By Justin Mattingly

Box Score

The Amsterdam Mohawks took a 1-0 lead in the PGCBL Championship Series with a 9-3 win over the Newark Pilots at Shuttleworth Park. The Mohawks are now just a win away from three straight PGCBL championships.

Newark got out to an early lead to provide a legitimate threat to the Mohawks. Tanner Giesel hit a two-run home run to left field with Tommy Wagner aboard to give the Pilots a 2-0 lead. Giesel hit two home runs during the regular season. Newark extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning on a Dorian Hairston RBI double.

Amsterdam got the run back in the bottom of the inning on PGCBL Player of the Year Josh Gardiner’s RBI groundout. In the next inning, Brendan Tracy put the Mohawks on top for good with a long home run to center field that put Amsterdam on top, 4-3. It was Tracy’s first home run of the season. An Alex DeBellis RBI double in the sixth made it a 5-3 game.

Tommy Kain hit the second three-run home run of the game for Amsterdam in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kain hit five home runs during the regular season, which was tied for second most in the PGCBL. The final run of the game came around to score on a Jonathan Pryor RBI single that scored Jack Czeszewski.

Zack Brown tossed 5.1 no-hit innings of relief to pick up the win for Amsterdam. The rising sophomore from Kentucky struck out seven after relieving Mohawk starter Ryan Clark in the fourth inning. Brown went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in eight appearances during the regular season. Opponents hit .209 off the right-hander. BJ Nobles allowed five runs in 5.1 innings of work in taking the loss for Newark.

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