Story by John McGraw of NYCBL.Com
ELMIRA, N.Y. – Kyle Koeneman (LSU) went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored and Abram Williams (Radford) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning as the Amsterdam Mohawks defeated the Elmira Pioneers, 4-0, to clinch their second-straight New York Collegiate Baseball League championship with a victory in Game 2 of the best-of-three NYCBL Championship Series. Amsterdam swept the series, 2-0, to clinch its’ fifth overall league title.
Koeneman, the Championship Series’ Bob Bellizzi Big Stick Award (Offensive MVP) winner, broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with an RBI double down the left-field line that plated Matt Colantonio (Brown). The Amsterdam first baseman then drew a lead-off walk in the eighth and advanced to second on a Ricky Pacione (Marist) sacrifice bunt. Koeneman scored from second on a Jason Brooks (Dartmouth) RBI single to give Amsterdam a 4-0 lead.
Amsterdam starter Dan Zlotnick (Marist) fired a six-hit shutout over the first seven innings however Elmira loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a walk against reliever Justin Van Grouw (Wake Forest) with no outs. Mohawks closer Abram Williams entered from the bullpen and struck out Elmira’s Matt Ford (Hofstra) looking after getting behind 3-0. Williams then induced John Snyder (Marietta) into a double-play groundout to end the threat and the inning. The Radford, Va., native worked a perfect ninth to clinch the championship for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam’s trio of pitchers (Zlotnick, Van Grouw, Williams) combined on an eight-hit shutout. The Mohawks pitching staff did not allow a run during the two-game series with Elmira and Amsterdam finished the playoffs by not allowing a run in 28-straight innings. Offensively for Amsterdam, Matt Colantonio was 1-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored and NYCBL Championship Series’ Most Valuable Player Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) finished with one hit.
Jake Rickenbach (Utah Valley) and Corey Keller (FAU) each posted two hits for the Pioneers. Elmira starter Chad Simendinger (St. Joseph’s, Pa.) pitched seven strong innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, struck out five and retired the first 10 men he faced. Jordan Egan (Norfolk State) and John Colella (Holy Cross) each pitched one inning of relief for the home side.
The first two-thirds of the game was largely a pitchers’ duel between Dan Zlotnick and Chad Simendinger. Zlotnick yielded one single in each of the first three innings but no Elmira runner advanced safely past first base. Chad Simendinger cruised through the Amsterdam line-up until the fourth when he allowed back-to-back base hits by Matt Colantonio and Cody Kulp. With one out and runners on first and second, Kyle Koeneman lashed a double down the left-field line that scored Colantonio with the eventual championship-clinching run. Simendinger, with a drawn-in infield, retired the next two batters on groundouts to end the inning.
The Newark, Del., native stranded three more Amsterdam runners over the next two frames though his luck would run out in the seventh. Luke Maile (Kentucky) started off the inning with a double to deep center field. T.J. Jones followed with a double off of the wall in right-center field that pushed pinch-runner Sam Kidd (Kentucky) to third. A one-out intentional walk to Taylor Lewis (Maine) loaded the bases. Matt Colantonio hit a grounder to the right side that was snared by Elmira’s Matt Ford. He flipped the ball to short stop Jake Rickenbach for the force out at second however Rickenbach’s throw to first bounced off of the glove of first baseman Ryan Ferguson (Temple) and into the Elmira dugout. Sam Kidd scored from third on the fielders’ choice and the throwing error plated T.J. Jones to give Amsterdam a 3-0 lead.
Championship Series MVP: Cody Kulp (Shippensburg), Amsterdam
Bob Bellizzi Big Stick Award (Offensive MVP): Kyle Koeneman (Louisiana State), Amsterdam
Tom Kenney Defensive MVP: Abram Williams (Radford), Amsterdam
R H E
Amsterdam 4 8 0
Elmira 0 8 1
Dan Zlotnick (W, 2-0), Justin Van Grouw (8), Abram Williams (S, 3) (8) and Matt Colantonio.
Chad Simendinger (L, 1-1), Jordan Egan (8), John Colella (9) and Brian Erie.
Time: 2:33
Attendance: 1258
