the homepage. 

 

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