Sports

Press release:

Stafford Country Club played host on Monday to the Genesee Region League Individual Sectional Qualifier.  

The sun shined just about as bright as the golfers on a near-perfect weather day.  

Elba/OA senior Brayden Smith was able to capture medalist honors with a 7-over round of 79 (39-40).  

After a close front-9 saw Byron Bergen's Ryan Muscarella just 2 strokes behind Smith, the defending Class C Individual Sectional Champion was able to pull away to finish 6 strokes ahead of the second-place Muscarella, who finished with an 85 (41-44).  

Elba/OA senior Jake Walczak fired a consistent 43-44 to finish third place with a round of 87, while freshman teammate Eli Loysen was the only other golfer to break 90, firing a fourth-place round of 89 (45-44).  

Rounding out the top 6 golfers, who will all qualify in their respective classifications for the Individual Section V Championship, were Attica's Ethan Harmon (51-42) and Byron-Bergen's Brendan Pimm (45-48), who tied for the final two spots with a round of 93.  

The Genesee Region will be well represented in this Saturday's Individual Boys Section V Championship at Clifton Springs Country Club.  

Press release:

Batavia native Patric Donaghue, soon to be inducted into the New York State Bowling Hall of Fame, will be the guest speaker at the Genesee Region USBC Annual Banquet on May 20 at Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road.

The banquet is set for 6 p.m. Tournament winners and association league leaders will be honored.

Donaghue, a longtime Rochester area resident, began his youth bowling career at the former Moose Lanes in Batavia, before participating in the junior program at Mancuso Lanes (now Mancuso Bowling Center). He went on to become a standout bowler in various leagues in Batavia, including the classic league.

He has won numerous tournaments, most notably as a member of the Morehead State University team in the 1977 Mountaineer Classic in West Virginia (finishing first in team, singles and all-events) and at the 1999 Empire State Games (placing first in the trio, team and mixed doubles divisions).

A member of the Professional Bowlers Association, Donaghue has achieved two top-four finishes on the PBA Senior Tour. One of his 14 300 games came in a PBA event. He also has four 800 series.

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.

This season, he placed first in the Tommy Kress 60-and-Over Tour event at Mancuso Bowling Center and just competed in his 25^th USBC National Tournament (where he holds a 201 average on the challenging lane conditions).

Donaghue is scheduled to be inducted into the NYS Hall of Fame on June 3 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.

The reservation deadline for the banquet is May 12. For reservations, call 585-343-3736 or send an email to mikep@bowlgr.com. 

Pitching dominated in Saturday's nightcap of the annual Batavia Rotary Club Baseball Tournament at Dwyer Stadium, with Notre Dame beating Batavia 3-2 to claim the championship.

Bryceton Berry, the tournament MVP, picked up the win, going seven innings, striking out nine Blue Devils, and surrendering eight hits and two runs.

Batavia's Shawn Kimball took the loss despite giving up only three runs and three hits over six innings.  He struck out six hitters.

Kimball was also the only hitter in the game to pick up two hits.

Earlier in the day, Notre Dame beat Oakfield-Alabama 5-2, and Batavia beat Attica 12-1.

Photos by Kristin Smith except where noted.

Alexander Girls Softball cleaned up over the weekend, getting three wins over two days, including a muddy mess of a win over Kendall on Sunday evening.

Coach John Goodenbury called it a slip-and-slide contest.

The Trojans won 8-5.

Emily Pietrzykowski picked up the win for Alexander, pitching 7 innings allowing five hits, six free passes and notching eight whiffs.

Senior Olivia Delelys led Alexanders' offensive, going 3-3 with a double and 2 RBIs.  Melissa Sawyer went 2-2 with an RBI.  

“We were not sure we would get this game in today because of the forecast," Goodenbury said. "At game time, the weather didn’t seem like the rain was too heavy or that it would last long, but we were wrong.  Kendall’s head coach Jeff Parizek and I just wanted to play this game, so we rolled with mother nature’s punches and played on.  Looking back at the game, I think both teams had a blast, the girls got the chance to be like little kids again as they were sliding around the bases and getting covered in mud.  To see the girls with big smiles playing a game, I am sure they will always remember, is worth the extra laundry detergent to me.”

With the win, Alexander is now 9-5 on the season.

Two of those nine wins came on Saturday when Alexander beat Byron-Bergen and Barker.

In game one, the Trojans shut out the Bees 6-0.

Madison Boyce tossed a 4-hit shutout. Boyce pitched 7 innings, allowing four hits, eight walks and recording 

Emily Pietrzykowski was 2-4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, while Lilly Szymkowiak was 2-3 with a double and 1 run scored. 

In game two, Alexander beat Barker 11-6.

Alexander racked up 13 hits during the contest. 

Makenna Boyce, Olivia Delelys and Melissa Sawyer all collected multiple hits for Alexander. Senior Makenna Boyce led Alexander going 3-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs, and a stolen base.  Emily Pietrzykowski, Madison Boyce and Melissa Sawyer combined pitching efforts for the win, surrendering four hits while striking out 9.

“The past week was a tough week for the entire GR with bad weather that forced many cancellations and that resulted in us stacking a doubleheader today," Goodenbury said. "A scheduling conflict had us play both games today back-to-back with no break in between games, so our girls had to dig deep today.  They made it work and came out on top of both contests.  Maddison Boyce has been pitching outstanding for us, and today she completed her third shutout of the season and reached 60 strikeouts after 33.2 innings on the bump so far.  It was Senior Day for us, and both of our seniors, Makenna Boyce and Olivia Delelys, played great to make it a special day for Alexander.”

Story based on submitted information.  Submitted photos.

Press release:

For the second straight year, the sun shined bright as the ladies of varsity Genesee Region Golf took to Batavia Country Club on Saturday. The event gave the young ladies an opportunity to face off against ladies only, as for the rest of their season, they have to play alongside the boys and from the men’s tees. This year’s individual champion was Lily Tobin, a senior from Kendall. Last year's champion, Elba/OA freshman Jada Fite finished in the runner-up position. Rounding out the top four were Elba/OA sophomore Aerianna Cintorino and Elba/OA Senior Taimi Pike.

Submitted photos.

Press Release:

On Sunday, April 30 th the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association celebrated their end-of-the-year awards ceremony, held at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena. The teams of Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget MOHL and Midgets were celebrated. The Beginners had their year-end Beginner Jamboree on Saturday, March 18 th and the Mite Division held their year-end celebration on April 22 at St. James Episcopal Church. A great time was had by all of the players. 

The theme of this year’s event was “Out with the Old, in with the New.” About 225 members of the GAHA family joined to celebrate GAHA’s new logo, new facility name – The David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena, and new management – Operating Manager Matt Gray, General Manager Kati Murray and her Rink staff, and the efforts of the “Friends of the Rink”.

GAHA President Dale Hutchins welcomed all of the players and their families, and Erik Triftshauser served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. The group enjoyed a catered breakfast served by D and R Depot of Le Roy, who did a terrific presentation. Thank you, Sean and company.

The GAHA graduating seniors were recognized as they leave the Association and moved toward their selected futures. Those seniors were Gino Falleti, Bryce Feldmann, Ronin Hofmaster, Ryan Hamilton, Cooper Hamilton, Noah Hudson as well as Alex Johnson.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the yearly awards handed out by GAHA. The first award was the Matthew Mondi Memorial Award which was presented to Mite Player Abram Lopez; the Danny D Tribute Player Award went to Mite Player Wesley Lasher and Bantam player Justin Gabehart; the Pam Borden Memorial Award was presented to Bantam player – Alex Wyder; and the David McCarthy Leadership Award was presented to Carter Fix. These awards are in the form of scholarships toward next year’s fees. The Sharon Valyear Dedication Award was presented to Sharon’s granddaughter – Lilly Gray. is 

The last award of the evening was the Tom Scott Volunteer of the Year Award, which is presented to the GAHA volunteer who has dedicated countless hours to the betterment of the organization and exemplifies the ideals of GAHA as well as USA Hockey. This year’s award was presented to Coach Fred Hamilton, who is lovingly referred to as the Pied Piper of all hockey players. Fred has been instrumental in the success of the Beginner Program and many of the other divisions within GAHA and also a huge asset to the USA Hockey Try Hockey for Free event that GAHA hosts twice a year. He has the patience of a saint with all of the little ones with his even falling down on the ice when they take a spill. There aren’t very many players within the association that haven’t been touched in the heart by Coach Fred in the “Yellow Helmet.”

The afternoon ended with all those present showing their gratitude to all of the Team Coaches (who did a presentation for their respective teams), Assistant Coaches, Team Managers and also to all of the Association Goalies who play an essential role in each and every game.

 Photos submitted by Sharon Gray.

The Batavia Lady Devils Flag football team picked up a big win at home last evening at Van Detta Stadium with a 16-6 victory over Eastridge to remain undefeated at 3-0 in its inaugural season.

Eastridge scored early in the opening half to lead 6-0.  Batavia answered back late in the half when quarterback Julia Clark passed to Nicole Doeringer for a 14-yard touchdown.  Clark scored the extra point on a 3-yard run.

From that point on, the Blue Devils' defense was stout.

"That was the first time all year that a team came out in the opening drive and scored on us," said Defensive Coordinator Aaron Fix. "We haven't been in that position before. And I was really proud of how all the girls stayed composed. They got after it after that, and I thought our aggressiveness, upfront with our two girls that we brought a lot of pressure with, they did a phenomenal job. And our safeties did a great job staying back playing that pass. So it was really a great defensive team effort tonight."

At halftime, Batavia led 7-6. 

After a mistake by Eastridge, when an offense was flagged for holding in the end zone, Batavia added two points on the safety, making it 9-6.

"That was a huge play for us," Head Coach Ben Bucholtz said. "When you get those defensive points, it's a bonus. Our girls were relentless on the defensive side of the ball. That was just an effort play (The player who committed the penalty) had no choice but to hold her or to give up a sack. So either way, it was gonna be a safety. It gave us a lot of confidence coming back out, being able to turn the football around and burn some clock and then punch another one in to seal the win."

Senior Tiarah Banks picked off a pass with three minutes left in the game.  

On the next play, Julia Clark scored on a 39-yard touchdown run, and the extra point attempt was good.  

And the 16-6 score held the rest of the game.

Sophomore Kylee Brennan led the team with nine tackles, and Jamin Macdonald had five tackles.  Julia Clark had 131 yards on the night in passing and running.

The team is 3-0 but there's still the rest of the season to play, Bucholtz noted.

"We have a ton of things to clean up. I mean, these girls are learning every day," Bucholtz said. "We made a lot of mistakes today. To come out on top is a testament to how hard they're working. We're still learning. They're learning, learning, learning. This is the first year of it, so these girls are put on their thinking caps when they get to practice, and they really, really enjoy it."

Batavia Lady Devils' next game is on May 16, at home versus Rochester Academy Charter School, game time 7 p.m.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Tournament Director Tom Turnbull is sticking to "23rd Annual" for the 2023 Rotary Baseball Tournament, even though there have only been 18 champs actually crowned over the two-plus decades since the first game.

Rainouts and two seasons lost to COVID-19 have kept a few names off the championship trophy -- which is new this year (see photo above) after the former trophy filled up with the plaques of previous winners.

Notre Dame's coach, Rick Rapone, at Tuesday's Rotary Club meeting in Batavia, called it the premier tournament in the area that every local baseball player is excited to compete in.

The first pitch Saturday is at 11 a.m. with the battle of the Blue Devils, Batavia vs. Attica.  Game 2 is at 2 p.m. when two hot teams face each other for the second time this season -- Oakfield-Alabama vs. Notre Dame.  Notre Dame is a pitching powerhouse, and the Hornets pack a lot of offensive punch. The last time these two teams met, Notre Dame prevailed.

The championship game is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.  However, if Attica beats Batavia, the game will be played at 2 p.m. on Sunday because Attica has its senior prom on Saturday night.

Admission is $5 for an adult all-day pass and $3 for a student or senior all-day pass. All proceeds from the tournament will help benefit Batavia Rotary Club charities.

Press Release:

With a roster of 55 players and about a dozen sponsors in hand, the Genesee County Spartans organization is moving full speed ahead toward competing in the Northeastern Football Alliance this summer.

“We’re into the third week of training camp, preparing for an intrasquad scrimmage at 1 p.m. on May 7 at Kibbe Park (which is open to the public at no charge),” said Head Coach Harry Rascoe. “It’s a very competitive environment for starting positions on the team.”

The Spartans are practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at Farrall Park in preparation for a May 20 scrimmage at the Watertown Red and Black, which plays in the Gridiron Developmental Football League.

Rascoe’s squad is on the road for its first three NFA games – at Auburn on June 3 and at Lockport on June 10 – before hosting Ithaca on June 17.

The remainder of the schedule: June 24 vs. Broome County; July 15 at Broome County; July 22 vs. Lockport; Aug. 5 at Ithaca; Aug. 12 vs. Auburn.

Rascoe said the team is finalizing arrangements to play its home games at Genesee Community College.

Team sponsors include Iron Reps gym, R.A. Haitz, Dan’s Tire & Auto, The Brick Gym, Eli Fish, Batavia Downs Gaming, Liberty Pumps, Los Compadres Mexican Restaurant, Get Sealed and Village Restaurant.

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.

Submitted photos.  Top photo: Head Coach Harry Rascoe, football in hand, calls out a play for the offensive line as the Genesee Spartans prepare for their season this summer.  Bottom photo: Assistant coach Craig Tiberio conducts a drill for defensive backs at a recent Genesee Spartans football practice.

Press Release:

The 23rd Annual Batavia Rotary Club High School Tournament will take place Saturday, May 5th, at Dwyer Stadium.

Attica will play Batavia in the first game at 11 a.m., followed by Oakfield-Alabama vs. Notre Dame at 2 p.m. 

The winners of those two contests will play in the championship game under the lights starting at 7 p.m.

Admission is $5 for an adult all-day pass and $3 for a student or senior all-day pass. All proceeds from the tournament will help benefit Batavia Rotary Club charities.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens

 

After the scheduled opponent for Elba/Oakfield-Alabama on Saturday for a golf match failed to show up with enough players, the team played a round anyway.

It turned out to be a momentous day for EOA's Jake Walczak, who aced Hole 7, a 177-yard Par 3, for his first career hole-in-one.

It's the first hole-in-one for the team since 2016. 

Coach Mike Cintorino said, "Walczak felt as though he hit a great shot when it came off the face of his 7-iron. As it landed and went toward the hole, the excitement level in the group raised. The crescendo was hit when they all saw the ball disappear next to the flag. When the foursome of Walczak, Brayden Smith, Aiden Warner, and Eli Loysen walked up to the pin, their excitement was validated as Walczak reached down to pull his Titleist Pro-V1 out of the cup. This was Walczak’s first ever hole-in-one and quite a moment for the senior golfer who has been on the team since 7th grade."

The match against Keshequa will be rescheduled.

Photo by Kristin Smith.

Submitted photos and game report.

A three-run sixth for Alexander broke a 3-3 tie and propelled the Trojans to a 10-4 win over Notre Dame in Girls Softball on Saturday at GCC.

With a runner on, Madison Boyce tripled to make it 4-3.  Makenna Boyce and Carley Shepard knocked in two more runs, and Alexander lead 6-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning.  

Notre Dame’s Kaydence Stehlar hit her second home run of the day over the centerfield fence to get the Irish back within two runs.  

In the top of the seventh, a walk issued to Alexander’s Boyce loaded the bases for Emily Pietrzykowski.  Pietrzykowski didn’t miss the second pitch of the at-bat. She blasted it deep over the centerfield fence for a grand slam making it 10-4.  

It was Alexander's 100th team hit of the season.

Pietrzykowski (top photo) earned the win for Alexander, allowing four earned runs on seven hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out a trio of Irish.

Madison Boyce was 3-4 on the day with a triple, a double and two RBIs.  Carley Shepard, Olivia Delelys, and Ava Yax had multiple hits in the contest.  

As a team, Alexander collected 14 hits on the day.

 For Notre Dame: Sonji Warner had a homerun to center and Kaydence Stehlar had two homeruns to center.

"We went into this game knowing that Notre Dame is a well-coached and talented team, so we had to play sound ball to win," said Alexander's head coach, John Goodenbury. "Pietrzykowski pitched well and kept us in the game on the rubber with excellent defensive support from all positions.  Our team never got down on themselves despite losing the early lead.  We have a very young team, but they showed today they are scrappy and won’t go down without a fight.  Our motto this year is 'Go ahead, doubt us' because we like to feel like we are the underdog in every game.  This keeps the girls humble and hungry.  They play for each other instead of themselves, and I  couldn’t be more proud of them.”

 Next up for Alexander is a 5 p.m. dual with Kendall at home on Monday. 

Somewhat unexpectedly, Batavia Sports Park, operated by Batavia Turf in the town of Batavia, is hosting the Metro East Regional Championships for Ultimate Frisbee Football.

The tournament, which features teams from colleges and universities from throughout the region, was originally slated for fields in New Jersey, but the owner of that facility decided at pretty much the last minute they really didn't have enough space to host the event.

Jack Richards, president of the RIT team and tournament director, was able to move the event to Batavia.

Ultimate Frisbee Football is a 7-on-7 competition that involves flinging a frisbee downfield in an attempt to score a goal.  Players cannot run with the Frisbee.  When a player catches the disk, the player must stop running and find a teammate to toss it to.  The player is being guarded by a defender, and the player's teammates are guarded (defenses, like basketball, can be man-on-man or zone).  Defenders can knock down a flung Frisbee, which leads to a change of position at the position in the field where the Frisbee falls.

The top men's team and the top women's team from this weekend's tournament will advance to the national finals.

Ultimate Frisbee Football is now recognized by the International Olympic Committee and will be part of the 2028 Olympics.

Photos by Howard Owens

Colton Yasses threw five innings of one-hit ball as Oakfield-Alabama beat Elba on Saturday 13-0.

Brayden Smith went 3-3 with four RBIs, scoring three runs. Aiden Warner was 2-3 with two runs scored. David Schnaufer was 1-2 with a walk and five RBIs. Austin Pangrazio was 2-3 with a run scored.

The Hornets are 8-1.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

There's one team left in Section V that is undefeated in the 2023 baseball season.  That team is Notre Dame, at 9-0.

While the Irish offensive has piled up runs, the pitching has been phenomenal, with no earned runs allowed all season. Overall, only five opposing runners have scored against Notre Dame over 54 innings of play. The pitchers have fanned 111 batters.

On Saturday, Bryceton Berry threw a perfect game to pick up his fourth win of the season. 

In the past three games, the Irish pitchers have tossed a no-hitter and a one-hitter.

Saturday's win came over Alexander, 8-0. 

The Fighting Irish picked up wins on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the team beat Geneseo 11-1.

Jaden Sherwood tossed a complete-game one-hitter, notching 12 Ks and allowing one walk.

Offensively on Frixay:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2-3, two RBIs, two runs scored
• Bryceton Berry, 2-3, two RBIs two runs scored
• Jaden Sherwood, 2-,4 two RBIs one run scored

Submitted photos and information.

For the second time in his career, on Tuesday, Notre Dame's Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a no-hitter, striking out nine over five innings.

The Fighting Irish beat Attica 10-0.

It was the fourth straight shutout for Notre Dame, and the Irish pitchers are working on a string of 25 consecutive scoreless innings.  The staff has surrendered only one run over 35 innings, and that one run was unearned.

Jordan Welker had two RBIs, a double and also scored three runs. Chase Cummings had two RBIs on a single. Hayden Groff was 2-2 with a single and a double, and 3 runs scored.  Jimmy Fanara was 2-3 with a double and a triple.  

Top photo: Submitted. Photos below by Pete Welker.

Submitted match information and photo.

The Elba/OA Lancers defeated the Attica Blue Devils 187-194 on Tuesday at Batavia Country Club.

The Lancers Jake Walczak (photo) was medalist with a round of 41, while teammate Brayden Smith fired a 43.

Attica’s Evan Piechowiak led the Blue Devils with a 42. The Lancers improve to 3-1, while the Blue Devils are now 4-1. 

Press release:

The Genesee Region USBC Association Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, May 20 at Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road in Batavia.

The event will get underway with a brief memorial service at 6 p.m.

Tournament champions and league leaders will be honored and association officials will provide a report on the 2022-23 season.

The cost of the dinner is $30, with the following exceptions:

NO CHARGE – GRUSBC directors, Adult Tournament Champions (limit one tournament only), Youth Tournament Champions and one guest (limit one tournament only), guest speaker and one guest.

HALF PRICE – Past GRUSBC Hall of Famers, league secretary or representative (limit one per league).

The reservation deadline for the banquet is May 12. No reservations will be taken after that date and no one will be allowed to “walk in” on May 20.

The banquet is open to all GRUSBC members and to the public.

An election of officers and directors whose terms are up will take place as well. Two director positions are vacant.

For reservations or for information about serving on the board of directors, send an email to Association Manager Mike Pettinella at mikep@bowlgr.com or call 585-343-3736.

The GRUSBC includes bowling centers in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

Brayden Smith tossed a five-inning no-hitter and was 3-3 at the plate with three RBIs and four runs scored as part of a dominating win by Oakfield-Alabama over Holley on Friday.

The Hornets banged out 19 hits and won 28-0 to move to 7-0 on the season while Holley falls to 0-4.

Aiden Warner was 2-3 with four RBIs and five runs scored. David Schufer was 2-3 with three RBIs. Colton Yasses, 2-4, three runs scored, and Brenden Wescott 2-4.

Thirteen players collected hits for O-A.

Smith K'd 13.  Only one hitter reached base on an error.

Submitted photo.