Sports

Any hoops players from grade 7 through college who are looking for an opportunity to improve their game are invited to sign up for a summer basketball training camp sponsored by the Batavia High School Boys Basketball Boosters.

The camp is open to both boys and girls.

It runs July 7 through Aug. 15 and the cost is $375. Participants need to bring their own basketballs.

Workouts will be held at Batavia HS under the guidence of head basketball Coach Buddy Brasky.

Players will practice, learn about and be drilled on:

• ball handling, stationary and on the move
• shooting, 200-500 shots per day
• 1-on-1 moves, single direction, double direction, triple direction
• on the move series, wrist roll series, change of direction series
• post moves series
• point guard instruction
• full court and ½ court game situations. 

The registration deadline is June 15.

To download more information and the registration form, click here (pdf).

A rider performs a trick called "The Superman" during a trick riding event Tuesday evening in a parking lot off Center Street put on by a traveling evangelical group called Real Encounter.

The group, led by Brad Bennett, travels the nation performing stunts on bicycles and motorcycles and preaching the Gospel.

About halfway through the program, Bennett delivered a sermon about salvation, led the group in prayer and then asked all those who accepted Jesus Christ as savior that night to come forward. More than two dozen people gathered around Bennett. The group met briefly with Bennett and received a Bible and instructions on joining a local church.

The group performs again tonight in Pembroke and tomorrow in Attica.

After leaving the Vendor Blender at the fairgrounds, I found a group of local residents racing remote control cars on a dirt track nearby. Bob Markek, a racer and race organizer for KRZ Raceway and Hobbies, said this is the third year the group has been racing at the fairgrounds.

Press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs, Genesee County’s only professional sports franchise, have released their 2014 promotional schedule featuring fireworks, giveaways, special events, and daily promotions.

The 2014 season is the 75th anniversary of professional baseball in Batavia. This season will feature a couple promotions to help celebrate this momentous occasion. The first one occurs every Saturday home game, as well as Sunday, Aug. 31. At these seven games, one fan will win $75 worth of “Muck Bucks” courtesy of the Genesee County Baseball Club and the Muckdogs Booster Club. “Muck Bucks” can be used to purchase food and/or merchandise at Dwyer Stadium.

The second promotion will occur on Friday, Aug. 22nd. When baseball came to Batavia in 1939, 3,000 fans attended the first game, which is an attendance record that still stands to this day. The Muckdogs will attempt to break this attendance record on Aug. 22nd. If the record is broken that night, one fan could win $3,001!

The Muckdogs will again offer fans a daily menu of money-saving promotions available throughout the season.

The Daily News will continue to sponsor Muckdog Mondays. Every Monday home game, fans can purchase buy one get one free General Admission tickets with a coupon that runs in the Saturday edition of The Daily News.

Every Tuesday, New York’s 529 College Savings Program presents Kids’ Tuesday Night Tickets. Every Tuesday home game, the first 50 kids accompanied by an adult will receive a free General Admission ticket.

The Family Four Pack will take place on every Wednesday during the 2014 season and is presented by MVP Healthcare. Fans can purchase four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four 12-oz. sodas and a 2014 program for only $30, a savings of $16.

On Thursday nights, Bob Evans Restaurant will sponsor our Kids Eat Free promotion. At every Thursday home game, the first 100 kids 12 & under will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, soda and snack item.

Fireworks will again light up the sky after every Friday night game at Dwyer Stadium, as well as on the annual Independence Day celebration on July 3rd. Every Saturday will feature a pre-game concert in the concourse. These “Rock the Ballpark” events are presented by Tim Horton’s of Batavia and New Buffalo Impact, with Papa and Mama Root, an oldies rock and roll tribute band, and original music recording artists. All performances begin at 6 p.m. and are weather permitting. Returning to the lineup this year is Dollar Draft Saturday presented by Eastown Beverage and Redemption Center. Every Saturday home game, 12-oz. Bug Light and Genny Light drafts will be just $1 from 6 to 7 p.m.

At Sunday home games, kids can run the bases with Homer after the game courtesy of Bob Evans Restaurant. Also on Sundays, the first 100 seniors will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, soda/coffee, and a snack item courtesy of The Williams Law Firm.

Other games of note on the 2014 promotional schedule include:
Opening Day/Magnet Schedule Giveaway
Saturday, June 14th

Personal First Aid Kit Giveaway
Friday, June 20th

Muckdogs Car Decal Giveaway
Saturday, June 21st

Independence Day Celebration Fireworks
Thursday, July 3rd

Post-Game Helicopter Candy Drop
Sunday, July 20th

Prostate Cancer Awareness
Friday, July 25th

Bark in the Park
Sunday, July 27th

Le Roy Community Night
Friday, Aug. 8th

Muckdogs Note Pad Giveaway
Saturday, Aug. 9th

Snapple Night
Friday, Aug. 22nd

Team Photo Giveaway
Saturday, Aug. 23rd

Fireworks Nights will be as follows: June 20th, June 27th, July 3rd, July 18th, July 25th, Aug. 8th and Aug. 22nd.

The Muckdogs open their 2014 home schedule on Saturday, June 14th vs. the Auburn Doubledays at 7:05 p.m. For a complete 2014 promotional schedule, go to www.muckdogs.com or call the Muckdogs office at (585) 343-5454. Muckdogs season tickets, coupon books, ticket packages and individual tickets are all on sale.

Press release:

City officials, Gus Macker organizers, Darien Lake executives, and members of the Police Athletic League joined together outside Buffalo City Hall this morning to announce that the Gus Macker tournament will be returning to Western New York this year. Genesee County's Darien Lake intervened to save the tournament, which would have otherwise been canceled this year.

“We’re excited to be able to bring the tournament back (here),” said Gus Macker organizer Scott McNeal. “Darien Lake offers the necessary space and infrastructure for the thousands of players and families that come to participate in and watch the games.”

This Gus Macker tournament is the second-largest out of 38 locations nationwide, with more than 3,000 players and spectators annually. The three-on-three tournament attracts both male and female players, 78 percent of whom are under the age of 24, and 47 percent of whom are under 17. 

“As Western New York’s family-fun destination, the Gus Macker Tournament is a perfect fit for us,” said Darien Lake spokesman Vince Nicoletti. “We’re very excited to be hosting the games this year and look forward to continuing this great ... tradition.”

This year’s tournament will take place on July 19th and 20th across Darien Lake’s sprawling parking lots, which will be converted into basketball courts with four to six featured games taking place inside the park itself. Darien Lake will also be keeping the Police Athletic League as the event’s charitable beneficiary.

Roxanne sent in this picture of the Byron-Bergen baseball team with the Wheatland-Chili team in Cooperstown today. She said, "A beautiful Mothers Day in Cooperstown! Sunshine and baseball!"

Players from more than 70 teams and their families are in town this weekend for the Empire Cup College Showcase, a premier soccer event for soccer players 15-18 looking to move to the next level. Coaches from more than 100 colleges attend the tournament at the Batavia Sports Park on Bank Street Road. Players travel from all over the Northeast in order to participate. Clor's Meat Market is the official food vendor. Local businesses report seeing an increase in sales during the event.

Soccer continues tomorrow at the park.

Late this afternoon, there was a robust game of basketball at Williams Park. The players were Greg Solomonidis, Dustin Pilc, David Burr, Coty Patrizi, Manny Delrosayrio, Mike Jamil.

While I was out and about this afternoon, I thought it would be fun to take in an inning of Little League baseball.

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Press release:

Single-game tickets for all 2014 Muckdogs’ home games at Dwyer Stadium go on sale Monday, May 12 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Dwyer Stadium Box Office or over the phone by calling (585) 343-5454. Normal box office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The same great, affordable ticket prices are back again in 2014. Tickets range from $7.50 for box seats to just $6.50 for adult General Admission tickets and $5.50 for kids and senior General Admission tickets.

During the season, the ticket office opens on game days at 9 a.m. Monday-Friday and closes at the end of the fifth inning. On Saturday and Sunday, the ticket office will open at 10 a.m. and close after the fifth inning.

Season tickets, coupon books, ticket packages, and group tickets are on sale now.

For more information, visit Muckdogs.com or call (585)343-5454 and press zero, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Muckdogs open their 2014 home schedule on Saturday, June 14 vs. the Auburn Doubledays at 7:05 p.m. The annual Independence Day celebration is on July 3rd this year.

In addition to their Pinckney Division rivals, the Muckdogs will welcome the New York Yankees (Staten Island), Boston Red Sox (Lowell), New York Mets (Brooklyn) and the Detroit Tigers (Connecticut) farm teams to Dwyer Stadium in 2014.

Members of the Buffalo 716ers, a professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association, made a personal appearance at T.F. Brown's tonight. Jerry Smith, proprietor of the Showtime Sports Academy in Batavia, organized the event. Smith is taking on several projects to promote basketball locally and throughout the region.

From left are, Darnell Boswell, Devon Dawson, Anthony Hodge, Tawan Slaughter (the team's owner and coach), Jerry Smith Donald Felice (media agent) and Mario Williams.

Press release:

The Showtime Sports Academy has partnered with the Buffalo 716ers (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Erie Hurricane (Erie, Pa.), who participate in the Premier Basketball League (PBL). The objective of the Showtime Sports Academy is to provide high quality AAU basketball programs, which service the youth in grades K-12, throughout Western New York.

Showtime Sports Academy is owned and operated by Batavia native, Jerry Smith, who is committed to providing opportunities for the youth in Batavia.

“I am thrilled to be working with professional organizations that are just as dedicated to helping the youth as we are,” Smith said.

The Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane will be working to provide camps and clinics for the youth of Batavia this summer, tournaments, and assisting with Showtime Sports Academy events.

“We are excited about the opportunity to mentor, volunteer, and work with youth of the Showtime Sports Academy,” said Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane team owner, Tawan Slaughter. 

For more information on the Showtime Sports Academy please visit www.showtimesa.com. Also, for more information on the Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane, please visit www.buffalo716ers.net or www.eriehurricane.net.

After winning the first two games of the season, the Batavia baseball squad was handed its first loss of the season in an emphatic fashion, losing to Honeoye Falls-Lima 15-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Twenty-four hours later, the Blue Devils got back on track, beating up on Akron, 15-8.

“I thought it was a good comeback win for us,” said Batavia Head Coach Rick Saunders. “We got lit up pretty good yesterday by a good HF-L team. Today we came out and jumped out on top and got those three runs in the first.”

Batavia opened up the game with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning on a bases-clearing hit by Zeke Lynn.

The Tigers would battle back, loading the bases with one out in the second inning.

Akron would score on a fielder’s choice by D.J. Carlson, then on a passed ball, and they then tied it up on a RBI single by Zach Pfentner.

Quinten Weis would settle down after that, pitching two more scoreless innings and allowing just one more hit before Greg Mruczek relieved him.

“He was a little wild to start the game,” Saunders said of Weis. “I thought he settled down the rest of the game and he threw well that last two innings he was in the game.”

The Blue Devils regained the lead in the third after Nick Bauer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Steve Borowczyk appeared to get himself out of the jam, ending the inning with the bases loaded and just one run allowed, but it was not to be.

Batavia exploded for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend the lead to 8-3.

Luke McComb was walked with the bases loaded, followed by an RBI single from Rich Francis before Bauer drove in two runs with a double to right field.

Akron appeared to make a bit of a comeback in the top of the fifth, getting two runs off of Mruczek (helped by a few defensive miscues), but he settled down to strike out the side in the sixth.

“I thought he threw the ball real well,” Saunders said of Mruczek. “I think our defense let him down a little bit. That happens, these are high school kids. If we played tight defense like we did in the first three games, we probably only would have let up a few runs.”

The Blue Devils' batters went to work in the bottom of the frame to put the game out of reach as they sent seven runners across home plate, including a two-run single from senior reserve Pat Wrobel.

The Tigers got three runs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to get close.

“The biggest difference between yesterday and today was that we hit better,” Saunders said. “We got the bases-clearing hit by Lynn and that was clutch for us today.”

Lynn finished the game 2-for-5 with four RBIs, while Bauer went 1-for-4 with four RBIs. As a team, Batavia combined for 14 hits on the game.

Weis picked up the win for the Devils, allowing three runs on three hits in four innings pitched.

Borowczyk took the loss for Akron, allowing eight runs in six innings pitched.

Batavia improves to 3-1 on the season, and next travel to Aquinas on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

A group of fifth- and sixth-grade girls are about to embark on a new adventure -- playing in a basketball tournament in another state for the first time.

The Thunder are a new girls basketball team aimed at giving the young players off-season experience and practice.

Coach Otis Thomas said the girls are really dedicated to the sport.

"We look pretty good," he said. "They work hard. Very enthusiastic. Great bunch of girls. Very disciplined. Just to have them in the gym now when it's softball season and baseball season shows how dedicated they are."

The nucleus of the Thunder is the Batavia Middle School team.

They will play in the King James Shooting Stars Classic (sponsored by Lebron James) in Ohio next week.

Pictured, from left, first row: Nya Thomas, Morgan Rohdes, Mckenzie Riegle, Brynn Wormley, Emily Janes, Kennedy Kolb, Destiny Griffin. Not pictured are Mia Rhinehart, Bella Phillips, Hailey Thornley, Nashiya Rhimm.

The team's sponsors are Big Pauly's Pizza and NYSCOPBA.