By Josh McMullen – Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs
Box Score Game 1 Game 2
Every morning at Vet's Park, you would see him arrive. He stood 6-6 and weighed 285.
No, it's not Jimmy Dean's Big Bad John, but the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs' own version: St. Thomas Aquinas' big reliever, John Archer (Dobbs Ferry, NY).
Archer threw 4 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in Game Two of Mohawk Valley's doubleheader with the Amsterdam Mohawks, losing 12-1 in Game One, but picking up the win 6-5 in Game Two.
Mohawk Valley started the scoring in Game One off the bat of Matt Parkinson (Whitesboro, NY/Carson-Newman)in the first. His bloop single to right-center field scored Daniel Burnett (Granville, MA/Hartford).
It would take a couple more innings before Amsterdam would tie up the score on a bouncing ball to center field by Brett Coker (Hendersonville, TN/Middle Tennessee State). His RBI single scored Stone Miyao (Hilo, HI/University of Hawaii). CJ Funk (Bellefinte, PA/University of Pittsburgh) did the same five batters later, scoring Brett Young (Wynantskill, NY/Siena College) to give them the lead. Coker would come home on a fielder's choice by Jake Reinisch (Clifton Park, NY/Wake Forest). In all, 13 Mohawks would come to bat, and all but Funk would score in the eight-run third.
Miyao picked up another RBI in the fifth, scoring Kai Roberts (Lehi, UT/University of Utah) on a bouncing ball back to the pitcher and into center field. Coker extended the lead to 11 on a three-run shot to left-center field.
That would be all the Amsterdam (4-0) bullpen would need, keeping Mohawk Valley (0-3) scoreless the rest of the way to take Game One.
Dylan Carmouche (Denham Springs, LA/Mississippi State) would pick up the win for Amsterdam, winners of four straight. Keegan Leffler (Wilton, NY/UMBC) was saddled with the loss for Mohawk Valley, who have lost their first three.
The Mohawks started Game Two much like they started Game One: peppering hits all over left field. The most significant one – the one that scored the go-ahead run – came off the bat of Danny Moshier (Falmouth, ME/Marist), who didn't even get on base, but would score Coker. Slate Alford (Madison, AL/Mississippi State) would bring home another two on a dribbler that would get past the second baseman.
Miyao would extend the lead on an RBI single by Coker in the second, while coming home himself on an RBI triple by Robbie Armitage (Falmouth, ME/Marist).
The DiamondDawgs finally got on the board in the fourth, as Grant Santangelo (Hershey, PA/Delaware) was hit with the bases loaded, scoring Parkinson. Chris Peralta (Lynbrook, NY/Molloy) would get into the fun with a sharply-hit ball into right field to score Rob Taylor (Wolcott, CT/University of New Haven). Brady Fureno got his run as well with a well-hit ball of his own, this time into left field to score Cedric Rose (Pittsfield, MA/UMass Lowell). Another run would come home on a passed ball from Ian Cooke (New Milford, CT/UConn), scoring Santangelo. Parkinson came in again and tied the game by virtue of getting hit by Cooke, then the Amsterdam pitcher would give up the lead on a passed ball, scoring Fureno. The Diamond Dawgs would take revenge on the Mohawks from their batting around in Game 1 by sending 11 to the plate in the inning. The home team scored six and left only two Mohawk Valley batters – Burnett and Kyle Kuramoto (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Palm Beach Atlantic) – hitless.
That would be all DiamondDawgs (1-3) reliever John Archer (Dobbs Ferry, NY/St. Thomas Aquinas) would need, throwing four and 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball to earn the split for Mohawk Valley.
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