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Batavia Downs driver hurt in spill, will race again Wednesday

By Howard B. Owens

A 38-year-old driver was injured during the ninth race last night at Batavia Downs.

Kevin Cummings, who was driving 13-year-old square-gaiter Devilinhiseyes, suffered a spill and sustained injuries to his hip and elbow, according to a statement issued by Todd Haight, spokesman for Batavia Downs.

Haight quotes Cummings:

I’m really not sure what happened. Things got tight and the race bike got jerked from underneath me. When the left wheel tipped sideways I knew I was in trouble. I just let go of the lines and landed on the ground.

My hip is really bruised, that’s where I hit the ground and my elbow has a hole in it. I lost a chunk of skin. It's really sore today.

The accident occurred going into the first turn, during the ninth race, a $4,000 claiming trot.

Cummings, a father of four, plans to return to racing on Wednesday night.

Devilinhiseyes was uninjured in the incident, nor were any other drivers or horses hurt.

Scott Schneider

By Bea McManis

Good luck, Scott.  Quad Cities is getting a star in the making.

 

Muckdog moves up

By Peter O'Brien

The Muckdog that Chelsea and I have been hosting this season got the phone call last night.  Scott Schneider will be leaving our home today to head to Quad Cities and join his former teammates. He is the second pitcher to be called up from Batavia.

Chelsea and I will miss having him around and wish him the best of luck.

Batavia Little League planning upgrades to MacArthur facility

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia Little League is planning a series of upgrades to the ball field at MacArthur Park. The plans include construction of new, larger dugouts, a remodeled concession stand and a new, second batting cage.

The Little League will build the improvements and pay for it through its own fundraising and then donate the improvements to the city. The donation of the completed project to the city is required by law.

Hole-in-one reported at Batavia Country Club

By Howard B. Owens

We received this from Mark Pflaumer:

Jim Hall of Barre shot a hole-in-one on the third hole at Batavia Country  Club this afternoon.  Witnessed by Rick Pcionek, Mark Pflaumer and Kevin  Bezon

Jack Sparrow best in feature race at Batavia Downs

By Howard B. Owens

Photo: Copyright 2009 Paul White. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Press Release:


BATAVIA, NY – Tonight marked the second Friday of Live Racing here at America’s Oldest Lighted Harness Track.  Patrons enjoyed a fine evening and an excellent card with two feature races of the best trotters in Western New York.  The first event was the ninth race on the card and open handicap trot, with the 3-1 morning line favorite and Yonkers invader Light Headed among the field.  The ninth had a purse of $9,000.  The second feature was the eleventh race, the open handicap II trot with a purse of $7,500.

Racing to victory in this evening’s first feature contest was Jack Sparrow with driver-trainer Jim McNeight at the controls, trotting to the mile in 1:59.2.  Behind for the place was Australian Shock and Kevin Cummings.  Zapphappy Kash with Clint Galbraith rounded out the money for the open trot.  Jack Sparrow took the early lead and only gave it up briefly just after the ¼ pole but gained back control quickly in time to do the ½ in 1:00.1.  Jack Sparrow led the way to the wire and held off Australian Shock after a late surge from the pocket coming down the final stretch to give Jim McNeight a driving double.  Michael Callmeri of Falconer, NY, owns this 6-year-old chestnut gelding by Humorous Harry.  The winning mutuel price was $6.00.

Taking tonight’s open II trot at the wire was Manfromnantucket with Jack Flanigen in the sulky.  The duo trotted the mile in 2:01.2, with Ima Cricket Also and Kevin Cummings in for the place.  Roy and Steven Lindell completed the generous $887.00 trifecta.  Ima Cricket Also led the way and began to see a surging Manfromnantucket after the ¾ pole and Kevin Cummings could not hold off the fast closing Manfromnantucket at the wire.  Manfromnantucket is a 4year-old gelding by Giant Hit.  He is owned by trainer Allan McCarty of Hamburg owns him.  Tonight’s winning mutuel price for the eleventh race was $36.20.

The 2009 meet at Batavia Downs Casino will continue this Saturday evening.  Be sure to come out this as we celebrate the career of famed double-gaited gelding and world record setter Excalibur by rolling back prices on Zweigles hot dogs and soda to just 50 cents each!  These special prices are valid anytime between 5:30 and 10:30 PM in the Paddock Room. Thrilling harness racing action gets underway 7:05p.m. 

Jeff Rizzo, Marketing Intern
jrizzo@westernotb.com

Batavia Downs honors trotting record of Excalibur

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia Downs is celebrating a world record set in 1977 by a horse named Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls. Excalibur set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939.

Full press release after the jump:

Batavia, NY --- It was one of the biggest nights in Batavia Downs history. A new world record and new track record in the same night, and it came 32 years ago.

Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls, set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record, set earlier in his career. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939. His time was 4:07.5, performed in an era before time was kept in fifths of a second.

Later that same evening Stanley Dancer would team the great pacing filly Mistletoe Shalee to a new track record, when she went wire-to-wire in 1:59.1, in a New York Sire Stakes event for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

On Saturday night (August 8), Batavia Downs Casino continues its tradition of honoring a horse that has a profound impact in the history of harness racing in Western New York. This year we honor Excalibur, the locally owned horse that set the world record back in 1977.

The sensational double-gaited gelding came on the local scene as a pacer in 1972 when Fred Haslip and Paul Zambito, Jr. purchased him for $3,500, an excellent investment considering he made his owners almost $200,000 lifetime. Driver, trainer, and co-owner Haslip used Excalibur predominately as a pacer until he was a 6-year-old, but noticed he did not take kindly to hobbles.

“I never dreamed he wanted to trot until 1974 when I had trouble getting him going in training. He had been a decent pacer up until that point and was making money, but he wasn’t happy on the pace,” Haslip remarked in 1977.

Additionally, upon further investigation in 1974, Haslip discovered that Excalibur’s mother, Spanish Lady, was a royally bred trotting mare.

His best mile as a pacer was 2:03.3, set in 1974.

Between 1975 and 1977, Haslip used Excalibur to his strength as a double-gaited gelding, competing in pacing and trotting events each year. However after the 1977 season Excalibur would strictly remain on the trot.

During his career he would start 169 times and make 50 winner's circle appearances. He notched 12 victories with hobbles on and 38 as a square gaiter. Excalibur raced until the veteran age of 14, retiring in 1982. His combined lifetime earnings were $196,668.

He was always a force in the featured trotting events at Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway and because of his uniqueness, a fan favorite.

Come out to Batavia Downs Casino this Saturday as we honor the gusty gelding by rolling back prices to 1977. Zweigles hot dogs and sodas will be just 50 cents beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Paddock Room all night long. The Batavia Downs program will feature a special four-page insert with newspaper clippings and photos of Excalibur, as we take a walk down memory lane.

Todd Haight
Promotional Marketing Specialist
Batavia Downs Casino

Late Rally Not Enough For Muckdogs

By Mollie Radzinski

A three-run bottom of the 9th put Batavia (22-26) within one run, but that’s all they could do as Brooklyn (30-17) got the sweep by a score of 5-4.

The Muckdogs scored their first run in the 5th to tie things up.  Beau Riportella walked, stole second base and then came home on a single by Michael Swinson.  The Cyclones scored four more through the last three innings to make it a 5-1 game before the Muckdogs tried to make things interesting.

In the bottom of the 9th, the rally started on a single by Kyle Conley, a walk by Devin Goowin and a single by Travis Mitchell to load the bases.  Jon Edwards followed with a single of his own for a RBI.  Swinson then hit a sacrifice fly to score another.  During the next at-bat, Ryan Jackson had a base hit to score Mitchell for the last run of the night.

Justin Edwards lasted five innings in the start with one run, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.  Jesse Simpson (0-1, 6.00) followed him to get the loss.  He went three innings with two runs, five hits, two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Lavigne struggled a bit in the 9th, going two-thirds of an inning with two runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Leach threw two pitches to get a pop out to end the inning.

Matthew Adams had the only multi-hit night.  He finished 2-for-5.

Agosti takes first four at Batavia Downs

By Howard B. Owens

Press Release:

BATAVIA, NY – It was a fine summer night in Western New York for harness racing, and an even better night for driver Tom Agosti as he drove home the first four contests on the Wednesday night program. 

This evening’s feature event was the tenth race on the card, an Open pace for fillies and mares with a purse of $9,000.

Hitting the wire first in the weekly distaff feature was the 8/5 favorite Jezzabell Hotspur with Chris Page at the lines, pacing to the mile in 1:57.1 for her 11th win of the season.  In for the place was Pauline Seelster with Tom Agosti in the sulky to complete the $19.20 exacta.  Spacie Jessie and James Dunn came in for the show for her 2009 Batavia Downs Debut .The fractions for Jezzabell Hotspur were 28.1, 58.4, and 1:28, respectively.  Jezzabell Hotspur led wire-to-wire, with driver Chris Page having to ask for more speed around the final turn as Pauline Seelster and Spacie Jessie closed in, but she had enough to stay on top for the win..  Jezzabell Hotspur is a 7-year-old mare by Anthony P.  Betty Tauber of East Brunswick, NJ owns her.  Sherri Holliday is the trainer.  The winning $2 mutuel price was $5.20.

Jeff Rizzo, Marketing Intern
jrizzo@westernotb.com

Picture: Jezzabell Hotspur with Chris Page holding on in Downs feature.
 

Conley Stays Hot, But Batavia Loses 6-4

By Mollie Radzinski

New Muckdog Kyle Conley had two homeruns, supplying three of Batavia’s (22-25) four runs, but Brooklyn (30-17) plated six to get the win.

The Cyclones jumped on board first in the 1st inning but the Muckdogs answered right back in the 2nd and 3rd, scoring once in each inning.  Conley had a solo shot in the 2nd.  Then in the 3rd, Ryan Jackson walked and came home on a Matthew Adams double.

But a one-run 4th, three-run 5th and one more run in the 9th for Brooklyn put the game away.  Batavia scored their other two runs in the 8th after Adams singled and Conley followed with his second homerun of the night.

Chris Corrigan went four innings in the start, giving up two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.  Andres Rosales (2-2, 8.25) got the loss, facing just six batters with three runs, two hits and two walks.  Justin Smith had a good outing; he pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th with two walks and six strikeouts.  Josh Squatrito finished out the game, pitching the 9th with one run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

With his two homeruns, Conley finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.  He is batting .500 with three homeruns and two doubles in three games as a Muckdog.  Adams was also 2-for4 with a double and a RBI and Alan Ahmady went 3-for-5 with a double of his own.

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.

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