Mohawks shut out Pioneers in first game of PGCBL championship series
AMSTERDAM - Two pitchers in unfamiliar roles came through for Amsterdam Wednesday and the Mohawks shut out the Elmira Pioneers 4-0 in the first game of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League's best-of-three championship series.
Starter Jack Seppings and reliever Peyton Fall combined to strike out 14 batters in a three-hit shutout.
Seppings, a Brown University right-hander who had pitched out of the bullpen throughout the two-month season, took the ball for his first PGCBL start. He struck out eight batters, walked one and allowed three hits through five innings.
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Seppings struck out four batters in his final inning.
Fall, fresh out of high school at Duanesburg and bound for the University of Central Florida this fall, had made one appearance for the Mohawks during the regular season. He took the ball and a 1-0 lead from Seppings Wednesday and pitched four hitless innings with six strikeouts and three walks to complete the shutout and earn the save.
Game 2 sends the teams to Elmira's Dunn Field Thursday with the series returning to Amsterdam's Shuttleworth Park Friday for a deciding game, if necessary.
Joseph Keldsen, another recent high school graduate from California, kept the Pioneers in the game for six innings Wednesday, allowing a single run on five hits and four walks. Amsterdam took its initial lead in the third inning against Keldsen. Leadoff hitter Gage Miller, last summer's PGCBL Player of the Year, was hit by a pitch and Bruer Webster singled. Cam Gurney singled one out later and Miler scored from second base.
The score remained 1-0 until the seventh inning. Christian Zilli relived Keldsen and walked Miller with one out. Webster again followed with a single before Miller was thrown out trying to steal third base. Webster took second as Miller was thrown out and scored from there on a double by Luke Longo who had shared the league lead in RBI with Mohawk Valley DiamondDawg Mitchell Balint during the regular season.
Jalen DeBose walked and Jaxson West doubled to start the bottom of the eighth inning for the Mohawks. Zach Eldred and Mason Swinney delivered back-to-back run-scoring singles before a walk loaded the bases with one out. Zilli avoided further damage when Miller hit into a double play.
July 30 Games
West Division Semifinals
No. 4 Auburn Doubledays 4, No. 1 Batavia Muckdogs 2
No. 2 Elmira Pioneers 7, No. 3 Jamestown Tarp Skunks 0
East Division Quarterfinals
No. 3 Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs 8, No. 6 Glens Falls Dragons 5
No. 4 Saugerties Stallions 5, No. 5 Albany Dutchmen 3
July 31 Games
West Division Final
No. 2 Elmira Pioneers 4, No. 4 Auburn Doubledays 1
East Division Semifinals
No. 1 Amsterdam Mohawks 7, No. 4 Saugerties Stallions 6
No. 2 Utica Blue Sox 3, No. 3 Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs 2
August 1 Game
East Division Final
No. 1 Amsterdam Mohawks, No. 2 Utica Blue Sox 2, 10 innings
Championship Series
Aug. 2: Amsterdam Mohawks 4, Elmira Pioneers 0, Amsterdam leads best-of-three series 1-0
Aug. 3: Amsterdam Mohawks at Elmira Pioneers, 6:35 p.m.
Aug. 4: Elmira Pioneers at Amsterdam Mohawks, 6:35 p.m., if necessary
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Amstedam shuts out Elmira in to start PGCBL championship series
