By Jon Sargalis

Box Score     Photos

After losing to the Mohawks 18-2 on July 9th, the Saugerties Stallions had been red hot winning 6 games in a row and shrinking the Mohawks lead in the East Division to 2 games. Amsterdam gave a firm answer to whom the East Division belonged to as they defeated the Stallions 11-5 Thursday night at Shuttleworth Park.

Zach Hernandez started the game for the Mohawks and started out with back-to-back strikeouts. Then he walked the bases loaded before getting Justin Ford to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning and keep Saugerties off the board.

Javar Williams led off the bottom of the first with a single to center to extend his hitting streak to 13 straight games. Evan Haeger followed with a double off the top of the wall in right. That set the table for Jackson Natili and Cade Ladehoff to hit back-to-back sac-flies to right which put the Mohawks up 2-0 after 1.

Hernandez started the second and was immediately in trouble again as he hit Ryan Recio with the first pitch of the inning. After rebounding with a strikeout of Brandon Fish, Matt McIntire doubled down the line in left and a misplay by Sebastian Harden allowed Recio to score to make it 2-1. Hernandez then walked the 10 hitter, Tyler Bak which brought the reigning PGCBL MVP up to the plate in Andrew Amato. Down 1-2 in the count, Amato lined a single to center to tie the game and drive Hernandez from the game.

Gage Haley came out of the bullpen with 2 on and 1 out. He gave up a single to load the bases but was able to get the next 2 out without allowing Saugerties to take the lead.

Amsterdam regained the lead in the bottom of the second as they put up 3 runs. Rob Rispoli doubled to left and Drake Digiorno hit an infield single to short which set up Sebastian Harden to hit an RBI double to right. Javar Williams reached on a dropped third strike as Drake Digiorno scored and Evan Haeger singled to center to drive in Harden as the Mohawks took a 5-2 lead.

In the third, Jimmy Dionne scored on a wild pitch and Tyler Figueroa scored on a Drake Digiorno sac-fly as the Mohawks took a 7-2 lead.

With the bases loaded in the fourth, Jimmy Dionne hit a 3-run double to right but was thrown out trying to extend it into a triple to end the inning, but not before the Mohawks took a 10-2 lead.

The Stallions finally got to Gage Haley in the sixth inning as Justin Ford reached on a leadoff walk and scored on a Brandon Fish base hit to right to make it 10-3. Haley would load the bases with 1 out, so Keith Griffin turned the ball over to Parker Aikens who delivered back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

Michael Cunnigham took over on the mound for the Stallions in the sixth and recorded 4 strikeouts in the inning, however Sebastian Harden reached on a dropped third strike and Cade Ladehoff reached on a dropped third strike, which allowed Harden to score as the Mohawks took an 11-3 lead.

Saugerties got 2 runs off James Redick who took over in the eighth inning. Tyler Bak hit a double off the wall in left that scored Brandon Fish and Andrew Amato grounded out to first as Bak scored making it 11-5.

Redick would come back out for the ninth and set the Stallions down 1-2-3 to end the game and secure the Mohawks 11-5 victory.

Gage Haley got the win improving to 3-0 as the Mohawks move to 28-6, while Vince Fusco took the loss falling to 2-2 as the Stallions fall to 26-9-2.

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