By Bob Rotruck
Box Score ScoreCast Audio
Anthony Marks (Coastal Carolina) delivered a walk-off game-winner on a
high infield chopper in the bottom of the 10th to extend the Albany
Dutchmen season for another day. The Amsterdam Mohawks fell 9-8 in
Game 2 of the East Division Finals of the Perfect Game Collegiate
Baseball League playoffs.
The finale of the Best of 3 series will take place Sunday night at
7:05 at Shuttleworth Park with the winner advancing to the league
championship series. The Elmira Pioneers won the West Division
playoffs over the Watertown Rams with a 2 games to 0 sweep and await
the winner of this East Division series.
The Mohawks are trying to reach the league championship series for the
fifth consecutive season.
Luke Nethaway (St. Rose) had a home run and an RBI double for a 4 RBI
performance against his older brother's former team. Josh Nethaway
(Albany) played for the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2011 and 2012 and also
had a 4 RBI game in a must-win Game 2 of the playoffs last year
against Mohawk Valley.
Justin Brock (Franklin Pierce) came racing home on Marks' high infield
single that bounded over the head of drawn-in third baseman Brian Ruby
(Binghamton) for the dramatic win.
Luke Nethaway's double in the bottom of the 8th tied the crazy
back-and-forth game at 8-8 and eventually forced extras.
Dylan Smith (Auburn) had four RBIs to lead Amsterdam including a
two-run homer in the first inning followed by a sacrifice-fly and RBI
double later on.
Josh Gardiner (Radford) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored and
also made two terrific plays in the field from his second base
position. Jordan Ebert (Auburn) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen
base.
The game featured several lead changes and ties in the exciting
contest. A packed crowd jammed into Bob Bellizzi Field for the first
ever home playoff game at the facility named for the former coach of
the College of St. Rose and also of the Mohawks.
Amsterdam led 2-0 in the first on the Dylan Smith home run. Then
Albany led 3-2 on the Luke Nethaway home run in the second and
extended that lead to 4-2 an inning later.
The Mohawks scored three runs in the fourth to re-take the lead at 5-4
including RBI singles by Josh Gardiner, John Sansone (Florida State)
and a sacrifice fly by Jordan Ebert.
Albany turned the tables on the Mohawks yet again in the bottom of the
fourth and took a 6-5 lead with a couple more runs on RBIs by Anthony
Marks and Brad Noland (North Alabama).
Then it was Amsterdam's turn one more time with two runs in the top of
the fifth that made it 7-6 in favor of the Mohawks. John Nogowski
(Florida State) drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the score and then
Dylan Smith hit his sacrifice-fly for yet another Amsterdam lead.
Albany tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI
single by Justin Brock.
Finally both teams pitchers' settled down a bit and posted a couple
zeros on the board. Then Dylan Smith socked an RBI double to plate
Nogowski in the top of the seventh and Amsterdam was ahead again at
8-7.
But Luke Methaway's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth tied it
setting up the game-winning hit for Marks in the 10th.
Amsterdam brought a sizeable contingent over from the Rug City and
made lots of noise throughout in their efforts to convert Bellizzi
Fiel in "Shuttleworth East."
For Albany, it was their third straight extra-winning victory on a
must-win night. They won in 16 innings at Glens Falls on the last game
of the regular season on Wednesday to qualify for the playoffs and
then won in 11 innings at Mohawk Valley on Thursday in the opening
round of the playoffs when Amsterdam had a bye.
Albany now has six walk-off wins this season, three of which have come
against Amsterdam.
The overall series this year is even at 5 games apiece including 4-4
in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs. Six of the 10 games
played in the rivalry have been decided by one-run and four of them
have been decided via walk-off.
Game 3 at Shuttleworth Park on Sunday night at 7:05 will decide who
advances to face the Elmira Pioneers in the 2013 PGCBL Championship
Series. Whoever wins on Sunday will end up hosting on Tuesday night in
Game 1 of the final round.
Come out to Shuttleworth Park Sunday at 7:05 to cheer for your
Amsterdam Mohawks!
Broadcast coverage of the game will begin at 6:45 on 1490 WCSS and
WCSS1490.com and ustream.tv Channel Mohawks Radio.
AM - 200 320 100 0 - 8 13 0 (4)
AD - 031 210 010 1 - 9 13 0 (8)
W - Thomas Belcher
L - Jeremy Soule
HR -
AM - Dylan Smith
AD - Luke Nethaway
Time - 3:30
Best of 3 series is tied at 1-1.
Game 3 is Sunday night at 7:05 at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam
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