Sports

CenturyLink Field, home of the 12th man, Lambeau Field, home of the Lambeau leap, and Oracle Arena, the home of the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors all share one common denominator, home field means something. The crowd, the tradition and the history all seem to give the home team that added edge. 

For the Batavia Muckdogs (19-27) playing at home this season has meant absolutely nothing. They actually have a slightly better record on the road 10-14, compared to at home 9-14.

Now it would be naïve to compare Dwyer Stadium to CenturyLink or Lambeau Field, but in any sport, at any level, playing at home should mean something.

Coming into Sunday night’s game against the Vermont Lake Monsters (21-26), an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, the Muckdogs were one of the hottest teams in the New York-Penn League. Winners of seven of the last 10 games and having won five straight series to close within five games of the last wild card spot.

Travis Neubeck started on the mound for Batavia and in only his second professional start he pitched fairly well but struggled with his command all night.

“He didn’t have his best stuff but he went out there and competed,” Manager Angel Espada said.

Neubeck was able to get through four innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits while walking four.   

When Ayron Adames came in relief of Neubeck it was only a 3-2 game in favor of the Lake Monsters.

League All-Star, Stone Garrett tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when he hit his league-leading ninth home run of the year. Batavia tacked on another run later in the inning after Ryan Cranmer reached on an error by the third baseman. He moved to second on a wild pitch.

Cranmer scored to take a 4-3 lead when Alex Fernandez grounded to third, but it was misplayed by the third baseman for his second error of the inning and third in the game.

Adames shut down Vermont in the two innings he pitched. He only relinquished one hit and walked one batter, plus striking out two.

Everything seemed to be going the Muckdogs way and it looked like they were on their way to winning the first game of this three-game series, but the wheels fell of the wagon in the seventh.

LJ Brewster began the inning by striking out the first batter he saw, showing why earlier in the season he was called up to the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Marlins Advanced-A farm team. Unfortunately, the rest of the inning showed why he was back in Batavia.

Brewster walked Nick Collins and Chris Iriart on back-to-back four-pitch walks. Brett Siddall then hit a perfect double play ball to second baseman Fernandez, who in turn let the ball go off his glove, allowing Collins to score from second, tying the game at 4-4.

Now with runners at first and third, Skye Bolt singled to score Iriart easily. Left fielder Brandon Rawe inexcusably let the ball go under his glove and allowed Siddall to score all the way from first, making it 6-3.

Not expecting a bunt, third baseman Taylor Munden was playing well behind the base at third and Ryan Howell saw that and tried, and executed perfectly, a squeeze play, scoring Bolt from third and reaching first base himself, without even a throw.

Brewster’s nightmare of a game continued in the eighth when he allowed two more runs on three hits and one walk.

“Young pitchers, young players sometimes you try to do too much in certain situations and that’s part of the game,” Espada said. “It’s part of their learning experience as a professional.” 

The Lake Monsters added two more runs in the ninth inning off of Aneury Osoria to bring their total to 11. Batavia was able to score one run in the bottom of the ninth but the game was well decided by then.

As announced earlier in the week, the Muckdogs have an incredible six players selected to the All-Star team even though they have the worst record in the league. Both Anfernee Seymour and Stone Garrett were chosen and they showed why on Sunday.

Seymour went 3-for-4 with three singles, a run scored and an amazing four stolen bases, bringing his season total to 22, just one behind the league leader. Garrett went just 1-for-3 but he added to his league-leading home run tally and scored two runs.

“It’s a whole team effort and you don’t want to put the pressure on these young guys at this level because they are All-Stars,” Espada said.

The Muckdogs will return to Dwyer Stadium on Monday night to try and right the ship and get back to their winning ways. Game time is set for 7:05.

Photos from the Saturday matinee at the Attica Rodeo.

The rodeo concludes with a final performance at 2 p.m., Sunday.

For more rodeo coverage, visit the Wyoming County Free Press. Julia Ferrini has done a great job with it.

Recommend viewing of the slideshow: Full-screen mode.

Press release:

The 2015 New York-Penn League All-Star roster will include six players from Batavia, which is the second highest in the league. They will send infielders Brad Haynal and Anfernee Seymour, outfielder Stone Garrett and pitchers Nestor Bautista, Steven Farnworth and Jordan Holloway to the game to be held Tuesday, Aug. 18th at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, home of the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Haynal, a 18th round pick in the 2014 draft, has played in 39 games for the Muckdogs this year and has been among the league leaders in hitting all season. Haynal currently ranks eighth in the league in hitting, with a .313 batting average, tenth in slugging percentage at .444 and his 13 doubles is tied for second in the league.

Anfernee Seymour was an undrafted free agent signing by the Marlins in 2014 and has started 35 games at shortstop for the Muckdogs this season. The speedster is currently second in the league in stolen bases with 17. He is currently batting .281 with 23 runs scored, six doubles and seven RBIs.

An 8th round pick in the 2014 draft, Garrett has started 44 games in centerfield for Muckdogs and is arguably the top power hitter in the league. Garrett ranks first in the league in home runs with eight, first in slugging percentage at .576, second in RBIs with 32, and first in the league in triples with six. Garrett also ranks first in extra base hits (25) and total bases (98).

Nestor Bautista was selected in the 32nd round of the 2014 draft out of Ball State University. The left-hander has compiled an ERA of just 1.86, which is tops in the league for qualifying pitchers. Bautista has a record of 3-1 and has racked up 29 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched.

Steven Farnworth is in his second year of professional baseball and was a 23rd round pick in the 2014 draft. The right-hander has been the Muckdogs closer this season and is currently tied for second in the league with nine saves. Farnworth has appeared in 15 games this year and has an ERA of just 0.36. He has also recorded 23 strikeouts in his 25.0 innings of work and opposing batters are hitting just .198 versus Farnworth this year.

Holloway was drafted in the 20th round of the 2014 draft and has started eight games for the Muckdogs this year. He has compiled a record of 3-3 with a 3.08 ERA. In his 38.0 innings of work, he has recorded 24 strikeouts and opposing batters are only hitting .203 against him this year.

Batavia currently holds the sixth place spot in the Pinckney Division with a record of 19-26 and are just four games out of the wild card spot. The Muckdogs sent six players to the 2011 All-Star game, five in 2012, four in 2013 and four players in 2014.

Photos by Jim Burns / Press release from Batavia Downs:

There is a small but select group of 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings entered to compete in the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) at Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 9). Thirteen entrants will compete in two divisions (carded as race two and four) for their share of the $108,000 purse up for grabs.

The first $54,500 division features Autotune Hanover (Art Major-Anderosa Hanover) who has been on fire at Yonkers Raceway recently. Last week he won a division of the $76,512 NYSS wire to wire, and 12 days prior to that, was victorious in the $107,500 L.B. Sheppard Stake final in a lifetime best 1:54.3.

Autotune Hanover has earned over $95,000 in only four starts this year and the speed and versatility he has shown on a half-mile track over the past two weeks is evidence he is a serious contender for the major share again this week. 

The track record for 2-year-old pacing colts at Batavia Downs in 1:54.2 set by Doctor Butch in 2012 and then tied by He’s Watching in 2013. Based on his effort in the Sheppard Stake at Yonkers, Autotune Hanover has a very good chance of setting a new standard at Batavia Downs on Sunday.

Autotune Hanover is trained by Mark Harder and will start from post three for driver Tyler Buter. He has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite.

Fine Diamond (Rock N Roll Heaven-Yellow Diamond), who hails from the stable of North America’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, looks to be his major competition. Although the colt is winless in four starts this year, he has not finished out of the money during that time. Fine Diamond can leave enough to gain early position in order to track Autotune Hanover, who will most certainly set the pace.

Fine Diamond starts from post five for local driving favorite John Cummings Jr. and has been designated as the early second choice at 5-2.

There is no clear-cut favorite in the second $53,500 division and the two main players should be in a battle to the wire.

Joe Larry N Curly (Roll With Joe-Life’s Image) is currently the top point-getter in NYSS competition for this sex and gait to date and Travel Playlist (Art Major-Village Madonna) sits third behind him. Whereas they both have two wins in NYSS competition, Travel Playlist is undefeated and one of his wins was over Joe Larry N Curly last week at Yonkers.

Both horses 2015 earnings are separated by only $845 (both in excess of $56,000) and their lifetime marks are only three-fifths of a second apart. They can both leave the gate and in this short field (only six horses entered) they will probably be looking to do just that, having drawn the outside posts.

Joe Larry N Curly will start from post five for NYSS leading driver Jim Morrill Jr. and is listed at 8-5 in the early line. Mark Harder conditions Joe Larry N Curly.

Trainer Erv Miller has appointed Mark Macdonald to steer Travel Playlist and he will wear number six behind the gate, rated second choice at 9-5.

There are also two divisions of the NYSS Excelsior Series “A” races on the card that will go for a total purse of $30,000.

Post time for the first of 12 races is set for 1:15 p.m.

Southern Tier Brewing Company's free beer tasting.

One dollar hot dogs all night.

Photos by Shannon Dent.

Previously: Record-setting day for GLOW Corporate Cup

With 840 runners and walkers, 51 company teams and 42 corporate tents set up in Batavia's Centennial Park, the third year of the GLOW Corporate Cup proved to be the biggest yet.

The event, organized primarily by executives with the Merrill Lynch office in Batavia, will have raised more than $20,000 for the GLOW YMCA once receipts are tallied.

Batavia City Schools fielded the winning team and Corey Brown of Crickler Vending posted the race's fastest time at 17:42.

The organizers got a lot of positive feedback, said Joshua Dent, a VP with Merrill Lynch.

"If they're serious runners, the racers are very happy with the course Steve Tufts set up," Dent said. "It runs like a professional race. Then, unlike most races, there is this incredible after-party that makes it unique and different. The environment is fun. So we get the serious runners who are happy with the event, and then the businesses who participate and send walkers and then get to hang out after and listen to a band and they're satisfied as well. Those two aspect help make it a successful and unique event."

Dent looks forward to seeing the event grow, especially as the promoters work to attract more corporate teams from Orleans, Livingston and Wyoming counties.

It's gratifying to see the hard work of Tufts and John Ritter pay off in a big way for the GLOW YMCA, Dent said.

"It obviously means a lot to be able to give that much back to the community," Dent said. "The support of all the volunteers means so much. There's just an incredible amount of work that goes into putting this together. John Riter and Steve Tufts worked tirelessly to pull this off.

"It's not a one-day process. It's days and days and days. So to see the culmination, to see all the businesses that participate and do something that is fun and good for you and get the chance to hang out on a beautiful day and network, it clicked on all points."

• For individual race results, click here.
• For team results, click here.

UPDATE: Photos posted previously were from last year.

Top photo: City fire's team.

If you have photos to share, e-mail them this morning to howard@thebatavian.com

Upstate Toyota's team.

Three photos below, from Genesee Community College.

Photo from Elizabeth Downie

The Crickler Vending team. Photo submitted by Bob Brown.

Reader submitted, but company ID not included. Will try to update when we get it.

Coming into Wednesday night’s doubleheader against the State College Spikes (21-21), the Batavia Muckdogs (15-26) were dead last in the New York-Penn League in terms of pitching with a staff ERA of 4.38.

Brett Lilek and Scott Squier both had rare, back-to-back quality starts, as the Muckdogs were able to sweep the doubleheader, taking the series. 

Lilek, who started game one, came into the game with a 0-2 record and a lackluster 6.11 ERA. The 6-foot-4 Arizona State product was able to work through two jams on his way to pitching five innings of shut-out ball, scattering four hits and striking out eight.

The first jam for Lilek came in the second inning when Casey Grayson doubled to lead off the inning. Lilek was able to strikeout the next two State College batters, but Jesse Jenner connected on an infield single that set up first and third with two outs. After falling behind 2-1 to R.J. Dennard, Lilek got the lefty to fly out to third.

Lilek again was faced with runners in scoring position when Grayson singled in the fourth, followed by an Orlando Olivera singled that was fumbled by leftfielder Travis Brewster, allowing Grayson to take third.

Olivera was able to move to second after a wild pitch. Lilek settled down and got Cole Lankford to strikeout and Jenner to pop out.

The two games were slated to be only seven-inning games but the Muckdogs and Spikes needed extra innings, even for a regular nine-inning game, to determine a winner in game one.

The teams had to play into the 10th inning before the Muckdogs were finally able to scrap across the game winning run.

Taylor Munden lead off the 10th inning of a 1-1 ball game with a double and was moved to third by a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Brandon Rawe. Giovanny Alfonzo scored and secured the Muckdogs' first walk-off of the season with a sacrifice fly to leftfield.  

After a bite to eat and the field was prepared for game two, Squier picked up right were Lilek ended in the first game.

Squier was able to get through five and two-thirds innings. He struck out five, gave up six hits and allowed one run.

He received all the run support he would need in the fourth inning when Stone Garrett singled up the middle, followed by a Brad Haynal single of his own. After a failed pick-off attempt of Garrett at second that saw the ball hit him in the back and roll into the outfield, both runners were able to move up a base.

Angel Reyes launched his third double of the year, scoring both Garrett and Haynal. The Spikes were able to get one back in the sixth off Squier but a Reyes' triple and Yuniel Ramirez' sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning made it 3-1.

Ryley MacEachern came in for a four-out save and struck out three of the five batters he faced.

The Muckdogs have now won four straight series and eight of their last 11 games. Although everything pointed to this being a lost season for the Muckdogs, they currently sit just six games back of the wild card.

Batavia hits the road for a three-game series in Mahoning Valley before returning to Dwyer Stadium on Sunday to start a six-game home stand.

Sunday’s game will have a unique starting time of 5:05 p.m. 

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, located in Alabama and Shelby, will be accepting applications for the refuge’s reserved waterfowl hunt days beginning Aug. 15. Reservations are required for opening day of the New York State regular waterfowl season on Saturday, Oct. 24 and the following Saturday, Oct. 31.

These dates are tentative pending approval of the recommended waterfowl hunting season.

Interested hunters must complete the Waterfowl Lottery Application Form and return it to the refuge office at 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013. Applications will be accepted no earlier than Aug. 15 and due by the deadline of 4 p.m., Sept. 15. Application forms can be requested by mail, by phone, in person, or by email at iroquois@fws.gov

A PDF version of the form may also be downloaded and printed by following a link on the refuge Web site http://www.fws.gov/refuge/iroquois/.

Hunters will be selected by a lottery and notified by mail. The number of permits issued will be dependent on water levels in the hunt area. Reservations are non-transferable.

Those selected must be at the Waterfowl Permit Station, located on Route 77, between 4:30 and 5 a.m. on their appointed day to select their hunt stand and obtain their permit. Consult the refuge’s Waterfowl Hunting Fact Sheet for addition information.

Individuals with disabilities and any other person who may need special assistance to participate in this program should contact refuge staff at 585-948-5445 or through the Federal Relay No. 1-800-877-8339. Iroquois NWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For further information contact: Iroquois NWR, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013, or call Madeline Prush at 585-948-5445.

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, in partnership with the Lake Plains Waterfowl Association, will host its 42nd Annual Young Waterfowlers Program. The program will include an orientation class at the refuge headquarters and a youth-only hunt day on Saturday, Oct. 3.

This date is tentative pending approval of the recommended New York State youth waterfowl hunting dates. The Young Waterfowlers Program will be open to junior hunters between 12-15 years of age. There is no charge but space is limited with preference given to first time participants. Pre-registration does not guarantee participation. Those selected will be notified by mail.

To pre-register, complete the Waterfowl Lottery Application Form and return it to the refuge headquarters at 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013 by the deadline of 4 p.m., Sept. 8.

Application forms can be requested by mail, by phone, in person, or email at iroquois@fws.gov. A PDF version of the form may also be downloaded and printed from the refuge Web site http://www.fws.gov/refuge/iroquois.

The orientation class date will be announced at later date. The morning session of the orientation class will consist of a New York State sanctioned Waterfowl Identification Certification class from 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The afternoon session from 12:30 – 3 p.m. will cover decoys and calls, ballistics, clothing and equipment, hunter ethics and safety, an overview of the refuge waterfowl program as well as a retriever demo and trap shoot. The afternoon session is mandatory in order to participate in the hunt, except for those who have been through the program at least twice before.

All junior hunters will be required to have a guide with them on the day of the hunt. We strongly recommend each junior hunter secure their own guide prior to orientation in accordance with DEC Junior Hunting License Regulations. We have a limited number of guides who can volunteer; therefore we cannot guarantee a guide for each junior hunter.

For additional information about the program, please contact Madeline Prush at 585.948.5445. Individuals with disabilities and any other person who may need special assistance to participate in this program should contact refuge staff at 585.948.5445 or at the Federal Relay No. 1.800.877.8339.

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is located midway between Rochester and Buffalo and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

The Muckdogs game tonight has been postponed due to the threat of a thunderstorm.

The Muckdogs will play a doubleheader on Wednesday against the State College Spikes with the first game starting at 5:05 p.m. and the second game will directly follow the conclusion of the first game; both games will be seven innings.

Any ticket purchased for tonight’s game can be redeemed for any future regular season game.

Coming into Monday night’s game against the State College Spikes (20-21), the Batavia Muckdogs (15-25) found themselves in the midst of a hot streak. Winners of five of the last six games and only six games out of the wildcard, Batavia looked to continue its recently found success.

Travis Neubeck got the emergency start on the mound after Gabriel Castellanos was called up. The Spikes were able to jump on Neubeck early, as the young righty was making his first professional start.

Craig Aikin reached base in the first inning after hitting a routine ground ball to Anfernee Seymour at shortstop, Seymour’s legs got tangled up and he was unable to make the throw to first, resulting in his 12th error of the season.

Leobaldo Pina then doubled home Aikin to make it 1-0. Seymour was able to make up for his mistake in the bottom half of the inning.

Seymour led off the inning with a single and just like he has all season, stole second. He then moved to third on a failed pick-off attempt at second that saw the ball dribble into the outfield. Taylor Munden plated Seymour with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, tying the game at 1-1.

“He’s going to go out there and help because he can play the game and he has the tools to make things happen for us,” Manager Angel Espada said about Seymour’s impact on the team.

Neubeck settled down after the first inning until he seemed to run out of gas in the fifth inning.

“There was a lot of things going on for him, a lot of firsts,” Espada said. “He went out there and I think he did a good job for the most part and that last inning happens.”

Neubeck walked Ronnierd Garcia to start the fifth inning and quickly came around to score on a Josh Swirchak RBI triple. Neubeck was able to retire the next two batters, but Pina stepped into the box and launched a two-run home run to make it 4-1, ending Nuebeck’s night.

“We played so well on the road and that just comes to show you why these kids are at this level,” Espada said.

Ayron Adames came in relief of Neubeck and also pitched well until he, too, ran out of gas in the eighth inning.

The Spikes were able to muster three runs, on five hits behind an Orlando Olivera home run to take an 8-1 lead.

“There is a fine line between developing and winning -- that’s the way it’s going to be,” Espada said.  

Kyle Keller pitched the ninth inning and allowed one run, making the final 9-1.

Roy Morales finished the game 2-for-4 while Seymour was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Seymour now has 17 stolen bases on the year, good for second in the league and just one behind league leader, Johnny Sewald of the Tri-City ValleyCats.

“Once you fall back, young hitters tend to press a little bit instead of trying to take good at-bats,” Espada said. “The youth showed up today and hopefully we can put this one behind us and come back ready to play tomorrow.”

Batavia continues its series against the Spikes Tuesday night at 7:05 at Dwyer Stadium. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

Mike Gringer, of Spencerport, hits his tee shot on hole #1 at Terry Hills this afternoon during the Ricky Palermo's Spinal Injury Research Golf & Dinner Extravaganza.

Ricky Palermo

Gavin Prout, Richard Furlong and Gee Nash with Palermo.

Officials with the Batavia Bulldawgs, a youth football program with about 150 participants, were surprised recently to learn from city officials that they wouldn't have full use of Kibbe Park for practices, said John Reigle, Bulldawgs president.

Reigle said the four age-bracketed teams need a lot of space and a lot of parking for parents and coaches on practice days and only Kibbe Park provides enough space.

A newly formed men's softball league reserved the ball field at Kibbe, creating a scheduling conflict between the two uses.

City Manager Jason Molino said the city has seen an increase in the number of organized groups looking to use city parks over the past couple of years and that means the city needs to find a way to juggle the interests of all those groups.

"It's a new issue," Molino said. "It's not a bad issue. It's a good issue. There are multiple different organizations wanting to use the parks. In the past, the parks were available on a first-come, first-served basis, but as we get different organizations, football, softball, tennis, it creates conflicts. We need to figure out a way to get with all parties and work out a schedule."

Reigle said the Bulldawgs were a little caught off-guard by change in park use. For several years, going back at least 10 years if you include Batavia Youth Football, local youth football programs have used Kibbe Park for practice without reservations. Reigle said he wishes city officials had informed the Bulldawgs it needed to reserve the space for the first time before giving the time and space to another group.

This season, the Bulldawgs will practice where they play, at Lion's Park.

That's not an ideal situation because of limited parking in the area.

Riegle fears the increase in traffic four days a week will have a negative impact on residents on Wallace Street.

"On Saturday game days, as a courtesy to the neighbors, we put out cones in front of their front yards and driveways so people won't park there," Riegle said. "It's a small street and traffic flow in and out of the park is difficult."

Molino offered the team a city-owned field on Cedar Street, in front of the County Highway Department, but that field hasn't been used in years. At one time, before Batavia Sports Park, it was used for youth soccer. It hasn't been maintained since and Riegle said the ground is too hard and rutted now to be used safely for practice.

Which brings up another issue Molino said the city is facing as recreational sports use of the parks increases -- field prep and maintenance.

The city doesn't have a recreation department and doesn't have the resources to perform the kind of prep work that might be common for recreational leagues in other cities.

"In a way, this comes up at a good time," Molino said. "Our strategic plan outlines the need to do a recreational needs assessment. That can be done through the comprehensive planning process. We can look at what the needs are and develop that into the comprehensive plan so we know what these services cost and what it will take to fund them. It's a good public process that will help us understand the needs and demands on our parks."

Molino said he realizes Reigle isn't 100-percent satisfied with the outcome of their discussions about the situation, but both men are open to exploring the use of the field on Cedar Street for next season.

"The Bulldawgs are committed to continue providing a great program for the kids," Reigle said. "We'll make do with what's best for the safety of the kids."