By Josh McMullen – Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs
LITTLE FALLS, NY – Alfredo Delgado has been here before.
After all, last year, he helped the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs get a win over Watertown with a walk-off home run. This time, though, the hit was a little less brilliant – a double instead of a home run – but still, his heroics once again helped the Diamond Dawgs win. This time, his RBI double helped Mohawk Valley back to .500 with the 7-5 win over the Saugerties Stallions.
The Diamond Dawgs kicked things off with three straight singles, but the third one hurt the Stallions the most, as Evan Berta’s (/Fairfield) RBI single scored Ernesto Polanco (West New York, NJ/Coastal Carolina). Mohawk Valley would get one more in the second on an RBI double by Zach Brush (New York Mills, NY/LeMoyne).
The Stallions would get their revenge in the top of the third, cutting the lead in half with an RBI double by Brandon Fish (Londonderry, NH/UMass Lowell). They’d take the lead and score Fish, as well as Jelani Jenkins (Florida Gulf Coast), on a three-run shot to center field by Jake Skrine (Longmont, CO/Indiana).
Saugerties extended the lead to three on an RBI single by Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech). That single scored Collin Mackle (Toms River, NJ/Marist) who started off the fourth inning with a lead-off triple. The Diamond Dawgs would not be denied, though, and cut the lead to two in the seventh on a solo home run by Garrett Musey (Millville, NJ/Goldey-Beacom) that just missed the right-center field wall.
Brush cut the lead to two in the eighth, coming home on a passed ball. Then, Alfredo Delgado (Bronx, NY/Manhattan) provided the heroics that Mohawk Valley needed, cranking a timely 2-RBI double to give the Diamond Dawgs the lead. Musey would bring him home on a ball that hopped over the Saugerties third baseman and into left field for an RBI single.
That was all Billy Hoffacker (Erial, NJ/RCSJ Gloucester) would need, only allowing Mackle to walk before shutting the door on the Stallions.
Jed Boyle got the win for Mohawk Valley (3-3), while TJ Lopez got the loss for Saugerties. Hoffacker got the save for the Diamond Dawgs.
The Diamond Dawgs will be back in action on Saturday when they visit Damaschke Field for a game with the Oneonta Outlaws. The Stallions will be back to Cantine Veterans Memorial Field on Saturday when they host the East Division-leading Amsterdam Mohawks.