AMSTERDAM — After holding off the Saugerties Stallions for a 10-7 victory Sunday night, the Amsterdam Mohawks could not duplicate the task on Monday.
The Mohawks grabbed a 3-0 lead but the Stallions got to the Amsterdam bullpen, with John McKenna delivering two home runs, including a 2-run shot in the top of the 10th to lift Saugerties to a 5-3 Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League victory Monday night at Shuttleworth Park.
“Our bullpen was a little bit on the tired side and wasn’t very good tonight,” Amsterdam coach Keith Griffin said. “The velocity wasn’t very good and I didn’t think we pitched very well at all. [Starter Joe] LaSorsa was phenomenal; after that [Carter] Knapek wasn’t real sharp, but got us out of jam that he didn’t create. The other guys didn’t have it. Their guy [McKenna] crushed two balls against us and good for him.”
LaSorsa (St. John’s) and Saugerties starter Mark Meyer (Marshall) locked in a pitcher’s duel early in the game keeping the game scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.
Julian Gallup drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a ground out by Eric Rivera. Matt Gorski singled to move Gallup to third and Liam Wilson came through with a single to plate Gallup for a 1-0 lead.
The Mohawks kept rolling with Dylan Reynolds singled to score Gorski and Wilson took advantage of a Stallions error on the play to score and put the Mohawks up 3-0.
The Stallions picked up the offensive pressure, putting runners on base in the top of the sixth and seventh but could not break up the shut out until the top of the eighth.
Nick Campana led off the inning with a double and came around to score on Andrew Taft’s two-out single to cut the lead to 3-1.
Saugerties tied the game up in the top of the ninth with McKenna connecting for a lead-off home run to put the score at 3-2.
Matt Pushard worked his way on with a walk and was pinch-run for by Nick Teitter.
It looked like the Mohawks might get out of the jam after they caught Teitter in a run-down and tagged him out as he tried to score on Nick Capana’s double for the second out. However, Luke Petterson delivered Capana to the plate with the tying run with his single.
The Mohawks put the potential game-winner on base when Rivera tripled with two out, but Saugerties reliever Kevin Napoleon recorded his third strike out in the inning to send the game to extra innings.
Justin Reed came on for the Mohawks and opened the 10th by striking out Taft before walking Connor Powers on an eight-pitch at-bat. McKenna followed with his second home run of the game, a 2-run shot over the center field fence to put Saugerties up 5-3.
Again, the Mohawks pushed for the game-tying run with two outs.
Anthony Gonnella was hit by a pitch and pinch-run for by Brendan McGillin. Dan Maynard brought the crowd to its feet with his drive to deep center field only to have Capana make a game-saving catch on the run to close out the victory for the Stallions.
Rivera led the Amsterdam hitters with a triple and a single, while Wilson had a double, single, RBI and a run scored and Gonnella and Gorski had two hits apiece
“We are not good enough offensively yet, we couldn’t make many moves,” Griffin said. “We don’t have all our guys here yet so we can’t do some things. We will come out here and work on some things tomorrow at 4 and try to get better.”
McKenna paced Saugerties with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Campana doubled and singled and Matt Feinstein doubled.
Amsterdam is scheduled to host the Albany Dutchmen tonight with first place in the PGCBL East on the line. The Dutchmen (4-2) come into the game on a three-game win streak and trailing the Mohawks (5-2) by a half-game in the standings.
First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
Saugerties 5, Amsterdam 3 (10)
Saugerties 000 000 012 2 — 5 10 1
Amsterdam 000 030 000 0 — 3 9 0
Meyer, Scheuer (8), Napoleon (9) and Palczewski, McKenna (9); LaSorsa, Sullivan (7), Knapek (7), DeBrino (8), Insognia (9), Reed (10) and Maynard.
