By Bob Rotruck
It took four days to achieve an actual result in the standings for the
Amsterdam Mohawks. But after struggling with various issues the past
three days, the defending champions of the Perfect Game Collegiate
Baseball League notched their first full game of the season in the
form of a 7-2 victory Saturday night over the Adirondack Trail
Blazers. The Mohawks were boosted by a large crowd of 1,894 jamming
into Shuttleworth Park for the first of five Fireworks Nights of the
season.
Amsterdam (1-0) had games suspended on Wednesday and Thursday due to a
power-outage and weather. And they were rained out on Friday as well.
But Saturday night a cool and pleasant evening awaited the Mohawks in
their first full game at Shuttleworth Park as they took on one of two
new teams to the league this season. The Trail Blazers, from the
village of Boonville, N.Y, fell to 1-1 with the loss.
The Mohawks were limited to only seven base-hits in the game but
benefited from 11 additional base-runners via free-passes. Adirondack
pitching served up eight walks and also hit three others with pitches.
2012 PGCBL All-Star Ed Charlton (NJIT) drove in a pair of runs with an
RBI double and also a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Charlton also had the
defensive game of the evening when he gunned a perfect throw from
center-field to nab a Trail Blazer trying to score in the third.
Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) went 2-for-5 for the Mohawks with an
RBI-double and a run scored. Christian Bartholomew (Wake Forest) fired
two strong innings of shutout relief for the victory.
Shane Allen (Northeastern) led the way for Adirondack going 2-for-3
with an RBI and almost scored a tying run earlier in the game.
The turning point in the game clearly came in the third inning with
Amsterdam escaping with the lead intact thanks to some timely defense.
With the Mohawks up 2-0 after single tallies in the first and second,
Adirondack was able to load the bases with nobody out as Amsterdam
starting pitcher Matt Snyder (Fulton-Montgomery CC) suddenly started
struggling with his control.
Snyder plunked the first two batters and then walked the next two to
force in a run. Adirondack's Luke Emling (Villanova) flied out to
center as the runner at third, Shane Allen (Northeastern) attempted to
score. But Amsterdam center-fielder Ed Charlton nicely timed his run
to catch the fly-ball while charging in and his bullet home was good
for the tag-out from catcher Keith Skinner (Fairfield) for the key
double-play.
The Mohawks scored four more runs in the fourth and fifth innings off
Trail Blazers' reliever Matt Engler (Mohawk Valley CC) to boost the
lead to 6-1.
A quartet of Mohawks' pitchers combined for a 5-hitter on the night.
Matt Snyder lasted the first four innings, then Christian Bartholomew
in the 5th and 6th, followed by Zach Quayle (Ave Maria) in the 7th and
8th and then Chris Kalica (St. John's) allowed one in the ninth as he
recorded the final out.
The Amsterdam Mohawks travel to Doubleday Field in Cooperstown Sunday
evening for a 5:00 game against the Hawkeyes. Matt Ternowchek (Notre
Dame) will take the mound for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam next plays at Shuttleworth Park on Tuesday night as they
begin a stretch in which they will play four home games in five days
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday).
The Trail Blazers return to "The Smith" Sunday at 3:00 against the
Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs.
R H E (LOB)
AT 2 5 2 (7)
AM 7 7 1 (12)
Att: 1894
Records:
Adirondack (1-1)
Amsterdam (1-0)
W - Christian Bartholomew (1-0)
L - Eli Anderson (0-1)
S - None