By Sam Reis
Box Score Game 1 Game 2
Despite a four run deficit in Game 1 and a late scare in Game 2, the Amsterdam Mohawks found a way to win both games of a doubleheader against the Boonville Lumberjacks on Wednesday evening at Rao Family Stadium.
In Game 1, Brandon Peterson (NJIT), the reigning PGCBL East Division Pitcher of the Week, made his third start on the mound for Amsterdam. Boonville’s bats came alive early as Matthew Layton (Spartan Methodist) delivered a double for the first hit of the game. Zach Rogaki (Alvernia) followed that up with a single, driving in Layton for the first run of the game. That was the first earned run conceded by Peterson this season. Two batters later, Devonte Bailey (Alabama State) brought home Rogacki to give Boonville a 2-0 lead.
Bryce Collis (St. John Fisher) made his debut on the rubber for Boonville. The right hander did not concede a run in the opening frame despite hitting a batter, walking another and allowing a single.
Boonville’s offensive production continued in the second inning as Eli Snelson (Union Univ.) hit an infield single to score Marcus Smith (Cincinnati). Then, Samuel Fleming (Stillman) reached on an error that drove in Ben Bohlman (Colby CC) to extend the Lumberjacks lead to 4-0.
Brandon Peterson exited the contest after the second inning, allowing seven hits, four runs, while not walking anyone and recording one strikeout. Maximilian Ramirez (Niagara) entered for the Mohawks in the third, making his fourth appearance of the summer.
Amsterdam got on the board in the third inning when Cam Gurney (Utah) drove in Jared Johnson (Brown) with a groundout.
In the fourth inning, Mason Swinney (Alabama) hit a double off the left field wall to send in Dakota Duffalo (Utah). Alex Irizarry (Maryland), the next batter, hit a ball that deflected off of Bryce Collis’ foot and ricocheted into shallow right field, allowing Bryce Hubbard (Mississippi State) and Swinney to score, tying the game at 4-4.
Boonville responded in the fifth inning with a Zach Rogaki two-run single, scoring Samuel Fleming and Mathew Layton. To end the inning, Rogaki was thrown out at home as Jared Johnson found Gage Miller who threw home to Bryce Hubbard in time to apply the tag.
Bryce Collis’ outing came to an end after the fourth inning. The right hander allowed three hits and four runs (three earned) while walking five and striking out one. Jack Gazdacka (Ottawa University Arizona) replaced him in the fifth, making his fourth appearance of the season. Amsterdam’s Dakota Duffalo hit a double down the right field line that brought home Carlos Martinez to make it a one run affair. Then, Bryce Hubbard’s sacrifice fly scored Zach Eldred to tie the game at 6-6.
Maximilian Ramirez went three innings for the Mohawks, allowing five hits and two runs with no walks and two strikeouts. Jack Seppings (Brown) entered in the sixth inning, making his sixth appearance of the campaign. His impressive strikeout tally continued to climb as he recorded an extremely rare four strikeout inning due to a runner advancing on a dropped third strike on one occasion.
In the home half of the inning, the Mohawks took their first lead of the game on a Gage Miller single up the middle that drove in Mason Swinney with the bases loaded. Moments later, Cam Gurney's sacrifice fly to left field brought home his Utah teammate Bruer Webster to make it 8-6. Boonville’s Gazdacka allowed five hits and four runs with two walks and one strikeout in two innings.
Seppings came in for the seventh to close it out for Amsterdam, finishing out two scoreless innings with two hits given up, no walks and five strikeouts. The Brown product has only allowed three hits in 8 ⅓ total innings with just one walk and 20 strikeouts.
The Lumberjacks tallied 14 hits while the Mohawks had eight. However, Boonville walked seven batters and Amsterdam did not walk any in the 8-6 triumph for the Mohawks.
Jack Seppings earned his first win of the season while Jack Gazdacka suffered his first loss.
A quick turnaround for Game 2 saw Amsterdam ride some momentum from its come from behind victory in Game 1. Carson Cotugno (Wake Forest) made his third appearance and second start of the summer for the Mohawks. The Amsterdam native began with a 1-2-3 opening frame.
Phillip Giakoumelos (Durham) made his Boonville debut as the starting pitcher. The Mohawks pounced early as Gage Miller scored on a wild pitch and Luke Longo came home on a Jaxson West sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 early. That would be the end of the line for Giakoumelos who allowed one hit and two runs with two walks and no strikeouts in the first inning. Griff Minor (Stillman) replaced him in the second, making his fifth pitching appearance.
The second inning was not as smooth for Cotugno as a bases-loaded walk to Mason Collins (Stillman) put Boonville on the board.
In the top of the third inning, Zach Rogaki’s sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded scored Eli Snelson to knot the score at 2-2. Amsterdam quickly answered in the bottom of the inning as Cam Gurney drove in Gage Miller with a fielder's choice, making it 3-2. That would end Minor’s night after two innings of work. The left hander allowed two hits and one run (not earned) with no walks and two strikeouts.
Cotugno’s night was done after the third as he allowed two hits and two runs with three walks and one strikeout. Colin Maloney (Rhode Island) came in for the fourth, appearing in his fifth game this season.
Williams Tavarez (Dominican) became the third Boonville pitcher of the contest, struggling in his second outing. Jaxson West (Alabama) led off the fourth inning with a double for Amsterdam and scored on a single from his Alabama teammate Mason Swinney. Then, Swinney came home on a Bryce Hubbard single to make it 5-2. Tavarez was pulled with two outs in the inning, allowing three hits and four runs with two walks and no strikeouts. Ben Bohlman came in to close out the fourth in his third appearance as a pitcher. Gage Miller belted a pitch out to right center field for a triple that drove in Eddie Yamin (Dayton) and Carlos Martinez (Pittsburgh) to make it 7-2.
Maloney finished out the fifth strong for the Mohakws, pitching two scoreless innings before coming out of the game. Bohlman also pitched through the fifth for the Lumberjacks, allowing two hits and walking two while striking out one.
Josh Davis (Clemson) entered in the sixth for Amsterdam, appearing in his third game. That is when Zach Rogaki got a run back for Boonville with a single that scored Mathew Layton from second. Davis finished out the inning, allowing two hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout.
Ryan Sullivan (Colby CC) became the fifth Boonville pitcher in the sixth, making his third appearance. The left hander notched a scoreless inning with two walks and two strikeouts.
With a 7-3 lead heading into the final inning, Von Baker (Cornell) came in for the Mohawks in his fifth outing of the summer. The Lumberjacks began a rally when Mason Collins delivered a single that scored Marcus Smith. After hitting Jack Gazdacka with a pitch, Baker was taken out of the game, failing to record an out. Gio Conte (UConn) was called upon for the second consecutive game. A sacrifice groundout from Mathew Layton with the bases loaded scored Mason Collins to make it a two-run game. Amsterdam then decided to intentionally walk Zach Rogaki who had gone 5-for-5 between both games. That once again loaded up the bases with Mike Gorham (UMass Boston) at the plate and two outs. With the winning run at first, Conte struckout Gorham to clinch the 7-5 victory in nail biting fashion for Amsterdam.
Mason Swinney recorded multiple hits in both games for the Mohawks and Colin Maloney got the win on the mound, his first. Gio Conte was credited with his first save of the season.
Griff Minor was charged with his first loss for the Lumberjacks as they dropped to 4-10. They take on the Watertown Rapids on Wednesday at 6:30 on the road.
The Mohawks improved to 14-1 with the pair of wins. They travel to Albany on Wednesday to take on the Dutchmen at 6:35 in the third of 10 meetings between the teams.
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