By Nate Shoemaker

Box Score

After a 0-2 start to the season, the Mohawks came out with a new sense of urgency, earning a 10-1 win over the Oneonta Outlaws. Starting pitcher Kyler Ackert threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. The Mohawks continued their hot start at the plate, scoring 11 runs on 14 hits.

Anthony DeCesare hit two home runs while Levi Nickoli and Robert Melo added one bomb each to help jumpstart the Mohawks offense. The Outlaws’ offense found themselves stuck in the mud, as they scored only one run, their lowest output of the season.

In the first inning, the Mohawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run from DeCesare. The first baseman launched a skyscraping shot to left field that just cleared the wall.  

Through the first three innings, Amsterdam’s Ackert kept the Outlaws lineup quiet. Ackert allowed just two hits while striking out five. The Mohawks offense added to Ackert’s cushion in the third, as Gabriel Rivera continued his sizzling start to the season with an RBI single.

The pop from the Mohawk’s bat continued as Levi Nickoli tattooed a ball over the right field wall to make the score 6-0.  Through the first four innings, Amsterdam had 8 hits, forcing the Outlaws to pull their starting pitcher Jimmy Strohlein.

The new starting pitcher was not an issue for the Mohawks as they scored three more runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 9-0. The Outlaws got their first run across the plate in the sixth inning as Blake Fortunato scored on the Mohawks’ first error of the night.

Pitchers Joey Gecewiz and Joshua Martinez closed out the last four innings for Amsterdam allowing only a run and striking out four. This marks Amsterdam's first win of the season and Oneonta’s second loss. Amsterdam added on two more when DeCesare’s and Robert Melo went deep to seal a mercy rule win for the Mohawks.

Amsterdam will look to keep their winning streak going on Thursday, June 4, when they host the Utica Blue Sox. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.

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