The Albany Dutchmen played 25 innings on the road over the weekend and won both of their Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League games.
The Dutchmen rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Amsterdam Mohawks in 12 innings Saturday, June 7. The next night, June 8, Albany scored twice in the top of the 13th inning to pull out a 5-3 victory at Watertown to improve its record to 4-0.
The Dutchmen trailed the defending league champions from Amsterdam 1-0 when Sean Aspinall scored on a Will Miller bunt in the top of the ninth inning. Reid Matthews drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the 12th inning, and after he stole second, he scored an insurance run on James Locklear’s single.
“Mr. Locklear came up with a huge hit for that extra security run,” said Albany manager Nick Davey.
Amsterdam got one of those two runs back in the bottom of the 12 when Luke Nethaway’s two-out single drove in Josh Gardiner, who led off the inning with a double. However, Albany closer A.J. Flores got Brendan Tracy to ground out to second base to end the game.
Albany starter Drew Tolson pitched eight solid innings. Tolson allowed three hits and struck out four batters, and the only run he allowed came on Joey Aiola’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“We’ve gone 21 innings and gave up a total of two runs,” Davey said of his starting rotation. “Our pitching is right where it needs to be.”
Albany took a similar route in its 5-3 victory at Watertown Sunday, June 8.
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Locklear scored the tying run on a wild pitch. The winning run came home on Jake Hanson’s one-out RBI single in the top of the 13th inning. Hanson then scored on Josh Lee’s single to put the Dutchmen ahead 5-3.
Albany played from behind most of the night against Watertown. With the Rams leading 1-0 in the fourth inning, Hanson drove in Cameron Miller with a groundout.
Watertown regained the lead on Will Martin’s solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Dutchmen tied the score again in the top of the eighth on Aspinall’s RBI single.
Drew Hercik had a run-scoring hit in the bottom of the eighth to give Watertown its 3-2 lead.
Schalmont High School graduate Chris Amorosi allowed two runs in five innings for Albany in his first start of the season – only one of which was earned. Four Dutchmen relievers combined to strike out five Watertown batters.
Albany began its season with consecutive home wins. The Dutchmen handled Mohawk Valley 7-3 in their season opener Wednesday, June 4, and they shut out Newark 2-0 Friday, June 6, at Bob Bellizzi Field.
Albany’s offense got going early against Mohawk Valley. Danny Hrbek drove in the season’s first run with a first inning triple and scored the second run on Nick Jewett’s RBI double. The Dutchmen added a run in the bottom of the second and broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by Aspinall’s bases-loaded double.
Two nights later, Albany engaged Newark in a pitchers duel. Newark starter Andrew Sanders scattered seven Albany hits over eight innings and struck out five, while Albany’s Spencer Hotaling held the Pilots to two hits in seven innings and struck out four to pick up the victory.
Both of Albany’s runs against Newark came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Josh Lee’s two-out double scored Adam Lee and Will Miller.
The Dutchmen returned to Bob Bellizzi Field Monday, June 9, to face the Elmira Pioneers.