Three times.

That is how many times the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs and the Albany Dutchmen have met in a row in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League First-Round Playoff.

Unfortunately for Albany, history repeated itself once again, as the Diamond Dawgs scored most of their runs between the fourth and seventh innings, sending the Dutchmen home by the score of 6-3.

The Diamond Dawgs would get on the board in their half of the first inning, as Sam Machonis’ (Tampa, Florida/Florida Southern College) single would score Matt Pagano (Cranston, Rhode Island/Marist College). That would be all in the first, however, as Chris Rave (Middletown, New York/Herkimer CC) popped up to right to end the inning.

Mohawk Valley starter Payton Coddou (Napoleonville, Louisiana/University of Louisiana-Monroe) would find himself with the bases full of Dutchmen in the top of the fourth. Hunter Boose (Evans, Georgia/Georgia Regents University) would tie up the game one batter later with a sacrifice fly that would score Michael Fitzsimmons (Eads, Tennessee/University of Mississippi). Another sacrifice fly, this time by Tom Moore (Burnt Hills, New York/Schenectady CC), would score Adam Gauthier (Highlands Ranch, Colorado/Dartmouth College). Grayson Lewis (Heath, Texas/Rice University) would extend the Dutchmen lead to two, as his single would score Michael Bollmer (Louisville, Kentucky/University of Louisville). The inning would end one batter later, however, as Patrick Hisle (Bethesda, Maryland/University of Maryland) would be caught stealing at home.

Colin Hawk (Beech Grove, Indiana/University of Indianapolis) would cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fourth, as his sacrifice fly to right would score Machonis. Andrew Turner (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania/Long Island University-Brooklyn), coming off a game in which he played nine positions in one game (the first of its kind in PGCBL history), would tie the game up at three when his single would score Rave.

Thomas Walraven (Pine Bush, New York/University of New Haven) would put Mohawk Valley back ahead in the bottom of the fifth, as his RBI single would score the speedy Anthony Herrera (McKinney, Texas/University of Louisiana-Monroe).

Hawk would get another RBI in the bottom of the sixth, as his single would score Machonis.

Ryan Stekl (Lancaster, New York/Canisius College) would extend the Mohawk Valley lead to three in the seventh, when his single would score Troy Scocca (Syosset, New York/Fairfield University). That would be all for Albany starter Gavin Wallace (Madison, New Jersey/ Fairfield University), as he would be pulled for Zak Spivy (Naples, Florida/Polk State College).

That three-run lead would be all second baseman-turned-closer Herrera would need, as he would allow three hits the rest of the way to close the door on Albany’s game and their season.

Coddou would get the win for Mohawk Valley, and Herrera, in pitching yet another solid outing in relief, would get the save. Wallace would get the loss for the Dutchmen, who, after needing some excitement just to get into the playoffs, find themselves again one win short of the Championship Series.

The Diamond Dawgs advance to the Eastern Division Championship Series, where they will face the regular season champion Amsterdam Mohawks. Game One is at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam at a time to be determined.