By Josh McMullen – Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs (May 29, 2026)
Before the thunder hit Little Falls on Friday night, the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs did some thundering of their own to kick off the 2026 PGCBL season.
Two big home runs proved to be the catalyst for Mohawk Valley in a rain-shortened, eight-inning affair, 13-8 over the Boonville Lumberjacks.
Three straight walks loaded up the bases quickly for the Lumberjacks, and a passed ball scored the first run of the game – Davonn Abaga, the first free base of the game. Tanner Ferguson (Mount Olive) drove in another two with a single hit hardly to left field, scoring Michael Clarkson and Will Hill.
The Lumberjacks picked up a wild pitch run of their own from pitcher Logan Brock (Kennesaw State), bringing home Byron Arias, who had tripled in the previous at-bat.
The Diamond Dawgs cut the lead to one in the second, on a bouncing ball by Joe Crenshaw (Richmond) just out of reach of the Boonville shortstop. That run scored Jack Henning (Trinity University). Another bouncing single by Aiden Streeter (AIU) scored Wesley Alfonso (AIU). Erick Diaz (Dominican) gave the Diamond Dawgs the lead on a sacrifice fly, scoring Crenshaw from third.
Brodie Freker (George Washington)brought the Mohawk Valley lead to two on a sacrifice fly by Alfonso in the third.
Diaz extended the lead to four in the fourth on a no-doubt home run to center field, scoring himself and Streeter. Freker would follow Diaz two batters later with a solo home run to left field.
Iain Farber brought the Lumberjacks within four in the sixth with a towering home run to center field. A sacrifice by Noah Reed (North Central Texas) brought home another, and an RBI single by Asher Friedman (Alcorn State) brought home another one. A double by Abaga to score two capped off a five run inning for Boonville.
Freker gave the Diamond Dawgs back the lead in the bottom of the inning, with a bloop single over every Lumberjack head to score another run. He would later score on a throwing error.
Mohawk Valley walked in Crenshaw in the seventh to bring the lead to three, and a wild pitch brought in Streeter. Another passed ball just a couple of pitches later brought in Diaz.
That would be all the Diamond Dawgs would need, as rain blew through in the top of the eighth, making the game official. James Lester (Emory) picked up the win, while Abaga got the loss for Boonville.
Mohawk Valley is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Shuttleworth Park to take on the Amsterdam Mohawks. Boonville will head back home to host the Oneonta Outlaws.
