Sports

For the first time in a decade and the second time in program history, Batavia's softball players lifted a Section V trophy over their heads after beating Waterloo for the Class B1 crown, 7-2.

Giana Mruczek tossed a complete game three-hitter, fanning seven and going 1-3 at the plate and driving in a run.  She was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Libby Grazioplene went 4-4. Julia Clark had two stolen bases and scored two runs.  

This was the third year straight that Batavia and Waterloo have clashed in sectional finals and the first time in those three contests that Batavia came out on top.

"To beat Waterloo is a big accomplishment," said Coach James Fazio. "I had a feeling that if we made it this far, it was going to be Waterloo again. And it was, thankfully, we're able to get the job done today."

A key difference this year, Fazio said, is Batavia took an early lead.

"They're such a strong hitting team from top to bottom that no lead to safe against them," Fazio said. "For once, we were able to get the lead on them, and that's been our struggle the last couple of years -- we always play from behind. But this time, we put them on their heels, and we were just able to hold on.  They're a tough team, and we were fortunate enough to beat him."

Mruczek said the win felt really special because she and her teammates have worked hard and grown close.

"I think it's very heartfelt," Mruczek said. "This team has worked so hard for these past two years, and this team (Waterloo), they've always come for us. This was the third year playing them, and I think that we really wanted it so bad. This one is just what everyone deserved. I think it's great."

Clark said there was something special about beating Waterloo, given the history between the two teams.

"This means everything," Clark said. "We've fallen so many times to this team, and we don't see him in the regular season. So it's really this game or nothing. So we always have to put our all in."

The win was also special, Clark said, because of the decade between championship trophies for the softball team.

"We haven't won it all in a very long time," Clark said. "We're always division champs and stuff like that. But to finally win a sectional title for our school means a lot."

Other performance highlights:

• Sophia Minuto, 1-3, two RBIs
• Drew Stevens, 1-3, one RBI
• Arianna Almekinder, 1-3, one RBI
• Lyndsey Grazioplene, 1-3

Next up for Batavia: The Class B consolidation game against either Wellsville or Haverling on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Honeoye Falls-Lima HS.

Photos by Howard Owens. To view more photos, click here. 

The Oakfield Hotel and Bowling Lanes has new owners.

Batavians Tom Fluker, a Pepsi account executive, and Patrick Wester, owner of A to Z General Contracting, have teamed up

 to purchase the bar/restaurant and 12-lane bowling center.

The facility had been owned since 2019 by Cory Paris, also a Batavia resident.

Prior to that, the Scopano family owned the business – known as the Oakfield Hotel and Scopano’s Paradise Lanes -- for more than 50 years.

Speaking by telephone to The Batavian this morning, Fluker indicated the duo has an ambitious plan to increase the entertainment options at the South Pearl Street location.

“We’ve got a lot of ideas. There’s really five aspects to the place,” Fluker said, rattling off the following areas that need to be addressed – rooms for rent, outdoor pavilion, bowling lanes, interior renovation and the bar/restaurant.

He said there are eight one-bedroom apartments, plus a loft and a two-bedroom unit upstairs.

“Over the course of time, we want to keep the loft and the two bedroom and then we want to take the eight apartments and make two or three one-bedroom apartments and have some for office space,” he said. “We’d like to rent out some office space for meetings, or maybe a lawyer or somebody wants to come in.”

Fluker said he and Wester eventually want to utilize the huge outdoor pavilion for summer activities such as horseshoes, volleyball and cornhole.

“The biggest issue is there is such a big walk from outside to go inside to get beer and food or whatever. So, we're going to put some coolers and some grills outside for the players to have quick access to their drinks and for something to eat,” he said.

Bowling has always been a large part of the operation, but there haven’t been any certified leagues there recently. Fluker said that he and Wester aim to rectify that situation.

“We’re going to go through the lanes – pinsetters, scoring and the oil machine – to make sure that things are running the way they need to be to have league bowling,” he noted. “We’re looking at this in three phases, over the next three to four years, with the goal of making it a high-end bowling center.”

He said they are looking at upgrading the scoring, adding flat screens, purchasing glow house balls and installing black lights and specialty lighting for cosmic bowling on the weekends or for birthday parties. Fluker, who served as president of the Genesee Region USBC for several years, said he also wants to restore the youth bowling program in Oakfield.

Once up and running, the lanes will be called Strike Force Lanes, he said.

As far as the bar and restaurant are concerned, Fluker said they are looking at a train theme, tipping their cap to the history of the railroad that ran near to the building.

“If I’m looking at the picture correctly, the railroad ran about 40 to 50 feet away from the building, and I think across the road, kind of diagonally, was the West Shore (Railroad) depot,” he offered. “I’ve been getting some West Shore memorabilia and will also incorporate some old pictures from the Oakfield Hotel from back in the day. And, for sure, we’ll be adding some lighting and getting rid of the taxidermy that has been there forever.:”

Fluker said the kitchen will be remodeled to increase efficiency and TVs will be added in the restaurant area, which eventually will take on a sports theme. The partners also are looking to add about 20 arcade games, separate from the bar area, and will keep the big room off of the bar for extra seating and for larger gatherings.

“We’re going to get in there in July and take a look at the situation,” he said. “Get into the walls and ceiling to see what’s going on. Obviously, we’re going to take a look at the roof over the bowling lanes. If you don’t have a (solid) roof, you don’t have bowling. Plus, we're going to make it handicapped accessible."

The business is currently closed.

A May 19 entry on the Paris Oakfield Hotel Facebook page read as follows:

As many of you have heard we have sold the hotel. We as a family have decided this was in our best interest. We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts who have supported us these last five years. We will miss all of our regulars and all the relationships that were built. We appreciated the opportunity of being a part of this community. We wish the new owners nothing but the best!

Our last day open will be tomorrow 5/20, come on down for one last drink at the Paris Oakfield Hotel! 

The Oakfield-Alabama Boys Tennis team was invincible until it wasn't.

The Hornets finish the season at 15-1 after droppingthe Class B3 Section V final to Cal-Mum 3-2.

Thursday's Games: 

• Preston Tobolski over Lorenzo Martelle 6-2, 6-1
• Mason Cadieux lost to Nate Doll 3-6, 4-6
• Randy McIntire lost to Oliver Johnson 5-7 (7-3) 6-0, 6-0
• Carson Warner/Trevor Enes lost to Garrett Thompson/Jeremiah Anderson 6-2, 6-3
• Tyler Jirovec/Colton Yasses over Michael Gere/Max Poray 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

This was a great final," said Coach David Carpino. "I'm extremely proud of our team. They are a great bunch of kids, and they had a great season.  I will miss them!"

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Press release:

Dennis Maid of Byron, a longtime league bowler and officer, was elected as a director of the Genesee Region USBC at the association's annual banquet at Batavia Downs Gaming.

Maid, 63, has served as president of the Tuesday Coed League at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia for the past four years and previously was the president of the Wednesday Firefighters League at Mancuso’s for 10 years.

A bowler for 50 years, he also competes in a league at Midway Lanes in Vestal, not far from his full-time work as the pulmonary manager for UHS Binghamton General Hospital and UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City. Maid, a consistent 175 average bowler, commutes from the Binghamton area on a regular basis, making sure to be back in Batavia to bowl on Tuesdays.

Maid fills a vacant director with a term expiring in 2025.

Association Vice President Jerry Davis of Pavilion was re-elected for another three-year term, as were directors Gary Gilman of Albion and Alishia Foss of Brockport. Currently, the association has one more vacant director post.

More than 50 people attended the banquet, which was highlighted by comments from guest speaker Patric Donaghue of Rochester, a former Batavian who will be inducted into the New York State Bowling Hall of Fame next month.

Donaghue has excelled in both the Senior Professional Bowlers Association -- cashing in multiple tournament -- and at the USBC Championships, where he has a 202 average in 25 years of competition on the challenging oil patterns.

A product of youth leagues at the former Moose Lanes and at Mancuso’s in Batavia, Donaghue competed in the Classic League for a couple years – recording a then Batavia Bowling Association-record 778 series -- before moving to Rochester after college in 1981. 

“I have to credit Batavians Dave and Tony Martino for helping me get rid of the hop at the end of my approach – they worked with me for several hours – and also (former Batavian) Ray DiSanto for giving me lessons,” he said.

Donaghue rolled the first of his 14 300 games in 1986, but he said he took some time off.

“When I came back in 1995, the game changed dramatically,” he said.

Still, he became a student of the game and teacher, guiding his son and daughter, who are accomplished bowlers. Donaghue went on to obtain his PBA card and made his mark on the regional circuit by cashing in five of six PBA50 events in 2010 and four of five in 2011.

Inducted into the Rochester NY USBC Hall of Fame in 2008, Donaghue has three Rochester Senior Masters titles and is a former champion of the Brockmyre scratch singles tournament in Newark. He also placed first in a NYS USBC Senior tournament in 2018.

He will be inducted into the NYS Hall of Fame on June 3 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.

In other action at the banquet, seasonal leaders were honored, as follows:

• High Series, Men, Robbie Hanks (Oak Orchard Bowl), 848; Women, Traci Spanitz (Le Roy Legion Lanes, 733.
• High Average, Men, Curtis Foss (Oak Orchard Bowl), 239; Traci Spanitz (Le Roy Legion Lanes), 213.
• High Game, Men, 300 by 38 bowlers; Women, Alishia Foss (Mancuso Bowling Center), 300.
• High Youth Series, Boys, Ben Sputore, (Mancuso Bowling Center), 645; Girls, Allie Faryna (Perry Bowling Center), 523.
• High Youth Game, Boys, Dominic LaPiana (Mount Morris Lanes), 279; Girls, Gianna LaPiana (Mount Morris Lanes), 218.
• High Average, Boys, Ben Sputore (Mancuso Bowling Center), 183; Girls, Allie Faryna (Perry Bowling Center), 150.

Association Tournament champions also were recognized with plaques.

• Open Team -- Nothnagle Drilling (Le Roy Legion Lanes), Kristin Clements, Jeff Nothnagle, Andrew Martin and Polly Nothnagle; Women's Team -- Perry Girls, Montana Bzduch, Joann Van Duser, Katy Bzduch and Rachel Huntz.
• Open Doubles -- Steve and Cory Werner (Perry Bowling Center); Women's Doubles -- Roe Smith and Missy Potter (Mount Morris Lanes).
• Open Singles -- Matthew Hurlburt (Perry Bowling Center); Women's Singles -- Barbara Casavant (Oak Orchard Bowl, Albion).
• Open All-Events -- Jeff Nothnagle (Le Roy Legion Lanes); Women's All-Events -- Traci Spanitz (Le Roy Legion Lanes).

Winners of the grand prize drawing were Kevin Wallace of Stafford, Jason Jennings of Le Roy and Jared Zinkievich of Medina, $500 each, and Dennis Van Duser of Perry, Paul Spiotta of Batavia, William Yates of Churchville and Zachary Farruggia of Mount Morris, $25 each.

Association President Gary Kuchler has announced that the league secretary meetings for the 2023-24 season will take place on Aug. 15 at T.F. Brown's in Batavia and Aug. 17 at Mount Morris Lanes, both at 6:30 p.m.

It's about sportsmanship. It's about understanding. It's about working together for a common goal. It's about giving opportunity to those who might not otherwise get an opportunity.

That's why Pembroke has, for the second season in a row, brought together a Unified Basketball team and held an Assembly Game at the end of the team's regular six-game schedule so the whole school can join in and cheer for fellow students who don't often get opportunities to hear the applause and pep songs rooting them on.

The Unified Basketball team is comprised of students with intellectual disabilities and students who do not have those disabilities so they can all enjoy competing together.

"I think it teaches them understanding," said Pembroke HS Principal Nathan Work, who is also one of the team's coaches. "I think it teaches them commitment. I think it teaches them to help one another."

The players on the unified team gain popularity during the season because of the recognition they get.  Their baskets after games are announced over the PA system at the school. They get to wear jerseys.  They know what it means to represent their classmates.

"It's palpable on campus," Work said. "You can feel it. Some of the students are mostly in self-contained classrooms, but they walk around the halls, and they're legends right there with the announcements of their scores.  You see the other players in the stands today. They're cheering for kids that otherwise wouldn't have a chance to wear the Pembroke uniform or the Pembroke colors."

On Thursday, the Unified Dragons played in front of the entire school against the City Honors Centaurs from Buffalo. The game had all the hoopla of a homecoming game with the pep band, cheerleaders, and the school's mascot.

Pembroke Superintendent Matthew Calderon said the Assembly Game is an amazing event.

"It's one of those events that you root for both sides, no matter what happens," Calderon said. "You know, kids with special needs are important. We're happy that we've got some people willing to invest the time and make this happen for them."

Right now, Pembroke competes against teams from Section VI because there aren't enough schools in Section V participating in this program of the Special Olympics.  He's hoping that will change.  Work and the other coaches recently made a presentation about the program to Genesee Valley BOCES, and Calderon said he thinks other schools in Genesee County are considering forming united basketball teams.

"Because of Pembroke's leadership, other teams are getting interested," Calderon said. "Hopefully, if every school in  Genesee County gets involved, we could be closer together and play each other and have like a Genesee Region League.  I think that could happen in a couple of years."

Photos by Howard Owens.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall in the Class B3 tennis semifinal on Wednesday, 4-1.

The Hornets are the #1 seed in the bracket and play Cal-Mum for the championship today at Batavia High School at 4 p.m.

Individual results:

• Preston Tobolski won 6-3, 6-4
• Mason Cadieux won 6-1, 6-3
• Randy McIntire won 6-4, 7-5
• Trevor Enes and Carson Warner lost 5-7, 2-6
• Colton Yasses and Tyler Jirovec won 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

The Fighting Irish will play for a Class C Section V championship after beating Campbell-Savonia at Dwyer Stadium on Wednesday, 6-3.

Notre Dame scored in the opening frame when Bryceton Berry singled on a 2-2 count, driving in a run.

Berry earned the win, going three 2/3 innings, surrendering only one hit, no runs and striking out nine.

Nolan Jamison took the loss for Campbell-Savona, allowing five runs on three hits and striking out two.

Jaden Sherwood was Notre Dame's starting pitcher, allowing three hits and three runs over 3 1/3, striking out nine.

Jay Antinore went 3-3.

Also, on Wednesday, 

• Elba lost to #1 seed Northstar Christian 5-2.
• Le Roy lost to Penn Yan 6-5.

Submitted info. Photos by Pete Welker.

Notre Dame scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a dramatic come-from-behind win in their sectional playoff game against Alfre-Almond on Tuesday at GCC.

Loretta Sorochty tossed a three-hitter, allowing two runs (no earned runs) and striking out 14.

She whiffed the side in the seventh to preserve the lead and secure the win for the Irish.

Katie Landers led the way for Notre Dame on offense with two base hits up the middle. She scored the go-ahead run and drove in the game-tying run in the 6th inning.  

Mia Treleaven accounted for the other ND base hit.  

Sorochty scored the first run in the 6th inning after drawing a walk. When Alfred's defense misplayed a bunt attempt by Cayleigh Havens, Sorochty was able to streak from first base to home. Katie Landers drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, plating Havens, and then she advanced to second on an error by left fielder.  Following an Anna Panepento walk, the bases were loaded. Landers scored on a wild pitch.

"I can't say enough about the fight in these ladies to come back like they did in the sixth inning and pull out the win tonight," said Head Coach Otis Thomas. " Hopefully, we can build on this game and play tough Thursday night."

The Irish, the #4 seed in Class D, play the #1 see Keshequa on Thursday.

Also scheduled for Thursday:

• In Class C: #4 Oakfield-Alabama vs. #8 Addison
• In Class C: #4 Byron-Bergen vs. #1 Bolivar-Richburg
• In Class B: #2 Batavia vs. #3 Midlakes at Batavia HS, game time is 5 p.m.

Submitted photo and information.

Press Release:

Aaron Treleaven has signed to compete in track and football at Hartwick College in Oneonta next year, while majoring in physics. 

He is believed to be the first Notre Dame male athlete to sign for two college level sports. 

Aaron has been an outstanding member of our Irish track teams from 2019 thru 2022 winning the B4 sectional championship in the discus in 2021 while earning Genesee Region All-Star recognitions. 

He was also a standout swimmer for 6 years at ND where he earned multiple GR All-Star recognitions, won sectional titles and qualified for state competition. 

Aaron is an exceptional student who was recently named Co-Salutatorian for the Class of 2023 by posting a GPA that placed him tied for 2nd in his class. 

Submitted photo courtesy of Mike Rapone

Oakfield-Alabama's season game to a bit of an unexpected end on Monday with a 4-2 loss to Geneseo.

The Hornets entered the quarterfinal game of the Class C Section V tournament as the #2 seed, and the Blue Devils are the #7 seed.

No stats are available.

Also on Monday:

• Notre Dame beat Byron-Bergen 12-8.
• Elba beat Hinsdale 14-1.
• Le Roy beat Wayland-Cohocton 6-4

Holley was no match for Oakfield-Alabama in the first round of Class C Section V baseball tournament on Friday, with Holley pitchers giving up 25 hits and 30 rounds to the #2 seed.

The Hornets hit two home runs, by Shaun Alexander and Bodie Hyde, and Hyde collected six RBIs and scored twice while going 2-2.  Alexander was 2-3 after taking over for Hyde in centerfield. 

Brenden Wescott was 4-5 with four RBIs. David Schnaufer was 3-5 with three runs scored. Cole Kornow scored four times and collected four RBIs while going 2-4.

Five O-A pitchers fanned 13 hitters over seven innings while giving up seven hits, and one earned run.

Also on Sunday in Class C, Pembroke lost to Bloomfield, 5-1.  In Class C, Byron-Bergen beat Cuba-Rushford, 8-5.

In today's games, 

• Class D: #5 seed Elba plays #4 Hinsdale at 5 p.m. Hinsdale.
• In Class C: #1 Notre Dame hosts #9 Byron-Bergen at Dwyer Stadium at 5 p.m
• In Class B: #5 Batavia plays at Hornell against #4 Hornell at 6 p.m.
• In Class B: #8 seed Le Roy takes on #1 Wayland-Cohocton at 5 p.m.

Photos by Max Waterson, age 7.

In Girls Softball on Friday, the Alexander Trojans kept their season going with a 20-5 win over East Rochester.

Freshman Ava Yax, along with Sophomores Faith Goodenbury and Brianna Neyman, led Alexander at the plate as the three hits each for a combined 9-11 on the day. 

Ava Yax was 3-4, with four RBIs, two runs scored, and two stolen bases, while Faith Goodenbury was 3-3 with a two-RBI double, one run scored and one stolen base and Brianna Neyman was 3-4 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored. Madison Boyce, Melissa Sawyer, and Carley Shepard all contributed with Multi-hits games.  Emily Pietrzykowski extended her hitting streak to 13 games with a triple to right center. The 17 team hits pushed Alexander over 200 team hits on the year. 

Madison Boyce picked up her sixth win (6-2) on the bump with another dominant performance where the hurler tossed six innings, allowing five hits, one earned run,  and one walk. She whiffed 11 batters.  It was her fourth double-digit strikeout outing of the year and brought her strikeout total to 86 through nine starts.

Next up for Alexander (#5 seed) is the Section V Quarterfinal matchup with Oakfield (#4 seed) on Monday at 5 p.m. in Oakfield.

“The girls did a great job in the box again today," said Head Coach John Goodenbury. "Any game that your team can come out and get 17 hits while your pitcher tallies double-digit strikeouts is going to be a good day.  Today was nice for the girls, but we all know what lies ahead of us Monday with Oakfield.  We will try to focus on the game at hand, but we all had Oakfield on our minds today. That’s going to be a fun game, and they did beat us twice this season by one run each time, so we just want to go in there, play solid defense and let the chips fall where they fall. We’ve had a fantastic season so far, and we just don’t want it to end.”

Submitted information. Photos by Cathy Sawyer.

The Genesee County Spartans football club travels north this Saturday for a non-league game against the host Watertown Red and Black.

“Watertown is a powerhouse in the Gridiron Developmental Football League and an awesome organization, but if we play Spartans football – hard-nosed and disciplined – I feel we can play with any team in the country,” said Head Coach Harry Rascoe.

That’s a strong statement considering that Rascoe and his coaching staff have had only a couple months to recruit players and conduct practices in preparation for their inaugural season in the Northeastern Football Alliance.

Rascoe said that the team’s quarterbacks – Joe Canzoneri and Alex Rood – will each play two quarters against Watertown as the competition for the starting job continues.

“This weekend will allow us to get a look at both QBs and see some players at different positions in a real game. We are excited to play finally after weeks of practice,” he said.

Canzoneri is a 2010 graduate of Batavia High School and a three-year starter at QB for the Blue Devils. He attended GCC for two years. Today, he owns his own barber shop on Ellicott Street.

“I joined the team because I wanted to see if I still have it or not,” he said, noting that he held a couple passing records at BHS. 

Rood graduated from BHS in 2020, went on to play quarterback at Geneva College and now competes in track and field at Brockport State College.

“This is a great opportunity to continue playing at the semi-pro level,” he said.

When the squad’s regular home season gets underway on June 17 (opponent to be determined), the game will take place at the new synthetic turf football field behind the Richard C. Call Arena at Genesee Community College.

GCC Assistant Athletic Director Drew Crofts said the college is eager to show off the facility.

“It was completed last summer and it’s something we’re very proud of,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know that it’s here; it’s kind of a hidden gem.”

Crofts said the plan is to host different teams on the field, which also serves as the venue for the college’s lacrosse and soccer teams.

“We’re excited about having the Spartans play here. The team is great for the community, so we’re hoping they draw big crowds.”

Rascoe, a GCC graduate, said his staff and players “are pumped to be the first football team to play at the new stadium.”

“We can’t thank the community and all of our sponsors enough for the support,” he added.

Saturday’s game – 7 p.m. kickoff -- will be livestreamed, Rascoe said. The link to watch the game: https://www.youtube.com/@steveweedprod/streams

The remainder of the Spartans’ schedule is as follows:

June 3 – at Auburn
June 10 – at Lockport
June 17 – home vs. TBD, 7 p.m.
June 24 – home vs. Broome County, 7 p.m.
July 15 – at Broome County
July 22 – home vs. Lockport, 7 p.m.
Aug. 5 – TBD
Aug. 12 – home vs. Auburn, 7 p.m.

GENESEE COUNTY SPARTANS ROSTER
0 Jedidiah Reese RB/WR
1 Marc Montana K
2 Alex Rood QB/RB
3 Jzon Richardson Sr. RB/WR
4 Tyler Budzinack WR/DB
5 Josh Bradley WR
6 Patrick Krantz DB
7 Gunner Rapone DE/OL
8 Joe Canzoneri QB
9 Dame Butler Sr. DB
10 Eric Snell TE
11 Corey Nicholas WR/DB
12 Evan Cummings WR/DB
13 Alan Riggi WR/DB
14 Kier Moore WR.DB
16 Marley English DE/LB
17 Daryl Leach DB/LB
20 Brandon Bethel FB/LB
21 Delonta Curry LB/DB
22 Cody Wenner DB
23 Rob William Jr. RB
24 Kris Geising DB
25 Tre Woods DB
26 Dillon Szpaicher LB/DL
27 Baylee VerCruysse OL/DL
28 Keith Neureuter DB
29 Dylan Bordonaro WR
32 Brooks Boyle LB/DB
33 Robert Thurston Jr. TE
39 Howie Wilson TE/DE
40 Matt Dillon LB
42 Kyle Dougherty LB/DL
44 Ethan Jennings LB/DE
45 Amir Cleveland DB
46 AJ Spearance LB
52 Jordan Chambers RT
53 Alton Rupp C
56 Steve Kowalczyk DT
58 Jon Grann LB
65 Chezeray Rolle DT
67 Travis Mosher DT
68 Adam Hausfelder OL/DL
70 Tim King OL/DL
71 Anthony Natrigo FB/LB
75 Austyn Fernandez OL/DL
78 Randy Reiner DL
88 TJ Henderson DE/TE
92 Matt Mead OL/DL
98 Steve Stink OL/DL
99 Rylee Elliott OL/DL

COACHING STAFF
Harr Rascoe, Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Craig Tiberio, Defensive Coordinator
Burton Howell, Special Teams/Offensive Assistant
Cody Vohs, Line Coach

For more information about the team, including how to become a sponsor, go to the team’s Genesee County Spartans Facebook page or contact Rascoe at rascoeh@yahoo.com.

Press Release:

The West Division Champion, Batavia Muckdogs, have announced 10 more members to their 2023 roster. Two familiar faces will be returning with pitcher Aidan Cooney from the University of Rochester, as well as pitcher Dylan Kinney from Xavier University of Louisiana. 

The eight newcomers on the list are highlighted by three St. John’s commits that include catcher Adam Agresti, two-way player Chad Falcon, and catcher Cristian Bernardini. Other newcomers to the Muckdogs include 6’3, 308 pound pitcher, Rijnaldo Euson from Georgia Southwestern University, 6’9 pitcher Casey Sabiers from Long Island University, infielder Noah Sorenson from the University of Connecticut, pitcher Tyler Gibson from Houghton University coming out of Albion, New York, pitcher Tyrone Woods out of Genesee Community College via Alexander, New York.

Standing at 6’2 and weighing 185 pounds, Aidan Cooney is a sophomore relief pitcher from the University of Rochester. Cooney is a force to be reckoned with out of the bullpen, tossing 12 innings with 1 save, while holding opponents to a .211 batting average. Cooney’s best appearance of the year came when he let up 1 hit with 3 strikeouts in 3 innings of work against Catholic.

Standing at 6’3 and weighing 182 pounds, Dylan Kinney is a sophomore left handed pitcher from Xavier University of Louisiana. Kinney has thrown 7.1 innings of 2.45 ERA ball, allowing opponents to only bat .222 against him on his way to a 1-0 record.

Standing at 6’3 and weighing 225 pounds, Adam Agresti is a catcher committed to St. John’s University. Agresti is a defensive star behind the plate, averaging a 1.89 pop time to accompany his cannon of an arm. On the offensive side, Agresti barrels up the ball 71% of the time with an average exit velocity of 92.6 MPH.

Standing at 6’0 and weighing 180 pounds, Chad Falcon is a two-way player committed to St. John’s University. Falcon is impressive in both regards, posting a .406 batting average and .673 slugging percentage to go with his impressive pitching resume, where the lefty threw 39.2 innings of 3.18 ERA ball, striking out 28 along the way. 

Standing at 6’1 and weighing 180 pounds, Cristian Bernardini is catcher/outfield hybrid committed to St. John’s University. Bernardini provides some pop with his bat, as he slugged 11 extra base hits on his way to a .726 slugging percentage. 

Standing at 6’3 and weighing 308 pounds, Rijnaldo Euson is a sophomore pitcher from Georgia Southwestern University. The southpaw had himself a dominant campaign, going 9-1 in 14 games started and 90 innings of work. Posting a 3.00 ERA, Euson averaged 11.70 strikeouts per game.

Standing at 6’9 and weighing 220 pounds, Casey Sabiers is a sophomore pitcher from Long Island University. Sabiers, a towering presence from the mound, is a Division 1 talent that threw 38 innings of 2.50 ERA ball, striking out 51 batters in the process. 

Standing at 6’3 and weighing 163 pounds, Noah Sorenson is a sophomore infielder from the University of Connecticut. Sorenson brings versatility to the team as he is a slick fielder while also being a threat on the basepaths, swiping 11 bags, the most on his team. 

Standing at 5 '11 and weighing 165 pounds, Tyler Gibson is a sophomore pitcher from Houghton University and out of Albion, New York. Gibson, limited in his work, has thrown an impressive 5.1 innings of 6 strikeout balls, securing a 1-0 record.

Standing at 6’0 and weighing 175 pounds, Tyrone Woods is a junior pitcher from Genesee Community College, out of Alexander, New York. Averaging 10.80 strikeouts a game.

These new and returning players will team up this summer in search to repeat as West Division Champions and you can see them in action for the first time in their home opener at

Dwyer Stadium against the Elmira Pioneers on Saturday, June 3rd. Following the opener will be a fireworks display for all to enjoy. For both individual and season tickets, as well as keeping up with future games and promotional nights, please check out our website https://www.canusamuckdogs.com/ or call 585-524-2260!

Submitted photos

The Alexander Girls Softball team capped a winning season on Tuesday, beating rivals Attica in Attica. 

Alexander was down 5-0 until an eight-run fourth gave them the lead 8-5.  

Attica tied the game in the fifth at eight.  Both teams added a run in the sixth to tie it again at nine.  With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Madison Boyce delivered the knockout blow for Alexander when she tripled to right field and later scored the go-ahead and winning run.  

Emily Pietrzykowski nailed the win by retiring the side in order in the eighth to notch her sixth win of the season. She allowed eight hits, three earned runs, delivered four walks and whiffed seven Attica hitters. 

Alexander finished the regular season with a 12-6 record and potentially locking up the fifth seed for sectionals just behind potential fourth seed Oakfield in Class C1.

Pietrzykowski lead Alexander's batting, going 4-5 with two triples, two RBIs, two stolen bases and one run scored.  Melissa Sawyer was 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored.  Maddison Boyce was 2-5 with a triple and two runs scored.

“We started out this game flat and made three errors that lead to three runs for them right away," said Coach John Goodenbury. "They tacked on two runs with Robinsons' long ball, and we found ourselves in a 5-0 hole going into the fourth.  I told the girls they could make a choice right then, in the moments before we went up to hit.  They could choose to just lay down and lose or get in the box and fight like heck for it.  What I told them landed, and they made their choice to fight for it as they exploded for eight runs.  It was a loud and intense finish, at the end of the game, every girl in our starting lineup came away with at least one hit, proving that we can overcome adversity if we have faith, dig deep and play for each other.  I’ve said it before, we have a young team with talent and heart, and when it mattered most, they chose to fight and showed again what the future for Alexander softball holds."

Photos by Cathy Sawyer.

Press Release:

The West Division Champion Batavia Muckdogs are happy to welcome the newest members of the team for the upcoming 2023 season! Among the many newcomers joining the reigning champs are Outfielder Anthony Calabro, and First Baseman/Outfielder Henry Daniels, both coming from the University of West Georgia. 

Calabro, a 6’0 185 pound junior, comes from St. John’s, Florida. A Division II player of the year candidate, Calabro had an excellent season batting .418 and mashing 14 home runs on his way to a 1.225 OPS while also swiping 17 stolen bases along the way.

Daniels, a 6’5 220-pound junior, is from Norman Park, Georgia. Daniels, the first base/outfield hybrid, mashed 15 home runs with a .634 slugging percentage.

Along with these new assets, many familiar faces are returning for another year of Muckdogs’ baseball. Among these include Alex Hale, Trey Bacon, Julian Pichardo, Josh Leadem, Caleb Rodriguez, Brice Mortillaro, Ryan Kinney, and Tyler Henshaw.

Standing at 5’11 and weighing 180 pounds, Alex Hale is a junior pitcher from Niagara County Community College. Hale, who throws an 86-mile-per-hour fastball, has been limited this season, striking out three in three innings with no runs allowed.

Standing at 5’11 and weighing 160 pounds, Trey Bacon is a junior utility player and pitcher from Saint Pete College. Bacon recently averaged eight strikeouts per nine innings at Santa Fe Community College. Last summer for Batavia, Trey performed at a high level with a 1.59 ERA. 

Standing at 6’5 and weighing 225 pounds, Julian Pichardo is a senior pitcher from the University of Fort Lauderdale. Pichardo will be returning for his third stint with the Muckdogs. His first year with Batavia saw him clock in with a 2.45 ERA in 55 innings pitched, along with 42 strikeouts. Last year Pichardo pitched a 3.20 ERA while striking out 17 batters in 19 innings.
Julian also won a championship playoff game last year for the Muckdogs.

Standing at 6’2 and weighing 190 pounds, Josh Leadem is a senior outfielder from the University of Rochester. Leadem is making his return to the team after playing this year for the University of Rochester, where across three seasons there, he’s accumulated a career .334 average and 61 stolen bases. Leadem hit a walk-off grand slam in this year's liberty league tournament against RIT.

Standing at 5’10 and weighing 170 pounds, Caleb Rodriguez is a senior middle infielder from Kean University. Rodriguez will be making his return to Batavia after bumping up his batting average from .252 his sophomore season to .331 his junior season at Kean University. This year he also finished with a .434 on-base percentage and 23 RBIs.

Standing at 6’0 and weighing 187 pounds, Brice Mortillaro is a sophomore catcher from Georgia Southwestern University. After a year off from the Muckdogs, Mortillaro will be returning to the team. Brice, in his 2022 campaign at Georgia Southwestern University, posted a .432 on-base percentage and .745 OPS, and in his entire collegiate career, has never made an error.

Standing at 6’5 and weighing 190 pounds, Ryan Kinney is a senior pitcher from Xavier University of Louisiana. Kinney will make his way back to Batavia this year. This past season saw Ryan continue to perform well, pitching in 19 innings along with 24 strikeouts.

Standing at 5’9 and weighing 165, Tyler Henshaw is a sophomore pitcher from Potomac State. Henshaw has been dominant this season with Potomac State, averaging 10.15 strikeouts per game while holding opponents to only a .242 batting average while he’s on the bump.

The entire Batavia team will begin their quest to repeat as West Division champions with their home opener at Dwyer Stadium against the Elmira Pioneers on Saturday, June 3rd. Following the opener will be a fireworks display for all to enjoy. For both individual and season tickets, as well
as keeping up with future games and promotional nights, please check out our website https://www.canusamuckdogs.com/ or call 585-524-2260!

Submitted photos

Brayden Smith pitched a complete-game, five-inning shutout on Monday to help lead Oakfield -Alabama over Pembroke 10-0.

Pembroke managed only three hits.

Smith struck out 10 hitters and walked two.

Bodie Hyde was 2-2 with five RBIs.  Cole Kornow had two hits, scored twice, and drove in a pair of runs. Seth Gibson walked three times and scored three runs.

Photo by Kristin Smith.

The Hornets improved to 12-2 on the season with a 16-6 win over Alexander on Thursday.

Kyle Porter got the win, splitting the workload with Colton Yasses.  Porter went three innings and give up four runs on one hit and struck out eight. Yasses gave up two hits and two runs (one earned).

Brayden Smith went 3-4, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Aiden Warner, Brodie Hyde, and David Schnuafer also had two hits each. Warner also had three RBIs.

Mason Bump was 1-1 with a walk for Alexander, scoring twice and knocking in a run.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Another big score and a big win for Alexander in Girls Softball on Thursday, with the Trojans cruising to its fifth consecutive win 19-7.

Melissa Sawyer hits for the cycle going 5-5 at the plate. Sawyer had a home run, a  triple, a double, two singles, five RBIs and four runs scored. 

Senior MaKenna Boyce went 4-4 with three RBIs and three stolen bases. Sister Madison Boyce crushed a three-run homer to center, while Faith Goodenbury and Brianna Neyman both had Multiple hits on the day.

Briann Neyman pitched part of the first, allowing one hit, three walks and five runs with a strikeout. Emily Pietrzykowski tossed five innings, allowing five hits, no runs, no walks and eight punchouts. Melissa Sawyer pitched the last frame, giving up one hit, two runs and getting two strikeouts.
Alexander improved to 11-5 and heads to Barker on Monday.

Submitted photos information.