Author: Travis Heiser

Courtesy of Little Falls Times:

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs doubled up at Doubleday Field Sunday and added two more notches to what is now the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s longest winning streak.

The DiamondDawgs defeated the slumping Cooperstown Hawkeyes 18-13 in the completion of a game that was suspended due to darkness July 2 then added an 8-3 victory in the regularly-scheduled game. The wins are Mohawk Valley’s 11th and 12th in a row since Independence Day and gave the team a sweep of a stretch that saw the DiamondDawgs play 11 games in nine days. The streak sits 11 games officially with the suspended game reverting to its start date for statistical purposes.

Cooperstown, meanwhile, has lost its last 10 games to tie a league record set last year by the DiamondDawgs. Mohawk Valley’s current win streak started July 5, the one-year anniversary of the day its record losing streak was broken with a win against the Hawkeyes.

With Sunday’s rain out in Amsterdam, the DiamondDawgs now trail the first-place Mohawks by 5 1/2 games. Mohawk Valley was 10 games back in sixth place when the win streak started against the Mohawks. The DiamondDawgs head to Amsterdam Tuesday for the first of three games in six days against front-runners.

The DiamondDawgs led 18-9 when their suspended game resumed at the start of the eighth inning. Mohawk Valley would not add to its run total but Cooperstown’s Quinn Pippin hit a ninth-inning grand slam off Mike Gaglianese to give the teams a record for most combined runs in a game. The 31 runs surpassed the total from last JUne 24 when Elmira defeated Watertown 21-7; Elmira’s 21 runs remain a record for one team. That record was tied July 9 when Watertown defeated Newark 15-13 in 10 innings and Cooperstown has another suspended game — its fourth of the season — that threatens the mark; the Hawkeyes led Albany 15-11 after seven innings when play was stopped Thursday at Doubleday.

Mohawk Valley scored seven runs in the first inning July 2 and never trailed. Cooperstown starter Chris Haggarty was charged with all seven runs and took the loss without retiring a batter. The Hawkeyes never got closer than 9-7.

Mark Stuckey hit three doubles, walked twice, scored four runs and drove in two for the DiamondDawgs. Tom Valichka added three hits and three runs batted in while Chris Cruz had three hits and scored three times. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one of the team’s 17 hits and five players had more than one.

The DiamondDawgs scored a run in the first inning of the nightcap then broke a 1-all tie with three in the fifth. Cruz, who drove in the first run with one of his three doubles, broke the tie with another. Tyler Heck followed Joe Carcone home on a throwing error on the hit by Cruz. Stuckey delivered a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-1 in support of Mohawk Valley starter Eddie Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick (2-3) went seven innings to win his second straight start. He allowed one run on four hits while fanning seven Hawkeyes and walking one. The DiamondDawgs led 8-1 before Cooperstown added two runs in the ninth inning against Nathan Harrell.

Cruz went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs in the second game. David Del Grande added three hits, Jonathan Scott had two runs batted in and Heck scored twice. Stuckey had another double and now leads the league with 17 for the season.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs finished up a home stand on Saturday night against the Watertown Wizards and extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 12-2 win.

The DiamondDawgs jumped out to a quick start scoring in the first after Tyler Heck (Union) walked and stole a base and was knocked in by David Del Grande (Sacramento State) for a 1-0 lead. The Dawgs struck again in the second when Mark Stuckey (Marist) doubled and Jonathan Scott (Bryant) singled bringing in the second run of the game. The third inning brought one more run after Eric Helmrich (Marist) singled in Stuckey and the Dawgs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings.

Watertown Wizards got on the board in the top of the fifth when Dustin Exford (North Eastern Oklahoma A&M) hit a two-run homerun. The Wizards threatened for more with bases loaded but were unable to convert after Michaud struggled in the inning throwing two walks and hitting a batter.

The DiamondDawgs pushed over two more runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead after a single by Morrow and Stuckey and a sacrifice fly by Helmrich made it 4-2 and a ground out by Tyler Hall (Herkimer C.C) moved over another run for the 5-2 advantage

The Wizards had bases loaded in the top of the eighth as Aaron Casper struggled but a pass ball allowed the runner to go home and he was called out as catcher Jonathan Scott made the stop at the plate.

The Dawgs struck again in the eighth when they poured on the runs scoring seven runs in the inning and amassing a 12-2 lead. The inning saw a series of walks, singles, a double, triple, hit batters, a pass ball and a wild pitch.

Joe Michaud (Bryant) 4-1, 0.90 ERA picked up his fifth win going five innings and giving up two hits, two runs, five walks and two strikeouts. Raymond Morton (Norfolk State) entered the game in the top of the sixth and went two innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Nathan Harrell (Hind C.C.) made an appearance in the eighth inning to face one batter and got him to lineout and made way for Aaron Casper (Canisius) who pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit, a walk and a strikeout. Taylor Wright (Brown) finished up with an inning of work and picked up a strikeout.

Chris Cruz (Cornell) was 1 for 4 with a triple and run scored, David Del Grande (Sacramento State) went 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI, Jack Morrow (Young Harris) was 3 for 5 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI, Mark Stuckey (Marist) went 3 for 5 with two doubles and three runs scored, Eric Helmrich (Marist) was 2 for 4 with a triple, a run scored and four RBI, Jonathan Scott (Bryant) was 3 for 3 with a run scored and two RBI and Joe Carcone (Bryant) went 1 for 4 with a double, run scored and two RBI.

Mike Peters (Alcorn State) 0-2, 9.00 ERA got the loss in five innings of work with seven hits, five runs, five walks, three strikeouts and two wild pitches. Drew Quinney ((Savannah State) came in for 2 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits, seven runs, a walk, hit a batter and struck out two. Anthony Magovney (Buffalo) worked 1/3 of an inning and had a walk, two hit batters and a strikeout.

Brandon Cipolla (Holy Cross) was 1 for 2 with a double and two walks and Dustin Exford (North Eastern Oklahoma A&M) hit a two run homerun and went 1 for 3 with two runs, a run scored and an RBI.

The DiamondDawgs begin a three game road trip before returning home on Thursday night against the Amsterdam Mohawks for a 7:05 game.

THE DAWGS ARE HOT AND THE WEATHER IS HOT SO INSTEAD OF COOKING TONIGHT HAVE DINNER AT THE PARK!!! ITS ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR ONLY 10 BUCKS!!!! THE FIRST 100 KIDS WILL ALSO RECEIVE FREE MOVIE PASSES TO VALLEY CINEMA. GAME TIME IS 705 and the GATES WILL OPEN AT 6. COME OUT AND CATCH “DAWG MANIA”.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs continued their home stand on Friday night welcoming the Oneonta Outlaws and extended their winning streak to nine after beating Oneonta 12 -5.

The DiamondDawgs struck early after David Del Grande (Sacramento State) singled and stole a base and Jack Morrow (Young Harris) smoked a triple for the 1-0 lead. The DiamondDawgs added another run after a double by Mark Stuckey (Marist). The DiamondDawgs continued the scoring in the second when Tyler Heck (Union) ran out an infield single and a run scored for a 3-0 lead. Jack Morrow then reached on an error when the third baseman Zac Johnson (Illinois State) bobbled a grounder and the Dawgs picked up a 4-0 lead. The bottom of the fourth saw Chris Cruz (Cornell) hit a two run shot and then another run scored in the seventh giving the Dawgs a 5-4 lead. The bottom of the eight saw the DiamondDawgs score five runs when Helmrich sealed the deal with a three run homerun, his seventh of the year.

The scoring for the Outlaws was mostly confined to the fourth when four runs scored on three errors and then a solo homerun by Zander Wiel in the ninth made it 12-5 which ended up being the final. The offense for Outlaws came from Shane Crain (Louisville) who was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored and Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) who went 1 for 4 with a solo homerun, two runs scored and two RBI

John Means (West Virginia) picked up the win with seven innings of work giving up two hits, four runs (one earned), three walks, a wild pitch and two strikeouts. Mike Gaglianese (Purdue) came in for one inning giving up a hit, a walk and picked up two strikeouts and Taylor Wright (Brown) finished up with an inning of work, three hits and an earned run.

Brett Lisle (Virginia) was charged with the loss after pitching six innings and giving up eight hits six runs (five earned), issued a walk and had five strikeouts.
Nick Cioffi (Towson) added two innings of work and gave up five hits, six runs all earned, five walks and a wild pitch.

The DiamondDawg offense was led by Chris Cruz and Eric Helmrich who both homered. Tyler Heck (Union) was 1 for 2 with three runs scored, an RBI, two walks and two stolen bases; Chris Cruz(Cornell) was 2 for 4 with two runs scored, three RBI and a homerun; David Del Grande (Sacramento State) went 2 for 3 with three runs scored, two walks and a stolen base; Jack Morrow (Young Harris) was 2 for 5 with a run scored, two RBI and a triple; Mark Stuckey (Marist) was 2 for 5 with a run scored, an RBI and a double; Eric Helmrich (Marist) was 1 for 4 with a run scored, three RBI, a walk and a homerun and Tom Valichka (Young Harris) added two hits in five at bats

The DiamondDawgs return home on Saturday night against the Watertown Wizards for a 7:05 game.

Free ice cream to first 250 kids tonight courtesy of Kenickies !!!! Come out and support the Dawgs who are on a 8 game win streak and now in second place. Atlanta Braves draft pick John Means is on the mound tonight (JUNE 13th) for your Dawgs.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs returned home Thursday night following the no-hitter by Jesse Buratt the prior evening and riding a seven game winning streak to face off against the Glens Falls Golden Eagles. The Dawgs extended their winning streak by beating the Glens Falls Golden Eagles 5-4 after Eric Helmich (Marist) blasted the a go-ahead homerun in the seventh inning.

Evan Davis (Marist) 0-1, 6.88 ERA started for the DiamondDawgs and pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up six hits, four runs (two earned), issued five walks and no strikeouts. He was relieved by Raymond Morton (Norfolk State) who pitched three innings and gave up no runs or hits and picked up one strikeout for the win. Nathan Harrell (Hinds C.C) and Aaron Casper (Canisius) both contributed 1/3 of an inning while Salvatore Lisanti (Bryant) pitched a full inning for the save with one hit and two strikeouts.

Ryan Peterson (Yavapai) 2-3, 5.06 ERA went five innings for the Golden Eagles giving up five hits, three runs, and three walks and picked up five strikeouts. Ryan Skoubo (Tacoma C.C) came in for 2 2/3 innings and gave up four hits, two runs, and two walks a wild pitch and hit a batter while picking up a strikeout. Wes Judish (San Diego) came in for 1/3 of an inning

The DiamondDawg offense was led by Eric Helmrich (Marist) who was 1 for 3 with a two run homerun in the seventh and scored a run. Chris Cruz (Cornell) was 1 for 5 with an RBI and run scored; Jack Morrow (Young Harris) was 1 for 5 with an RBI; Tyler Hall (Herkimer C.C.) was 2 for 4 with a run scored and Joe Carcone (Bryant) was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI

Buddy Putnam (South Florida) was 3 for 4 with two RBI for the Golden Eagles.

By: Team Press Release
The visiting Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs came into Bellizzi Field and swept a doubleheader from the Albany Dutchmen on Wednesday evening. They showed two different ways on how to win a baseball game en route to their 5-0 and 11-3 wins. The games were seven innings apiece because of the doubleheader, but that didn’t stop Mohawk Valley from having a remarkable day of baseball.

The story in the first game was Mohawk Valley starting pitcher Jesse Buratt (Baton Rouge CC) who threw a no-hitter. The no-no was a unique one, in that it only lasted seven innings because of the shorter games, but Buratt was truly dominant in accomplishing this amazing feat. It was the first no-hitter in Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League history.

Buratt threw a complete game, lasting all seven innings, while striking out three. He hit one batter, walked two, and had one error made behind him. Those were the only four times a batter reached base in the game, as the most impressive part of Buratt’s line was obviously the zero in the hit column.

The entire Mohawk Valley team met him on the mound after he struck out the final batter to seal the no-hitter. Buratt was able to pitch for the no-hitter later in the game because the offense gave him solid run support early and throughout the game.

Tyler Heck (Union) set the table for his squad by scoring the first run of the game after his leadoff triple. It wasn’t the only triple for the Diamond Dawgs, however, as the big hit of the game came in the second inning, when Joe Carcone (Bryant) drilled a 2-RBI triple to the right-center field gap.

The positive momentum carried over to game two for the Diamond Dawgs as they jumped all over the Dutchmen in the first inning for five quick runs. For as well as Mohawk Valley pitched in the first game, they gave an equally outstanding effort at the plate in game two.

The five runs in the first came five hits, as each of the first six batters reached base safely. The Diamond Dawgs were given spectacular offensive efforts from numerous spots in the lineup.

Chris Cruz (Cornell) and David del Grande (Sacramento State) each produced nicely out of the two- and three-spots of the lineup. Cruz had three hits, including a double, and scored three times. Del Grande had two hits (one double) and scored a run for Mohawk Valley.

The best performance from a Diamond Dawg hitter came from Mark Stuckey (Marist). Stuckey had an impressive three hits, all of them being of the two-base variety, and scored two runs. The Diamond Dawgs slugged 15 hits as team, so the hitting was contagious up and down the lineup.

Ricky Schafer (Cypress) struggled to settle in on the mound for Albany. He usually comes out of the bullpen, and his start never really got off the ground. He gave up eight runs in two innings of work, giving up eight hits and walking two.

Adam Young (UC Davis) paced the Dutchmen at the plate with three hits. Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina) chipped in with two hits of his own, but in the end the Dutchmen didn’t have enough to compete with the Diamond Dawgs on this day.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs are slashing prices on all adult beverages on its brand new Thirsty Thursday as the heat index continues to rise!

On Thursday, July 12, 2012 at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls, select beers will cost ONLY $.75 each. Thats right, $.75!!!! What better way to cool off then to come to the park during these DAWG DAYS OF SUMMER?

Come out and support the hottest team in the league as the are in a playoff race and have scored 57 runs in their last 5 games!!!!

The DiamondDawgs will be hosting the Glens Falls Golden Eagles at 7:05pm.