If the Mohawks are unable to disremember the horror show that took place at Shuttleworth Park on Friday night, their ensuing nightmares may tarnish their pursuit of the top overall seed in the PGCBL playoffs.  The Mohawks committed a season-high seven errors and yielded seven unearned runs in an unbearable 10-4 loss to Mohawk Valley.

Nick Polsinelli (College of St. Rose) started the game for the Hawks and was unhittable over the first three innings. The righty struck out the side in order in the first and allowed just a single base runner over his first three and two thirds innings of work.

However, the two-run homerun he allowed to former Amsterdam Mohawk Bryan Bleakley (NJIT) in the fourth inning served as a mere sidebar to what came next.

With no outs and a runner on first in the top of the fifth inning, D.J. Hoagboon (Albany) dropped a bunt down the first base line, after Polsinelli scooped it up, he fired high and wide of first base. As Michael Gunn (Arkansas) tried to score from first, Demarcus Henderson’s (Mississippi State) throw skipped passed Luke Maile (Kentucky) which allowed Hoagboon to score on his own bunt and make it a 4-2 game.

The comedy of errors continued in the sixth when Will Kendall (Auburn) came on in relief. The Mohawks committed four errors in Kendall’s lone inning of work and allowed four unearned runs on just a single hit in the frame.

The DiamondDawgs tacked on a couple more runs in the seventh (one unearned) and took a 10-2 lead.

The crowd of 614, however, was able to cling to a couple of Amsterdam bright spots. Kody Ortman (Auburn) launched his second homer of the season in the fourth inning and Zach Shank (Marist) was 3-5 with an R.B.I. – Shank has recorded 13 hits over his last five games.

Maile was removed from the game after an apparent injury to his left hand in the top of the seventh, he was replaced behind the plate by Ortman. Because Ortman shifted from the DH slot, Chuck Schlegel (Wake Forest), a pitcher, recorded his first at-bat of the summer and drove in a run in the eighth inning when he grounded out to second base.

Dustin Stanton (Southern Maine) started for the Dawgs and lasted seven and two thirds innings as he picked up his third win of the season.

Poslinelli struck out seven over his five innings of work and Mohawks pitchers totaled 13 punch-outs in the game.

Amsterdam drops a half game behind Glens Falls in the East because the Golden Eagles were rained out on Friday night. The Mohawks will travel to Albany to battle with the Dutchmen on Saturday evening at 7:00.