File by the Amsterdam Mohawks
The Cooperstown Hawkeyes scored six runs in their final three at-bats as they broke a 3-3 deadlock en route to running away with a 9-3 victory over the Amsterdam Mohawks on Sunday evening at Doubleday Field.
Cooperstown (2-0) also benefited from stellar relief pitching to slam the door on Amsterdam a Luke Mould (Alabama-Huntsville), Mike Jeffers (Kenyon) and Colton Kibler (Garden City CC) combined for four shutout innings allowing just one hit while striking out seven.
Mould (1-0) was the ace of the group and earned the victory as he lasted three full innings while Cooperstown built their lead. After quickly allowing a hit upon entering the game in the sixth, he went on to retire eight straight while racking up four punch-outs.
Mike Urbanski (Binghamton) allowed the tie-breaking runs in the sixth and seventh innings in taking the first loss of the season for Amsterdam (1-1).
Not all was his fault though. Amsterdam's defense struggled at key times as the defending champions of the Perfect Game Collegiate
Baseball League committed five errors.
Cooperstown leadoff batter Brendan O'Reily (New Haven) led the way with a 4-for-5 night and two runs scored and a stolen base. Hawkeye's leftfielder Matt Feldt (Jefferson College) was 2-for-4 with a walk and rightfielder Cameron Day (Norfolk State) was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Hanahan (Marietta) had the tie-breaking RBI in the sixth inning and was 2-for-3 witha double and two runs scored.
For the Mohawks, Josh Gardiner (Radford) had his second consecutive multi-hit game going 2-for-5.
Cooperstown raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Amsteram starter Matt Ternowchek (Notre Dame) on four singles and an error.
Amsterdam chipped away at the lead and came back to even the score at 3-3 by the fifth inning. The Mohawks scored an unearned run in the second and then tacked on two more in the fifth on a walk and three singles. Shane Zimmer (Canisius) beat out a double-play relay on his grounder allowing Ed Charlton (New Jersey Tech) to tie the count.
But Cooperstown would score two runs each in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings as they put the game away. Ryan Hanahan (Marietta) rapped an RBI double off the top of the wall in left for the game-winning RBI in the sixth.
Two errors by Amsterdam infielders allowed the Hawkeyes to plate a couple more in the seventh against Alex Gagne (Maine) and then Taylor Butler (LSU) was touched for a couple more unearned runs in the eighth with an error, a single and two walks.
Logan Fullmer toes the rubber for Amsterdam Monday night at the Newark Pilots. The Mohawks return to Shuttleworth Park Tuesday evening against the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs on a Baseball Bingo Night. That is the beginning of a stretch of four home games in five days this week for Amsterdam (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday).
Cooperstown looks to extend their season beginning win streak Monday evening at 5:00 as they welcome the Elmira Pioneers to Doubleday Field.
