Sports

After sweeping the Auburn Doubledays in a double header at home on Friday, the Batavia Muckdogs split a twin bill at Falcon Field in Auburn on Saturday.

The Muckdogs took the first game 3-1, and lost the second game 3-0.

Batavia is now 7-4 on the season.

Jack Keeler went six innings giving up on earned run to pick up the win, his first W of the season.

Trey Bacon pitched a scoreless seventh for his fourth save.

Anthony Calabro hit a triple, his one hit of the game, scored a run and picked up an RBI.

In the second game, Preston Prince, from Hilton, lasted four innings, giving up three runs, two earned, and only two hits, but yielded four walks. He struck out three. He was tagged with his first loss in three appearances.

The Muckdogs are back home on Monday to play Newark.  Game time is 6:35 p.m.

The Genesee County Spartans outlasted the Ithaca Warriors, 16-12, in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action Saturday night at Genesee Community College.

After Ithaca scored on an interception in the game's opening minutes, the Spartans took the lead for good with 24 seconds left in the first quarter on a five-yard run by fullback Brandon Bethel and the point-after kick by Marc Montana.

The home team made it 13-6 midway through the second quarter on a 70-yard burst up the middle by Jed Reese, who burst through the line and ran untouched to the end zone.

Montana's 28-yard field goal gave the Spartans a 16-6 lead early in the third quarter. Ithaca scored on a touchdown pass with 1:09 left in the game.

The game was marked by more than a dozen turnovers and at least that many penalties, including several personal fouls (and a couple of ejections) for unsportsmanlike conduct.

For the Spartans, Cody Wenner, Amir Cleveland, Tre Woods, Keith Neureuter and Max Rapone had interceptions, with Rapone's play ending a last-ditch effort by Ithaca in the closing seconds.  Defensive end Gunner Rapone had another outstanding game for Genesee.

The Spartans, 2-1, are home again next Saturday for a 7 p.m. clash against the Broome County Stallions.

Photos by Nick Serrata

Empire State Pullers hosted a tractor pull at the WNY Gas & Steam Engine Association Show Grounds in Alexander on Saturday. Photographer Nick Serrata was on hand for The Batavian to capture the 4x4 Street Legal Trucks Pull.

Batavia lost its bid on Saturday to become the first Flag Football champions in Section V history at Monroe Community College with a 20-0 loss to Canisteo-Greenwood.

Batavia entered the game undefeated at 8-0 and as the #1 seed.  Canisteo was 7-1 at the start of the game.

It would be tempting to blame the loss on turnover -- there were a couple but were mostly inconsequential -- and penalties -- there were a few.

But more, Canisteo-Greenwood outplayed the Blue Devils.

After stopping Batavia on its first possession, Canisteo scored on its first drive. And on its second.

Batavia advanced the ball to the opposing goal line at least three times, but Canisteo-Greenwood keep the Blue Devils out of the end zone each time. 

There are no stats available for the game.

Photos by Howard Owens.  For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.

The Batavia Muckdogs are back at Dwyer Stadium tonight (Saturday) after beating Geneva on their turf on Friday, 10-6.

Player stats:

• Julian Pichardo got the win after going six innings with no walks and 10 Strikeouts.
• Trey Bacon collected his five career save and a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings of work.
• Anthony Calabro went 2-4 with two runs, a double, an RBI, and a stolen base.
• Henry Daniels went 2-4 with two runs, and a double.
• Giuseppe Arcuri went 2-4 with two RBIs.
• Brice Mortillaro went 1-2 with two Runs, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.

Game time is 6:35 p.m.

Eastridge got on the board first, but it was all Batavia after that, as the Blue Devils went on to win a smoke-delayed, and then rain-delayed, Flag Football sectional semifinal playoff game on Friday at Van Detta Stadium.

The final: 27-6. 

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was canceled because of poor air quality due to wildfires in Canada.

On Friday, Batavia scored 27 unanswered points in the first half on scores by Julia Clark (twice), and Isabella Walsh and a TD keyed off an interception by Jaimin McDonald. Then the rain came, causing another delay.

There was no scoring in the second half.

Batavia plays in the first-ever Section V Flag Football final at 11 a.m. today (Saturday) at Monroe County Community College.  Batavia, the #1 seed, will take on #2 seed Canisteo-Greenwood (7-1) for the Class B title.

"We found ways to win," Coach Ben Buchholz told he team. "We found ways to make big plays, and that’s exactly what good teams do.   We finally started to click; big players made big plays.  

Of the defense, he told them, "We had girls in some spots that did not play there all year. You stepped up, made plays for us, and that’s exactly what we needed, and I’m super proud of you.  We have a lot of unfinished business. Tomorrow let’s go win a block, let’s win this.  Let’s come in with the best version of us that we have had all year and let’s win this thing."

Game Highlights:

• Isabella Walsh - four receptions, 87 yards, a TD and a two-point conversion.
• Anna Varland -18 carries, 112 yards
• Julia Preston - two receptions, 39 yards
• Julia Clark - 127 yards passing. one passing TD, two rushing TDs.
• Jaimin Mcdonald - four Interceptions and nine flag pulls
• Alyssa Talone - six Flag Pulls
• Hannah Carney – Interception

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Press Release:

On June 3rd-June 4th from Dusk to Dawn the Byron-Bergen Track & Field team hosted their second Over Night Relay. Students started running the track at 8:46 p.m. and stopped at 5:34 a.m.

Both boy's and girl's teams had a baton that they had to keep moving at all times throughout the night. Each hour there were fun activities occurring as well. 

The results:

• The girl's team ran 305 laps, totaling 76 1/4 miles
• The boy's team ran 356 laps, totaling 89 miles

Photo submitted by Ashley Hill

Press Release:

On Monday, June 5, 10 Batavia High School students signed with their perspective colleges for the fall. 

Photos submitted by Emily Benedict

The leaders of Minor League Baseball, and, by extension, Major League Baseball, didn't think Batavia could support a professional baseball team, and those Lords of the game looked for years for an opportunity to relocate the New York-Penn League's founding member to another city.

That search for new ownership and a new venue lasted until MLB just got tired of the entire MiLB structure and shut down the historic NYPL.

MLB and MiLB leaders blamed the fans of Batavia, the region, and Dwyer Stadium itself for the lack of fan interest in the teams they were putting on the field. 

After all, they were bringing "prospects" to Batavia; young men with at least some slim chance of getting in a few major league innings before they moved on to other careers.  And once in a while, if you came to Dwyer Stadium often enough, you might get to see a future star pass through.  That should be enough, was the seeming assumption of baseball executives.

Turns out, maybe the problem wasn't the fans after all. Nor the facility.  Maybe the problem was that assumption.  

Maybe the men and women brought in to run the team, the leaders of the leagues, and the management of the MLB affiliates, which included, in recent years, the Cardinals and the Marlins, just didn't do the right things to generate fan interest in the game.

After head groundskeeper Cooper Thomson turned the turf of Dwyer Stadium into an All-Star Game-worthy surface, it still wasn't enough to keep the team in Batavia, and fans seemed to know it. They continued to only attend home games sporadically.  A night of 1,000 people in the stands was a good night.  It usually took Friday night fireworks to pack in more than 1,500 people.

On Tuesday night, 2,877 baseball fans held tickets for a Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League between two teams with rosters filled with young players who are far less likely, on average, to ever play a professional game, let alone reach the major leagues.

On Sunday, attendance was 2,808.

For the home opener on Saturday, attendance was perhaps a record for organized baseball in Batavia: 3,711.

Perhaps Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, who oversaw the destruction of the minor league system, should talk without Robbie and Nellie Nichols, the current owners of the Muckdogs, about how to promote baseball in a small town.

The main difference between the affiliated Muckdogs and the collegiate Muckdogs, William Bardenwerper told The Batavian before Tuesday's game, is the collegiate players are fan-friendly. They're out in the community. They talk with fans at games. They're friendly with the kids, always.

And that's by design.  From the day he arrived in Batavia in 2021, Robbie Nichols has talked about wanting players on his team who are willing to make themselves part of the community for the two summer months they're in Batavia.

Manager Joey Martinez wants to recruit the best baseball talent he can, and he thinks he and his staff have built a special and talented team for 2023, but he told The Batavian in a pre-season interview that character is also part of the recruiting evaluation.

"We try to just get guys that are going to come into this community and be a part of it," Martinez said. "(We want them to) represent the Muckdogs name everywhere and every day."

Bardenwerper said that community commitment is obvious and it's paying dividends. 

"Robbie and Nellie, the owners, as well as Joey Martinez, as manager, have fostered a community spirit," Bardenwerper said. "It's part of their responsibility in the summer to do everything they can to be there for the community, to support the community.”

Bardenwerper is a non-fiction writer who is working on a book that will look at the demise of the New York Penn-League through the lens of the Batavia Muckdogs. 

He spent a good deal of time in Batavia last season, attending games, interviewing fans, and getting to know the community and its love of baseball.  He wasn't around in the affiliated-Muckdogs days, but he's seen the community embrace the collegiate Muckdogs.

He said professional minor league players tend to be more distant. They quickly grow accustomed to playing before larger crowds, so they're less engaged with the fans.

"These players (the current Muckdogs) love interacting with the fans," Bardenwerper said. "They're often from smaller schools where they might get 100 people in the stands. Now they're playing in front of thousands of people.”

There's no doubt, Bardenwerper said, the quality of play isn't the same.  There are fewer pitchers throwing 95 mph, fewer home runs, and more errors, but collegiate baseball at this level has its advantages for baseball fans, as well, the writer noted.

"Joe Maddon (former major league manager) wrote that 35 percent of the at-bats in major league games these days, you do not need anybody on the field except a pitcher, a catcher and a batter (because 35 percent of at-bats now end in a strikeout or a home run), and until this year, because of the pitch clock, baseball became slow," Bardenwerper said.  "This baseball, the kind you see at these games, is like a throwback to what you used to see at games.  You see steals. You see hit-and-runs.  You see more extra-base hits. 

Joey Martinez is an aggressive manager.  There's more action on the basepaths. There's nobody with statistics, a spreadsheet, and a computer telling the manager every decision he should make.  This is more like going back and watching a baseball game in the 1980s.  The players aren't as gifted, but you could make the argument that games are a lot more fun to watch."

If not for the pandemic, Bardenwerper wouldn't be writing about the Muckdogs.  In 2019, he pitched his publisher on writing a book about the Appalachian League. He was going to visit all those small towns in 2020, get to know them and their teams, and chronicle small-town baseball through that lens. But the 2020 season got canceled by COVID, and by 2021, neither the Appalachian League nor the New York-Penn League existed.

Eliminating those leagues, at least according to the explanations given by MLB leaders, Bardenwerper said, made little sense.  The excuse given was MLB wanted to protect their precious and expensive talent from 12-hour bus trips and substandard stadiums.  While those might be valid complaints in leagues out west, it wasn't true of leagues in the Northeast.  For the most part, even in the NYPL, which had expanded its boundaries in recent years, teams were within a few hours of each other, and with a couple of exceptions in the Appalachian League, playing conditions were good.

"The reasons offered for contraction were disingenuous and not consistent with the teams that were contracted," Bardenwerper said.

But what has become MLB's loss has become Batavia's gain, especially for young fans who are made more a part of the atmosphere at Dwyer Stadium. Kids can get autographs, baseballs, and batting gloves from players at any time, even while there's action on the field. Young fans are never told not to bother players in the dugouts and bullpens.  The players never act like they don't hear the kids, turn a cold shoulder and walk away.

And that's an important part of the connection with the community, Bardenwerper said.

"The kids don't know the difference between these college kids and the next Bryce Harper," Bardenwerper said. "They just see these guys in cool uniforms signing autographs."

Given the fan-friendly atmosphere at Dwyer these days, it's doubtful many fans walked away from Tuesday's game dissatisfied, even though the home team fell to 2-2 on the young season with a loss to Niagara Power, 3-1.

Photos by Howard Owens. For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.

For the second night in a row, the Batavia Muckdogs played a home game in front of a sellout crowd and got another win, this time beating Niagara Power, 807.

Ryan Kinney picked up the win, going three innings and striking out five hitters.

Rijnaldo Euson came up with the save, getting one strikeout in his one inning of work.  

Neither pitcher allowed a hit nor a run.

Josh Leadem went 1-2 with two walks, two runs scored and three stolen bases.

Giuseppe Arcuri went 3-3 with one run, two RBIs, and a Walk.

The Muckdogs, now 2-1, take on Power again tonight at 6:35 p.m. There is currently no plan to reschedule the game.
 

Sports broadcasters need to be versatile and flexible, which are exactly the criteria for getting recognition by the Jim Nantz Awards, and former Batavia High School Student Griffin Della Penna demonstrated he has those skills to the judges this year.

The Sportscasters Talent Agency of America, which hands out the Nantz awards annually to call attention to the nation's best collegiate sportscasters, recognized Della Penna with an honorable mention.

“I knew that I should be up there,” Della Penna stated. “To get that recognition, I thought was really cool. It’s something that I want to go and just prove that I’m better than [honorable mention.]” 

Competitors must send in a highlight reel, around 20 minutes, that showcases different skill sets, such as the ability to call different games in different sports. Competitors must also showcase their ability to interview and be comfortable on camera. 

Della Penna began his collegiate career in his junior year while attending Canisius College. Della Penna called roughly 106 ESPN+ broadcasts his senior year and roughly 142 games total across 20 different sports. He recalls that some of his favorite memories were calling games in which his friends were playing. 

“I get to cover my friends,” Della Penna shared. “These are people I’ve gotten to know since I stepped foot on campus. Getting to cover my best friends on the baseball team … I don’t think that there’s many kids in the country who get to have that dynamic and have those memories.”

Looking ahead, Della Penna’s goal is to call great games at his graduate school, Syracuse. He hopes to eventually call some of the biggest games in the country.

“I feel like [Syracuse] will speed along the process of my career. I would love to stay in baseball, and eventually, I want to get to the national level.” 

The fledgling Genesee County Spartans defeated the New York Falcons, 13-0, in non-league semipro football action Saturday afternoon at Genesee Community College.

Head Coach Harry Rascoe’s squad shook off a sluggish first half as quarterback Alex Rood and halfback Jed Reese ran for touchdowns after intermission to turn back the Buffalo-based Falcons, who compete in the Gridiron Developmental Football League.

It was the first official game of the season for the Spartans, a member of the Northeastern Football Alliance.

“We had a couple of opportunities in the first half but kept on pounding the ball on the ground to finally take control,” Rascoe said, noting that the quartet of Rood, Reese, Rob Williams Jr. and Brandon Bethel combined for 200 yards rushing.

Rood scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter and Reese capped a long drive with a five-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Marc Montana kicked the point after touchdown after Rood’s score but missed the second attempt under windy conditions.

In the first half, the Spartans threatened early in the second quarter, using runs by Reese, Rood, Williams and Bethel to get to the Falcons’ 20 before an interception thwarted that drive. With about five minutes left, the home team advanced to the Falcons’ 2 but failed to capitalize.

“We were in the red zone four or five times and came up short; that’s something we definitely need to work on,” Rascoe said. “But our defense, behind (defensive ends) Gunner Rapone and T.J. Henderson dominated.”

Rapone was a force throughout, recording numerous tackles and combining with Henderson for four sacks. Defensive backs Brooks Boyle and Tre Woods each had an interception.

An enthusiastic crowd of about 600 turned out for the “Iron Reps Gym Game” at GCC’s new field, which is located behind the Richard C. Call Arena.

“On behalf of the players, a special thanks to all the fans who attended,” Rascoe said. “It really means a lot to see all the community support.”

The Spartans return to action at 7 p.m. next Saturday at Lockport.  The next home game (all home games are at GCC) is at 7 p.m. June 17 against Ithaca.

For more photos: https://www.facebook.com/JimBurnsSports

Perhaps the largest crowd in Dwyer Stadium history -- 3,711 fans -- watched a winning home opener of the 2023 season Saturday for the Batavia Muckdogs.

The Muckdogs defined the Elmira Pioneers 5-4.

Starter Julian Pichardo fanned eight and gave away no free passes over six innings 

Michael Pedraza was credited with the win after giving up two runs in the eighth inning, putting the Muckdogs behind 4-3, only to have Batavia battle back in the bottom half of the frame, scoring two runs, to regain the lead at 5-4.

Trey Bacon came on to record the save in the top of the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced, notching two Ks.

Offensively, Josh Leadem smashed a solo home run in the fourth inning to put the Muckdogs on the board, though they still trailed 2-1 at that point. Leadem was 1-3 on the night with a walk and two runs scored.

Anthony Calabro was 1-2 with two walks and two RBIs, driving in the final two runs of the game to secure put Muckdogs in the lead.

The Muckdogs are 1-1 on the new season.  Today, Sunday, at 4 p.m., the Muckdogs return to Dwyer Stadium to take on Niagara Power. They're home again on Tuesday, 6:35 p.m., again against Niagara.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

Submitted game story:

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish stole the lead late and defeated Gowanda Panthers 6-5 on Saturday at Frontier High School. 

The game was tied at five with Notre Dame batting in the top of the seventh when Hayden Groff's sac fly scored one run for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame built a four-run lead in the fifth inning and then held off Gowanda's charge. The Panthers managed four runs in the failed comeback. Tyler Smith, Blake Herman, and John Ondus powered the rally with RBIs.

The Irish got on the board in the second inning when a Gowanda error scored two runs

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Gowanda tied things up at five when Ondus singled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run.

After Notre Dame scored two runs in the top of the fifth, Gowanda answered with two of their own. Notre Dame scored when Hayden Groff singled on a 2-0 count, scoring two runs. Gowanda then answered when Smith singled on a 1-1 count, scoring two runs.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was the winning pitcher for Notre Dame. The righthander lasted two innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out two and walking zero.

Ondus took the loss for Gowanda Panthers Varsity. 

Bryceton Berry started the game for Notre Dame. The ace went five innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out six.

Cole Herman started the game for Gowanda. Herman surrendered three runs on three hits over two and two-thirds innings, striking out two

Groff led the Irish with two hits in three at-bats.

Ondus went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Gowanda Panthers Varsity in hits.

The Fighting Irish will next play Chatham of Section 2 on Friday at Maine-Endwell High School in the state semi-final.  Chatham is the defending Class C state champion and is currently ranked #1 in Class C by MaxPreps.

Photos by Pete Welker

The Batavia Muckdogs will be looking for a win tonight in their home opener at Dwyer Stadium at 6:35 p.m. after dropping their season opener in Elmira, 11-9.

In that game:

• Josh Leadem went 2-4, scoring two runs, with three RBIs, and collecting three stolen bases.
• Rashad Robinson went 2-3, scoring two runs, with a walk, and three stolen bases.
• Henry Daniels went 2-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a Walk.

CORRECTION: A Reader informs me I've gotten Jadyn's accomplishment all wrong.  She was competing in the Pentathlon, which is five events, with competitors scoring points in each event and the winner being the athlete with the most points. Mullen was far and away the winner of the event.

In addition to the three first-place finishes noted earlier in our post (below), she finished second in the Girls High Jump and second in Shot Put, for a total of 3,334 points. Anna Varland of Batavia came in second with 2,389 points.

We apologize to Mullen for the error.

It was a big day for Alexander's Jadyn Mullen at the state qualifiers in track and field held at Van Detta Stadium on Friday.

Mullen's wins:

• Girls 800 Meter Run, 2:19.57
• Girls 100 Meter Hurdles, 15.25
• Girls Long Jump, 5.52m
• Girls Outdoor Pentathlon, 3334

Other individual winners on the day:

• Nathan Canale, Batavia, Boys 1600 Meter Run  4:26.73  
• Campbell Riley, Batavia, Girls 2000 Meter Steeplechase,  7:30.33  
• Batavia, Girls 4x100 Meter Relay, 49.77
• Batavia, Girls 4x800 Meter Relay,   9:50.96
• Laurel Kania, Alexander, Girls High Jump, 5-03.00 
• Connor Domoy, Oakfield-Alabama, Boys 3000 Meter Steeplechase, 9:47.45

For complete results, click here.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Press Release:

Join us Sunday, June 11 for the 26th Annual Notre Dame Foundation Golf, Tennis, and Bocce Tournament. The event is hosted by Terry Hills Golf Course for Golf and Bocce and Batavia High School for tennis.

The event features:

• Four-Person Golf Scramble
• Bocce and Tennis Competition
• Beverages served throughout the day
• Cash Bar and Dinner following completion of the tournament

Registration for Golf begins at 11:30 a.m. Registration for Tennis and Bocce begins at Noon. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. (included with your registration).

This year the event is being held in honor of Bradley F. Rogers. Mr. Rogers was a devoted Notre Dame supporter, Notre Dame JV and Varsity Basketball coach as well as a Batavia High School track and golf coach.

He will be remembered as a respected educator with a passion for sports and an overwhelming love for his family.  We at Notre Dame take great pleasure in honoring him this year for the legacy he leaves behind.

Join us in supporting Notre Dame High School for a fun day of golf, tennis, bocce, prizes, food, and drinks. We hope to see you there!

Submitted photo from 2021

Submitted story:

Notre Dame lost a pitcher's duel Tuesday evening in Fillmore against D2 Champion Scio/Friendship.  

Scio opened up the game by scoring a run in the bottom of the first on two of their four base hits.

That one run held up through all seven innings of the contest as Scio pitcher Nevaeh Ross gave up only one hit and struck out 16 batters. 

Mia Treleaven thwarted Ross's bid for a no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning. 

Ross also led the Scio offense with two hits

In the Class B crossover game, Batavia lost to Wellsville, 15-0.