By Jon Sargalis 

Box Score     ScoreCast     Audio

For the second year in a row the Mohawks will have to wait to a few weeks to find out the results of their opening night game. Last year the Mohawks opened the season in Cooperstown and the lack of lights paired with extra inning forced the game to be suspended. The continuation of that game was pushed back to the Mohawks next trip out to Cooperstown.

This year the Mohawks opened the season under the lights of Bellizzi Field in Albany and began their title defense in a matchup against the Albany Dutchmen. With the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the 8th, Alex Gange came on for his first appearance of the season. After missing with the first 2 pitches, the University of Maine product got the ball back and headed up the mound to readress the rubber. That's when the unthinkable happened and all the lights in the complex went dark forcing the game to be suspended at that point in the 8th inning.

Prior to the blackout the Mohawks took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning when Devin Wenzel lined a singled up the middle to drive home Kevin Guthrie. Guthrie came into the game as a pinch runner for Dylan Smith after Smith stole second and came up favoring his hamstring. The Mohawks add another run in the 5th after an Albany botched pickoff attempt. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Albany pitcher Sean Spicer caught Kyle Barrett leaning too far off the bag and threw over to 1st. After a short run down, Barrett slid safely back into first as Albany first basemen Matt Dacey was unable to handle the throw back to him. With Chris Kalica standing on 3rd base he alertly broke for home and scored the Mohawks second run.

Albany responded in the 5th with a run off Amsterdam starter Trey Wingenter who had pitched brilliantly to that point. With 2 on and 1 out in the 5th the Mohawks went to the bullpen and turned to Taylor Butler who was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning with the Mohawks in front 2-1.

Amsterdam added 2 in the 6th when Shane Zimmer hit a sac-fly to deep center field with the bases loaded and then Keith Skinner managed to beat out a double play ball on the next pitch. Albany battled back in the bottom half of the inning and managed to plate 3 runs on a defensive miscue to tie the game at 4. In the 7th, both teams walked the leadoff man and both runs came around to score to knot the game at 5 and that was where the teams left off as the game was suspended in the bottom of the 8th.

The conclusion of this game will be played before the regulary scheduled game on June 20th in Albany, as that will be the next time the two teams are scheduled to play there.

Click Here to see the recap of this game from 6/20/13.

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