Sports

Andrew Moss, a 24-year-old, second-year pro from Piedmont, Mo., dazzled at Dwyer Stadium tonight.

Moss went seven innings -- the typical NY-Penn League starter is pulled after five innings -- and surrendered not a single hit, and of course, no runs.

The Muckdogs notched a 3-0 victory, with Jose Rada tossing two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, and picking up his second save of the season.

Moss (2-1) lowered his ERA to 1.69.

Joe Bergman, 22 and in his first pro season, picked up two hits. The second baseman is now hitting .394.

Catcher Luis Miguel De La Cruz, a fourth-year pro from the Dominican Republic, and in his second tour with Batavia, homered and picked up two RBIs on two hits.

The Muckdogs are now 6-7 and open a three-game series against Auburn, also 6-7, on Thursday.

There is no home game on July 4, but there will be fireworks following the games on Friday and Saturday nights.

Challenger baseball opened last weekend, but I wasn't able to make it, so I stopped by the games today to take some pictures.

More pictures after the jump:

The Batavia Muckdogs dropped its third straight game at Dwyer Stadium, losing to State College 4-2 in 10 innings.

Second-year pro Keith Butler, of Morgantown, Ky., surrendered two runs in the top of the 10th to get tagged with the loss.

Reliever Nick McCully was impressive in four innings, striking out three and giving up only two hits.

Meanwhile, the Cardinal's 5th-round draft pick, San Diegean Nick Longmire, continued his hot hitting. Today, Longmire had two hits, including a triple and a run scored that tied the game 2-2 in the 7th inning.

Longmire tops the league in several offensive categories, including hits (15), triples (3), home runs (3), RBI (16; next best is 9), total bases (33; next best, 23), slugging (.892). He's second in average at .405.

The Muckdogs, now 4-6 and in last place in the Pinckney Division, begins a three-game home series tomorrow against Mahoning Valley. Auburn leads the division at 5-4, only a 1.5 games ahead. Mahoning Valley comes to town with a 4-5 record.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Muckdogs host Auburn. Friday and Saturday's games feature post-game fireworks. This no home game on Sunday, July 4, so the team is providing an extra fireworks show on Saturday.

Top photo: Longmire arrives at third base after his 7th inning triple.

More photos after the jump:

A grand slam home run in the 7th inning from Nick Longmire broke a 2-2 tie and powered the Batavia Muckdogs to a 6-3 victory over Mahoning Valley on Thursday.

It was Longmire's third HR of the season, giving him the league lead, and with 14 RBI over the first seven games, he's well ahead of any other player in that category as well.

The Muckdogs are in second place with a record of 4-3.

Jose Rada (1-1) threw three scoreless innings to pick up the win. Starter Kevin Siegrist went five innings and gave up two runs.

Left fielder Rainel Rosario had three hits.

Batavia faces off against Mahoning Valley again tonight, and then return home tomorrow to begin a five-game home stand. First up, State College. Game time Saturday is 7:05 p.m.

Reliever Jose Rada was handed a one-run lead in the eighth inning Tuesday and let it slip away, surrendering two runs to State College and giving the Batavia Muckdogs their second straight loss.

Batavia (2-3) lost 5-4 to the Spikes (2-3).

The only Muckdogs with two or more hits Tuesday were catcher Audris Joel Perez, with three, and DH Adam Melker, with two. Perez had 2 RBIs and a stolen base.

No Muckdog managed an extra base hit.

Starter Ron Russell went four innings and gave up two earned runs. Reliever Travis Lawlor gave up one run in three frames.

The Muckdogs are in State College again tonight. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Nick Longmire's lead off home run at State College on Monday night might have provided a spark, but it wasn't enough to carry the Batavia Muckdogs to victory.

Batavia (2-2) dropped the game 8-7.

Longmire provided most of the offense, going 4-5 and driving in four runs. He also tripled and stole a base.

Shortstop Yunier Castillo added two hits and two RBIs.

Starter Nicholas McCully surrendered two runs on three hits in five innings. Houston Summers was charged with a blown save after giving up three runs in two innings, but because the Muckdogs regained the lead while he was still the pitcher of record, he could have picked up a win.

But reliever David Kington was also tagged with a blown save and a loss after giving up three runs on four hits in his one inning of work.

The victory was the first of the year for State College (1-3).

The Muckdogs have two more games at State College before moving on to Mahoning Valley.

The Batavia Muckdogs (2-1) put 10 runs on the board in Auburn on Sunday to edge out the Doubledays (1-2), 10-8.

Victor Sanchez, Patrick Biserta, Matt Valaika each contributed a pair of RBIs while outfielder Jon Edwards smacked two doubles in a three-hit performance.

Anthony Ferrera (1-0) picked up the win in five innings of scoreless relief. Starter Matthew North lasted only one-and-a-third innings, yielding six runs.

Competitors from throughout Western New York -- and even West Virginia -- were at Silver Shoe Farms on Pratt Road, Batavia, today for carriage driving races.

Nicole Cable said this is the third year Silver Shoe has hosted the event.

The races feature two- and four-wheel carriages, some of them antiques -- remnants of the pre-automobile era.

Cable, 29, started carriage racing when she was 9. She now teaches carriage driving at the farm.

Competitors were ages 9 and up and both men and woman. Horse sizes ranged from 32-inches tall to 16 hands.

More photos after the jump:

The Cardinals 2010 5th-round draft pick, Nick Longmire, provided just about all the offense the Batavia Muckdogs (1-1) needed to win their home opener 7 to 5 over the Auburn Doubledays (1-1).

Longmire hit his first professional home run as well as two doubles and a sacrifice fly to produce 6 RBIs.

More than 1,400 of your friends and neighbors were on hand for the opener.

The winning pitcher was Andrew Moss, of Piedmont, Mo., who scattered five hits over five innings and gave up only one run. Moss (1-0), in his second tour with Batavia, walked one and struck out five.

Jose Gregorio Rada, of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, picked up his first save of the season.

Batavia travels to Auburn tonight for a 6:05 p.m. game. The next home game is Saturday, June 26, at 7:05 p.m. against Scranton.

More pictures (including fan pictures)  after the jump:

Local youth soccer players were at the new soccer fields on Bank Street Road today for a tournament.

More pictures after the jump:

As the Batavian Muckdogs head into their 2010 home opener at Dwyer Stadium, the team will feature a roster stacked with experience.

The majority of players on the 30-man roster has prior minor league experience, with a few familiar names to Muckdog fans.

Topping the list of familiar names are Alan Ahmady and Jon Edwards.

Ahmady was a 2009 NY-Penn League All-Star for the Muckdogs, hitting .292 with a .409 on-base percentage with 32 RBI and 42 runs scored.

Ahmady suffered an off-season set back when he tested positive for amphetamines. Ahmady told his hometown paper that when he was asked to start doing some catching, he felt he needed to get back on medication for attention-deficit disorder.

Right fielder Edwards was part of the 2008 championship team, hitting .304 with 6 HR and 16 RBI. In 2009, Edwards split time between Batavia and Quad Cities. While he smacked 13 HRs (11 in Quad Cities), he hit a disappointing .205. Edwards was a 14th-round pick in 2006. This is his third trip through Batavia.

Among the fresh new faces is Nick Longmire, a native of San Diego, who was selected in the 5th round this June by the Cardinals. As the highest draft pick on the squad, Longmire is expected to patrol center field.

Other players from last year's Muckdogs roster include pitcher LaCurtis Mayes and catcher, Luis De La Cruz, who was also part of the 2008 championship team.

Manager Dann Bilardello is in his first season with the Muckdogs. A first-round pick of the Dodgers in 1979, Biladello spent MLB time with the Reds, Expos, Pirates and Padres.

Game time tonight is 7:05. The first 1,000 fans will receive schedule magnets.

This weekend, horses and riders from throughout Western New York again converged on Batavia Downs for a horse show and riding competition.

The show continues today and tomorrow.

More photos after the jump:

Here's a news release from a brand-new enterprise:

Local residents interested in expanding their fitness options will have a new choice to consider when En Garde: Batavia, a new fencing club, opens on July 1 in the Artisan Center on Harvester Avenue.

Several classes will be available for adults and children. No prior athletic experience is necessary.

Colin Dentino, a Batavia resident and lifelong fencing enthusiast, is the owner/lead instructor of En Garde: Batavia and believes that the benefits of the sport are far-reaching.

“Fencing is great because it allows anyone to be successful," he said. "Each fencer has his/her own style and technique so everyone you fence is a different puzzle to be solved."

Dentino first started fencing at the age of 4 under the guidance of Sir John Halasz, from the esteemed Hungarian fencing program.

“I’ve been trained more as a fencing coach than a fencer,” he notes.

Sport fencing is an interval-based sport with ties to martial arts and yoga. Interval-based physical activities burn 30 percent more calories than steady-state exercise. But beyond that, fencing is a sport that can be enjoyed by the entire family, for a lifetime.

“It can be great fun to come in as a family and get everyone involved,” Dentino said. “Because people with various fitness levels can be successful fencers, it can build confidence for those new to exercise.”

The benefits of fencing do not stop there; fencing is a game of analytical decision making and as such, can improve things like creative problem solving and long-term goal planning.

“Fencing is referred to as ‘physical chess’,” Dentino says, “It’s not always the case that the stronger, faster fencer wins.”

Hourly afternoon and evening classes meet twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays and also on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning July 1. Hours are 4 to 5, 5 to 6, 6 to 7, and 7 to 8.

Children and adults aged “5 to 95" who are interested in "health and mental wellness” are encouraged to attend. Monthly cost is a flat $50 per person, and includes all equipment. There are no long-term contracts, it's a month-to-month deal.

Weekly summer camp sessions for children aged 9 to 16 and up run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. starting in mid-July and continuing until late August. Cost is $125 a week and includes all equipment. The schedule is as follows:

• July 12 – 16
• July 19 – 23
• July 26 – 30
• August 2 – 6
• August 9 – 13
• August 16 – 20
• August 23 - 27

For more information about En Garde: Batavia, contact Colin Dentino at 585-409-3993, email at engardebatavia@me.com, or visit www.engardebatavia.com.

Pavilion girl soccer players -- "the future JV and varsity players" -- got a limo ride to their game today courtesy Mancuso Limousine of Batavia.

The girls were quite thrilled to get to ride in a pink limo.

Jason Molino can hit. He's no Mickey Hyde, who easily won the "home run" hitting contest at Dwyer Stadium tonight, but he looked good at the plate and hit some shots.

It was the "Pep Dog Rally" in preparation of the season opener on Saturday. The turn out was good, and the evening was a heck of a lot of fun.

After the contest, the players of the 2010 Muckdogs introduced themselves and then fans were invited onto the field to collect autographs.

The player in the center of this picture is Nick Longmire. He's a 5th-round draft pick of the Cardinals, which means he's a legitimate prospect. He's a center fielder who has some power. That's cool. But what's really cool: He's a graduate of my alma mater, Grossmont High School, La Mesa, Calif. His mother also graduated from GHS, in 1978, two years ahead of me. So guess who will be my favorite Muckdog this season? Go Foothillers!

More pictures after the jump:

When you attend a Batavia Muckdogs game at Dwyer Stadium, if you think you're there to watch a baseball game, you've missed at least 65 percent of the reason to be there on a warm summer night.

The main reason to be at Dwyer is the people the stands -- your neighbors, friends and family -- and if you don't know anybody, just start talking, you'll soon make a new friend.

Bill Kauffman writes a lovely tribute to his friend Dennis Bowler for the Front Porch Republic, St. Dennis of the Bleachers.

The home opener for the Muckdogs is Saturday.  I hope to see you there.