By Jonathon Iris
The Amsterdam Mohawks walked-off against visiting Utica Blue Sox at Rao Family Stadium at Shuttleworth Park on Saturday night, winning by a score of 4-3 in the eleventh inning.
With the game tied at three going into the bottom of the eleventh, Paul Franzoni worked a leadoff walk for the Mohawks. An error on a pickoff attempt and a sacrifice fly got Franzoni to third base with two outs, bringing Maxwell Costes to the plate following a walk by Drew Kendall. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Costes ripped a line drive single up the middle – scoring Franzoni and winning the game for Amsterdam.
In the ninth inning the Mohawks had been looking for a shutout, leading the game 3-0 thanks to great pitching from Trip Lockhart and relievers Drew Wilden and Will Gambino. Lockhart set the tone for the night – going four strong innings with five strikeouts, allowing just one hit and a walk in the process. However, struggles from reliever Chris Barraza allowed the Blue Sox to plate three runs and tie the game.
At the plate the Mohawks were led by Costes, who went 3-5 on the night including a walk, a run scored, and the game-winning base hit. Michael Turconi and J.D. Mundy also had big nights at the plate, with Turconi going 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored and Mundy adding a 2-for-3 performance.
Utica was carried by Ray Pacella’s work on the mound, who came in for the fifth inning and went six strong innings without allowing an earned run. Tyler Simon, Robbie Young, and Luis Deleon carried the load on offense for the Blue Sox.
The game was the second in three nights for Amsterdam which saw extra baseball, the first coming in the form of a 6-5 loss to the Albany Dutchmen on Thursday.
The Mohawks return to action Sunday night as they travel to face the Watertown Rapids for a Father’s Day matchup at Duffy Fairgrounds.
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