LITTLE FALLS, NY – The Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs have been quite proficient in scoring runs in 2018, scoring well in the double digits several times already this season. However, in Monday night’s game against the Elmira Pioneers, runs came at a premium for both teams.
The Diamond Dawgs scored two in the first and never looked back, racking up just nine hits and four runs overall as they edged the Pioneers by the score of 4-1.
Mohawk Valley jumped on Elmira starting pitcher Angus Mayock (Berwyn, PA/UConn) from the very first batter, smacking four straight singles to start the bottom of the first. Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, NJ/Villanova) and Mike Young (Chester, NJ/UMass Lowell) would give the Diamond Dawgs a quick 2-0 lead, hitting balls down both base lines to score Joey Castellanos (Nutley, NJ/UMass Lowell) and Joel Alvarez (Hainesport, NJ/Barry).
From there, the game evolved into a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Mohawk Valley’s Tyler Schoff (Lee Center, NY/Bryant) and Mayock. Jake Dippold (Syracuse, NY/Wofford) would relieve Mayock on the sixth. None of them would allow a hit until the sixth inning.
That inning is where Castellanos would find himself on the scorecard once again. Castellanos ripped a ball to the left field wall for a two-RBI double, scoring Drew Fureno (Canajoharie, NY/LeMoyne) and Austin Pollack (Harrison, NY/Manhattanville).
Mason Ruhlman (Fair Haven, MI/Riverland CC) finally got the Pioneers (3-6) on the board in the top of the seventh. Ruhlman looped a ball over the Mohawk Valley shortstop’s glove and into left field to score Luke Stephenson (Algonac, MI/Xavier). However, that was as close as Elmira would get, as closer Alexis Calderon (Bethlehem, PA/Manhattan) came on in the top of the ninth and only allowed a walk to put the game in the win column for the Diamond Dawgs (6-3).
Calderon, in breaking the two game winning streak for Mohawk Valley, picked up the save, while Schoff picked up the win. Mayock would be saddled with the loss for Elmira, who are now on a two-game losing streak.
The Diamond Dawgs will go on the road on Tuesday to Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam to face off against their long-time rival in the Mohawks. The Pioneers head back to Dunn Field after an off day on Tuesday to face off against the Saugerties Stallions.
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