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Muckdogs complete sweep of State College

By Andy Helwig

Batavia completes their first sweep of the season by defeating State College 4-3 on Tuesday night. The Muckdogs have now won three straight contests on their first winning streak of the season.

Batavia got another strong start from Alberto Guerrero, who notched his second win of the season by going six strong innings, only giving up one run on four hits in the outing. He also struck out five in the start. Guerrero lowered his season ERA to a 2.81, and now has a team-leading two wins.

The first run of the game came in the second inning after a leadoff double from Wood Myers. The double was followed up by a single from Andres Luna that brought Myers in to put the Spikes in front 1-0 after the second inning.

Batavia brought their first runs of the game to the plate in the top of the fourth inning once Jerar Encarnacion smacked his only hit of the game into left field to extend his hitting streak to 10 games to open the season. Immediately after, Sean Reynolds continued his hot streak by cracking his first triple of the season down the right-field line.

Reynolds has improved his average to well over .300 in the last five games. Encarnacion scored on the play to keep himself atop the leagues scoring charts. Simultaneously, Reynolds propelled himself atop the league leaders for RBI’s, a spot he ironically stole from the player he drove in. The Muckdogs were not done. JD Osborne hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

The pitchers out of the bullpen would lock in during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Once in the eighth, Batavia dropped two more on the Spikes. Encarnacion and Reynolds both reached base again. State College elected to intentionally walk Albert Guiamaro to load the bases and get Demetrius Sims to the plate. Sims, who was already 2-3 in the game up to that point, hit a single through the hole on the right side to bring in Encarnacion and Reynolds. Batavia would finish off the eighth in front 4-1.

Two leadoff singles in the ninth would come around to score on a two-run double from Edwin Figuera, but that would be it as Jeremy Ovalle struck three batters in the ninth for the save.

Batavia improves to 6-5, going over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Winners, of three straight, the Muckdogs play host to Auburn for one game on Thursday after having Wednesday off.

A total of 44 children took part in Saturday's Kendra Haacke Memorial Fishing Derby at DeWitt

By Billie Owens

Above photo: Derby winners Chloe Lutrell, age 8, who caught a 13” bass, and Jose Vanegas, age 16, who caught a 9 1⁄4” sunfish.

Submitted photos and press release:

Free Fishing Day and the Kendra Haacke Memorial Fishing Derby took place at DeWitt Recreation Area on Saturday, June 23rd.

A total of 44 kids ages 16 and under participated in the fishing derby, catching a variety of panfish and bass.

Prizes were awarded for the largest fish caught each by a boy and a girl.

This was the fifth annual Kendra Haacke Memorial Fishing Derby held at DeWitt Recreation Area. Each year the derby is sponsored by the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club.

Friendly fishing guides were on hand to assist newbies with baiting a hook and learning how to fish. This event was the result of collaboration between Genesee County Parks, Recreation & Forestry, the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club, and ACORNS.

Fishing tackle and bait were provided by a generous donation from Smith’s Great Outdoors, formerly Hunters Landing. Fishing poles were provided through a grant awarded by Cabela’s of Cheektowaga.

As part of the NYSDEC’s Free Fishing Weekend, no fishing license was required to participate.

Families from 10 local cities and towns including Rochester and Lancaster, joined in the free outdoor fun.

All participants received fishing tackle prizes, while each derby winner took home a new rod and reel and tackle box.

Derby winners: Chloe Lutrell, age 8, who caught a 13” bass; and Jose Vanegas, age 16, who caught a 9 1⁄4” sunfish.

Special thanks to the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club, ACORNS, Cabela’s, and Smith’s Great Outdoors for making this event possible!

Byron-Bergen carries on tradition with Junior Olympics torch run

By Howard B. Owens

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Press release:

Alumni of Byron-Bergen schools might remember seeing high school runners carrying the Jr. Olympic torch through the streets of the two communities back in the 1970s. The custom began in 1976 to signal the start of the Elementary School’s Jr. Olympics Day celebration, but fell out of practice over the years. The tradition was back again on the evening of June 12, as a relay team of varsity runners from Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School, escorted by town fire engines, traveled a route around the towns of Byron and Bergen.

This was the third year for the new town run, which was organized by Varsity Track Coach Ken Rogoyski and elementary school teacher Alyson Tardy. This year’s runners, Jerome Spinks, Dayanra Caballero, Siomara Caballero, Anna Hersom, Hope Hersom Miriam Tardy, Josh Tardy, Paul McDermott and Travis Lambert, were cheered on by neighbors as each took a turn carrying the torch.

The next day, the traveling torch made another appearance at the opening of Jr. Olympics Day at the elementary school. Students there had been busy studying the cultures of many different countries. Each class represented their chosen country in a parade, and then in a day full of track and field competitions.

“The Jr. Olympics Torch Run is a fun way to connect with our community and a good way to get the younger kids excited about participating in the next day’s ceremonies,” Tardy said. “We’d really like to thank the folks at the fire departments for their support. We hope that even more people will take a moment to come out, have fun, and enjoy the show again next year.”

Top photo: Runner Anna Hersom carries the Jr. Olympic torch in Bergen as neighbors look on.

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Team Ireland celebrates at the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Jr. Olympics on June 13.

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Proud Bees after the 2018 Jr. Olympic Torch Run, (l-r) Jerome Spinks, Dayanra Caballero, Siomara Caballero, Anna Hersom, Hope Hersom Miriam Tardy, Josh Tardy, Paul McDermott and Travis Lambert with driver from the Bergen Fire Department.

Tri-Town 10-U team wins district championship, moves on to states

By Howard B. Owens

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The Tri-Town Trojans beat Letchworth for the 10-U Cal Ripken Championship (District 3) on Monday by a score of 6-5. The team will play in the state championship July 5 in Canandaigua, which is the first time in more than 30 years the team has reached that stage of postseason play.

The team was escorted back to Alexander from Pavilion by fire trucks from Bethany and Alexander.

Submitted photos.

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Muckdogs take second game on the road at State College

By Andy Helwig

Batavia won their first back-to-back games of the season in a pitcher’s duel at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, and they did not see any runs cross the plate until the eighth inning.

Logan Boyd had a masterful start in his five innings pitched but did not get a decision in the outing. He only gave up a total of two hits, which did not yield runs, nor did he issue any walks. He struck out four batters to keep State College scoreless through five.

Humberto Mejia came out of the bullpen in Monday’s game after Boyd. Mejia was scheduled to start but worked from the bullpen to put the pitching rotation back on track after Saturday’s game was rained out. Mejia’s outing went three innings and kept the Batavia lead in tact in the eighth by only giving in two runs over the three innings he pitched. He did pick up the win to move to 1-1 on the season. 

The Muckdogs’ offense came to life in the top of the eighth after Harrison White worked a two-out walk. Demetrius Sims smoked a ball to third base that got past the third basemen Edwin Figuera and put runners on the corners with one out. Sims broke early for second and had an easy stolen base.

Two runners were in scoring position for Michael Donadio, who slipped a ball past the Spikes’ infield; while they were playing in, Donadio picked up his second hit of his 2-4 day. That brought two runs around to score for the first of the game in the top of the eighth. Donadio tried to advance on the relay, but was thrown out at second base.

After a JD Osborne walk, Reynolds crushed a ball to the right-center gap that brought another run to the plate to make it 3-0. Immediately following that, Albert Guaimaro singled into center field to bring Reynolds in to finish the hit party in the eighth.

Two runs would cross for the Spikes in the bottom of the frame. One run would come to score on a Justin Toerner triple, and that would cut the Batavia lead in half.

In the ninth, the Muckdogs get one hit, but could not produce any runs from it. The bottom end of the frame would see one more run cross the plate. Jameson McGrane came on to pick up his first save of the season. However, it would take three walks and one run to get the job done.

Batavia looks to get their first sweep of the season with their final matchup of the series against State College. First pitch from Happy Valley is at 7:05 p.m., Batavia returns home to an off day on Wednesday before a home-and-home with Auburn this coming weekend.

15U Girls Fastpitch Softball season starts tomorrow at Lions Park

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The 15U Girls Fastpitch Softball season gets underway on Tuesday, June 26, with a matchup at Lions Park between Batavia Stingers Black and Lyndonville at 6:30 p.m.

Lions Park is located at 11 Wallace St. in Batavia.

The Batavia Stingers Yellow team starts their season with a game at Le Roy at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, June 29th. Yellow’s home opener is scheduled for Thursday, July 5th, at 6 p.m. at Lions Park against Lyndonville.

The Stingers 15U Black team will be coached by Stan Kaus, Matt Landers and Chuck Richmond, while the 15U Stingers Yellow team will be coached by Jim Fazio, Jamie Masters and Brian Mruczek.

Dodgers beat Pirates to become Batavia Little League champions

By Howard B. Owens

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The T.F. Brown's and Viele Construction Dodgers beat the Graham Manufacturing Pirates for the Batavia Little League championship Friday in extra innings, 10-8.

Cole Grazioplene hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to win the game for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are coached by Samuel Antinore and Jeffrey Grazioplene

The players: Jaden Firmstone, Cole Grazioplene, Dane Dombrowski, Jay Antinore, Bronx Buchholz, Benny Pontillo, Maggio Buchholz, Chase Antinore, Owen Helpin, Alex Merica and Darius Wahl. 

Elba U-12 team claims baseball championship

By Howard B. Owens

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The Elba Youth Baseball Lancers won a U-12 Division Championship by beating Hamlin 9-3 on Saturday. They beat out eight other teams in the tournament to take the 018 Westside House Baseball Majors League Title.

Back row: Tyler Bedard, Coach Trevor Horzempa, Elijah Horzempa, Hunter Gaylord, Ashton Beazon, Alex Marks, Angelo Penna. Front row: Aydn Horzempa, Brendan Wyder, Coy Betts, Isaac Volpe.

Photo and info submitted by Lauren Zuber.

Muckdogs open road series with 8-6 win over State College

By Andy Helwig

The Batavia Muckdogs continued their trend of putting up big offensive numbers in an 8-6 victory over the State College Spikes on Sunday evening.

Batavia enjoyed the comfort of scoring seven runs between the sixth and seventh innings. Denis Karas ripped a bases-clearing double, and Sean Reynolds belted his second home run of the season in the win. RJ Peace got the nod on the mound on his 21st birthday, and went 4.2 IP and holding State College scoreless until the fifth inning.

The Muckdogs were able to manufacture a run in the second inning by stringing together three straight two-out singles to bring in Albert Guaimaro. Igor Baez nabbed his first RBI of the season to put Batavia in front 1-0 after two innings.

Four runs came across the plate for State College in the bottom of the fourth, one coming in on a wild pitch, one coming from a bases-loaded walk to Nick Dunn, and then Wadye Ynfante smacked a two-run single to put the Spikes in front 4-1 after five.

Batavia was able to answer right back in the top of the sixth with a bases-loaded walk from Reynolds, that would set up Denis Karas to clear the bases with a double to the right-center gap. After grabbing four in the sixth, the Muckdogs get two runners on for Sean Reynolds who hits his second home run in as many games to push three more runs across the plate.

Batavia would then go into the eighth inning with an 8-4 lead. Jerar Encarnacion extended his hit streak with a single in the sixth to push the streak to nine games. During the streak, he is hitting 20-40 for a .500 average. Meanwhile, JD Osborne continued a streak of his own, going 3-4 to get a fourth straight multi-hit game, and continue his five-game hit streak. Osborne has now bumped his average up to .407.

The ninth inning would not go down smoothly for Batavia, however. Chad Martin would retire two batters in the ninth, but allowed two runs in doing so. Doug Domnarski would come out of the bullpen to seal the deal by getting Wood Myers to ground into a 6-5-2-5-6 fielder’s choice to end the game, and give Batavia the 8-6 win.

The Muckdogs improve to a 4-5 record, while the Spikes drop to 3-7. The Muckdogs look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season with their 7:05 matchup tomorrow at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

'Throwdown at the Downs' a hit with MMA fans, though top Le Roy fighters drop matches

By Howard B. Owens

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In the main event at the "Throwdown at the Downs" mixed martial arts event, with 24 fighters on the card, Tom Shelby, of Le Roy, who came into the fight 2-0, was KO'd in the second round by Yuri Panferov.

Panferov, now 3-0, claimed the Ground Force Fights Cruiser Heavyweight title.

Shelby was hurt early in the second round when Panferov wrestled him to the mat against a cage wall and landed a couple of punches to Shelby's head (see two pictures below). Shelby got up and continued to fight but with less energy.

Panfervo landed a punch (above) that sent Shelby down and the referee immediately waved off the fight. Shelby was attended to by a ringside doctor and Mercy EMS personnel but walked from the ring on his own, bloodied but alert.

Paid attendance was 700.

UPDATE: The official results of the fights:

  • Gray Hendershott wins over Zak Sucharski by armbar in the Submission grappling match;
  • Jason Pilkenton over John Gear Gart via Round 1 TKO, 1:11 kickboxing match; 
  • Eric Bonner over Maxeron Dorn via unanimous decision;
  • Anthony Gugino over Kenny Hale via Round 1 Submission 1:17;
  • Brendan Kennedy over Steven Kleckler via Round 1 Submission 1:03;
  • Marcus Dunn over John Doyle via unanimous decision;
  • John Piersma over Benjamin Horton via Round 1 TKO 2:10;
  • Tim Cronk over Alex Carroll via Round 1 Knock Out :15 Heavyweight title fight;
  • Mark Murray over Bert Forney via Round 2 TKO 2:53 Lightweight title fight;
  • Jon Marconi over Travis Streeter via Round 1 Knock Out  :14 Super Heavyweight title fight;
  • Brad Vargasson over Matt Norstrand via Round 2 Submission 1:11 Middleweight title fight;
  • Yuri Panferov over Tom Shelby via Round 2 Knock Out 2:59 Cruiser Heavyweight title fight. 

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Local favorite Matt Norstrand, who entered the ring at 3-1, before his Middleweight title fight against Brad Vargasson (5-4). Norstrand, who seemed in control of the fight during the first round, tapped out early in the second after Vargasson got him in a stranglehold (third photo below).

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Mark Murray and Bert Forney. Murray claimed the Lightweight title.

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John Marconi celebrates with his fans his KO victory seconds into the first round over Travis Streeter. Marconi is now 3-4 and the Ground Force Fights' Super Heavyweight champion. Streeter is 1-1.

Late offense can't save Muckdogs after falling behind 6-0 in first inning

By Howard B. Owens

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The Batavia Muckdogs were down by six runs before their first hitter even stepped to the plate Friday night and over the course of nine innings the hometown team never could climb out of the hole.

The Muckdogs fell to 3-5 on the season with a 9-7 loss to Williamsport, now 5-3.

Starter Dakota Bennett, a 2017 11th round draft pick out of Somerville, Ala., lasted only two-thirds of an inning and took the loss in his first NYPL game.

Muckdogs Right fielder Jerar Encarnacion continued to tear apart NYPL pitching, raising his average to .514, second best in the league, with a 3-4 night. He scored two runs.

Big first baseman Sean Reynolds, who had the game-winning hit Thursday night, knocked one over the fence for the first time in the season in the seventh inning.

J.D. Osborne also had two hits and two RBI. He raised his average to .348.

The Muckdogs close out the homestand tonight against Williamsport. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

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Bryce Howe, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, took over for Bennett in the first and pitched 3 1/2 innings, giving up one unearned run and four hits.

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It's NY's Free Fishing Weekend -- try out kids' fishing derby at DeWitt

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Join the Genesee County Parks along with the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club and try out fishing at DeWitt Recreation Area today, June 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.! Perfect for beginners!

Program meets at Pavilion 3. DeWitt is located on Cedar Street, Batavia. Friendly guides will be on hand to assist you.

No fishing license required, this is part of NYSDEC’s Free Fishing Weekend!

Fishing tackle and bait provided by Smith’s Great Outdoors, formerly known as Hunters Landing. Fishing poles provided by Cabela’s of Cheektowaga or bring your own.

Kids up to age 16 can join the fun and get the chance to win a prize with the Kendra Haacke Memorial Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club!

Fishing Derby takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This program is FREE! Call 585-344-1122 register or walk-ins also welcome! See you there!

Muckdogs overcome five-run deficit, win on walk-off single

By Andy Helwig

The Muckdogs scored their first walk-off win of the season this year over the Williamsport Crosscutters on Thursday night. Batavia did not score a run until the eighth inning when they were trailing 5-0.

Williamsport picked up an early lead by scoring two runs in the top of the first off of Alberto Guerrero, who would not earn a decision in his five innings of work. Williamsport logged another run in the top of the fifth when Keudy Bocio would hit a single up the middle to make the score 3-0 in favor of the visitors.

Dylan Cyphert would come on in relief for the sixth inning but would yield two runs in total, both coming in the sixth inning. Afterward, Cyphert would lock in for the seventh inning and shut down the Crosscutters' lineup. For the eighth and ninth innings, Jeremy Ovalle would come on to keep Williamsport at bay while the offense went to work. In the bottom of the eighth, Brayan Hernandez would extend his welcome party to Batavia by ripping a leadoff double.

Not long after, Jerar Encarnacion would scorch one of his four singles to center field, that would score Hernandez for the first run of the night for Batavia. The Muckdogs would load the bases up later in the inning, and Albert Guaimaro got hit by a pitch to bring in one more run to make it 5-2. The last of the three runs came when Denis Karas hit a sac fly to score Encarnacion to make it a 5-3 game going into the ninth.

Ovalle only faced four batters in the top of the ninth to finish his job and not allow any more runs to score for the Crosscutters. In the bottom of the ninth, Batavia would find themselves down to their final strike with Demetrius Sims standing on first base. Then, Encarnacion smoked a ball to right field to start the rally. Sims moved to third on the play, and Encarnacion would advance to second on a sloppy throw into the infield. JD Osborne followed up with a clutch two-run single that would tie the game. Guaimaro drew a walk to advance Osborne to second, which caused Mike Jacobs to go into his bench and bring out Harrison White to pinch run for Osborne.

Sean Reynolds was the next batter, who was 0-2 up to that point in the game. He hit a single to right field that sent a sprinting White to the plate and an off-target throw sent the Muckdogs into a celebration with the 6-5 walk-off win.

Batavia will face Williamsport again Friday and Saturday for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. The Muckdogs will look to break a streak of Crosscutter starters not allowing a run over the last five games.

West Virginia quiets Batavia bats to take series with 4-2 win

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Muckdogs (2-4) dropped the third game in the series against West Virginia (2-4) on Wednesday night. The first two innings went as fast as the blink of an eye with neither team collecting a hit. In the third inning, however, that would change for the Black Bears.

West Virginia scored three runs in the third inning. The Black Bears loaded the bases in the top of the third with two outs, then Edison Lantigua ripped a two-run single to right field. Lantigua took a big turn at first base, and the ‘dogs tried to pick him off on it.

In doing so, the throw to first was wide and therefore scored the third run. After that bases-clearing single by Lantigua, it would take until the fifth inning for another run to cross the plate.

West Virginia manufactured a run in the fifth by bunting Michael De La Cruz to second. Afterward, he tagged up on a fly ball to right that almost got him thrown out by Jerar Encarnacion. Lantigua then ripped another single to the right side that scored De La Cruz and gave Lantigua his third RBI of the game.

The Batavia bats were held to minimal output through the first six innings, then the Muckdogs scored three in the seventh inning. Two runners found their way on by way of a walk (Sean Reynolds) and a single (JD Osborne). Then, in an attempt to break a skid that was 1-21, Gerardo Nunez made it a one-run game by sending a three-run shot over the left field wall to make the score 4-3.

Ryan McKay came in relief in the seventh inning and was excellent, striking out five in only three innings of work. He gave Batavia a chance at the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. A leadoff single from JD Osborne brought on Matt Brooks to pinch-run.

Unfortunately for Batavia, Harrison White hit a fielder’s choice to second that got Brooks out. After that, the early hero Gerardo Nunez grounded into a 6-3 double play to end the game.

Williamsport comes to Batavia for a three-game series from Thursday to Saturday, then Batavia travels to State College to play the Spikes for three games.

Batavia Blue Devils Youth Football Camp is July 16-17 at BHS

By Billie Owens

The Batavia Blue Devils Youth Football Camp will be held on Monday and Tuesday, July 16-17, behind Batavia High School, located at 260 State St. in the City of Batavia.

Time is 9 to 11:30 a.m. both days.

Cost is $40.

It is for students entering grades one through eight in the fall.

Hosted by Head Coach Brennan Briggs and the BHS Football staff.

Bring shorts, T-shirt, cleats and water bottle.

Register by July 5 to guarantee correct T-shirt size.

Make checks payable to:  Blue Devils Touchdown Club

Mail payment and the following information to Brennan Briggs, 103 Oak St., Batavia  NY 14020 OR  to: Batavia Middle School, 96 Ross St., Batavia NY 14020, ATTEN: Brennan Briggs.

  • Name of Camper
  • Camper is entering Grade ___
  • Emergency Contact Name and Phone Number
  • T-shirt Size: ADULT ___ Or  YOUTH ___

The camp will feature: speed challenge; flag football games at the end of each day; current BHS football players, as well as alumni will speak and work with campers; T-shirts distributed and pizza after Tuesday's camp.

Here's the breakdown of what will be taught for each position; all drills will be modified for age groups:

  • Quarterbacks -- Hand placement, 3-step, 5-step, footwork drills, throwing mechanics, and ball-handling drills;
  • Wide Receivers -- Stance, start, footwork drills, hand drills, route running;
  • Running Backs -- Stance, start, footwork drills, run blocking, pass blocking;
  • Offensive Line -- Stance, start, run-blocking drills, pass-blocking drills;
  • Linebackers -- Stance, start, footwork drills, tackling-form drills, run stopping, pass defending;
  • Defensive Backs -- Stance, start, footwork drills, man coverage, zone coverage, pass defending;
  • Defensive Line -- Stance, start, 1 v. 1 drills, speed and quickness off the ball.

The Batavia Blue Devils are 3-peat Section V Class B Champions.

Muckdogs come up short in second game against West Virginia

By Howard B. Owens

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Photo submitted by Kayla McIntire.

Press release:

The Muckdogs dropped the middle game of a three-game set against West Virginia on Tuesday night by a score of 7-6. Batavia had a chance to either tie or win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Humberto Mejia got his first start of the season with the Muckdogs on Tuesday. In his career, none of his starts with Batavia had gone longer than 3.1 innings. On Tuesday, he was able to get two outs in the fifth before he ran into trouble. Mejia ran into a slight hiccup when he gave up a solo home run to Johan Herrera to give the Black Bears a 1-0 lead.

They would tack on three more in the third inning as well. Daniel Amaral would reach on an error, (one of nine combined in the ballgame) and would steal second to get into scoring position. Three straight RBI hits from Edison Lantigua (double), Lucas Mangieri (single), and Herrera (double) put West Virginia up 4-0 after three.

Batavia, in total, went 3-18 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 12 runners on base. The Muckdogs wouldn’t score their first run until the fifth. Back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth inning from Igor Baez and Gerardo Nunez, who logged his first hit of the season on the play, and both would come around to score on the play.

A Ricardo Cespedes sac fly would score Baez, and an RBI triple from Jerar Encarnacion would bring in Nunez. On that triple, Encarnacion advanced his hit streak to five games. He’s had a hit in every game for Batavia this season. Ricardo Cespedes would do the same with a one-out single in the seventh.

The Black Bears scored one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings of the game to go in front 7-3 going into the bottom of the ninth for Batavia. Demetrius Sims led off the inning with a walk. Cespedes would get on base with the fifth error of the night by the Black Bears’ defense. Encarnacion bounced into a fielder’s choice that sent Sims to third but would cut down Cespedes at second.

Batavia had runners on the corners with one out. Sean Reynolds came into pinch-hit but would go down on strikes looking. Albert Guaimaro then reached on a throwing error that sent Sims home to make it a three-run game. Runners then stood on first and second with two outs.

Denis Karas hit a clutch two-out single that would plate two runs, making the Muckdogs’ deficit just one. Baez drew a walk to load the bases up again, with the tying run standing on third, and the winning run at second. Gerardo Nunez came up with two outs, but on a 0-2 pitch in the dirt, a controversial third-strike call was made on an appeal by base umpire Jae-Young Kim to end the Batavia rally.

The final game of the series comes on Wednesday night at 7:05. The Muckdogs will send LHP Logan Boyd to the bump for the rubber match. West Virginia has not announced their starter yet. Batavia then welcomes the Williamsport Crosscutters to town for a three-game series.

Oakfield Gold team won the Oakfield 10U Tournament on Saturday

By Billie Owens
 
Submitted photo and press release from Scott Denny.
 
The Oakfield Gold team won Oakfield’s 10U Tournament in Oakfield on Saturday, June 16, in the finals against Oakfield’s Blue team 7-3.
 
The winning team won three games on their way to the championship.
 
The winning Oakfield Gold team members are: Cara Williams, Alea Groff, Ayva Matla, Abby Russell, Allie Williams, Milena Lindsley, Cali Cramer, Raine Denny, Rylee Denny, Emma Moeller, Marley Gorom, Tia Lindsley and Maria Snell. Coaches: Scott Denny, Aaron Williams and Craig Cramer.

After rain delay, Muckdogs unleash offensive attack for 9-6 win in home opener

By Howard B. Owens

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The 2018 edition of the Batavia Muckdogs are looking like a team that can score runs in bunches after scoring eight runs or more in three of their first four games, including nine runs last night against West Virginia for a 9-6 victory in a soggy home opener.

The offensive onslaught was anchored by left fielder Michael Donadio, a native New Yorker, who was 2-4, including a fifth-inning homer (top photo) and three RBIs.

On a rainy Monday, which meant the game was delayed for more than an hour, the opening night crowd was smaller than expected at 835.

Still, NYPL President Ben Hayes was in good spirits before the game and said he's happy with the progress the local franchise, now league-owned, is making.

"I think things are going really well," Hayes said. "We focused on the getting the field in shape for the season, getting the lights changed out. We did some things in the clubhouses to get them ready. Talk to Mike (Jacobs), the manager, and he’s really happy with what he’s walked into."

Before the game, Wayne Fuller and Bill Dougherty were honored with a moment of silence. Memorial signs have been placed on the fence in right center and left center honoring their contributions to Batavia baseball.

Fuller was the longtime voice of the Muckdogs.

"His smooth tenor provided the soundtrack for so many summers of our lives here at Dwyer Stadium," said PA announcer Paul Spiotta. 

Dougherty was a historian of Batavia baseball: "A champion of our team and this community and a romantic defender of the underdog."

Starter R.J. Peach, from San Diego, got the win, going five innings and giving up seven hits and three runs.

Chad Martin pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.

Jerar Encarnacion, from Bayaguana, Dominican Republic, was 2-4 and is currently the team's leading hitter with a .471 average.

Ricardo Cespedes, from the Bronx, also had two hits.

The Muckdogs are now 2-2 on the season and face 0-4 West Virginia again at 7:05 p.m., the second game of a six-game homestand, which includes three against  Williamsport.

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First baseman Sean Reynolds bumps fists with two fans before the game.

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Manager Mike Jacobs, middle.

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Catcher J.D. Osborne runs onto the field prior to National Anthem with a young Yankee, one of Batavia's youth ball players.

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Pitcher R.J. Peace

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Jerar Encarnacion scores in the first inning.

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West Virginia second baseman Melvin Jimenez with an errant throw in the third inning (which nearly hit the photographer).

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Ricardo Cespedes

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Denis Karas

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Gerardo Nunez and Ricardo Cespedes collide chasing a pop-up in the seventh inning.

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