By Bob Rotruck

Box Score (Game 1), Box Score (Game 2)

On the first day of summer and the hottest day of the year, the Amsterdam Mohawks matched the red-hot weather with their red-hot play. Chase Williamson (Auburn) recorded saves in both ends of Amsterdam's doubleheader sweep and the Mohawks stretched their win streak to 10 straight on Thursday night at Shuttleworth Park. Amsterdam defeated the Oneonta Outlaws by scores of 5-3 and 6-4 in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League twin-bill.

Amsterdam increased their lead atop the league standings as they improved to 11-2 overall and 6-0 at home. Oneonta entered the day in second place in the PGCBL at only 1.5 games behind the Mohawks but found themselves 3.5 games back after having their own four-game win streak snapped moving their overall record to 7-5.

Williamson was the star of the day with a perfect seventh in game one followed by 2.1 innings for the next save in game 2. He began game 2 in the batting order as the DH and also went 1-for-3 at the dish. Williamson had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh of the nightcap to stretch the win-streak to 10 as the Outlaws stranded the tying and go-ahead runners on base.

The split doubleheader began at 3:00 with a game-time temperature a scorching 96 degrees. Lefty Matt Gage (Siena) from Gloversville spun six innings in the opener in picking up his league-leading third win of the season. He allowed 10 hits in the game but benefited from some timely defense behind him that included the Mohawks gunning down three Outlaws runners on the bases. With five strikeouts in the game, Gage moves into second in the league with 25 total. It was Gage's first start as a Mohawk after four relief appearances.

Even Stephens (Wake Forest) continued his torrid pace with a 2-for-3 opener to improve to 13-for-23 on the season and a .565 average. He scored two of Amsterdam's five runs in the first game.

Nathan Gomez (Marshall) went 2-for-2 with a sac-fly RBI and 2 driven in total in the first game coming on the heels of his big 4-for-6 game at Albany the night before.

Oneonta was led in the first game by Shane Crain (Louisville) who went 3-for-3 with two runs. Lucas Leifield (Grand Canyon) was 2-for-3 with a double.

Outlaws starting pitcher Taylor Hicks (Georgia) took the complete game loss for the Outlaws going six innings and allowing three runs, two earned on seven hits with two strikeouts.

Amsterdam's Chase Williamson (Auburn) fired a perfect seventh for his second save of the season and his first of the day.

In game two, it was Dan Zlotnick (Marist) who recorded his first win on the season as a Mohawk. The 2010 member of the Amsterdam squad went 4.2 innings giving up three hits and three earned runs. He also walked four and struck out four.

Amsterdam led 4-1 in the fourth inning when Oneonta had the bases loaded with two outs for Forrest Johnson (Notre Dame) who hit a sinking liner to center. Ed Charlton (NJIT) aggressively charged and made a spectacular diving catch to thwart the Outlaws comeback efforts. Oneonta protested the umpire's call believing Charlton had trapped it but the decision stood for the biggest and best defensive plays of the year.

Defense would plague Oneonta at all the wrong times particularly in the second game and the hard-running Mohawks were on the war-path ready to take advantage of the Outlaws' five fielding errors.

The Mohawks scored three in the second to take a 4-1 lead with a couple of the runs coming on sacrifice flies by Matt MacDowell (Dartmouth) and Nathan Gomez.

Oneonta cut the score to 4-3 with a couple in the top of the fifth knocking Zlotnick out of the game. Cory Hunt (Utah) doubled to begin the rally and scored along with Logan Brown (Baylor) on a two-run double to the left-field corner by Clay Holcomb (Troy).

With a two-out runner at third, head coach Keith Griffin removed Zlotnick and went with Williamson for the second game in a row who recorded the final out of the fifth to keep the one-run lead. Williamson began the game as a DH and went 1-for-3 with a steal and a run scored along with the two saves he would record. All this coming after a long RBI triple at Albany the night before.

Amsterdam pushed their lead to 6-3 with a couple runs in the bottom of the fifth as they took advantage of two critical errors by Oneonta. Chase Green's single to left drove in both Gomez and Jeff Boehm (Kentucky) as the key blast in the rally.

The Outlaws scored one more in the bottom of the sixth with Sutton Whiting (Louisville) singling and scoring on a Cory Hunt (Utah) safe-knock to cut the margin to 6-4. Hunt went 2-for-3 with a double, rbi and run scored for Oneonta in the second game.

Williamson battled in the seventh to get the last outs. He hit a couple of batters and in-between was an error on shortstop Chase Green (SIU-Edwardsville) on a potential double-play ball. But with the bases-loaded and the win streak hanging in the balance, Williamson induced a fielders choice grounder to Tom Bernal (Kentucky) at third who stepped on the base for the force to complete the night.

Amsterdam's win streak is now at 10. And coming up next they face the last team to have beaten them. The Mohawks lost at Glens Falls 11-8 on Friday, June 8 in what remains their most recent setback. Glens Falls comes to Shuttleworth Park Friday at 7:00 as part of the sixth annual ParkFest presented by the Wasserman Foundation in one of the biggest days of the year for the Mohawks. The event features even more great rides and games, pony rides, a rock wall, awesome vendors, and more. Plus admission to the Mohawks game against the Golden Eagles at 7:00 followed by the fantastic fireworks spectacular presented by Rick's RoBo Car Wash.

Taylor Martin (Kentucky, 1-0, 0.82) is the probable starter for Amsterdam in the renewal of the rivalry with the Golden Eagles.

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