Sports

The chiefs Jason Matve Braces himself after a hit.

The Lyndonville Tigers, who play their home games in Pembroke, ran a defense Saturday that shut out the Jamestown Chiefs and helped secure a 40-0 victory at Pembroke Town Park.

Leading the defense was both Howie Wilson and Mike Schepis who each had a fumble recovery that turned over possession in favor of the Tigers.

Helping out on both defense and scoring on the offensive side was AJ Cleaveland who had two interceptions turning over the possession to the Tigers to start scoring drives.

On the offensive end Derick Adams had a total of three touchdowns, one catch and two runs to score. Other scorers in the game were Rob Williams and Clay Johnson with a touchdown each and Matt Mackintosh with a two-point conversion run.

The Chiefs (left) and Tigers line up for a play.

Tigers Matt Mackintosh runs past the Chiefs' Edward Jadlowski.

The Chiefs' Larry Hicks returns a kick off.

Chiefs' quarterback Dwaayne Vanderwork throws a pass.

The Tigers' Clay Johnson celebrates during his touchdown run.

Tigers' Rob Williams cradles the ball after taking a hit from the Chiefs' Shawn Battle.

More photos after the jump (click on the headline).

The Chiefs' Jason Matve takes on the Tigers' Jon Grann.

Tigers' Clay Jonson Runs the ball downfield.

Jason Johnson catches a pass over the Tigers' Derrick Adams.

The Tigers' Aj Cleveland intercepts a Chiefs pass.

The Tigers' Matt Mackintosh runs the ball.

The Tigers' Matt Mackintosh tries to escape the Chiefs defense.

The Tigers' Derrick Adams and Branden Eaton celebrate Adams' touchdown.

The Tigers' defender Mike Schepis blocks a Chiefs pass.

The Tigers' Nate Wright runs the ball through a gap.

A new chapter in Batavia Muckdogs history opened Tuesday when farm hands in the Miami Marlins system took the field at Dwyer Stadium for the home opener of the 2013 season.

The 1,900 fans in attendence can surely hope Tuesday's game is a sign of good things to come. The Muckdogs beat Auburn 10-2.

One of the Marlin's top prospects, 2B Avery Romero, collected his first two professional hits scoring two runs.

Fans were also treated to one of the most exciting plays in baseball -- a triple -- three times. The three baggers were smacked by SS Javier Lopez (1-3 and 3 RBI), LF Austin Dean (1-5) and RF Connor Burke (2-4).

Third baseman Blake Barber had three hits, including a home run.

Starter Helpi Reyes went three innings and gave up one hit and no runs. Beau Wright (W, 1-0) went three innings and gave up two runs, picking up the W. Robert Ravago (S, 1) pitched three innings to qualify for the save.

Batavia is home again Thursday at 7:05 p.m., which is Irish Night. Friday's 7:05 p.m. game will be followed by fireworks.

Chiropractor Thomas Mazurkiewicz invited me over to his office this afternoon to meet Nick and Josh Guarino.

The twins are graduates of Byron-Bergen High School and will compete this weekend in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

They qualified in a meet Saturday -- the last chance to qualify -- by running their personal best times in the 800 meter. Nick won the race with a time of 1:47.13 and Josh was third at 1:47.35.

At the U.S. Championships, there is a field of 37 runners competing for three spots on the U.S. team that will compete in Moscow at the world championships. There are 14 runners who qualified with faster times than Nick. The fastest qualifying time is Duane Solomon at 1:42.82.

"I probably don't have a shot at that (going to Moscow)," Nick said. "But my dream is to make the Olympic team or world championship team."

Mazurkiewicz is doing what he can to help. Mazurkiewicz explained that a slight hip misalignment can cost a world-class runner vital 10ths of a second, which can be the difference between winning a medal or being an also-ran.

Misalignment, he said, can also lead to injury.

There will be dozens of chiropractors tending to runners at the U.S. Championship, Josh said, but they were at Mazurkiewicz's office today for their pre-race treatment.

"Treating athletes is like fine tuning a car," Mazurkiewicz said. "Chiropractic adjustments give athletes a winning edge by giving them proper bio-mechanics, structure, increased range of motion along with proper posture and balance."

Leadership Genesee held its annual golf tournament and its bocce ball tournament today. Here are three shots from bocce ball.

If you happen to be in Miami for the NBA finals, and happen the Largo Bar & Grill, across the street from the American Airlines Arena, you'll hear a familiar voice -- WBTA's Jerry Warner.

Stephen Warner, manager of the Largo, streams WBTA every morning to keep up with the news from back home and listen to his father.

A graduate of Oakfield-Alabama High School, Genesee Community College and SUNY Brockport, Warner has been managing the bar and grill since it opened in 2010.

The place is popular with Miami Heat fans -- players might even stop in -- and it's been hopping with the Heat making the finals again this year, Warner said.

Western New Yorkers pass through the Largo regularly, Warner said. Notre Dame alum Paul Merrill (bottom photo) is the bar manager at the Largo.

Local athletes competed in the state finals in track and field. Photos by Bare Antolos.

For complete results, click here.

Above, Batavia's Alec Egeli, 110m Hurdles.

Notre Dame's Meghan Duell, Discus.

Notre Dame's Jeffrey Antolos, 3200m.

Today is the 7th annual Dave McCarthy Memorial Golf Tournament at Batavia Country Club.

McCarthy was an avid athlete who died in a car accident in 2006.

A field of 144 golfers along with 60 sponsors are raising funds to support athletics in Batavia, including hockey scholarships, Little League, and helping economically disadvantaged families get their children into hockey.

Billy Sutherland, Dan Fix, Mike Sisson and Kevin Rogers.

Paul Spiotta, kneeling, Brett Decker, James DeFreze and Jim DuRei.

Wanna box?

Now you can.

For the first time in a decade or more, Batavia has a gym with a boxing ring.

Hands Up MMA, like the name says, isn't just about the sweet science, but owner Joseph Bailey (top photo) said with his lifelong love of boxing and Batavia's once rich tradition of boxing, it was important to him to bring boxing back to the city.

Bailey is a fan of boxing, but his passion is for mixed martial arts and he believes that is a sport that will only grow locally and throughout the state.

"Some people view that sport as gruesome and violent -- those who don't have a full understanding of the sport, but it's just as competitive as rugby would be, or hockey or lacrosse," Bailey said.

The gym, which officially opened today in the Harvester Center, provides a well-rounded workout with bags, ropes, tires, climbing walls, for anybody interested in combat sports.

Several young fighters found the gym while Bailey was still building it and started working out with him. At least four of them are planning to compete for the first time in a MMA tournament in Rochester on Sept. 29.

"We offer training in kickboxing, jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing and we try to incorporate it all together," Bailey said. "We'll also offer self-defense training and a course on knife and gun disarming that will be taught by a Green Beret."

The gym is already drawing a diverse group of people.

William Sutton is a Purple Heart-decorated Army veteran who honed his fighting skills by training to become an Army instructor in hand-to-hand combat.

During a tour of duty in Korea, he found boxing and MMA were big with the troops there. He was 13-0 as a boxer and 2-0 in MMA.

"Growing up in Batavia, it wasn't like it is nowadays," Sutton said. "Growing up in Batavia, a lot of times we would fight before school. We would fight after school. Fighting was a big part of Batavia. It's a tough town to grow up in. I've been fighting my whole life and I just continued that in the Army."

Sutton was wounded in Afghanistan and is now retired from military service. The injury and his commitment to the Veterans Administration prevents him from ever again fighting competitively and he's limited by military obligations in what he can teach, but working out in a gym of fighters appeals to him.

"Everybody who comes to an MMA gym seems to be just more humble," Sutton said. "People that go to a regular gym, you know, walk around trying to impress each other. At an MMA gym, all that BS is just put aside because we can put on the gloves and go in the ring. Put your hands up. Talking and stuff don't go here."

All his experience and success, though, puts Sutton in a position to help young fighters and he said he's always happy to train with them and answer questions and offer pointers to those willing to listen.

Bailey really hopes Hands Up becomes a vehicle for promoting boxing in Batavia. He plans to hold regular tournaments involving gym members that will be open to the public.

"Boxing used to have a big history in the City of Batavia," Bailey said. "The community is unaware of that and what I would like to do is get members of the gym to spare and promote boxing and hopefully get some viewers in to watch tournaments."

As we spoke, an older gentleman walked past the front windows and you could see his eyes light up as he looked inside.

There was little doubt, he was a boxer.

The first thing Robert Janes (top inset photo) did when he walked in was hit the speed bag. Later, he would say it was the first time in 13 years he punched a speed bag.

A native of Palm Springs, Calif., Janes was involved in Golden Gloves in the early 1970s.

Now living in Stafford and working pouring concrete, Janes was clearly thrilled to be in a boxing gym again and he said he can't wait to start working out there.

"I just want to stay healthy," Janes said. "I want to keep my head right. Any time I was ever in the gym, any time I was ever involved in any kind of organized boxing, I was good. Once I walked way from that, I was in big trouble. Now I'm 60 years old. I want to come back to it. I want to bring my granddaughter and my grandson into it."

NOTE: I want to do a story about the boxing in Batavia in the 20th Century. I have a copy of a book by Butch Zito, but I would like to find old pictures and other memorabilia. Few, if any, of the former boxers are still alive, but perhaps sons and daughters have memories about their boxing relatives to share. Write to me at howard@thebatavian.com.

William Sutton

Tim McCullough, from Batavia, and Sutton.

Also pictured in the slide show training is Josh McCarthy of Batavia (wearing yellow).

The Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic was held at Terry Hills Golf Course today and as usual, a group of Batavia residents were positioned near the ninth fairway with free brownies for the golfers.

Above, Bills receiver Andre Reed with Kate Martin, Jean Woodcock, Diana Burroughs, Skip Bartz, Margaret Peri, Donna Gillard, Anne Barone and Kathy Leffel.

Prior to the tee-off, Kelly announced that he has cancer in his upper jaw.

Kelly told the Buffalo News that cancer is just another challenge on life's rollercoaster.

“I know I’ll beat it," he said.

The event raises money for the Kelly for Kids Foundation. Kelly for Kids serves disadvantaged and disabled youth in WNY. Past receiptents of funds have been The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation and Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

The Batavia High School Softball Team won the Section V Class B-1 championship today, beating Livonia, 3-2 at Monroe Community College.

Photo by Dan Kemp.

Without walking seven batters, maybe Notre Dame beats Lyndonville 3-0, Head Coach Mike Rapone said after the Fighting Irish lost to the Tigers 7-3 in a Section V Class D semifinal game at Dwyer Stadium.

Starter Tyler Stroud, normally in command of his pitches, struggled to get the ball over the plate and squandered an early lead. With only a couple of hits, the Irish saw their 3-0 lead slip to 3-2 and then disappear to a 4-3 deficit.

Two of those runs scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball after walks helped Lyndonville base runners advance to third.

"Walks, passed ball, ground out, and little by little we let them back into the game and we never got the momentum back," Rapone said.

Rapone praised the effort of Lyndonville but repeated, it was the walks that did in his team.

"Their pitcher threw a nice game," Rapone said. "He kept us off balance. We didn't hit the ball that well. I think if we didn't walk seven guys, the three runs might have been enough."

The Batavia Blue Devils beat Livonia today to advance to the Section V Class BB championship game in Geneva at 6 p.m., Friday against Pal-Mac. In the Class C final, Pavilion was eliminated by Bolivar-Richburg.

Top photo: Tommy Prospero scores in the first on a steal of home. The Tigers' catcher dropped the ball.

To purchase prints of photos from this game, click here.

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Notre Dame's golf team won a Section V title in a tournament at the Livingston Country Club in Geneseo.

From left: John Lapple -- 81, Drew Morabito -- 85, Coach Bill Sutherland, Noah Hoy -- 83, Ben Warner -- 87, and Jared Thornton -- 92. This is the second year in a row that they have won the Section 5 Class C Championship with the same five players.

Photo and information submitted by David Warner.

Chelsea Cleveland of Oakfield-Alabama won the Section V Class C triple jump title with this winning jump Saturday.

Photo and info submitted by Chris Covel.

Brennan Briggs, head football coach for the Batavia Blue Devils, is invivitng all sixth- and seventh-graders to a free football camp from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, at Van Detta Stadium.

The team's coach staff and varsity players will assist in putting the aspiring high school football players through their paces in individual skills and drills on offense and defense.

Briggs will provided information on the modified football program and there will be flag football games following the two-hour camp.

Participants will also receive Blue Devils apparel and a tour of Van Detta Stadium.

All participants must bring cleats, sneakers, outdoor clothes and a water bottle.