Sports

The Auburn Doubledays erased a two-run deficit with two-run rallies in the seventh and eight innings on Sunday to beat Batavia in a first-round playoff game at Dwyer Stadium, 4-2.

Ryan Kinney, who has been perhaps the Muckdogs ' best starter of 2023, took the loss, going 6 1/3 inning, giving up four earned runs and six hits. He had not previously surrendered more than two earned runs and three hits in a game.  He finishes the season at 4-1. His season ERA doubled after today's loss, from 0.84 to 1.64.

The Muckdogs scored both of their runs in the second inning.  Kyle Hetherington reached first on an error after striking out. Matt DeStefano followed with a double to right, scoring Hetherington. Trey Bacon singled. Chad Falcon reached first on an error by the first baseman, and DeStefano scored.

But with Auburn's rallies, the season came to an unexpected early end for the Western Division's #1 seed/

Photos by Nick Serrata.

With a convincing win over Niagara Power on Saturday and loss by Elmira, the Batavia Muckdogs clinched the Western Division in the regular season finale at Dwyer Stadium.

Batavia won 9-2.

This is the second consecutive Western Division crown of the Muckdogs, coming in their third season in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. The team has posted winning records in all three seasons while being managed by Joey Martinez.

Michael Pedraza came on in relief with one out in the fourth inning with Batavia up 6-0 and got credit for the win. Pedraza went 3 2/3 innings, giving up three hits, one run, and striking out four.  He finishes the regular season at 4-2 and a 3.85 ERA.

Hilton resident Preston Prince started, going 4 1/3 innings, surrendering three hits, five walks and one unearned run.

Caleb Rodriguez went 2-3 for the team's only multi-hit game.

Matt DeStefano, from Westbury, went 1-4 and drove in four runs.  DeStefano ends the regular season with a .321 average, smacking 21 hits and driving in 13 runs while gathering 11 walks.

The playoffs for the Muckdogs (27-16) start at Dwyer Stadium this evening (Sunday) against the Auburn Doubledays (23-19), who knocked off Elmira on Saturday, to help Batavia get the #1 seed in the Western Division postseason.

The Batavia Muckdogs close out the regular season at Dwyer Stadium tonight with a chance to repeat as Western Division champions on the line.

Trailing the Elmira Pioneers by mere percentage points, the Muckdogs need a win against Niagara Power after a doubleheader split on Friday against Newark.

Batavia won the first game 2-0 behind the pitching of Rijnaldo Euson and Garrett Beaver.

Euson tossed six innings of shutout ball, scattering five hits and fanning eight. Euson finishes the regular season with a record of 3-1 and an ERA of 2.48. He amassed 35 strikeouts.

Beaver picked up his second save in 12 relief appearances. He's 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA.

Lucas Lopez reached base three times, twice on a walk and once with a hit in three plate appearances.

Newark took the second game 4-2.

For Batavia, Lopez was 2 for 3 and Kyle Hetherington went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Muckdogs are 26-16 and Elmira is 27-16.

The best part of teaching golf to a bunch of kids is seeing how much fun they had, said local Pro Tom Tucker.

About a dozen years ago, Tucker founded the Batavia Country Club Junior Golf Camp.

"I like seeing the kids have fun, and every once in a while, we have somebody who really has some golf DNA in them, and it's fun watching them progress as golfers," Tucker said. "And I like being with the kids. It helps keep me young."

Tucker has been a United States Golf Teachers Federation certified instructor since 2005. He's been listed as a Top 100 teaching pro by the World Golf Teaching Federation since 2010.

The annual summer camp is broken into two groups.  This week the camp is filled to capacity -- 25 students -- with 7 to 10-year-olds.  Next week, the 12 to 15-year-old group arrives at Batavia Country Club.

Each group gets a week of instruction, practice and competition, with a tournament on Friday.

For the younger students, the focus is more on ensuring the kids learn to enjoy the game of golf while older students are given a bit more instruction.  Both groups compete in chipping, pitching, lag putting, accuracy putting, and drives. The winners of each competition receive a medal. 

"We've produced a lot of good golfers," Tucker said.  Some students have gone on to play for their high school teams, Tucker said.

Tucker, this year is assisted by Roxanne Noth and Dominic NiCastro.

For more information on the golf camp and photos from past years, visit TomTuckerGolf.com.

Photos by Howard Owens

The New York Sire Stakes will be on hand at Batavia Downs for opening night of the 2023 summer/fall season on Wednesday (July 26) when seven 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings line up for a big payday of $106,300. With only a handful of starts among this relatively even group, it could be anyone’s race to win as these fast-developing freshmen can throw a big mile at any time from week to week.

The oddsmaker’s choice is the two-for-one entry of Bargain (Chapter Seven-Batoutahill) and Keep Asking (Chapter Seven-Sensibility).

Bargain has two wins and a second in three starts this year while showing versatility over three different-size tracks. One of those wins was a victory in the $77,300 NYSS at Yonkers in his first career outing in 1:59.1. The following week, he lowered his lifetime mark of 1:56.4 at the Meadowlands, closing in: 27.3 in the $20,000 event. His current earnings of $62,525 have him listed as the sixth richest 2-year-old male trotter in North America, and he is poised to add to that total in this race. Bargain likes the front end and, leaving from post four, should definitely be in charge of this group from the start.

James McDonald will steer Bargain for trainer Nancy Takter.

Keep Asking has yet to win in two starts but recovered nicely after an early break in his first start to finish second in the NYSS at Yonkers and then bounced back with a fourth place, 1:56 clocking at Tioga Downs where he was parked for the better part of the mile. Post-seven may be a tough task.

Jim Morrill Jr. will be in the bike behind Keep Asking for trainer George Ducharme.

A big threat will be looming from Situationship (Chapter Seven-Meegan Hall), who made a big three-wide move at three-quarters last week in the NYSS at Tioga, where he finished second in 1:55.1 off a: 28.4 final quarter. Situationship has displayed extreme closing speed in two 2-year-old non-betting events this year at Meadowlands and will be stalking the leader in the last stages of this race.

Trainer Ake Svanstedt will also be driving Situationship.

There are also three $20,000 Excelsior divisions in races two, four, and six.

Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. The races can be viewed free and live at the Batavia Downs Facebook page and free full past performance programs can always be downloaded for every live race card from the Batavia Downs website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the live racing tab.

Things did not go the Muckdogs way against Niagara Power on Tuesday, but Batavia managed to retain a slender lead in the Western Division of the PGCBL.

Batavia lost 9-2, giving up 16 hits and committing two errors.

Ty Woods was down 3-0 when he was lifted after three innings, having given up two earned runs on nine hits and two walks. 

Ben Weber was tagged for six runs and seven hits.

Thomas Blaydes stopped the bleeding with three hitless innings to close out the game.

The Muckdogs, with four games left in the season, are 25-14 with a half-game lead over Elmira (25-15).

Batavia has clinched a playoff spot for the post-season.

The Muckdogs travel to Niagara tonight. The team hosts Newark on Thursday at Dwyer Stadium at 5 p.m.

With a doubleheader sweep of Geneva on Sunday, the Batavia Muckdogs are 25-13 on the season and a game up in the Western Division standings of the PGCBL.

In the first game, Batavia won 12-1.

Preston Prince, from Hilton, tossed all five innings of the first game, giving up only one hit while walking three and striking out nine.

Lucas Lopez went 3-4 and drove in seven runs. Josh Leadem was 1-2 with two walks and two RBIs.

In the second game, Batavia won 9-2. 

Ryan Kinney went the distance in the seven-inning game, improving to 4-0 on the season with a 0.84 ERA. He scattered three hits and gave up two unearned runs while striking out eight.

Giuseppe Arcuri went 1-4 and drove in two runs.

The next home game for the Muckdogs is Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. against Niagara Power.

A four-run ninth inning brought the Batavia Muckdogs back from a 6-2 deficit against division rival the Jamestown Tarp Skunks before the home team won in dramatic fashion, 7-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

In the ninth, Trey Bacon opened with a walk, followed by a Sean Ladd single. 

After Justin Espinal lined into a double play, Josh Leadem walked. Lucas singled to load the bases. 

With the bases juiced, one of Batavia's hitting stars of 2023, Giuseppe Arcuri, doubled, driving in Bacon and Leadem.

Lopez and Arcuri scored on a single by the team's leading hitter, Adam Agresti, to tie the score.

In the 10th, the Muckdogs started with Christian Bernadini on second base. The Tarp Skunks gave Brice Mortillaro an intentional walk. Matt DeStefano drew a walk, and then Bernardini scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Bacon pitched the 10th inning and was credited with the win, walking one and striking out two. Bacon's season ERA remains 0.00.

Julian Pichardo pitched the first third of an inning, giving up one walk and one run. Ty Woods came on in the third and tossed seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs while striking out six. Woods, from Alexander and a GCC student, has a 2.41 ERA on the season.

Lopez was 2-5 with a run scored. Agresti, now hitting .341, was 2-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Arcuri, now hitting .316, was 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored. DeStefano, hitting .283 on the season, was 204 with a walk.

The Muckdogs are now 22-12 with about a week left in the season, a half-game out of first place in the PGCBL Western Division. Elmira leads the division at 22-12. Jamestown is in third at 19-13, two games out of first, and a 3.5 games out of first is Niagara Power at 18-15.

The Muckdogs fell out of first place with a loss to Jamestown on Tuesday, 7-3.

Next up, Newark (9-22) at home on Friday at 6:35 p.m.

It was Wrestling Mayhem at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Sunday, with 375 people attending. 

The event drew wrestling fans from as far away as Denver as well as Erie, PA.

Empire State Wrestling participants competed in single, tag-team and title belt matches.

Kati Murray, rink manager said it was well received by many in the community, with positive comments on social media, and the promoter said it was a great venue for the event.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

For the first time in more than a month, the Batavia Muckdogs have lost two games in a row, falling to Niagara Power on Monday in Niagara, 6-3.

On Sunday, the Muckdogs lost at home to Newark 4-2.

Batavia, at 21-12, still leads the Western Division of the PGCBL, but the lead has narrowed to just a half-game over Emira (20-12) and 1.5 games over Jamestown (18-12).

Jamestown hosts Batavia tonight (Tuesday) for the first of two games between the teams. 

On Wednesday, the Tarp Skunks play the Muckdogs at Dwyer Stadium.  Game time is 6:35 p.m.

There are 10 regular season games left on Batavia's schedule.

The losing pitcher for Batavia on Monday was Rijnaldo Euson, who went four innings, giving up four runs, three earned, and six hits.  He had seven strikeouts and is now 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA.

Starter Ben Weber went four innings, giving up two runs on six hits.

The Muckdogs' offense collected seven hits.

Press Release:

Pembroke hosted the all-star championship versus TriTown Thursday and won soundly, 11-3. Their matchups are always a battle through and through, and this game was no exception. 

The ace, Mason Weatherbee took the win with 5 strikeouts and pitching 5 innings. Connor Caleb once again dominated behind the plate for the Dragons.

Gavin Liss, Michael Gorski and Harlan Campbell were solid defensively, along with Logan Anderson who snagged two outs in right field. Carter Thaine closed out the mound for Pembroke.

Carter Lang had a 3 RBI shot to center field, and Connor Lang hit a straight shot home run over center field. Hits by Luke Windnagle, Jackson Loggins, Joe Kohorst and Charles Stringham helped secure the win.

Submitted photos by Allison Lang

The Batavia Muckdogs hosted clients of Arc GLOW at Dwyer Stadium on Saturday for the agency's annual Challenger Baseball Day.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

The Muckdogs split a doubleheader at home with the Elmira Pioneers on Thursday, winning game one 11-4 and dropping the nightcap 5-3.

Victor Alongi, from Greece and a GCC student, led the offense in the first game, going 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Rashad Robinson was 2-2 with a walk, three runs scored, and two RBIs.

The winning pitcher was Jack Keeler, going four innings and giving up two hits, walking none while striking out six. He's now 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA.

In the second game, Robinson went 2-2 with a walk.

Julian Pichardo took the loss, going five innings and giving up four runs, three earned while striking out seven. He's now 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA.

Batavia is now 21-10 and still on top on the Western Division of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

The Knights of Columbus Kirby council 325 sponsored the night at the ballpark in honor of celebrating their 125th anniversary that was chartered on April 25th, 1898.  The assembly colorguard and members of the council attended the event.  They also held a 50/50 raffle where the winner took home $205.00.

At 6:35 p.m. tonight (Friday), the Muckdogs play a non-league game against Rochester at Dwyer Stadium.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League announced its mid-season All-Stars for each division and four players from the Batavia Muckdogs made the roster.

They are Julian Pichardo, Trey Bacon, Giuseppe Arcuri, and Adam Agresti.

We don't have a photo of Trey Bacon, of Santa Fe College. He is 1-1 with five saves, for the league lead, over eight innings pitched.  He hasn't given up an earned run and has nine strikeouts.

Entering the bottom of the eighth inning in their game against the Geneva Red Wings at Dwyer Stadium on Tuesday, the Batavia Muckdogs were in danger of dropping their second game in a row for the first time since mid-June when the team rallied for four runs and a 5-2 win.

With one out, Cam Carignan reached base on a walk. Rashad Robinson followed with a double, driving in Carignan to tie the game. An infield single by Josh Leadem put runners at first and third. Lucas Lopez singled to right, driving in Robinson to give Batavia the lead at 3-2.  Lopez stole second.

With two outs after Adam Agresti struck out, the Red Wings gave Giuseppe Acuri a free pass. 

Trey Bacon walked, scoring Leadem.  Cristian Bernadini singled to center, scoring Lopez.  Arcuri was thrown out at the plate trying to score, ending the inning.

Jacob Bruning, from Gasport, recorded the final three outs in his first appearance of the season to get the save. He struck out two batters.

Michael Pedraza (3-1)  got the final out on a strikeout in the top of the eighth, making him the winning pitcher.

Alexander's Ty Woods started and went five innings, giving up two unearned runs, three hits and striking out six Red Wings.

Lopez was named Player of the Game, going 3-4 with a run scored, RBI, and stolen base.  Robinson was 2-3 with a run scored, RBI, and a double.

Arcuri was 1-2 with two walks.

Nicholas Franceschi took the loss for Geneva, giving up four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Geneva's starter Drew Mun went evening innings and fanned seven giving up only one run.

Batavia remains atop the Western Division of the PGCBL at 20-9, 2.5 games ahead of Jamestown.

After a day off today, Batavia plays at home on Thursday against Elmira.  Game time is 5 p.m.

For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.

It's been a rarity these days, but the Batavia Muckdogs lost a game to a division rival on Monday, falling 4-3 to the Jamestown Tarp Skunks in extra innings.

Reliever Trey Bacon took the loss after coming on with one out in the 10th, getting a strikeout before giving up a single to  Drew Garth, who would eventually come around to score an unearned run.

Giuseppe Arcuri stayed hot, going 2-3 with a run scored, a double, and a walk.  Caleb Rodriguez went 2-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

The Muckdogs are 19-9 with a two-game lead over Jamestown (15-9) in the West.

At 6:35 tonight (Tuesday), the Muckdogs take on Geneva to start a run of five consecutive home games, which includes games on Thursday, on July 13, July 14 (non-league game), July 15, and July 16.

In other Muckdogs news, Batavia's 2021 starting shortstop Charlie Szykown was taken in the ninth round of the MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants.

Youngsters from throughout the community are fast learning the game of football in preparation for their first game on Sunday in the Davello Youth Flag Football League.

The team, coached by Ray Williams, was at Lions Park yesterday (Sunday) preparing for that big game.

Williams said he started the program in Batavia because his friend Jay Rob in Medina was looking for some help with the leag.

"I was already planning something for Batavia already, so decided to have teams in Medina and Batavia and surrounding areas to play each other," Williams said.

The program is about teaching kids the basics of football, Williams said.

"It’s a skill development program as well as flag football," Williams said. "There aren’t too many skill development programs for our youth for football, so we figured we would start them young learning and understanding the game."

Besides Batavia and Medina, there are programs in Albion and Lockport. The Batavia program includes kids from Oakfield, Pembroke, and Alexander.

The age group is 5 to 16 for both boys and girls.

Teams are broken down by age groups: 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, and 14-16 

Games will be played each Sunday through Aug. 29.

Assistant coaches are Otis Thomas, Harry Roscoe, Tim King, Tre Woods, Ray Tooley, Patrick Tyler, and Erica Williams.

Photos by Howard Owens