Sports

Submitted photos and press release:

For the better part of eight innings Thursday night, the Batavia Muckdogs were in danger dropping out of first place.

Enter the power of Nic Ready and Sean Reynolds.

After a Troy Johnston's RBI single gave Batavia a 5-4 lead, Ready blasted a two-run double followed by a 418-foot home run by Reynolds to center field.

Batavia (36-29) scored seven runs and went on to win, 9-5.

West Virginia fell to Auburn, 5-2 to drop to 34-29, one game behind Batavia. State College (Pa.) is 33-32 and three back.

Batavia and State College play again tonight at 7:05.

The Muckdogs trailed, 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Ready crushed his eighth home run of the season to left field. The ball left the yard in such a hurry the left fielder never moved.

Ready finished with four RBIs, and he returned from the New York-Penn League All-Star Game with six other teammates before the game.

"We are used to it, we like to think jet-lag is not a thing. We show up and play the game," Ready said. "We got some good rest, got some fluids in us, hydrated and go get them tonight.

"We knew we were in the lineup, we were at the all-star game for a reason so we might as well show it at our home field," Ready added.

Down 4-2 in the eighth, Ready, a 2019 Miami Marlins draft pick out of the Air Force, said the attitude was to win.

"We have a saying, 'Dogs, Never Die,' we are always in a fight, especially on our home turf, anything can happen," Ready said. "A team could take the lead, we put up seven runs late and come up to win it. We love playing at home, a lot of fans came out and we appreciate it."

The Muckdogs then played some outstanding defense as State College was threatening in the top of the sixth. Moises Castillo singled and Batavia center-fielder Milton Smith fired the ball to Muckdogs first baseman Sean Reynolds who alertly went to second base to nab Castillo. Second baseman Andrew Turner tagged him out then fired to Nic Ready at third base to get David Vinsky who originally was trying to score.

On the mound for Batavia, Jackson Rose started and struck out one in 4.1 innings, then Joniker Villalobos struck out two in one inning. Jeremy Galindez tossed 2.1 innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts. With runners on and State College leading 4-2, Edison Suriel came on and got a strikeout to end the seventh.

Suriel stayed in for the win, improving to 3-2 and he went 1.1 innings striking out three.

Tonight, the first 1,000 fans will receive a free 2019 team photo. There were 1,166 fans at the game Thursday at Dwyer Stadium.

It is also Crafty Hour sponsored by Eli Fish Brewing Co. for the first hour as all drafts are $3.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center is the game sponsor.

Saturday night there will be fireworks.

Upcoming schedule: Tonight home 7:05, and Saturday home 7:05 p.m. against State College. Sunday 5:05 p.m. against Williamsport. Monday, home at 7:05 p.m. against Williamsport; and Tuesday's game is at 11:05 a.m.

Tickets are available at muckdogs.com or stop by the Dwyer Stadium Ticket office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. The number is 585-483-3647.

Top photo: Sean Reynolds after a two-run home run in the eighth inning for Batavia.

Bottom photo: Gunner Pollman, Batavia's catcher, singles against State College (Pa.).

The general manager at Dwyer Stadium has contacted the Genesee County Dispatch Center to report a drone flying over the field; the operator is unknown.

"They are unable to continue with their normal operations," a dispatcher says.

City police are responding.

It's Thirsty Thursday and the Muckdogs were set to play the Spikes at 7:05 tonight.

Photo: Batavia's all-stars, from left, J.D. Orr, Milton Smith II, Nic Ready, Josh Simpson, Troy Johnston, Brock Love and Julio Frias. Batavia's team won Wednesday, 7-3.

Submitted photos and press release:

Thanks to a rain delay, seven members of the Batavia Muckdogs may be a little tired tonight as the Muckdogs host State College (Pa.) in a six-game series that could decide the playoffs.

The players were in the New York-Penn League All-Star game Wednesday night and tonight Batavia plays at Dwyer Stadium at 7:05.

Batavia (35-29) and West Virginia (34-28) are tied at the top of the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division with tonight's opponent, West Virginia, in third place, two games back at 33-31.

The games Thursday, Friday and Saturday are at 7:05 p.m. On Sunday at 5:05 p.m. starts the series with Williamsport. The two teams play at 7:05 p.m. on Monday and 11:05 a.m. on Tuesday.

There are ticket and food and drink specials along with other promotions each game.

Wednesday night at the NYPL All-Star Game in Staten Island, Batavia's J.D. Orr and Milton Smith II put the game away early with their hitting, defense and speed.

Orr started the game with a sharp single, then went to second when a pitch just got past a catcher. He scored on a basest for a 1-0 lead for the Blue team.

Milton Smith II doubled in the second then with two outs had a head-first slide to score on a single. He also made a catch by the wall in left field to preserve the shutout.

Julio Frias threw a scoreless inning, Josh Simpson was perfect with a strikeout in his outing, earning a hold, as did Brock Love as the Blue team won, 7-3.

Nic Ready and Troy Johnston also played in the game and Ready hit two home runs in the first round of the home run derby pre-game tying him for first place. The rain stopped the derby and delayed the start of the Hall of Fame ceremony.

During the Hall of Fame Ceremony, the late Gene Baker, a former Batavia manager went in the hall. New York-Penn League President Ben Hayes talked about Baker and a video tribute was played in his honor.

Former Oneonta and New York Yankee Bernie Williams also went in the hall with Staten Island's Jane Rogers and the late Josiah Viera.

Tickets are available at muckdogs.com or stop by the Dwyer Stadium Ticket office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. The number is 585-483-3647.

Above photo: Batavia all-star Troy Johnston is joined by his father, David, and fiancee, Haleigh, at the game in Staten Island Wednesday.

Above photo: J.D. Orr and Troy Johnston share a laugh in the dugout as Milton Smith II looks at the rain clouds coming in before the all-star game Wednesday in Staten Island.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (Aug. 23) at 6 p.m., the track will feature a $35,000 guaranteed pool on the early Pick-5 wager that runs from race one to race five.

It is part of the United States Trotting Association’s (USTA) Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free program pages are available for those races on the USTA website or by clicking here for a direct download.

The actual carry-over is $14,913 and the $35,000 guaranteed pool is the largest in the history of Batavia Downs. 

And to make it even more interesting, the fifth race of the Pick-5 is a $118,800 leg of the New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotting fillies that has Quincy Blue Chip and Winndevie facing off against each other once again.

Photo and rider information submitted by reader Nancy Ewert.

SYRACUSE -- Katherine Ewert, 13, of Batavia, and her horse Seamus won Grand Champion for the Dressage Young Rider Division for both Training and First Level on Sunday at the New York State Fair.

This was a United States Dressage Federation Schooling Show.

Katherine has been competing in dressage for three years through Genesee County 4-H, two of them at the state level. Last year, she was Reserve Grand Champion in dressage at the NYS Fair.

The middle-schooler has been riding horses since age 10.

About Dressage

The word "dressage" is French, commonly translated to mean "training." It is a highly skilled form of horseback riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an "art" sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. In dressage, horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements.

At its best, the horse responds smoothly to a skilled rider's minimal aids. The rider is relaxed and appears effort-free while the horse willingly performs the requested movement.

Rules for it were first published in 1550 by Frederico Grisone, a thousand year after the first treatise "On Horsemanship" by Xenophone.

In modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests" -- a prescribed series of movements ridden within a standard arena. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score from zero to 10.

To learn more about dressage, click here.

Press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs used a balk and a three-run home run to hold off Mahoning Valley, 8-6 on Monday night.

Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the host Black Bears fell to Williamsport, 8-7 in extra innings. As a result, Batavia (35-29) and West Virginia (34-28) are tied at the top of the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division heading into the All-Star break.

The break won't be relaxing for the Muckdogs as they have an NYPL high of seven players and three starters in the game on Wednesday at Staten Island.

On Monday night, Batavia trailed 2-0 to Mahoning Valley, a team that won four straight and was not allowing Batavia on the scoreboard.

Batavia shortstop Dalvy Rosario hit one of the biggest home runs of the season in the top of the third, a three-run home run to give Batavia the lead.

With the scored tied, 4-4 in the top of the seventh, J.D. Orr coaxed a balk, his eighth of the season as a runner causing a balk, allowing Albert Guaimaro to score the go-ahead run.

While Mahoning Valley would stick around, Joey Steele and Evan Brabrand shut the door for the win and the save, respectively.

Steele improved to 2-0 on his solid season, as he threw 2.1 innings of shut out ball, striking out four and giving up just two hits.

Steele, an all-star selection and 30th-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins out of University of San Francisco, lowered his ERA to 1.59. He has thrown 17 innings and walked just three wile striking out 28.

Meanwhile, Brabrand, who has made a final-score impact in the stats in every game he has pitched in but one (that was a perfect inning), had a new roll on Monday.

Batavia manager Tom Lawless, looking to stop Mahoning Valley's win streak and Batavia's losing streak, brought Brabrand in with two outs in the eighth. The 6-3 righty closer out of Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., where he was a ninth-round pick of the Marlins, hit the first batter in the ninth, but got a double play to end the game.

Brabrand now has 12 saves on the season and a 3-1 record in 17 games. He has struck out 21 in 17 innings, walked just one and given up just three runs for a 1.59 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

Josh Simpson picked up his sixth hold of the season striking out one while Andrew Miller had the start and struck out five over 4.1 innings.

Rosario, just 19 and a Marlins signing out of the Dominican Republic, is 10-for-23 (.435) in his last six games. In addition to his second home run of the season, he also crushed his 13th double of the season, scored twice, had the three RBIs and a walk.

J.D. Orr, who will start in left in the all-star game, increased his NYPL leading average to .387 going 2-for-4 with a RBI and run.

Troy Johnston had a hit and an RBI while Nic Ready and Guaimaro each had a single, Sean Reynolds walked and scored, Harrison Dinicola had two hits and scored and Jack

Strunc had a double and a run. Catcher Dustin Skelton also had an RBI single and scored a run for Batavia.

The all-stars for the Muckdogs are Ready, Orr, Johnston, Milton Smith II, and pitchers Julio Frias, Brock Love and Josh Simpson.

The game is hosted by the Staten Island Yankees and starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Just one game separates seven teams fighting for four spots in the NYPL playoffs.

The Muckdogs return home on Thursday for three straight crucial home games at 7:05 each night against State College (Pa.), then three more home games against Williamsport.

Tickets are available at muckdogs.com or stop by the Dwyer Stadium Ticket office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. The number is 585-483-3647.

Photo: The Batavia Muckdogs are in first place at the All-Star break with just 12 games left and one game separates seven teams from the playoff spots. The Muckdogs are home at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia starting Thursday for six straight games that could decide the division. Batavia Muckdogs head into All-Star break and home stretch in first place.

Kayla McIntire shared this photo with us of sunset at Dwyer Stadium during Friday's Muckdogs game.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs lead in the New York-Penn Pickney Division is down to a half game after a 9-3 loss to West Virginia on Friday night.

Batavia is on the road for three games starting Saturday at Mahoning Valley then the all-star break before returning to Dwyer Stadium on Aug. 22 to host State College (Pa.).

Batavia's Sean Reynolds blasted his 12th home run of the season on Friday and the 34th of his short minor league career in the fifth-inning in the loss.

J.D. Orr had two doubles and scored a run increasing his league-leading average to .379.

Harrison Dinicola hit his sixth double of the season while Dalvy Rosario had a RBI, and Andrew Turner singled in a run. Milton Smith II had the other Muckdog hit.

Julio Frias took the loss and is 4-3 on the season. He struck out three in four innings. Edison Suriel had six strikeouts in three innings of work giving up one run while Joey Steele struck out two in one inning and Evan Rebrand had two strikeouts without giving up a run in the ninth.

Batavia is 34-26 and West Virginia is 33-26.

Tickets are available at muckdogs.com or stop by the Dwyer Stadium Ticket office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. The number is 585-483-3647.

Photo: Julio Frias records one of his three strikeouts Friday night against West Virginia.

Submitted photo and press release:

The 2019 season for the first-place Batavia Muckdogs has been a special one at Dwyer Stadium. Now, add the all-star game to the memories.

The New York-Penn League has announced seven players will represent Batavia in the all-star game on Wednesday, Aug. 21 in Staten Island.

Nick Ready (third base), J.D. Orr (left field) and Troy Johnston (right field) were named starters. Milton Smith II (center field) and pitchers Julio Frias, Brock Love and Josh Simpson were also named to the team.

The all-star game is at 7 p.m. hosted by the Staten Island Yankees with gates opening at 3 p.m. There will be a home run competition between the New York City Fire Department and NYPD. 

During the pre-game, the 2019 NYPL Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place with Batavia's Gene Baker going in the hall with Bernie Williams, Jane Rogers and Josiah Viera. 

Baker, who died in 1999, became the first African-American manager in organized baseball, when the Pittsburgh Pirates named him skipper of the Batavia club in 1961. 

In 1963, he became the second black coach in the major leagues following Buck O’Neill by a half season. He can also be credited with being the first black manager in Major League Baseball when he took over for ejected Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh on Sept. 21, 1963. He was also the first African-American player to ever make the Chicago Cubs roster in 1953. 

Here is a look at the 2019 Batavia all-stars:

Nic Ready

It has been a wild year for Nic Ready. The son of former Major Leaguer Randy Ready, Nic won the 2019 NCAA Home Run Derby in Omaha, Neb., then was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 23^rd round out of the Air Force Academy.

Ready, a 6-foot-3 righthander who plays third and first, has shown tremendous power this season with seven home runs and 34 RBI’s with 26 doubles and a triple. He is hitting .280 with a .525 slugging percentage.

Ready is currently active duty with the Air Force, but a new law will allow him to play professional baseball and fulfill his military commitments the next two years.

In the all-star game, Ready will start at third.

J.D. Orr

It is no surprise J.D. Orr will start in the outfield in the all-star game. The 5-foot-10 Orr was drafted this year in the 10^th round of the draft by the Miami Marlins out of Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, where he led the nation in stolen bases.

In Batavia, he not only leads the team with 24 stolen bases, but he leads the entire New York-Penn League with a .373 average and has 59 hits. He has hit three doubles, two triples and scored 46 runs.

Troy Johnston

Another starter in the outfield for the Muckdogs will be Troy Johnston, a 17^th-round pick of the Marlins out of Gonzaga University (Spokane, Wash.) this year.

Johnston, a 5-foot-11 lefty is hitting .295 with 46 hits, 11 doubles, a triple and two home runs. He has driven in 26 runs and scored 23. At Gonzaga, he was leading the nation in doubles furing the 2019 season and led his team in average.

Milton Smith II

During the 2019 season, Milton Smith II spent time as the top hitter in the New York-Penn League, and is still hitting .319 with 52 hits, a triple and 17 stolen bases, as he was caught just four times. Smith II is also an outstanding centerfielder for the Muckdogs.

Smith, a 5-foot-10 lefty, was drafted in the 22^nd round by the Marlins out of Meridian Community College in Meridian, Miss., in 2018.

Brock Love

Love is a 6-foot-1 right-hander who has made a big impact on the Muckdogs this season coming out of the bullpen. He has thrown 14.1 innings with 18 strikeouts and just four walks, giving up just four runs for a ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of 0.77.

He was picked by the Miami Marlins as the fourth pick of the 2019 draft in the 34th round out of the University of Alabama.

In college, Love was injured in 2017 but in 2018 he was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, something he did in his first seven performances with Batavia. In 2019 he led Alabama in strikeouts with 66 in 60 innings while starting 13 games. Love showed right away as a freshman his command of the strike zone, walking just three batters his first year while strikeout 21 with a 2.81 ERA.

Josh Simpson

The 2019 season has been frustrating for batters opposing Josh Simpson as the 6-foot-2 lefty has a 0.55 ERA in 11 games and has struck out 21 batters in 16.1 innings with just two walks. He has given up just one run all season for the Muckdogs.

Simpson was a 32^nd-round draft pick out of Columbia University by the Miami Marlins this year. He was an all-Ivy League selection and struck out 56 batters. He threw a nine-inning complete game shut out against Cornell as a senior.

Julio Frias

Frias turned 21 as the season started, and the 6-foot-2 lefty out of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, has enjoyed a great season as a top starting pitcher. Frias has 11 starts and has gone 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 56.2 innings with just 21 hits allowed.

In his short career, Frias has tossed 182 innings with 174 strikeouts. His last start was on Aug. 11, a win over Mahoning Valley. Frias signed in 2014 as an international free agent with the Marlins at age 16.

Photo: Batavia has seven all-stars on the New York-Penn League All-Star team, including outfielders Milton Smith II, left, and Troy Johnston.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Tonight (Aug. 16) at Batavia Downs is noteworthy for two reasons. One, it’s the first live card of harness racing held on a Friday this meet at the Downs as the track previously hosted their now completed concert series on Friday.  

Second, it’s the night of the Batavia Down’s annual “Races to Benefit the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester” (www.bccr.org) fundraiser that will be held at the track to raise both awareness and dollars to fight this deadly disease. 

This annual event is one of the larger fundraisers held by this organization and Batavia Downs has been proud to put on the event with them and be a part of this very worthy cause. It will be held in the clubhouse and runs from 5 until 9 p.m.

“We have partnered with BCCR for several years now and each year this event gets bigger and better,” said Todd Haight, director/general manager of Live Racing. “It’s an opportunity for us to help raise money to defeat the scourge of breast cancer in our lifetime.

"The generosity of our horsemen and patrons always shines through and I’m sure we will see that again tonight.”

There will be a silent auction held adjacent to the clubhouse with a list of prizes that will please anyone’s taste. They include:

• Two suite tickets to the Buffalo Bills versus Philadelphia Eagles at New Era Field on Sunday, Oct. 27;
• Four suite tickets to the Buffalo Sabres versus the St. Louis Blues at Key Bank Center on Tuesday, Dec. 10;
• Two suite tickets for the Carrie Underwood concert at Key Bank Arena on Sunday, Oct. 13;
• One Batavia Downs Hotel night and racing package;
• Two Batavia Downs clubhouse racing packages;
• A recliner from Max Pies Furniture in Batavia;
• And a host of other items too numerous to mention.

Dozens of local owners, trainers and drivers have already committed to donating some or all of their winnings realized tonight with more coming on board every day.

The track will also be taking cash donations from anyone willing to help that will be forwarded directly to the BCCR.

“Last year we were able to raise in excess of $13,000 and this year we aim to break that record," Haight said. "The clubhouse has been sold out for weeks so we’ll have many caring people here that night.

"And we will also have runners in both the paddock and grandstand area taking bids for the silent auction and also collecting any donations people may wish to make."

Post time for the first race is at 6 p.m.

• Beginners (ages 6/7) at 10 a.m.
• Mini (ages 8/9) at 12 p.m.
• Junior Varsity (ages 10/11) at 2 p.m.
• Varsity (ages 12/13) at 4 p.m.

For questions or comments, email:  bataviabulldawgsfootball@gmail.com

Press release:

There are 18 games left in the New York-Penn League season, but there was a playoff atmosphere at Dwyer Stadium Wednesday night.

With the West Virginia Black Bears coming in just 1.5 games behind Batavia, the managers were stealing bases, making pitching changes and even the players were involved in a stand-off that lasted over three hours.

In the end, the Batavia Muckdogs improved to 34-24 with an 11-5 win over West Virginia (31-26).

The Muckdogs trailed, 3-1 in the fourth when Nic Ready blasted a home run deep over the left-field fence to cut the lead to 3-2. Ready has seven home runs on the season and went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and his 25th double of the season.

A 2019 Miami Marlins draft pick in the 23rd-round out of the Air Force Academy, has 34 RBI's on the season.

Batavia shortstop Dalvy Rosario had it best offensive night of the season, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, 2 RBI's and scored two runs as well as turning two double plays with Jack Strunc.

J.D. Orr, who leads the NYPL in hitting with a .381 average stole his 24th base of the season and despite just one hit on the night scored four runs. Strunc had two hits and scored twice.

Troy Johnston, a 17th-round pick of the Marlins out of Gonzaga was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. He hit his 10th double of the season.

Milton Smith II is hitting .327 after going 2-for-4.

The crowd noticed a fun standoff between Batavia's Harrison Dinicola and West Virginia's Ryan Haug. The two held their hats over their hearts during the national anthem, then players from both teams picked them up like a statue and put them standing in the same position on the bench. During each inning, the players were decorated by Gatorade cups and never moved from the position for over three and a half hours.

When Haug finally had to leave the dugout after the game to catch the bus, Dinicola was the victor, touching off a wild celebration by the players including water and Gatorade bath.

"That was one of the hardest things I've done in my life. My teammates gave me a lot of adrenaline during the game," Dinicola said. "We had a great team win. The pitchers came in and did their job and our hitters kept hitting, I love it. Go Muckdogs!"

The video of the standoff on the Muckdogs social media sites had over 20,000 combined views after the game and was shared by Minor League Baseball, Yahoo Sports and others.

The Muckdogs went over 30,000 fans on the season, which is over 3,000 more than all of 2018 with 10 home games remaining.

Andrew Miller started and struck out four in 4.1 innings giving up three runs. With runners on in the fifth, M.D. Johnson came in and retired the only two batters he faced to pick up his first win of the season. At 1-0, Johnson has pitched 12.2 innings with 16 strikeouts.

Bryan Hoeing earned his third hold throwing two innings with two strikeouts, no walks, no runs, and just two hits.

Brock Love then closed it with three strikeouts in the last two innings.

Tonight is First Responders Night as all first responders receive two free general admission tickets. it is also Thirsty Thursday with Labatt's and other special $2 beer prices. The two teams also play Friday night at Dwyer Stadium, both games at 7:05 p.m.

Tickets are available at muckdogs.com or stop by the Dwyer Stadium Ticket office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. The number is 585-483-3647.

For over 3.5 hours, West Virginia's Ryan Haug, left, and Batavia's Harrison Dinicola were in the same position from the national anthem. Dinicola won the stand off and the video went viral Wednesday night after the Muckdogs won, 11-5 to stay in first place.

Press release:

Tonight’s game here -- Muckdogs vs. Mahoning Valley -- has been postponed due to rain and wet field conditions. Tickets can be exchanged for any 2019 regular-season game.