By Jon Sargalis
Photos
Box Score Game 1 Game 2
After being blowout most of the season by the Albany Athletics, the Amsterdam Mohawks nearly came back in the second game of a doubleheader on Thursday. However, the Mohawks could not get past Chris Salamida as he played a key role in the A’s 6-0 and 7-6 victories.
Chris Salamida was a former 13th round pick of the Houston Astros. He went 10-1 as a member of the Tri-City ValleyCats and made it all the way to Double-A. He started on the mound in the first game and that experience was key as the Mohawks only managed 2 hits in the game. Those 2 hits came from of St. Rose Senior, Andrew Pedone as Salamida recorded 8 strikeouts and no walks in the complete game shutout.
Teddy McGraw started and tool the loss for Amsterdam as he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits in 3+ innings.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning. McGraw loaded the bases on 2 walks and a hit batter. Ben Rhodes replaced him and hit the first batter to force in a run. Albany scored 2 more runs later in the inning on 2 fielder’s choices and took a 3-0 lead.
John Mikolaicyk went the final 2.2 innings. He induced a double play to end the fifth, cruised through the sixth, but ran into trouble in the seventh. After loading the bases, Chris Salamida drove in a run with a single, Chris Mastroianni scored on a wild pitch and Tim Carroll scored on a Brendan Harris groundout to make in 6-0.
The Mohawks went down in order in the seventh as Salamida finished off the 6-0 shutout for the Athletics.
The second game got off to a rough start for the Mohawks and Dan Parslow. After a complete game shutout in the first game, Chris Salamida hit a 3-run home run off Parslow as part of a 4-run first inning for the Athletics.
Devyn Fahnestock took over on the mound in the second inning and gave up a 2-run double to Tommy Kretzler to put Albany up 6-0.
The Mohawks got on the board in the bottom of the second. Cam Collett led off the inning with a single, Brian Hart followed with a double and Jake Reinisch drove them both in with a double to make it 6-2.
It stayed 6-2 until the fifth when Tim Carroll drove in Nick Hanson with a single to give Albany a 7-2 lead.
Then the Mohawks started to rally in the sixth. The inning started with Ryan Lambert issuing a walk to Ben Rhodes and a Devin Disonell double. Andrew Pedone drove in Rhodes with a single to make it 7-3. After a pair of strikeouts and a walk to load the bases, Brian Hart drew a walk to force in Disonell to make it 7-4 and Joe Novenche was hit by a pitch to drive in Pedone and make it 7-5.
With momentum on their side, Luke Pascarella and the Mohawks set the Athletics down in order in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kyle Lambert took over in the mound for the Athletics. He immediately gave up a single to Ben Lavery, hit Ben Rhodes and Devin Disonell reached on an error by third basemen Dan Rhoden. With the bases loaded, Lambert got Andrew Pedone to fly out.
That’s when Albany manager Joe Alteri went to the mound and called for his centerfielder, Chris Salamida, who just pitch a complete game shutout in the first game, to attempt a save in the second game.
Salamida faced Nick Kondo first, and Kondo singled to center to pull the Mohawks within one. With the Athletics up 7-6 and the Mohawks threatening with the bases loaded and one out, Salamida struck out Reilly Hall and Cam Collett to end the game and preserve the 7-6 win for the Athletics.
Kevin Connolly was the winning pitcher for Albany and Chris Salamida picked up the save. Dan Parslow was saddled with the loss for Amsterdam.
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