The Saugerties Stallions swept rival the Amsterdam Mohawks in a best-of-three championship series last week to earn the franchise’s first ever title in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. Josh Stevenson, a freshman at Louisiana State University from Youngsville, Louisiana, was named the series’ MVP.
The series opened at Cantine Field in Saugerties on Monday, August 2, with the Stallions coming away with a 2-1 victory courtesy a walk-off bases loaded single by Jarrett Brown (Georgia Southern).
Stevenson led off the home half of the first with a double, later scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kip Fougerousse (Indiana University) to give the Stallions an early lead.
Saugerties starter Jack Walker (Indiana University) pitched himself out of trouble in the fourth after giving up a pair of singles when he fanned the next three batters. Walker again gave Amsterdam hope in the following inning before striking out Bryce Elbin with runners on second and third to end the threat. Walker pitched five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out eight.
The Mohawks drew even in the top of the seventh after Stallions reliever Jarek Woodward (Grand Canyon University) loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit batsman. Michael Stanford came on in relief, striking Elbin out, but the third strike was in the dirt and Davis Meche came home, tying the game 1-1.
Amsterdam threatened in the top of the ninth, when C.J. Funk smashed a ball to center with runners on first and second, but Stevenson snatched it from the sky at the fence to end the inning.
Cade Verdusco (Grand Canyon University) opened the bottom of the ninth by getting drilled in the back by Amsterdam pitcher Connor Brandon. Verdusco would score the game winner when Brown hit a bases loaded walk off single. Stanford earned the win for the Stallions.
The series picked up the following day at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam for a planned doubleheader. Early on in the game it looked like it might come down to a third game to settle the series after Funk smashed a solo homer in the bottom of the first. The Mohawks added another run in the inning when Elbin plated on a Jake Reinisch double.
But the Stallions rebounded with a rally in the top of the second, sparked by a two-out single by Colin Mackle (Marist College). After Max Morris (University of St. Thomas) walked, Nick Iverson (UC Davis) drove Mackle home with a single to right field. Brown then walked to load the bases, setting Stevenson up for a grand slam that put Saugerties up 5-2.
The Mohawks got one back in the bottom of the second, but half an inning later the Stallions added a pair of runs on a bases-loaded walk by Morris and an RBI single by Iverson.
Despite the relentless offense by the Stallions, Amsterdam stayed in the game, pulling to within 7-5 in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Stone Miyao.
Saugerties struck again in the top of the fourth when Jack Renwick (Wofford College) capitalized on a run of misfortune by Amsterdam. Renwick took first on a dropped third strike, then moved to second on an error by Mohawks pitcher Ian Cooke. Renwick crossed the plate two wild pitches later, giving the Stallions an 8-5 advantage.
The yips struck the Mohawks again in the top of the fifth when Brown scored on a Fougerousse single; Brown was in scoring position following a fielding error and a wild pitch. Cooke was pulled without recording an out in the fifth; the Stallions had tagged him for eight runs on just two hits.
The two teams traded homers in the seventh inning, with Andrew Wilhite (University of Minnesota) going yard for Saugerties and Brett Coker pulling the home team to within 10-6 with a dinger of his own.
But while the well had finally run dry for Amsterdam, the Stallions were still stampeding. Saugerties loaded the bases in the top of the eighth on singles by Stevenson and Fougerousse and a hit by pitch for Verdusco, and Wilhite brought the first two home on a single to right. Verdusco plated on a fielding error by the Mohawks’ third baseman to cap the scoring at 13-6.
Richie Cimpric and Ben Johnson combined for 6.1 innings pitched, with the latter earning the win for the Stallions. They collectively allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out five.
Stevenson’s playoff MVP run saw him hit .600 in the semifinal matchup against the Geneva Red Wings with a home run and three RBI. He also excelled defensively, both against Geneva and in the two games against Amsterdam. He doubled and scored in the first game against the Mohawks, then hit a grand slam, scored twice and drove in four in the second game. Stevenson’s overall PGCBL playoff offense included batting .400 with four runs scored, one double, two home runs and seven RBI.
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