MOHAWK VALLEY DEFEATS SAUGERTIES, 12-3 IN PGCBL ACTION

Posted by  | Jul 2, 2019

LITTLE FALLS, NY – Lately, it seems that Veteran’s Memorial Park is the place where winning streaks go to end.

The Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs saw their six-game winning streak end on Sunday. This time, on Tuesday, it was Mohawk Valley playing streak spoiler, ending Saugerties’ seven-game run in dominating fashion by the score of 12-3.

CJ Rodriguez (Newport Beach, CA/Vanderbilt) kicked off the scoring in the second, showing flashes of power as he hit an RBI single all the way to the left-field wall. He would score Justin Guerrera (Watertown, CT/Fairfield) on the hit. Not to be outdone, Jacob Josey sent him and Rodriguez’ classmate at Vandebilt, Ryan Keenan (Lighthousen Point, FL) with a bloop single to left-center field to make it 3-0. Another bloop single, this time by Dylan Klock (St. Johnsville, NY/St. Thomas Aquinas) just two batters later brought home Josey.

The Stallions put one on the board in the fourth on a tough RBI single by Noah Ledford (Buford, GA/Georgia Southern) that would score Tyler Kelder (Kingston, NY/St. Bonaventure). However, the Diamond Dawgs would add five runs in the fourth, thanks to the bats of Nick Cimillo (Airmont, NY/Manhattan) and Klock to give the Diamond Dawgs a 9-1 lead heading into the fifth.

A single, an error and a walk loaded up the bases for Mohawk Valley in the seventh. That was when Josey would make them pay with an RBI single that scored Guerrera. Owen Wosleger (/Mount St. Mary’s) would also walk home Keenan with the bases loaded to make it 11-1.

Saugerties grabbed another in the eighth on a long pop fly to right-center by Kelder. That hit would bounce up against the wall in right, scoring Jake Skrine (Longmont, CO/Indiana) all the way from first.

That would be all relievers Colby Rhea (Hinesville, GA/Savannah State) and Luc Scudalleri (Roswell, GA/Georgia College) would allow. Rhea would relieve starter Jimmy Joyce (Wantagh, NY/Hofstra) and Scudalleri would allow only a walk, a hit and a run from Noain the top of the ninth to put a bow on a big team effort for Mohawk Valley.

Joyce picked up the win for Mohawk Valley (15-10), who now move into second place in the Eastern Division. Saugerties (14-10) will move a half-game back of the Diamond Dawgs into third place and would visit Veteran’s Memorial Park again for the one-game playoff if the season ended today.

The Diamond Dawgs begin a swing of nine days away from Veteran’s Memorial Park on Wednesday with Game Four of the Route Five Rivalry against the Utica Blue Sox. Their next game in Little Falls will be next Thursday when they host the Oneonta Outlaws in the first game of a three-game homestand. That homestand will include the Diamond Dawgs’ annual exhibition match against the Capital City Reds of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Stallions will finish their two-game road trip on Wednesday at Damaschke Field when they face the Oneonta Outlaws.

Photos by Dave Warner