baseball

Get ready for some barbecue. A fundraiser in memory of David J. Pettinella Jr. (1981-2005) will be held August 30 to benefit the Batavia Senior Little League. Come by Williams Park between 11:00am to 3:00pm—or until the food is sold out—for a pulled pork barbecue dinner cooked by Frank Penna. For $9 you get a pulled pork sandwich, salt potatoes and coleslaw. Drinks will be available for purchase.

For tickets, call Kathy at (585) 409-6300, or Leanna at (585) 738-7388.

Above photo available courtesy of the Creative Commons License.

 With many Muckdogs being moved up to Quad Cities these last few weeks, we have a few players joining our team from Johnson City.  Here's a look at our two newest players:

• Adam Veres- Pitcher: Veres leaves Johnson City with a record of 2-2 and an ERA of 2.38.  In 22 and 1/3 innings, he has 22 hits, 13 runs (6 earned), 7 walks and 32 strikeouts.  Originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Veres played at St. Petersoburg JC.  In his Muckdog debut yesterday, he threw 3 innings with 4 hits and 6 strikeouts.
• Jairo Martinez- Outfield: In Johnson City, Martinez was batting .247 with 4 homeruns and 17 RBI through 30 games.  Hopefully he will be able to help out the Muckdogs by continuing his high on-base percentage of .781.  He is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2005.

Also to note, player features of pitchers Thomas Eager and George Brown and outfielder/first baseman Shane Peterson are up on the Muckdogs website, courtesy of the Redwings staff.  Be sure to check them out!

Still locked in a tie for second place in the Pinckney Division, the Muckdogs (29-19) went into Auburn (28-20) Thursday and won big on the road, shutting out the Doubledays 11-0.  Ramon Delgado (3-1) had a terrific start, going five innings with seven strikeouts and only one hit to get the win.  Auburn's Joel Carreno (5-2) pitched four innings with seven hits, five runs, three walks and five strikeouts for the loss.

Batavia started their big offensive night in the 2nd when Frederick Parejo scored the first run after he singled, stole second and came home on a Chris Swauger single.  They scored three in the 4th on a Charlie Cutler single, Xavier Scruggs double and a two-run homerun off the bat of Swauger.

The Muckdogs added another in the 5th when Jermaine Curtis walked and stole second.  Parejo then singled to drive him in.  The 6th inning was another big three-run inning.  It started off with a Jose Garcia double and a single by Colt Sedbrook.  Brett Lilley then flew out for an RBI.  Singles by Shane Peterson, Cutler and Scruggs set-up and scored the other two runs.

Batavia's last damage came in another three-run inning in the 7th.  Garcia started the rally again with his first homerun of the season.  Sedbrook singled and Lilley doubled to put two men on.  Sedbrook came in to score when Peterson grounded-out and Lilley came home on a Parejo single.

Swauger finished the night 2-for-4 with a homerun and three RBI.  Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a single and two RBI.  Parejo went 3-for-6 with two RBI and a stolen base and Sedbrook went 4-for-6 with a double.  In all, the Muckdogs had eighteen runs on the night.

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With the big win over Auburn, Batavia now sits alone in second place, one and a half games behind Jamestown and one ahead of Auburn.  The Muckdogs look to rise in the standings tonight as they take on the Doubledays again for the final game of the series.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 and Dwyer's gates open at 6:00 with fireworks after the game.

Here is an update of where we stand in the NYPL:

• Arquimedes Nieto remains 2nd in pitching, with a record of 5-0 and an ERA of 1.52
• Adam Reifer still leads in saves with 13.
• Jose Garcia is in 4th place with 16 stolen bases.
• Shane Peterson's .409 on-base percentage is 2nd in the league.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied for 2nd in triples with 5.
• The team is 2nd in batting with a combined average of .268.
• They are also 5th in pitching with an ERA of 3.28.

Batavia (28-19) and Auburn (28-19) entered Wednesday tied for second place in the Pinckney Division, and ended the day the same way after each winning a game of the doubleheader.

The first game was a continuation of the suspended July 20th game.  It started in the bottom of the 1st with two outs and two on for the Muckdogs who were down 1-0, and ended with a 2-1 win for the Doubledays.  Zach Pitts (0-3) suffered the loss in his five innnings with five hits, two runs and four strikeouts.  Daniel Farguhar got the win, going five and a third innings with two hits and three strikeouts.

Auburn scored the deciding run in the 3rd on a Bartolo Nicolas double and Adam Amar single.  The Muckdogs only run came in the 7th when Shane Peterson walked and moved to third on a Jermaine Curtis double.  Chris Swauger then came up with the RBI single.  Peterson ended the game going 2-for-3.

In the second seven-inning contest, Arquimedes Nieto (5-0) had an impressive start.  He went five innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts to earn the win.  Adam Reifer pitched the ninth with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts to get his thirteenth save.  On the losing end, Matthew Wright went five innings with five hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts in the loss.

The only run of the game came in the bottom of the 5th.  Swauger started off the inning with a double.  He then came around to score on a sacrifice bunt by Beau Riportella and a throwing error on the same play.  Swauger went a perfect 2-for-2 in the game.  Newcomer Brett Lilley also went 2-for-2 in his first Muckdog start.

The two teams battle it out again in Auburn tonight before returning to Batavia for their final contest of the series.  Game time on Friday is 7:05 with fireworks after the game.

Also, for those fans who haven't heard, outfielder Jon Edwards and shortstop Domnit Bolivar have been moved up to Quad Cities.  We expect to have new players brought up from Johnson City...I'll let you know when we hear more!

 Batavia (27-18) could only score one run to Williamsport's (24-21) ten for their second straight loss.  George Brown (0-2) started on the mound and got the loss.  He threw five innings with three hits, two runs, and four strikeouts.  Tyler Cloyd (3-1) earned the win in his seven innings with seven hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts.

The Muckdogs scored first in the 2nd when Charley Cutler singled and Edwin Gomez doubled to send in their only run on the night.  The Crosssutters answered in the 4th when Cody Overbeck reached on a force out and Steve Susdorf followed him with a single.  Troy Hanzawa then singled to plate both runners.

They added three insurance runs in the 6th on a Susdorf single, Jim Murphy double, Hanzawa walk and single by Brandon Haislet.  The Crosscutter's other big inning came in the 7th when they added three more on a Susdorf homerun, Murphy walk, Hanzawa double then a Bryan Frew RBI single.

The best bat on the Muckdogs side came by Gomez.  He went 2-for-3 with a triple and one RBI.  Batavia is off tomorrow before facing Auburn at home for a doubleheader on Wednesday.  The first game starts at 5:05.

Going into tonight's game versus Williamsport, here is where we stand:

• we are two games behind Jamestown and still hold the second best record in the NYPL at 27-17
• Jermaine Curtis is 10th in the league in batting average (.308)
• Arquimedes Neito is 2nd in the league in pitching (4-0, 1.73 ERA)
• Adam Reifer leads the league in saves and games (12; 19)
• Jose Garcia is tied for 3rd in the league in stolen bases (15)
• Jon Edwards is 2nd in on-base percentage and 4th in slugging percentage (.425; .561)
• Shane Peterson is 4th in on-base percentage (.409)
• Colt Sedbrook is tied for second in triples (5)
• overall, the team is 2nd in batting (.266) and 6th in pitching (3.36 ERA)

The Muckdogs (27-17) looked like they were going to add a game to their win streak, but a Williamsport (23-21) three-run 9^th inning was enough for the Crosscutters to win 6-5.  Scott Gorgen (2-1) suffered the loss for Batavia, pitching three innings with three hits, three runs, two walks and three strikeouts.  The winning pitcher was Brain Rosenberg (2-1), who threw two innings with one hit, one run, two walks and three strikeouts.

 Williamsport struck first in the 3^rd inning, scoring two runs when Bryan Frew reached on a fielder’s choice and Brandon Haislet singled to put two on.  D’Arby Myers then singled to send both home.  They added one more in the 5^th on a Frew single and Travis D’Arnaud double.

 Batavia got on the board in the 5^th after Colt Sedbrook singled and eventually scored when Domnit Bolivar grounded out.  They went on to take the lead in the 6^th.  Frederick Parejo walked and Edwin Gomez singled before advanced a base on a Beau Riportella sacrifice bunt.  An error later in the inning got Jose Garcia on base and scored Parejo and Gomez.  Sedbrook then singled to score Garcia.

 The Muckdogs added one more in the 8^th when Parejo walked, stole second and scored on a Riportella single.  However, the Crosscutters came on in the 9^th to score three runs that the Muckdogs could not answer.  Troy Hanzawa singled and Tim Binkoski, Frew and Haislet walked to start the rally.  Myers and D’Arnaud both reached on a fielder’s choice to score the last two.

 Riportella was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and stolen base.  Sedbrook had the only other multi-hit night for the Muckdogs, going 2-for-4.  The two teams face each other again Monday night. 

 Here is the first installment of my new Meet the Muckdogs segment.  Keep the feedback coming of who else you would like to here from! Enjoy!

The Muckdogs (26-16) offense scored ten two-out runs with fourteen total hits in the game to take down the State College Spikes (9-32) by a score of 12-7.  Arquimedes Nieto got the start, going four and two-thirds innings with six hits, three runs, one walk and three strikeouts.  LaCurtis Mayes (2-0) pitched two-thirds of a scoreless ball to get the win.  State College’s Maurice Bankston (0-5) suffered the loss in his four and two-thirds innings with nine hits, six runs and a walk and a strikeout.

Batavia jumped off to an early lead in the 1^st on a Jermaine Curtis single and Shane Peterson double.  They added another in the 3^rd when Jose Garcia doubled, stole third and scored on a double-play ball.  The Spikes got on the board in the 4^th after Jeremy Farrell reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andrew Biela.  They took the lead in the next inning when Andy Vasquez singled and scored on Chase D’Arnaud’s double.  The bases were then loaded and D’Arnaud scored when Biela was hit by a pitch.

But the Muckdogs wouldn’t stay down long, as they rallied for five runs in both the 5^th and 6^th innings.  In the 5^th, Charley Cutler singled, Curtis walked and Peterson had a RBI double.  Jon Edwards then hit two in on a single before Domnit Bolivar doubled and Frederick Parejo singled to score the other two runs.  In the next inning, the bases were loaded and a run was scored after Garcia singled, Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch and Peterson and Edwards had back-to-back walks.  Bolivar then singled to plate two.  Batavia’s last two runs scored when Parejo reached on a throwing error.

State College tried to rally back in the 8^th, scoring four runs with the help of four Muckdog errors, but it was not enough.  Batavia goes for the sweep and their eighth win in a row tonight at 7:05.  Ryan Howard bobble-heads will be given away to the first 500 in attendance.

It was a back-and-forth game, but Batavia (25-16) prevailed to beat State College (9-31) 8-5.  Hector Cardenas (3-0) got the win on the mound, throwing two innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer came in to pitch a scoreless 9^th with two strikeouts for his twelfth save.  Rudy Owens (1-5) suffered the loss and blown save in three innings with five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

 The Spikes scored first in the 3^rd when Ciro Rosero hit a solo homerun.  Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning on a Charley Cutler single and Jose Garcia double.  But the Spikes came back again in the 4^th to score two.  Andrew Biela and Quincy Latimore both had singles then Miguel Mendez cleared the bases with a double.

 They added to their lead in the 5^th when Chase D’Arnaud started off the inning when he reached on a throwing error.  Jeremy Farrell then singled before Latimore singled to plate the two.  However, the Muckdogs started their comeback in the bottom of the 5^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Frederick Parejo, Cutler and Xavier Scruggs.  Scruggs came through to score on a throwing error later that inning.

 Batavia came through with the win in the bottom of the 8^th after Jermaine Curtis, Shane Peterson and Jon Edwards all singled.  Peterson came through to score the go-ahead run when Cutler ground-out.  Scruggs added some insurance with a two run double.

The Batavia Muckdogs ended their road trip strongly, taking all three games from the Crosscutters of Williamsport.  Here is a look at those games:

• Monday, July 28: Batavia 4, Williamsport 3:  Ramon Delgado (2-1) got the start and win, going five innings with six hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.  Jameson Maj closed out the game and got his first save with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts in his four innings of work.  Jermaine Curtis went 1-for-4 with a three-run homerun.  Christian Rosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Tuesday, July 29: Batavia 6, Williamsport 4:  On the mound, Scott Gorgen (2-0) pitched five innings with three hits, one run and four strikeouts in his start for the win.  Adam Reifer let up two hits, one run and a walk in the 9th, but was still good enough to earn his eleventh save of the season.  Offensively, Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.  Jon Edwards also had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, July 30: Batavia 8, Williamsport 1:  The Muckdogs excelled in both parts of the game to complete the three-game sweep of the Crosscutters.  Thomas Eager (2-3) threw the first five innings with three hits, one run, four walks and three strikeouts to get the win.  George Brown was impressive in the last three innings, letting up only two hits and one walk with six strikeouts for his second save.  And the Batavia bats were hot, totaling twelve hits on the night.  Edwards went 1-for-5 and Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4, each with a homerun and two RBI.  Shane Peterson went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.

Batavia is back in action tonight, starting a long homestand.  The State College Spikes come into town to play a three-game series.  The Muckdogs hope to keep-up their impressive stretch.  Here is where we stand right now:

• We are on a 5 game winning streak, winning 8 of our last 10 games.
• We are tied for 2nd with Auburn in the Pinckney Division, 2 games back of Jamestown.
• Jermaine Curtis's .324 batting average is 7th in the New York Penn League (NYPL).
• Arquimedes Nieto has record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.41 to put him 2nd in the NYPL.
• Thomas Eager is right behind him with a 2-3 record and 2.12 ERA to place him 5th in the NYPL.
• Adam Reifer leads the NYPL with 11 saves.
• The team is 3rd in batting, with an average of .262.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied with two others for the league lead in triples; he has 5 on the season.

This week, we also lost pitcher Lance Lynn, as he was moved up to Quad Cities. Blake Murphy also got the call up and Louis De La Cruz has also left Batavia.  However, Nick Vera is back on the roster and new infielder Brett Lilley has joined the team.  Lilley, oringinally from North Canton, Ohio, went to school at Notre Dame.  He has a .308 batting average with Johnson City.

Stay tuned for more information on games, players and everything else Muckdogs!

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Here is a quick video of the key players from the two home games against Oneonta last Tuesday and Wednesday.  More (and better) video is to come!

I also want to start a "Meet the Muckdogs" feature where I do interviews with the players.  Feedback would be great to see who you all want to hear from and learn about!

Enjoy!

 After yet another rainout on Thursday, the Muckdogs took to the road to win a series against the State College Spikes to improve their record to 21-16.  Batavia lost Friday’s contest 4-3 before winning 7-3 on Saturday and 6-5 on Sunday.  Here is a quick look at those games:

• Friday, July 25: State College 4, Batavia 3:  George Brown got the start on the mound, going three and two-thirds innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned) and three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager (1-3) suffered the loss, throwing the last three innings with four hits, one run and three strikeouts.  Jose Garcia led off the game with a triple and ended the night 1-for-3 with a stolen base.  Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a RBI.

• Saturday, July 26: Batavia 7, State College 3:  Batavia had fourteen hits and eleven strikeouts in the game to get back on the winning track.  Lance Lynn had a strong start, pitching four innings with three hits, one run, one walk and seven strikeouts.  Josh Hester (2-1) also threw four innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and four strikeouts for the win.  Offensively, Xavier Scruggs went 3-for-4 with two solo-homeruns.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple.

• Sunday, July 27: Batavia 6, State College 5:  Zachary Pitts went five innings with three hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts for the start, but Arquidemes Nieto (4-0) got the win in his three innings.  Nieto let-up four hits and two runs and struck out two.  Jason Buursma earned his second save, facing the last two batters of the game.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a RBI and Charley Cutler went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Muckdogs now travel to Williamsport for a three game series against the Crosscutters before returning home for another three game series versus State College.

Batavia (19-15) battled back and forth with Oneonta (17-17) to finally come through to prevail 5-3.  Miguel Tapia (4-2) went five innings on the mound with two hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts to get the win.  Adam Reifer got his tenth save in his usual fashion, pitching a hitless 9^th with one strikeout.

The Muckdogs jumped on the board first in the 2^nd inning when Blake Murphy doubled and was then driven in on a Domnit Bolivar sacrifice fly.  The Tigers answered back with two runs of their own in the 3^rd after Christopher White walked and Ben Guez hit a homerun.  But Batavia tied it up in the bottom of the inning.  Beau Riportella singled, Jose Garcia reached on a fielder’s choice and Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Shane Peterson then flew out to centerfield for a RBI.

Batavia came through to break the tie and get the win in the 5^th when the same three players loaded the bases again after Riportella doubled, Garcia was hit by a pitch and Sedbrook singled.  Peterson then cracked a double to clear the bases.

Riportella went 2-for-3 at the plate while Murphy went 2-for-4, each with a double.  Peterson had four RBI.  The rubber-match between the two teams is set for an early 11:05 start on Thursday.

The Muckdogs (18-15) added one to the loss column, falling 6-3 to the Oneonta Tigers (17-16).  Jameson Maj (2-2) got the start and the loss, pitching five innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts.  For the Tigers, Darwin De Leon (3-1) got the win in five and two-thirds innings with three hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout.  Aaron Fuherman pitched the last three and a third innings with two hits, one run and two strikeouts to get his first save of the season.

Oneonta struck first in the 3^rd inning when Ben Guez reached on a fielding error, Joshua Workman doubled and Bryan Pounds flew out for the RBI.  Angel Flores singled to score the other run in the inning.  In the 6^th, they made it 3-0 when Mike Gosse reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on Brent Wyatt triple.

Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning when Shane Peterson was hit by a pitch and Blake Murphy hit his third homerun of the season.  However, Oneonta scored three in the 7^th to seal their win.  Guez walked, stole second and scored when Pounds singled.  Then Billy Nowlin and Gosse both had RBI singles.

The Muckdogs’ last run came in the bottom of the 7^th on a Beau Riportella double and a Jose Garcia single.  Riportella ended the night 2-for-4.

For the second Sunday in a row the Muckdogs were rained out, this time after not quite a full inning of play.  The game is re-scheduled for August 6th when Auburn comes back into town.

The Muckdogs were on the road this past Wednesday through Sunday for a three-game series against Staten Island and a game in Auburn.  They finished the trip 2-2.  Here is a quick recap of those games:

• Wednesday, July 16: Staten Island 6, Batavia 5:  Ramon Delgado (1-1) got the start and the loss, going three and a third innings with eight hits and six runs (five earned). Jameson Maj had a strong performance, throwing the last four innings allowing only one hit with six strikeouts and no walks.  Offensively, Batavia had twelve hits to Staten Islands ten.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with his first homerun of the season.  Jermaine Curtis and Domnit Bolivar went 4-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively, each with a double.
• Thursday, July 17: Batavia 4, Staten Island 2: Scott Gorgen started the game, going four innings with three hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts, but Miguel Tapia (3-2) scored the win.  Tapia pitched three and a third innings with three hits, two walks and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer pitched a scoreless 9th with one strikeout for the save.  Sedbrook was big at the plate again, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.
• Friday, July 18: Staten Island 3, Batavia 2:  The Yankees broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 9th to win the rubber-match.  George Brown (0-1) suffered the loss in three innings, letting up five hits, three runs and one walk with three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager started the game, throwing five innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-4 with a homerun and Christian Rosa went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
• Saturday, July 19: Batavia 7, Auburn 5:  Josh Hester had a great start, pitching four and a third innings, allowing only one hit and five strikeouts.  Hector Cardenas (2-0) pitched three innings with a walk and two strikeouts for the win.  Reifer pitched another scoreless 9th with one strikeout for his eighth save.  At the plate, Sedbrook went 2-for-4 with a triple.  Shane Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Rosa went 2-for-5, also with a double and a RBI.

The Muckdogs (17-14) are now tied for second place in the Pinckney Division with Auburn, whom they play tonight.  They then come home for a three-game series against the Oneonta Tigers.  Tuesday and Wednesday's games start at 7:05 and Thursday has an early start of 11:05.