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Spectacular Catch Preserves Mohawks Win

By Bob Rotruck

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Amsterdam Center fielder Ed Charlton (NJIT) sprinted straight
backwards to race down a  deep drive and make a spectacular jumping,
full-extension catch in the eighth inning to preserve a 4-2 victory
over the Cooperstown Hawkeyes on Tuesday night at Shuttleworth Park.
Ryan Donovan's (Hofstra) blast would have brought home two Cooperstown
runners to tie the score if not for Charlton's acrobatics.

Charlton did not jump UP at the fence to make his catch. He had to
dive for it going straight back at the end of his full sprint and
somehow caught the ball just before it would have landed at the base
of the wall.

Jordan Ebert (Auburn) lifted a three-run homer in the Mohawks'
victory. Schenectedy native Mike Urbanski (Binghamton) fanned the side
in order in the ninth inning and struck out four batters total en
route to his second save. And Rich Vrana (Marist) pulled long-relief
duty from the second through sixth innings firing three-hit shutout
ball in his 4.1 frames to improve to 2-0.

Nate Lotze (Kenyon) was 3-for-4 with an RBI double for Cooperstown.
Ben Hall (Central Alabama C.C.) had a double, run scored, and a walk.
Cody Smith (Black Hawk) pitched 3.2 innings of strong middle-relief
allowing just one earned run on three hits.

Amsterdam (15-13) jumps past Mohawk Valley who lost their game to
Glens Falls. The Mohawks now lay claim to the third-place position in
the East Division standings which carries the last playoff spot at the
regular season conclusion in three weeks. It's 28 games down and 20 to
go for the Mohawks. The Cooperstown Hawkeyes (11-12) slipped below the
.500 mark with the loss and fell to 1-3 this season against Amsterdam.

It was a battle of walking in the first couple of innings and both
starters had a tough time finding the strike-zone. Amsterdam's Jeremy
Soule (Fairfield) walked five batters in just over an inning including
four straight in the second inning that resulted in a bases-loaded
forced in run as the Hawkeyes led 1-0.

Cooperstown starter Dean White (Post) served up seven walks in his 3.1
innings including a couple of Mohawks in the third inning setting the
table for Jordan Ebert's opposite-field drive to right to give
Amsterdam a 3-1 lead. Ebert's fourth home run came just one pitch
after he had pulled a long drive foul out to the left field side. On
the next pitch, he took an outside corner offering from White and was
able to lift it barely fair over the fence the other way in right.

Better pitching from the bullpens would keep the score at 3-1 until
the seventh inning when John Sansone (Florida State) would walk, John
Nogowski (Florida State) doubled to left, and a couple batters later
Josh Gardiner (Radford) would sock his team-leading eighth double of
the season driving home Sansone to extend the advantage to 4-1.

Cooperstown cut the score to 4-2 off Chris Kalica (SCCC) in the eighth
with three straight hits. Jon Hall (Central Alabama C.C.) doubled and
then scored a couple batters later on a Mate Lotze (Kenyon) double.
Urbanski inherited a second-and-third situation with one out and got
out of it with a strikeout and then the defensive play of the season
turned in by Charlton at the most clutch of moments.

Urbanski went on to strike out the side in the ninth with the last two
batters going down looking on 92 mph fastballs that froze them.

Matt Ternowchek (Notre Dame) starts for Amsterdam Wednesday night at
the Albany Dutchmen to begin a pivotal three-game series over the next
two days. Albany is in second-place in the East Division and Amsterdam
is right on their heels in the third-place position.

Amsterdam returns home to Shuttleworth Park for a pair of games on
Thursday night
against Albany. The games will start at 6:00 with the

resumption of the late-night suspended game from last Friday's lengthy
Fireworks Night. The game was suspended with a 4-4 score in the 10th
inning with Mike Urbanski having taken over on the hill.

Cooperstown returns to Doubleday Field on Wednesday at 5:00 against
the Adirondack Trail Blazers.


CH  010 000 010 - 2 8 2 (8)
AM 003 000 10x - 4 5 0 (10)

W - Rich Vrana (2-0)
L - Dean White (0-1)
S - Mike Urbanski (2)

HR
AM - Jordan Ebert (4)

Doubles
CH - Ben Hall, Nate Lotze
AM - John Nogowski, Josh Gardiner

Time - 2:51
ATT - 791

Records
Cooperstown Hawkeyes: 11-12
Amsterdam Mohawks: 15-13

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