Mohawks’ bats light up the night in 8-2 win over Utica
By: Brandon Hillier
Box Score Photos
AMSTERDAM – On a fireworks night, the Amsterdam Mohawks sure did give the fans something to cheer about before the big show. Blake Logan (Auburn) and Jake Salpietro each had a three-run blast in an 8-2 rout of the Utica Brewers.
Salpietro finished the game 1-2, while Logan finished 1-2 as well with two runs scored and a walk in addition to the three run bombs each blasted. Connor Johnstone (Wake Forest) lasted 6.2 innings for the Mohawks allowing 2 earned runs and six hits. Johnstone also struck out five and walked only two to get his first win of the season.
Utica opened the scoring in the fourth inning with one run. Hayden Kelly (Polk State) blasted a two-out triple into right centerfield. Mohawks centerfielder Marcus Carson (Kentucky) had trouble with the bounce off the wall allowing Kelly to slide in safely to third. Zach Hardy (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) lined a single to right allowing Kelly to come in, 1-0 Utica.
A leadoff walk of Tommy Kain (Lynn University) in the Mohawks’ half of the fourth from Brewers’ starter DeShawn Hewitt (Louisburg) proved to be costly. Kain was able to advance on an errant throw to second base from Hewitt, allowing the hitter, Blake Logan to reach safely too. Then Jake Salpietro stepped in and launched a ball well over the high left field fence of Shuttleworth Park, 3-1 Mohawks.
Scoring didn’t pick up again until the seventh inning. Jabari Gayle (Northwest Florida State) was plunked by a Johnstone pitch, and then stole second. Marcello Sanchez (Dominican Republic) walked, but was thrown out at second on a Niovel Ruiz-Diaz (Queensborough CC) fielder’s choice. Cedric Mullins (Louisburg) singled to right bringing Gayle in to cut the lead to 3-2 Mohawks.
Amsterdam pulled away with five big runs in the bottom of the seventh. Carson walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. John Razzino (Franklin Pierce) beat out an infield single, which advanced Carson to third. JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) flied a ball to left that allowed Carson to tag and score, 4-2 Amsterdam. Razzino made it to third after a steal of second then a wild pitch, and then came in to score on a Brendan Tracy (Fairfield) groundball that was misplayed by Ruiz-Diaz. Tommy Kain reached on another Utica error. Then, Blake Logan stepped in to the box and launched a Shane Kemp (Kirkwood CC) pitch into the night sky over the left field wall, 8-2 Amsterdam.
That would cap the scoring for either team, with the Mohawks coming away with their 16th win in 17 games and their 18th win overall. Amsterdam has an off day on Sunday, but returns to play on Monday at Bob Bellizi Field in Albany for a doubleheader against the I-90 Rival Albany Dutchmen.
Utica falls to 3-22 on the season, and the Brewers have to travel to Watertown to take on the Rams at 5:00 at the Duffy Fairgrounds.
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