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Batavia Little League team takes Secion 1 championship

By Howard B. Owens

Richard Stefaniak e-mail in this report and the championship picture:

The Batavia 9 & 10 year olds all-stars won two games this past weekend to become section 1 champs. In game one Batavia beat Orchard Park 9 - 6. Matt Roach pitched the first three innings for Batavia and did a great job giving up only three hits. Orchard Park had a 5 - 2 lead going into the 6th. Batavia finally got the offense going in the top of the 6th when Bryce Polito got things going with a lead off single Alex Canty singled, Ryan Antinore drew a walk  then the scoring started when Tyler Hale singled ,Steven Stefaniak doubled and Jacob Hale singled. T.Hale, Stefaniak and J. Hale would score after Jeremy Boyle and Reid Rademaker would draw walks  Boyle would also score  giving Batavia  a 7 run top of the 6th for a 9-5 lead.Polito would close out the game for Batavia  by pitching a strong 6th giving up  one run on one hit and getting the #5 batter to pop-up to the catcher (Rademaker).
 
In the Sectional Championship game Batavia faced Webster and won 12-10 Batavia scored first to start the game when T.Hale lead off with a single followed by singles from S.Stefaniak and J.Hale to give Batavia a two run lead.Webster also scored two in the bottom of the first to tie the game. In the  third Batavia would jump out to a 7-2 lead with hits from T.Hale (dbl) and singles from  Stefaniak, Rademaker, Jeremy Boyle and Alex Canty. Again Webster faught back scoring five runs to tie the game in ther half of the third.In the top of of the forth Polito,Canty and Micheal Marrocco would score for Batavia giving them a three-run lead Webster would score one in there half inning. In the top of the fifth Batavia's Andrew Mruczek would finally put Batavia on top for good with a shot to right field that scored two. Alex Canty then shut down the webster bats in the sixth and getting the final out by strike out. Batavia will now advance to the state finals in Penfield Saturday August 8 at 11:00 a.m. and Sunday August 9 at 12:00 p.m.

The picture is as follows Front row Ryan Antinore, Alex Canty, Jeremy Boyle, Steven Stefaniak, Micheal Marrocco. Middle row Jacob Hale, Reid Rademaker, Matt ROACH, Bryce Polito, Andrew Mruczek,Tyler Hale, Josh Boyle.Coach Tom Canty and Manager Larry Hale

Muckdogs Can't Hold On To Early Lead

By Mollie Radzinski

Eleven runs and nineteen hits usually gets the win, but that was not so for the Muckdogs (22-24) as they went down 15-11 to the Cyclones (29-17) who had fourteen hits themselves.  The Muckdogs also had four errors on the night.

Batavia jumped out to an early lead, scoring two in the 1st and one in the 2nd.  Ryan Jackson and Matthew Adams both singled.  Jackson then came home on a throwing error.  Adams came home during the next at-bat on a Jon Edwards double.  In the 2nd, Devin Goodwin had his first homerun of the season to make it 3-0.

After the Cyclones added one in the 3rd inning, the Muckdogs added two of their own in the 4th. Kyle Conley had his first homerun as a Muckdog, a solo shot to left field.  Goodwin followed him with a double and came in later after back-to-back singles by Michael Swinson and Jackson.

However, relievers Joe Kelly and Jonny Bravo found trouble in the 6th and 7th innings as Brooklyn scored four runs and three runs, respectively.  Batavia answered with two of their own in the 6th and one in the 7th, but Brooklyn’s five-run 9th inning put the game away, even though Batavia attempted a comeback in the bottom of the 9th, scoring three of their own.

Starter Deryk Hooker went four innings with one run, four hits and three strikeouts.  Kelly pitched the next two with five runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.   Bravo (2-1, 4.70) only faced three batters to get the loss, letting in three runs with two hits and a walk.  Santo Maertz filled in for two innings, giving up one run on one hit with three strikeouts.

Goodwin was on fire at the plate.  He went 4-for-4 with with two doubles, two homeruns, three RBI and four runs scored.  Jackson finished 4-for-6 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored.

Muckdog Minutes:

By Mollie Radzinski

 Pinckney Division Standings:

                                    Pct.      GB

Mahoning Valley            28-17       .622      --

Williamsport                     26-19       .578     2.0

State College                   23-22       .511     5.0

Batavia                             22-23      .489     6.0

Auburn                              16-29       .356     12.0

Jamestown                       16-29       .356     12.0

 

Top Ten in Stats:

Alan Ahmady- 27 runs (8th), .399 OBP (8th)

Santo Maertz- 16 games (T-6th)

LaCurtis Mayes- 15 games (T-8th), 5 saves (T-9th)

Jonny Bravo- 1 earned run (T-1st)

 

As A Team…

            Batavia is 4th in the league in batting average (.244), 4th in hits (356) and 5th in triples (15).

            The pitching staff has given up the 3rd fewest hits (321), 5th fewest runs (163) and 4th fewest walks (124).

 

“X”-cellent Start

            In his first game last night in Quad Cities, infielder Xavier Scruggs proved he was moved up for a reason.  He went 2-for-4 on the night with two homeruns and four RBI.

 

Batavia Bats Come Alive in 9-4 Win

By Mollie Radzinski

Batavia (22-23) scattered eleven hits across the board, including six for extra bases, to take one game back from Williamsport (26-19).  Starter Scott Schneider matched the offense with his performance, going hitless through five innings.

The Muckdogs scored a run each in the 2nd and 3rd to get things started.  In the 2nd, Niko Vasquez led off with a double, moved to third on a Luis De La Cruz single and then came in to score on a ground out.  In the 3rd, Ryan Jackson tripled and scored on a base hit by Alan Ahmady.

Their big inning came in the 5th as they scored five runs.  Bases became loaded after Devin Goowin and Beau Riportella both walked and Michael Swinson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  Jackson then singled to get one in and Ahmady was walked to plate another.  Matthew Adams followed with another base hit to pick up two RBI.  The last run of the inning came when he hit a RBI double.

Batavia added on two more insurance runs in the 8th on consecutive hits; Cruz singled, Ivan Castro tripled and Kyle Conley doubled.

Schneider (2-0, 0.52) earned himself the win, going five and two-thirds innings with three runs on two hits with eight strikeouts.  Kevin Siegrist earned his first save pitching the 8th and 9th with one run, two hits and two strikeouts.

De La Cruz finished 3-for-4 with a double and RBI.  Jackson went 2-for-5 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.  Newcomers Swinson and Adams both went 1-for-4, Swinson with a double and Adams with two RBI.  Other newcomer Conley picked up a RBI double in hit one pinch-hit at-bat.

Muckdogs: New Faces, New Places

By Mollie Radzinski

The Muckdogs saw six players leave Batavia today as seven new players came in to town.  Here’s a breakdown of the transactions:

Pitcher Eric Fornataro, first baseman Xavier Scruggs, and outfielders D’Marcus Ingram and Ryde Rodriguez move up to Quad Cities.  Fornataro went 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA in his eight games (five starts) while in Batavia.  Scruggs was batting .234 with seven doubles, 26 RBI and was second in the league with seven homeruns.  Ingram had a .290 batting average and led the league in stolen bases with 18.  Rodriguez rejoins Quad Cities after starting his 2009 season there.  He leaves the Muckdogs with a .311 batting average and league-best 30 RBI.

Both pitcher Dan Richardson and outfielder Jairo Martinez were released by the Cardinals organization.  In his second year as a Muckdog, Richardson leaves with a 6.28 ERA in 11 appearances this season.  Martinez was batting .177 with one homerun in Batavia this year.

New Faces:

Jesse Simpson:

Position: RHP

Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 40th Round

2009 Stats: 3-0, 1.24 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 29 innings

 

Justin Smith:

Position: RHP

Hometown: Pleasant Grove, Utah

College: Utah Valley University

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 36th Round

2009 Stats: 1-1, 3.70 ERA, 37 strikeouts in 24.1 innings

Matthew Adams:

Position: Infield

Hometown: Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

College: Slippery Rock University

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 23rd Round

2009 Stats: .378 BA, 6 2Bs, 6 HRs, 24 RBI, .595 OBP

Kyle Conley:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Richland, Washington

College: Washington

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 7th Round

2009 Stats: .200 BA, 3 doubles

Jon Edwards:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2006 Draft, 14th Round

2009 Stats: .191 BA, 9 2Bs, 11 HRs, 32 RBI

Travis Mitchell:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Creve Couer, Missouri

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2006 Draft, 13th Round

2009 Stats: .254 BA, 8 2Bs, 9SBs

Michael Swinson:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Douglas, Georgia

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2008 Draft, 12th Round

2009 Stats: .343, 3 HRs, 6 SBs

Family and friends cheer on Ryan Gugel in pro debut at Dwyer Stadium

By Howard B. Owens

Video from Sunday's nights game at Batavia's Dwyer Stadium where former BHS and GCC standout Ryan Gugel played for the first time as a pro in his hometown ballpark.  Gugel is a free agent-signee with the Philadelphia Phillie's franchise in Williamsport.

Jim Owen was one of Ryan's teachers. He had this picture taken before last night's game.

Tough Night For Muckdogs

By Mollie Radzinski

Batavia (21-23) couldn’t match up to Williamsport (26-18) on either side of the plate, resulting in a 9-4 loss.

All the Batavia runs came on the long ball.  Xavier Scruggs went deep in the 6th and Alan Ahmady matched him on a 2-0 pitch in the 9th.  After Scruggs walked during the next at-bat, Ryde Rodriguez put another ball over the right field wall to bring the game a little closer at 9-4.

Starter Michael Blazek (3-6, 4.26) lasted just two innings, letting in six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.  Josh Squatrito followed him, also going two innings with two hits, one walk and two strikeouts.  Daniel Calhoun lasted the longest of the pitching staff, throwing three innings with one run, one hit and five strikeouts.  Tyler Lavigne threw the 8th with two runs, two hits and a walk.  Santo Maertz finished out the game with a strikeout, groundout and pop-out to third.

D’Marcus Ingram stayed hot of late, being the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night.  He finished 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.

Muckdog Weekend in Niles Ohio

By Bea McManis

A little over a week ago we planned on a road trip to Niles Ohio to see the Muckdogs play.  As things will happen, plans appeared to change and the trip was called off.  That was until Friday afternoon when we decided that we would go.  We left about three hours later than originally planned and not half as prepared as we would have been if plans had stayed as before.  But, that seems to be the nature of the beast, at times.

We already had the directions to Eastwood Field thanks to Yahoo maps.  One confusing direction was how to get to the stadium once we were in Niles. 

'Turn right on Eastwood Mall Blvd."

Turn right on Eastwood Mall Blvd."

Turn left on Eastwood Mall Blvd."

Could the directions be right?  That mystery was explained after we arrived at Eastwood Mall.  The two right turns and the one left took us directly to the parking lot for the stadium ($2.50 to park or $2.50 for walk ins - that is over and above the price of the ticket).

We purchased our tickets online which turned out to be the right thing to do.  We arrived at the end of the ifrst inning only to see a long line still waiting to buy tickets.

The stadium (which is very nice) is one of 350 businesses located at the Eastwood facility.  Once in the stadium you wouldn't believe that you were sitting in the midst of a huge mall complex.  The tree line, visible from the stadium seats, gave the impression that we were sitting in a rural park.

Unfortunately the Muckdogs lost both Friday and Saturday's games. 

On Saturday afternoon we caught the attention of a group of Muckdog players as they were walking back to the stadium from one of the mall buildings.  We hears, "Hey, look!  Muckdogs!", as we drove past the group.  They has spotted the Muckdog cushion in the back window of the car.  We stopped and gave a wave to let them know we were there to see them play.

Sitting in a sea of Scrapper fans was fun.  We even had the people in front of us, on Saturday night, decide to cheer for our guys right along with us.  We did get the oft asked question, "what is a muckdog?" both nights. 

Friday was the perfect day to travel.  The weather was beautiful.  Friday night's fireworks and Saturday's Jimmy Buffett night were nice endings.

Speaking of the stadium.  The electronic scoreboard added a lot to fan participation. Each Scrappers'  picture came up as he came up to bat.  The live pictures of the boys at bat was also nice.

All in all, it was a fun (albeit, hot) weekend.  So glad we went.

Just an additional note:  We ate at a restaurant called Charley's after the game on Friday night.  The menu was typical steak house fare but the spinach and artichoke appetizer was out of this world.  Not the normal frozen, pre-made, throw in the micro-wave and serve dish.  This was fresh spinach, chopped fine and identifiable chunks of artichokes.  The sauce had a hint of garlic, but not overpowering.  While we enjoyed it, I still believe that Larry's has the best chips to go with their dip.

Ryan Gugel's homecoming much anticipated by local baseball fans

By Howard B. Owens

If you're a local baseball fan, you know this already: Ryan Gugel is coming to town.

Sunday and Monday's Muckdogs games against the Williamsport Crosscutters are as eagerly anticipated -- maybe more so -- as last year's playoff and championship games.

And maybe because both events -- championships and BHS grads playing professionally at Dwyer -- are equally rare.

Gugel, a BHS and GCC standout who signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phlllies earlier this summer, will do something tomorrow night that very few BHS grads have accomplished -- stepped onto the field at Dwyer Stadium wearing the uniform of a professional baseball team.

The last BHS grad to play a professional game in Dwyer is probably Frank Dudley, a pitcher for the Batavia Indians in 1958-59.

Such a long time gap means there are many life-long Batavia baseball fans who never witnessed a championship until last season, and now may get to see for the first time a local kid play professionally at home.

"I've been going to games since 1968, since the dying days of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration and I've never seen a Batavia High kid play in this league," said Bill Kauffman. "It's exceedingly rare and what a great accomplishment for Ryan Gugel. He and his family should be really proud."

Before Dudley, there were Dick Raymond (who pitched a complete-game shutout in his Batavia debut), Ray Jamalkowski, Bob Radley and Jerry Maley.

Maley, who still lives in Batavia and regularly attends Muckdogs games, was probably the first BHS grad to play professionally at the hometown ballpark.

"Actually, it was quite a thrill (to play at home as a pro)," Maley said. "I grew up here and hung around the park when I was young and then when I signed, I thought it was quite a thrill."

Maley tried out for the Batavia Clippers in 1949, won a roster spot, but then didn't see much playing time, so he asked for his release. After a tryout with the Olean Oilers, Maley signed with the Clippers' New York-Penn League rival, finishing out the 1949 season with the Oilers and stepping up to the plate 443 times as the Oilers' second baseman in 1950.

Then Maley was drafted into the Army and his professional baseball days were over.

Maley thinks Gugel will feel the same excitement he did six decades ago.

Baseball fans throughout town are talking about Gugel, not because he's tearing up the NYPL (we're all mindful that he's just starting out and playing behind a league-leading hitter -- Sebastia Valle -- so he's only had five plate appearances in his short time with Williamsport), but because he's done something very, very few people who ever play high school or college ball: Become a professional ball player.

"He's playing for all of us," said Bill Dougherty, a local baseball history buff and dedicated Muckdogs fans. "Maybe he doesn't know that, but that's how I look at it, he's playing for all of us guys.

"Here's a guy who's actually going to the next step," Dougherty said. "We all played Little League or Babe Ruth, high school and we'll say at some point semi-pro or amateur, but here's one of us out there in the New York-Penn League, which is just great."

Dougherty figures there are only about a dozen Genesee County ballplayers who ever made it to the pros. The last one to play for Batavia was Mickey Hyde, who came out of Pavilion and played for GCC. He spent his first year of pro ball, 1989 in Batavia. His career carried him through 1993 and Triple AAA Scranton.

The last Batavia-born baseball player -- but he didn't grow up here -- to likely play a professional game in Batavia is Tim Kister, who spent the first of 13 minor league seasons in Auburn. Kister complied a 97-95 record with a 3.98 ERA, but never made it past AAA.

Dudley, the last BHS grad who played a professional game in Batavia, died at age 44 of an apparent heart attack in 1977. Canadian-born Dudley lived in Brockport at the time.

Game time Sunday is 5:05 p.m. and Monday 7:05 p.m.

Batavia Splits Doubleheader at Williamsport

By Mollie Radzinski

The Muckdogs (21-20) took the first game 2-1 and the Crosscutters (23-18) won the second 4-0 in two seven innings games Thursday.

In the first game, the action game right at the start as Batavia scored their two runs in the inning.  D’Marcus Ingram started the game off with a single. He then moved to second when Ryan Jackson followed him with a ground out and Ingram then stole third base.  Alan Ahmady got the first RBI on a sacrifice fly and reached on an error by the center fielder.  Ahmady himself came home later on a double by Ryde Rodriguez.

Starter Eric Fornataro (4-0, 2.15) stayed perfect in the win, going six innings with seven hits, one run and two strikeouts.  LaCurtis picked up his fifth save, pitching the 7th with one strikeout.

Ingram ended the first game 2-for-3 with a run, a walk and three stolen bases.

But, Williamsport jumped on board early in the second game, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first against a lacking Batavia offense that only had three hits in the contest.

Deryk Hooker (1-4, 4.81) got the loss, going four innings with four runs on five hits and one walk and four strikeouts.  Joe Kelly followed him to throw two innings with one hit and four strikeouts.

Jackson supplied what offense the Muckdogs had, going 2-for-3.

Errors Deciding Factor in Loss for Muckdogs

By Mollie Radzinski

Mahoning Valley (23-16) was able to benefit off Batavia’s (20-19) two errors to take a game back.  Only one of the Scrappers’ three runs was earned.

The scoring started in the 2nd inning when Mahoning Valley got their lead runner on base from a Muckdog error.  The runner came in to score later on a base hit.

The Scrappers added two more in the 9th after a single, a double and another Muckdog error.

Starter Michael Blazek (3-5, 3.00) suffered the loss, going five innings with three hits, one unearned run and six strikeouts.  Scott Schneider followed throwing the next three innings with four strikeouts.  Joe Kelly came in in the 9th, letting in two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out one.

The Muckdog offense was lacking, having only three base hits on the day.

Batavia returns home on Sunday at 5:05 to face Williamsport.  Batavia native Ryan Gugel will make his first homecoming in his professional career as a Crosscutter.

Batavia Takes a Game From Division-Leading Scrappers

By Mollie Radzinski

It took just two runs in the 7th inning for the Muckdogs (20-18) to shutout the Scrappers (22-16) for the win.

Ryde Rodriguez singled and Niko Vasquez followed with a two-base hit to put two runners on for Luis De La Cruz to come up with the big two RBI single.

Justin Edwards started the game going six innings with four hits and two walks and strikeouts.  Johnny Bravo (2-0, 0.00) followed him, getting the win in his two innings of work with one hit, two walks and three strikeouts.  Santo Maertz finished up the 9th with just one hit and two strikeouts.

 Rodriguez had the only multi-hit night for Batavia, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Muckdogs Prevail in Ten

By Mollie Radzinski

It took nine innings for either team to score a run and ten for Batavia (18-17) to come up with the 2-1 win over Jamestown (13-22).

In the bottom of the decisive inning, Ryan Jackson started things off by hitting a base hit off the first pitch he saw.  D’Marcus Ingram followed him with a double to put runners on second and third.  Devin Goodwin then flew out to center field for the sacrifice to get the game winning RBI.

Jamestown took the early lead in the 9th by scoring one run on two walks and a single.  Batavia answered right back in the bottom of the inning.  Xavier Scruggs reached first on a wild pitch and Beau Riportella came in to pinch run for him.  Ryde Rodriguez then singled to move Riportella to third.  During the next at-bat, a wild pitch enabled Riportella to come in to score the tying run to send it into extras.

Joe Kelly (1-1, 3.24) picked up the winning pitching the two-thirds of the 9th and the 10th innings, giving up one hit with one walk and one strikeout.  Scott Schneider had a good start, going five innings with three hits and eight strikeouts.  Eric Fornataro filled in the gap with two hits, one run and two walks.

Ingram finished the night going 3-for-5 with a double and a triple.  Rodriguez went 2-for-4.

Gugel draws rally-starting walk to spark Williamsport win

By Howard B. Owens

Ryan Gugel may still be looking for his first professional hit, but he's still making a contribution to his new team, the Williamsport Crosscutters:

In the bottom of the 5th the Crosscutters rallied to plate two runs and take the lead as Cutter DH Ryan Gugel, in his first game for Williamsport, got things started with a walk. 3B Alan Schoenberger hit his second double of the season to left, allowing Gugel to advance to third. With CF Carl Uhl batting, Hudson Valley RHP Jordi Amargos uncorked a wild pitch that scored Gugel and tied the game at one. Schoenberger, who advanced to third on the wild pitch, scored the go-ahead run on a Uhl sacrifice fly to center.

Gugel made three plate appearances in the game, drawing the decisive walk and striking out.

Gugel, a BHS and GCC standout, will likely be with the team when Williamsport visits Batavia Aug. 2 and 3.

Meanwhile, the Muckdogs eeked out a 7-6 victory in Oneonta. 

Alan Ahamdy, playing first base, collected two hits and two RBI, as did Neko Vasquez.

The Muckdogs are now 17-16, three games out of first, trailing Mohoning Valley and Williamsport.

Utica 7's Tourney

By Peter O'Brien

This weekend Rochester Erin's Isle is sponsoring two teams at the Great American Irish Festival Gaelic Football Tournament.

Last year Rochester faced teams from Quebec City, Montreal, Buffalo, Mason Dixon, and Baltimore.  This year we know Buffalo and Syracuse will be attending among others.

This tournament is great fun and good way to get a feel of the game up close and personal.  Players have plenty of down time and are more than happy to field questions.

The festival is held at Herkimer County Fairgrounds.  All games are played on Saturday and start at noon.

Here is my write up on last years event.


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Your Rochester Erin's Isle competed in the annual 7v7 Great American Irish Festival Gaelic Football Tournament on Saturday.

In the two game round-robin, followed by a 4 team playoff, Erin's Isle got off to a great start.

In game one Rochester faced their greatest rival, Buffalo.  The game was pretty even up until the last 2 minutes of the 10 minute first half.  As two players were getting into a shoving match in front of yours truly about a late hit, Rochester was able to score the only goal of the game which with their single point earned from putting the ball over the crossbar was enough for them to start the day 1-0.

The second match was against Quebec City.  Though not nearly as rough as the Buffalo match, it was no less intense.  After 20 minutes of play the score was tied.  It was determined that penalty kicks would decide the victory.

Quebec won the toss to kick first.  They fired a hard shot into the upper left corner where the keeper had no chance.  Rochester’s first kick was almost an exact duplicate and was put into triplicate by Quebec’s second kicker even though I had chosen correctly on the placement.  Rochester’s second kicker fired it low but wide left.  With one kicker left for each team before sudden death penalty kicks, Rochester needed a stop.  Quebec made a mental mistake and instead of putting the game away with a chip over the crossbar to score one point (instead of the three for putting it in the net) their third shooter fired it just a touch to the left and it was easily deflected away for the first save of the penalty shots.  Now Rochester needed to score to continue on.  On a hard shot that went to the right and was put in just under the cross bar Rochester stayed alive.  Quebec continued the pk’s with another beautiful shot in the upper left corner.  Rochester once again was on the ropes and needed to score and once again came up big.  On the next shot by Quebec, it was fired almost directly at me, the keeper.  With another big save I came out of the net roaring knowing we could just chip it to win.  Our shooter mishit the ball though and it sailed straight but low of the cross bar where an out stretched arm from the Quebec keeper stopped it from entering the net.  The next round was almost an exact duplicate of the round before without me running out of the net all fired up after my stop.  We entered round seven of the pk’s.  Once again Quebec’s shooters tried to shove it down the middle with a hard shot right at me and though I had started to move away from it I recognized it soon enough to complete another save.  This time our shooter didn’t miss.  With a nice chip over the cross bar we went up 2-0 in the most exciting match of the day.

Thanks to a rain delay and a 2 game waiting period, Rochester had a 2 hour delay before their next game.  Just prior to it, Mason Dixon was playing Montreal. In an illegal but unavoidable hit from behind Montreal had a player go down.  He landed hard and separated his shoulder and was taken by ambulance to the local hospital.  Montreal then conceded the match putting them at a record of 0-2.  Buffalo was also at 0-2 at this point after their second round loss to 2-0 Baltimore.  Mason Dixon was 1-1 because of a first round loss to Baltimore and Quebec City beat Montreal in round one putting them at 1-1.

This led to the 4 game playoff: Rochester vs Mason Dixon and Baltimore vs Quebec City.

Mason Dixon had speed that Rochester could not compete with and scored a goal in the first half which we could not answer with one of our own.  It was obvious that the delay took its toll on the much older Rochester squad, but by the second half, everything but the score had evened out and in some ways were tipping to Rochester favor.  But Rochester suffered its first loss and its bid for the Championship.

In the consolation game against Baltimore (who lost to Quebec when they scored a tournament high 4 goals) Rochester had to suffer through another long delay and decided to play conservatively to avoid any injuries.  Baltimore scored two goals and a few points.

 

So out of the tournament of 6, Rochester went 2-2 and took 4th place.  Which isn’t so bad when you considered we were the only team to beat the champions and had the same record as the team who took second.

 


This year hopes to be even more competative. 

 

Oh yeah and the festival is fun too.  http://www.gaif.us/

 

Oakfield-Alabama picks one of its own

By Brian Hillabush

One of the main reasons for the recent success the Oakfield-Alabama football program has had is the work ethic coach John Dowd instilled in his players.

The weight room was a high priority.

Don't expect that to change as Dowd's replacement is an O-A grad that was known for his drive to be the best and time spent in the weight room during high school.

"I'm going to try my best to get the full potential out of these kids," said new coach Brian Palone, who graduated from Oakfield-Alabama in 1998. "I will work them hard and earn their respect, constantly telling them it's not about how big they are, but the amount of heart they put into it to get the job done."

Palone - who played football, basketball and baseball in high school - has some big shoes to fill and is ready for the challenge. Dowd led the Hornets to their first undefeated season since 1986 this past fall and the squad made the sectional finals, only to lose a great game against a powerhouse Le Roy squad.

He had a 50-12 record over the last six seasons and won a pair of sectional titles, all while stressing hard work and making the program one of the most respected in Section 5.

"There is a great tradition at Oakfield that I saw after graduating from there and seeing what (Dowd) did last year. He did a great job," Palone said. "I'm going to go in and try my best and see what happens. I told the guys that they need to give me 100 percent and I'll give them 100 percent and we'll do the best we can."

Palone will be returning to his alma matter as a first-time head coach.

He has been a teacher at Naples for the last six years and has been the varsity baseball coach for the last three seasons. But the school does not have a football program.

After playing all over the field in high school and as an outside linebacker for four seasons at Brockport, he was an assistant linebacker and wide receiver coach at Caledonia-Mumford for two seasons. He was on head coach Mike Monacelli's 2003 state title winning squad.

Palone then spent four years as a special teams coordinator and LB/RB coach at Wayland-Cohocton. While teaching at Naples, he gained more experience as a linebacker coach and assistant defensive coordinator with Marcus Whitman.

 "I've been wanting to get an opportunity to get back to Oakfield if a position ever opened," said Palone, who will also teach elementary physical education. "This is a dream come true to give back to the school that gave so much to me."

Dowd ran the Double Wing on offense and the Hornets simply wore teams down with size on the line, allowing multiple backs to go off at will. Palone expects to change things some, but will run a very similar offense.

"We are going to keep some of the same and blend in some other concepts this year," said Palone, who recently purchased a house in Farmington with his wife of seven months, Samantha. "I don't expect to change everything. I have lots of ideas, but some coaches make the mistake of going in and changing everything."

Ryan Gugel moving to Williamsport as team's third catcher

By Howard B. Owens

Local baseball fans may get to see a familiar face at Dwyer Stadium on Aug. 2 and 3 when Williamsport visits the Muckdogs.

Former BHS standout Ryan Gugel, signed as a free agent by the Phillies a month ago out of Albany, has been moved from the team's affiliate in Lakewood to the Crosscutters.

He will be the Crosscutters' third catcher, so he may not get any playing time during his visit to his hometown. 

Those are Williamsport's final two games at Dwyer this season. The Muckdogs face the Crosscutters tomorrow and Thursday in Williamsport.

Gugel was hitless in four plate appearances for Lakewood, drawing one walk.

Muckdogs Fall in Ten to Oneonta

By Mollie Radzinski

It was a close game through nine innings, but the Muckdogs (15-16) couldn’t hold the Tigers (17-11) in the bottom of the 10th as Oneonta went on to win 3-2.

The game was scoreless until the 5th inning.  Niko Vasquez had a lead off double to get things going for Batavia.  Ivan Castro got on base right after on a fielding error by the Tiger’s shortstop.  Both advanced a base during the next at-bat when Beau Riportella grounded out.  Ryan Jackson then came up with a RBI base hit to score Vasquez and Castro came home later on a wild pitch.

Oneonta answered right back, scoring two of their own in the bottom of the inning.  The game remained tied until the Tigers were able to plate the winning run in the bottom of the tenth on base hits.

LaCurtis Mayes (0-2, 1.54) suffered the loss, pitching through the last two outs letting in the winning run on three hits with one strikeout.  Deryk Hooker was the starter.  He went five innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.  Joe Kelly and Santo Maertz threw two innings each, both giving up one hit while striking out two.

D’Marcus Ingram continued to stay hot on the road in July.  He was the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4 with a walk. 

Attica's Derek Wolfley coming home

By Brian Hillabush

Former Attica standout Derek Wolfley received a Division I basketball scholarship to Iona College last season, and played in 25 games during his freshman season.

But now he's coming home.

The 6-foot-7 forward has decided to take his college basketball career to the University at Buffalo, where he expects to see more playing time next season.

Attica's all-time leading scorer with 1,474 points and 932 rebounds averaged 7.5 minutes per game for the Gaels, while scoring 1 point and 0.9 rebounds per contest.

He will be playing as a walk-on next year but will have an opportunity for a basketball scholarship because six seniors will graduate from next year's UB squad.

S.C. Genesee Lancers ladies take first place at u19 Gates Tournament

By Chris Chilano

The Lancers took first place at the 2009 Gates Tournament July 18-19.

Game one saw the Lancers defeat Oakville (Canada) U19's by the score of 2-0. Emily Starowitz and Kaylie Ewers both scored, off assists by Kasey Welch. Game #2 was a 4-0 win over Niagara Pioneer. Ewers got the team going off an assist from Julia Medwid. Jessie Jaszko then took a Medwid assist and went in on a breakaway and scored. Welch would then score on a PK just minutes later. Julia Medwid finished her great game with a well deserved tally off a Lin Wellspeak assist.

Sunday brought a 1-0 win over Gates Metros-I. Kasey Welch scored on a free kick from 25 yards out in extra time to win the game.

The final saw the ladies defeat the Gates Metros-II by the score of 1-0 as Brooke Mallaber's first half goal, off a Jenna Ferrando assst, was all the ladies needed. Leslie George made 6 saves in the final to post her 4th shutout of the weekend. The Lancers defense of Jenna Ferrando, Audrey Rath, Jenn Lonnen, Jamie Braswell, Mallaber, and Alesha Amend was fantastic all weekend.

Congrats to the team for a great weekend! 

Members: Jessie Jaszko, Kaylie Ewers, Brooke Mallaber, Lin Wellspeak, Brittany Hein, Ali Malinowski, Emily Starowitz, Emilie Rath, Audrey Rath, Alesha Amend, jamie Braswell, Julia Medwid, Kasey Welch, Brittany Luckey,  Jenna Ferrando, Leslie George, and Jenn Lonnen.

The team is coached by Chris Chilano and sponsored by TF Brown's, SJ Starowitz, and Lewis & Lewis, P.C.

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