Author: Travis Heiser

2012 DiamondDawg and Cornell University outfielder Chris Cruz started his season off with a bang against Maryland-Eastern Shore, smashing two home runs in Saturday’s first game en route to a 15-4 victory, then he added two more roundtrippers the following weekend at George Washington. Now up to 11 home runs in 39 games.

Cruz is just the third Cornellian to reach double-digits in home runs in a season. He has tied the program record, originally set by Eric Kirby in 1995 and matched in 2002 by Erik Rico.

Cruz’s 11 home runs leads the Ivy League and is just five off the national lead, shared by Eastern Tennessee’s Matthew Scruggs and Samford’s Brandon Miller.

2012 DiamondDawg Jack Morrow hit two homers to bring his season total to 11 and drove in a college-record eight runs on Saturday to led Young Harris College to victory. Morrow is currently batting .350 with 51 RBI’s while starting in 43 games.

HCCC’s and 2012 DiamondDawgs Willie Gabay was the big story in Game One Sunday. Gabay, a sophomore and an MLB draft prospect, was in good form and had his fastball working. He was clocked at 92 mph by a Toronto Blue Jays scout who was present. Gabay pitched all seven innings and did not allow a hit until the sixth.

Gabay allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 13 Hawk hitters. MVCC broke up the no-hitter with a hit up the middle to lead off the sixth inning.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League is teaming up with K’s for a Cause to benefit the Herkimer County Hunger Coalition.

During each home contest, fans will have more reasons to cheer on their hometown DiamondDawgs as the team will donate $1.00 for every batter a Little Falls hurler strikes out to the Herkimer County Hunger Coalition.

ITHACA, N.Y. – Sophmore Chris Cruz (DiamondDawgs 2012) hit a monster two-run home run in the sixth inning and made an incredible diving catch in the seventh, but the baseball team couldn’t hold on to the lead and Binghamton scratched out a 6-4 victory on Wednesday at Hoy Field. The loss ended the Big Red’s four-game winning streak.

Cruz crushed his ninth home run of the season down the right-field line. The blast ballooned in the wind, which was blowing hard toward left, but still had plenty of distance to clear the fence. Cruz has now tripled his home run production from last season and is tied for third in program history for home runs in a season (the record is 11) and is currently hitting .306 and has started every game for the “Big Red’.

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Herkimer County Community College sophomore pitcher Willie Gabay (Mohawk Valley 2011-2012) ended a Mountain Valley Athletic Conference doubleheader against Adirondack Community College with a bang on Sat., Apr. 6. Gabay fired a no-hitter, the first of his career, as Herkimer defeated Adirondack, in a game that was played at East Field in Glens Falls, the home of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s Glens Falls Golden Eagles.

The Herkimer sophomore struck out a career-high 12 Gabay and only allowed a single earned run in the second inning.

The Herkimer County Comm. College Generals swept the holiday weekend doubleheader with Adirondack and have, as of this writing, won 16-straight games. Herkimer has not been defeated since Mar. 15. The Generals have outscored their opponents 110-19 in the month of April.

Several Herkimer Generals will play for the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs this summer including 2011 PGCBL All-Star Willie Gabay, catcher Luke Nethaway, infielder Tyler Hall and outfielder Hassan Evans (Mohawk Valley 2011).

Dover, Del. (Apr. 9, 2012) — Delaware State University catcher Eddie Sorondo (so., Jersey City, N.J.) has been honored by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for his play last week.

Sorondo was named MEAC Baseball Player-of-the-Week today after batting .636 to help lead the Hornets to three wins in four games last week. He also scored four runs and drove in four last week.

Sorondo leads the Hornets with a .385 average this season.

Now that it’s the end of March the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs are actively looking for families to house their players.