By Ian Nicholas

Box Score

On Monday night, the top two teams in the PGCBL squared off from Shuttleworth Park. The Amsterdam Mohawks (8-0) stayed perfect and ran away with an 8-1 home win over the Albany Dutchmen (7-2). Ahead of this summer, Amsterdam had never begun a season with eight straight wins.

Jacob Lapham (Hudson Valley Community College) made his second start of the year for the Mohawks, pitching four innings of one-run ball. In the top of the first, Lapham worked around a double and a walk to keep Albany off the board. But Lapham wouldn’t be so lucky in the top of the fourth when Ben Lavery (St. John Fisher) hit a double that scored David Silva Jr. (Ohio Dominican) to put the Dutchmen ahead 1-0. Lapham surrendered three hits on the night with six strikeouts and five walks.

On the other side, Albany starter Dan Keaney (Marist) lasted just three innings before leaving the game despite holding Amsterdam scoreless. Andrew Cubberly (Quinnipiac) took over, pitching another scoreless two frames. The Mohawks bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth, however, thanks to RBI singles from Mark Black (Wake Forest), Zach Gardiner (Marshall), and Hunter Thomas (Rend Lake Community College). Cubberly pitched 2.1 innings, allowing all three runs in the sixth off five hits. 

Jack Wren (Marist) took over, pitching a scoreless 1.2 innings with four strikeouts. Down 3-1 in the top of the seventh, Albany loaded the bases with one out, but Santhosh Gottam (Brown) was able to come out of the bullpen and get Amsterdam out of the jam. 

The Mohawks used a five-run bottom of the eighth to seal the deal, nabbing four hits off Grant Smeltzer (Fairfield) with 2 RBIs each from Josh Overbeek (Pittsburgh) and Connor Moore (Florida State) as well as one from Nick Giamarusti (Pittsburgh). Luis Misla (Hudson Valley Community College) fanned the side in the top of the ninth to put a bow on it.

Amsterdam is back at Shuttleworth Park tomorrow night at 6:35 against Mohawk Valley (3-5), while Albany returns to Keenholts to face Saugerties (1-6) at the same time.

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