By Sam Federman
Box Score Photos
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. - Mason Veronezi had a daunting challenge ahead of him as he made the trot in from Amsterdam’s right-field bullpen.
With the Mohawks clinging to a 4-3 lead, the Springfield College right-hander was placed into the ring against the heavyweight swingers of the Stallions’ lineup and asked to seal Amsterdam’s third straight victory to open the PGCBL season.
First, it was Bayram Hot, who scalded the second pitch that he saw over the head of Mohawks’ left fielder Manny Santos, immediately putting the tying run in scoring position. Then, Hot’s Marist teammate, Ethan Conrad, went after the first pitch that he saw and drilled a single to right field, and runners were on the corners.
After Matt McIntire was plunked in the back to load the bases, it became a matter of when the Stallions would tie the game, rather if they would.
It came nearly immediately, as a passed ball scored Hot from third, and allowed Conrad to advance to second base. Still with zero outs in the inning, Ryan Recio sent the Saugerties fans home happy with a walk-off single, handing Amsterdam a 5-4 loss.
Even though the score flipped in the ninth inning, veteran Amsterdam manager Keith Griffin thought that the game had gotten away from his team much sooner.
“We played very poorly,” Griffin said. “You’re not going to win a college baseball game when you get four to six hits. We did a lot of things incorrectly that when we clean up, we’ll be fine.”
He went on to air his grievances.
“We threw to the wrong base, we had a passed ball,” he continued. “We missed a pitchout. We called a pitchout, but we didn’t get it. We bunted three times to the wrong spot, we missed a steal, we missed a hit-and-run, or about 16 things more, but that’s what we did wrong. As soon as we get that fixed up, we’ll be fine.”
In the top of the ninth inning, the Mohawks had a chance for much-needed insurance with Cade Ladehoff on third base and just one out. However, after Ben Huckans popped out, the Stallions were able to pitch around the veteran Zach Eldred (SUNY Brockport), and instead face Santos, in his first PGCBL game, with the inning in the balance.
The Rhode Island commit drove the ball to center field, but Evan Dieter’s glove was ready for it, ending the inning and the threat.
Santos’ 0-4 stat line doesn’t quite encapsulate his performance, as he was extremely busy in left field. His “Welcome to the Mohawks” moment came in the bottom of the fourth inning with none out and the bases loaded, Recio hit a routine fly ball at him, and Hot tested the arm of the high school senior, and the Amsterdam native passed with flying colors, turning a miraculous double play.
“He made some plays,” Griffin said of his newest player. “Made a great throw on one play, misplayed some other stuff. With the bat, he struggled a little bit, but it’s his first day, and he’ll be okay.”
The game held at 4-3 for a very long time after Conrad misplayed a ball in right field, allowing the top of the sixth inning to go just far enough for Jackson Natili (Rutgers) to score on a Jake Sparks (Marshall) groundout.
Drew Nelson (Auburn) put the Mohawks in position to win the ballgame with seven strikeouts and just two hits in four shutout innings. The left-hander made a huge impression on Griffin in his Mohawk debut.
“He was electric,” the 15th-year head coach said. “His stuff is good, man. He’s got good velocity, he just has to get a better breaking ball. He’s competitive, he got after it, and we (as a team) just have to do better.”
Amsterdam’s next chance to do better comes back at Shuttleworth Park on Tuesday against the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, kicking off a three-game homestand.
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