The Albany Dutchmen had a chance to reach or exceed the .500 mark entering the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League All-Star break.
Unfortunately for them, they ran into the two teams that they had yet to solve Cooperstown and Mohawk Valley.
Cooperstown (17-13) came into Bob Bellizzi Field Saturday and pulled out an 8-7 extra-inning victory over Albany. Then, Mohawk Valley (10-21) scored three times in the top of the ninth inning to pull away for an 8-3 victory over the Dutchmen (14-17) in Sunday’s game.
The Cooperstown game was especially frustrating for Albany. The Dutchmen tied or took the lead four times and had a chance to tie the game again in the bottom of the 10th inning before falling short for the third time in four meetings with the Hawkeyes.
Today, we just didn’t get that timely hit,` said Albany manager Nick Davey. `We had guys in scoring position all game long, and we couldn’t get it done.`
The key hit went to Cooperstown pinch hitter Tynan Pedretti. The Merced College sophomore belted a two-out, three-run homer off Albany closer Zach Robinson in the top of the 10th inning to give the Hawkeyes an 8-5 lead.
`He [Robinson] left a fast ball out over the plate, and the kid got it,` said Davey.
The Dutchmen made a push in the bottom half of the 10th inning. Second baseman Joey Boney lined a triple to center field to drive in outfielder Ryan Van Amburg, who singled to lead off the frame. Boney then came home on Matt Wehrli’s groundout to make the score 8-7.
Designated hitter Dain McNabb walked to put the tying run on base, but outfielder Andrew Deeds and first baseman Steve Anderson struck out to end the game.
`Guys were picking each other up, but we just tried to do a little bit too much at the plate today,` said Davey. `We didn’t take team swings.`
Cooperstown scored the first run of the game without getting a hit. Albany starter Justin Brantley hit Nate Izzo with a pitch to start the second inning. Izzo then stole second base, moved to third on outfielder J.P. Sportman’s groundout and scored on a wild pitch to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead.
Albany scored twice in the bottom of the second inning, but it could have been more. Shortstop Anthony Turgeon lined a one-out single to drive catcher Ryan Welke in from third base with the tying run, but Sportman ` a Rotterdam native ` threw out former LaSalle teammate Will Remillard at the plate as Remillard tried to score from second. Turgeon eventually scored on Boney’s RBI single to give the Dutchmen a 2-1 lead.
Cooperstown regained the lead in the top of the third inning. Shortstop Ben Miller and third baseman Bryan Aanderud worked one-out walks, and Izzo drove them in with a triple to center field to give the Hawkeyes a 3-2 advantage.
Deeds tripled and scored on Anderson’s single in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game for Albany, but Cooperstown grabbed a 4-3 lead in the fourth on second baseman Danny Nelson’s RBI double. The Dutchmen tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth inning when Welke singled home McNabb from third. However, outfielder Alex Meadow tripled and scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the sixth inning to put Cooperstown ahead 5-4.
Things got wild in the bottom of the eighth inning. Albany got runners to first and second with one out on a fielder’s choice and a walk off Cooperstown reliever Jacob Cadle. Hawkeyes manager Eric Coleman sent in his closer, Parker Ray, but Ray’s first pitch hit Dutchmen outfielder Nikko Echevarria in the back of the neck. Echevarria fell to the ground and was taken off the field by ambulance for precautionary reasons.
After the delay, Ray faced a situation where the bases were loaded with Dutchmen with one out, and the heart of Albany’s lineup ` McNabb, Deeds and Anderson ` were coming up. Ray walked McNabb to drive in the tying run, but he got Deeds and Anderson to strike out to end the threat.
Robinson set down the Hawkeyes in order in the ninth inning and nearly got out of the 10th inning without allowing a run before Pedretti sent the ball over the left field fence.
Boney finished with three hits and two RBI, and Anderson contributed a pair of hits for Albany. Izzo had two hits and two RBI, and Sportman added a pair of singles for Cooperstown.
A depleted Albany team took on Mohawk Valley Sunday. Echevarria, outfielder Paul Bello and shortstop Brandon Trinkwon all sat out.
The DiamondDawgs took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Bryan Bleakley’s two-out RBI triple off starting pitcher Steven Poche got the ball rolling for Mohawk Valley. Two batters later, Dave Soltis hit a two-run double to put Albany in a hole.
Soltis had three hits and drove in three runs to lead Mohawk Valley, which has beaten Albany four of the five times they’ve met this season.
Boney, Van Amburg and Garren Palmer collected six of the Dutchmen’s nine hits. Van Amburg tripled and singled.
Following Monday’s PGCBL All-Star Game in Elmira, Albany returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Newark.“