By Bob Rotruck

Box Score     ScoreCast     Audio     Photos


Jordan Ebert (Auburn) socked a solo home run, added another RBI on a
sacrifice fly, and made a terrific diving catch in left field as well
to help lead the Amsterdam Mohawks to a 4-2 victory over the Albany
Dutchmen in Game 1 of the East Division Finals of the Perfect Game
Collegiate Baseball League playoffs. A crowd of 1,226 boisterous fans
cranked up the noise level at Shuttleworth Park as Amsterdam won their
12th consecutive decision dating back to 11 straight wins to conclude
the regular season.

Amsterdam had only four hits for the game but were able to make the
most of them.

Three local products on the mound for the Mohawks fired a combined
eight-hitter to hold the Dutchmen offense in check. Colonie native
Matt Snyder (Temple) and then fellow Colonie product Chris Kalica (St.
John's) leading to Schenectedy resident Mike Urbanski (Binghamton)
received the win, the hold and the save respectively.

Snyder lasted into the seventh inning on a 115-pitch night. In his 6.2
innings of work he allowed just one unearned run in his final frame
coming due to his own error. He scattered five hits and struckout
seven against his former team. Snyder was a PGCBL All-Star Team
representative for the Albany Dutchmen last year.

Kalica retired four straight in the seventh and eighth. And Urbanski
worked out of a late jam in the ninth to pick up the save.

Charles Parslow (Hudson Valley C.C.) received the spot-start for the
fatiged and over-worked Dutchmen staff who had worked 45 innings in
the past three days leading to the opener of this series. Parslow was
terrific in his six innings giving up just one earned run of the two
total against him while allowing the top offensive team in the league
to collect only two hits.

Anthony Marks (Coastal Carolina) was 2-for-5 with two RBIs. His RBI
hit in the ninth inning was the beginning of a late rally attempt. He
was left stranded at second base as the tying run when Urbanski
struckout Brad Noland (North Alabama) to end the game.

Jordan Ebert started the scoring with a solo home run off Parslow in
the third inning. And Brian Ruby (Binghamton) singled and advanced on
an error on the next play to be in position to score on a Kyle Barrett
(Kentucky) sacrifice fly in the same inning as Amsterdam lead 2-0 in
the third.

Albany had several threats against Snyder throughout the night but
couldn't dent the scoreboard until the seventh inning when Justin
Brock (Franklin Pierce) reached on an error by Snyder on a ground ball
back to him. He made it to third on a passed ball and scored on a
ground out by Marks.

Snyder also benefited by some timely defense behind him. Ed Charlton
(NJIT) came charging in from center field to make a terrific sliding
catch on a sinking line drive by Chris Suseck (Coastal Carolina). Then
Kyle Barrett made a spectacular diving catch in the sixth in foul
territory to rob Suseck again. And Ebert hustled over towards
left-center to make a great diving catch to deny Luke Nethaway (St.
Rose) in the seventh.

Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Albany had the tying man at second base
when Mohawks skipper Keith Griffin removed Matt Snyder in favor of
Chris Kalica who then struck out Noland to end the threat and preserve
the lead.

Amsterdam scored single runs in the seventh and the eighth on a
sac-fly by Ebert and then an RBI double by Ed Charlton (NJIT) that
plated Kyle Barrett.

Urbanski got into trouble in the ninth surrendering back-to-back
singles to Luke Nethaway (St. Rose) and Justin Brock. Then Marks'
two-out hit and advance on an error gave Albany a chance to equalize
but Mike Urbanski spun a change through the big swing of Brad Noland
to end the game.


Game 2 of the playoffs is Saturday at Bob Bellizzi Field in Albany.
Left-hander Rich Vrana (Marist) who tied for the league lead in wins
with a 6-0 mark will make the start for the Mohawks.

If the Mohawks win Saturday then they will host Game 1 of the Best of
3 Championship Series on Tuesday night at Shuttleworth Park. If Albany
wins then Game 3 of this playoff series will be on Sunday night at
Shuttleworth Park.

Amsterdam has advanced to the league championship series for four
straight seasons, all under head coach Keith Griffin. And the Mohawks
have won the title in three of those past four years.

Saturday will represent the first home playoff game in Albany Dutchmen
history and it is appropriate that this contest at Bob Bellizzi Field
should take place against the Mohawks. The long-time skipper of the
College of St. Rose with 720 from 1978-2005 was also a long-time
representative in the front office for the Mohawks and was the head
coach of the Schenectedy Mohawks when they won their first league
championship in 1988. The Dutchmen and the Mohawks both benefited from
the contributions of the late Bob Bellizzi to local baseball.



Broadcast coverage from Albany will begin at 6:45 on 1490 WCSS and on
the internet on WCSS1490.com and ustream.tv Channel MohawksRadio.
Game-time in Albany is scheduled for 7:05.


AD - 000 000 101 - 2 8 1 (9)
AM - 002 000 11x - 4 4 3 (3)

W - Matt Snyder
L - Charles Parslow
S - Mike Urbanski

HR
AM - Jordan Ebert

Doubles
AD - Brad Noland

ATT - 1226
Time - 2:51


Amsterdam leads Best of 3 series 1-0.

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