AMSTERDAM - Whenever Chase Williamson came into the game, there was a little bit of an extra cheer coming from the stands Thursday night at Shuttleworth Park.
"My grandparents, my cousins and my mom [are up from Alabama]. They're always great," said Williamson, who closed both ends of Thursday night's doubleheader as the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League-leading Amsterdam Mohawks swept the second-place Oneonta Outlaws, 5-3 and 6-4.
Equally great, or at least durable, was Williamson, who pitched a perfect seventh inning in the first game, and relieved Dan Zlotnick in the fifth inning of the nightcap.
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Chase Williamson pitches for the Amsterdam Mohawks in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam.
The Leader-Herald/Mike Zummo
He had to work harder during his second appearance.
He entered with two outs in the fifth inning with the Mohawks leading 4-3 and Oneonta's Clay Holcomb on third base with the potential tying run. He ended the drama by inducing a comebacker from Shane Crain for the third out.
"[I wanted to] get a ground ball," Williamson said. "Our infielders and outfielders are as good as they come. I was letting those guys work."
After the Mohawks picked up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run single - a chopper over the drawn-in infield - by Chase Green, Williamson allowed a run in the top of the sixth on Cory Hunt's RBI single. He then worked around two hit batsmen and a fielding error to finish his 2 1/3 innings of work to end the evening.
"He's a tough kid," Mohawks coach Keith Griffin said. "That's first and foremost. His arm is fresh. He didn't pitch a lot of innings at Auburn. He throws three pitches for strikes. His velocity is good enough. He's done a real nice job."
Zlotnick got the win in the second game for the Mohawks, throwing 4 2/3 before giving way to Williamson. He allowed two hits and struck out four, but he walked four, hit a batter and gave up three runs. Matt Gage threw six innings in the first game to earn the win. He allowed three runs on 10 hits, but struck out five before Williamson took over.
"Chase was really good both games," Griffin said. "That was good to see. Gage wasn't quite as good as he has been, but he sucked up and was good enough. That was probably the best effort we've had out of Zlotnick. When he puts the ball in the zone, he's hard to hit."
The Mohawks' defense also shined in the game, while Oneonta struggled in the field, especially in the second game, committing five errors, which led to three unearned runs. In the first game, Amsterdam gunned down three runners on the bases, and, with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning of the nightcap, Ed Charlton made a diving catch on a sinking liner by Forrest Johnson to save three runs.
"That's a great effort," Griffin said. "He flat-out got it. He committed to the play, and it's a great effort on his part."
Evan Stephens and Nathan Gomez had two hits each in the first game. Gomez added two RBIs.
The Mohawks (11-2) have now won 10 straight games, and have pushed the Outlaws (7-5) 3 1/2 games back in the standings. The last time these two teams met - on June 13 in Oneonta - the Mohawks escaped with a 15-inning, 5-4 win.
"I imagine they came in thinking they let one get away, but we really were good enough to win tonight," Griffin said.
The Newark Pilots split a doubleheader Thursday with the Cooperstown Hawkeyes and are four games out of first place. Amsterdam will host the Glens Falls Golden Eagles (6-6) at 7:05 p.m. tonight. Glens Falls is the last team to beat Amsterdam, an 11-8 loss June 8.
"They can't enjoy success, though," Griffin said. "That would be my concern. They don't have to think this game is easy."
First game
Amsterdam 5, Oneonta 3
Oneonta 010 020 0 - 3 10 2
Amsterdam 103 001 x - 5 7 2
Hicks and Crain; Gage, Williamson (7) and Colby
Second game
Amsterdam 6, Oneonta 4
Oneonta 100 020 0 - 4 5 5
Amsterdam 130 020 x - 6 6 1
Schmitt, Rhoades (3), Cioffi (5) and Johnson; Zlotnick, Williamson (5) and MacDowell, Colby (6)