By Bob Rotruck
Box Score
Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) was dazzling as the Amsterdam Mohawks spun their second consecutive shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Albany Dutchmen on Monday in Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League action at Shuttleworth Park.
This one was a two-hitter coming on the heels of a combined effort three-hitter on Sunday at the Watertown Wizards in a 7-0 win. The Mohawks have now strung together 22 consecutive shutout frames and have not allowed a run since last Friday in the 5th inning in a 7-1 victory over Elmira.
Amsterdam has now won six straight to improve their league-leading record to 7-2. The Mohawks are a perfect 4-0 at home in 2012. The Albany Dutchmen fell to 5-5 including 0-2 against Amsterdam.
Shepherd (2-0) economized 91 pitches in a terrific eight-inning effort in which he allowed just two singles and one walk while striking out six. The UK freshman from Louisa, KY has now thrown 13 innings without allowing a run and surrendering just four hits in his two starts for the Mohawks this year. He has 13 punch-outs in his 13 frames. Shephard was a 41st round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2011 draft.
Chase Williamson (Auburn) fired a perfect ninth for his second overall save.
Amsterdam outhit the Dutchmen 13-2 but Albany was able to hang around in the game by scattering the Mohawks safe-knocks throughout the contest. Amsterdam had at least one hit in each trip to the plate.
Initially, the game appeared to be a combined three-hitter for the second game in a row for the Mohawks. But a post-game change of a scoring decision took a hit away from the Dutchmen and was instead charged as an error against Amsterdam in the fourth inning.
Colonie, N.Y. native Matt Snyder (Virginia Tech) scattered nine hits in a six inning effort allowing just one run in for the losing side. He walked none and had three strikeouts.
Chase Green (SIU Edwardsville) went 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. He doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on a single by Matt MacDowell (Dartmouth) to get the Mohawks on the board.
Giuseppe Papaccio (Seton Hall) went 3-for-4 including a run scored in the seventh on an RBI hit by Nathan Gomez (Marshall).
Albany came closest to scoring in the fourth inning when Zac Remmilard (Lasalle Institute) had a deep blast to left-center that was hauled in at the fence by Amsterdam centerfielder Ed Charlton (NJIT). Later in the inning, Ryan Gasporra (Centenary, La.) was caught in a rundown between first and second while Nick Chapman (UNC Greensboro) was charging in from third. Amsterdam shortstop Giuseppe Papaccio (Seton Hall) applied the tag on Gasporra for the final out just an instant before the Chapman run would have counted.
The Mohawks look for their seventh straight win on Tuesday night when they visit Mohawk Valley. And they will travel to Albany's Bob Belizzi Field on Wednesday. Amsterdam's next home game is Thursday with a split doubleheader against the Oneonta Outlaws. Game one will be at 3:00 followed by the 2nd annual Chamber Softball Classic at 5:30 and then Amsterdam's second game of the twin-bill at 7:00.
Albany has the day off Tuesday before returning home to host the Mohawks on Wednesday in the finale of the home-and-home series.
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