By Ian Nicholas
Box Score Photos
In their final regular season home game, the Mohawks (38-6-1) dominated the Blue Sox (26-18-1) from Shuttleworth Park, 11-2. Amsterdam not only secured its third win in a row but also improved to 3-0 vs. Utica this summer. The star of Thursday night was catcher Briggs Rutter (Middle Tennessee State), who hit for the cycle after going a perfect 4-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Amsterdam native Carson Cotugno (Wake Forest) started his third game and did not miss a beat in the first as he retired the side. Utica starter Brandon Peterson (NJIT) responded with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the home half of the frame. Cotugno kept it a scoreless tie through the top of the second, but Peterson couldn’t keep the Mohawks quiet for much longer. After Cade Bush (Florida State) reached, Rutter drove him home with an RBI double on his first hit of the game. Rutter touched home plate minutes later after an RBI groundout from Mark Black (Gardiner-Webb) increased the lead to 2-0 Amsterdam. With first and second and two outs, Nick Giamarusti (John A. Logan CC) tattooed a ball off the leftfield wall for a two-run double, which doubled the advantage 4-0 Mohawks after two.
Cotugno kept it clean once more in the top of the third before Amsterdam added to the lead once again. In the bottom of the frame, Zach Gardiner (Marshall) singled, stole second, and eventually came home on an overthrow from Utica catcher Will King (Eastern Kentucky). The Blue Sox brought it back to a four-run game in the top of the fourth, however, thanks to an Edwin Tavarez (Felician) RBI fielder’s choice. Rutter returned to action in the bottom of the inning and made his presence felt when he swung at the first pitch and landed a leadoff triple to right. Three pitches later, Peterson fired a wild pitch through the legs of King, and Rutter tumbled into home plate to increase the lead 6-1 Amsterdam.
During the top of the fifth, Utica didn’t provide a response off Cotugno. The redshirt freshman finished the day with the win, five innings pitched, and one run allowed off four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. In the bottom of the fifth, the Mohawks got back to work. With a runner on third and two outs, Brett Coker (Middle Tennessee State) drove home Connor Moore (Florida State) with a single to center field. Then, a Frankie Marinelli (Manhattan) single and a Bush walk loaded the bases ahead of Rutter’s third at bat. The sophomore preceded to drive in Coker and Marinelli on a two-RBI single that made it 9-1 Mohawks. Peterson’s start ended after 4.1 innings, as the high school senior surrendered seven runs (five earned) off five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
Von Baker (Cornell) was the first man out of the bullpen for Amsterdam, and the second-year Mohawk pitched two innings of one-run ball. In the top of the sixth, the Blue Sox’s Ryan Maka (Valparaiso) notched a run-scoring single as Brady Short (Central Connecticut State) came home. Jack Slyvia (St. Lawrence) toed the rubber in the eighth and retired the side to keep it 9-2 Amsterdam. In the bottom of the frame, Rutter led off against Utica reliever Jonathan Rosario (Bergen CC), with the catcher being a homer short of the cycle. After getting ahead 2-0 in the count, Rutter smoked one high over the leftfield wall for his first home run as a Mohawk. Following the celebration of Rutter’s achievement, Amsterdam increased the advantage 11-2. Jake Hand (WPI) walked and scored on a double to left off the bat of Hunter Thomas (Arkansas State), who finished the night 2-2 from the plate.
Luis Misla (Hudson Valley CC) took the mound in the top of the ninth and sealed the deal with a lineout and a pair of strikeouts. 16 different Mohawks took an at-bat, as Amsterdam finished with 11 hits compared to seven for Utica. Tonight, Amsterdam wraps up the regular season on the road at Glens Falls. First pitch is at 7:00 pm, make sure to listen to the radio broadcast on the Amsterdam Mohawks’ Facebook page through Facebook Live. Utica travels to Boonville for a doubleheader that begins at 5:00 pm.
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