Sports

Barker captured the championship at its annual high school softball tournament Saturday, edging Oakfield-Alabama in a tight final. 

The tournament featured strong pitching, explosive offense, and several late-inning rallies as Oakfield-Alabama, Lyndonville, and Elba joined the host Bulldogs for a full Spring day of softball.

Oakfield-Alabama opens with league win over Lyndonville
Oakfield-Alabama started the tournament with a 6-1 victory over Lyndonville in a game that counted toward league standings. Savannah Durham delivered a strong performance in the circle, tossing a complete game two-hitter with seven strikeouts. Piper Hyde sparked the Hornets’ offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Allison Harkness added two hits and an RBI, while Chloe Lamb contributed a sacrifice fly.

“It was just a great high school softball game. Definitely had a Sectional Final feel to it,” said Hornet's coach Jeff Schlagenhauf. “Lyndonville is an excellent softball team, and Coach Moore does a fantastic job year in and year out with his teams. Total respect for him and his program. Our kids played incredibly well defensively. We got some big hits when we needed them and capitalized on our opportunities.”

Barker Holds Off Elba’s rally
Barker advanced to the championship with a 7-5 win over Elba. The Bulldogs built a seven-run lead by the fourth inning, taking advantage of a hit batter and an error in the second that led to four runs. Elba responded with four runs in the fourth, fueled by singles and patience at the plate, but could not complete the comeback.

Elba outhit Barker 6-4, with Lauren Hawkins leading the Lancers with two hits. Brea Smith started for Elba, pitching six innings and striking out four. At the plate, Smith drove in two runs, while Maddie Hall and Madison Marks each drew two walks. Barker’s Mady Flint drove in two runs, and Peyton Bradley pitched a complete game, striking out four.

Lyndonville outslugs Elba in consolation game
Lyndonville topped Elba 17-11 in a high-scoring consolation matchup. Elba took an early lead, but Lyndonville answered with five runs in the first and pulled away with a five-run sixth inning. Addison Dillenbeck led Lyndonville, going 4-for-5 with a double, two triples, and five RBIs. Arnie Sturtevant added three hits, including a home run and a double, and Alexa Robinson and Braelynn Dillenbeck each had multiple hits.

Elba’s Bri Totten drove in five runs with two hits, including a triple. Brea Smith collected three hits, and Madalyn Marks reached base three times on walks. Elba rallied for five runs in the seventh but could not close the gap.

Barker tops Oakfield-Alabama in championship
In the final, Barker edged Oakfield-Alabama 5-3. The Hornets erased an early deficit with a two-run homer from Rylee Denny in the fifth inning, tying the game. Defensive miscues in the sixth allowed Barker to regain the lead. Oakfield-Alabama threatened in the seventh, putting the tying runs in scoring position, but Barker held on for the win.

Emma Moeller pitched six innings for Oakfield-Alabama, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Hyde doubled, and Raine Denny, Allie Williams, and Jess Sosnowski each added hits. Piper Hyde was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.

“We dug ourselves a hole early, but Rylee Denny’s two-run HR over the fence tied it. A couple of miscues defensively in the sixth hurt us, but we battled back in the seventh and had the tying runs on second and third to give ourselves a chance. A great day for us to get two good games in preparation for sectionals,” Schlagenhauf said.

Piper Hyde was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Oakfield-Alabama finishes the regular season at 14-2.

Photos by Kristin Smith

Elba won its second game in a row on Friday, but more significantly, broke an eight-game losing streak against Oakfield-Alabama with a 7-3 win.

Alex Rascoe led the offense, going 4-4 with five RBIs. 

Mason Vigiano got the win, going six innings, giving up eight hits but only one run (earned), while striking out seven.

The Lancers improve to 7-5, and the Hornets, who have lost four of their last five games, drop to 6-8.

Photos by Jordyn Tobolski

Pembroke, now 11-2 on the season, racked up its highest run total of the season on Friday, leading to a 17-3 win over Attica.

UPDATE: Game story submitted by Allison Lang.

Behind a commanding performance from ace Brayden Lang, the Pembroke Varsity Dragons cruised to a 17–3 win over Attica on Friday in a five-inning blowout.

Lang was electric on the mound, striking out 13 while surrendering just four hits and three runs. The right-hander walked one and shut down Attica’s offense over five strong innings.

Offensively, Pembroke wasted no time. Anthony Abbatiello got the Dragons rolling with an RBI single in the top of the first. They exploded for eight runs in the second, capitalizing on a combination of errors and timely hitting. Joshua Von Kramer and Landon Santini each drove in runs, with Abbatiello adding an RBI double. Jarrett Lewter brought home another after being hit by a pitch, and Von Kramer capped the inning with a two-run single.

The onslaught continued in the third as Pembroke plated six more. Jayden Bridge laced a two-run double, Lewter and Lang each added RBIs, and Owen Shultz chipped in with an RBI groundout.

Santini led the Dragons’ offense, going 3-for-4 with three singles and two stolen bases. Pembroke collected 14 hits in total, with multiple contributions throughout the lineup. Von Kramer, Abbatiello, Bridge, and Lewter all drove in two runs apiece. Lang and Shultz also recorded multi-hit games.

Pembroke’s patience at the plate paid off with nine walks, including two each from Trey Newton, Jacob Johnson, and Abbatiello.

Attica’s starter, Wild, struggled to find rhythm, giving up 10 hits and 14 runs—just five of them earned—across two innings. Stockweather and Kilian each drove in a run for Attica.

Pembroke improves its momentum to 11-3 heading into Monday’s road matchup at Newfane.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Faith Goodenbury and Emily Pietrzykowski powered Alexander to a 12-7 win over Attica on Friday.

Goodenbury went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Pietrzykowski finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

“We needed this kind of team effort after a tough, close loss yesterday to Pembroke,” Alexander coach John Goodenbury said.

Alexander jumped ahead in the first with a Goodenbury double. Attica answered with three runs in the bottom half, including a two-RBI single from Haley Mills.

The Trojans responded with six runs in the second, highlighted by Pietrzykowski’s two-RBI double.

“We’re focused on staying sharp and getting ourselves ready for sectionals,” Goodenbury said.

Alexander collected 11 hits. Goodenbury and Pietrzykowski had three each. Ava Yax, Melissa Sawyer, Melanie Bump, Lilly Szymkowiak and Paige Morton each added a hit.

Paige Morton started and allowed four hits and five unearned runs over three innings. Pietrzykowski earned the win in relief, tossing four innings with one hit, three strikeouts and one earned run.

Mills pitched all seven innings for Attica, striking out six and walking four. She also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Cius, Jackson and Scripp each had a hit for the Blue Devils.

Alexander plays Batavia on Saturday at the Chris Martin Field of Dreams. First pitch is 2 p.m.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Pavilion/York scored early and held off a late rally to defeat Notre Dame, 5-4, on Friday.

The team plated two runs in the first inning and two more in the third. Landen Stoddard, Evan Kingdon, and Ryan Brady each tripled, with Kingdon and Brady collecting an RBI apiece. Hayven Cordes went 1-for-3 with a single and two RBIs. Liam Ezard added an RBI single.

“We jumped on them early, scoring two in the first and two in the third,” Pavilion/York coach Tim Kingdon said.

Stoddard started on the mound, recording six strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. Mason Parsons finished the game in relief.

“In the fifth, we had some uncharacteristic miscues on defense, which gave them all of their runs,” Kingdon said. “We knew going into tonight’s game that it was going to be a tough one, as Notre Dame has been playing great baseball of late. But our boys were ready to play and did what it took to walk away with the win.”

Photos by Kristin Smith

Elba avenged an early-season loss to Oakfield-Alabama, riding strong pitching from Mason Vigiano and a breakout night from freshman Alex Rascoe to a 7-1 victory Friday.

Vigiano worked six innings, scattering eight hits and striking out seven. Ryan Marsceill came on in relief and recorded the save.

“Mason was absolutely dealing tonight,” Elba coach Andrew Boyce said. “Anytime we needed a ground ball or a can-of-corn fly ball, he delivered on the mound. The work he puts in year-round is really showing.”

Rascoe sparked the offense, finishing 4-for-4 with two doubles, five RBIs and a run scored. Nicholas Scott went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a walk.

Mark Caparco added a double, scored three runs and walked once.

“In a game my boys had marked on the schedule since our first loss of the season came to Oakfield, they really wanted this one bad and came out and executed to perfection against one of the best-coached ball clubs in Section V,” Boyce said.

Elba improved to 11-4 and continues a busy stretch with games at Lyndonville on Saturday, Notre Dame on Monday and Pembroke on Tuesday.

“The boys are buzzing and we are getting key contributions from all 13 guys on the roster,” Boyce said. “There’s still a lot of work left to do.”

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Oakfield-Alabama’s offense sets the tone early and never lets up, powering the Lady Hornets to a 17-3 win over Notre Dame on Thursday.

The Lady Hornets score four runs in the first and six in the second, building a commanding lead. Oakfield-Alabama collects 13 hits, with seven players driving in runs.

Rylee Denny leads the way, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Piper Hyde finishes 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Raine Denny adds two hits and two RBIs.

Chloe Lamb chips in two hits and an RBI. Emma Moeller drives in three. Olivia Wescott and Allie Williams each add an RBI, while Ysa Schrauger goes 1-for-3.

Allison Harkness starts in the circle, allowing three hits and one earned run over four innings, striking out four. Savannah Durham closes it out, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Oakfield-Alabama improves to 13-1 on the season.

Photos by Kristin Smith

   Batavia’s bats broke loose in the sixth inning, powering a 24-2 victory over Attica on Senior Night, Thursday night, at Dwyer Stadium.

The Blue Devils sent 19 batters to the plate in the sixth, racking up 15 runs on 13 hits. They finished with 24 runs on 23 hits overall, with every starter collecting at least one hit and scoring a run.

“We’ve been struggling to get big hits with runners in scoring position, but tonight it clicked,” Batavia coach Michael Sputore said. “We scored 12 runs with two outs and had 11 hits with two outs.”

Jameson Motyka led the charge, going 4-for-4 with four runs, a double and an RBI. Lakoda Mruczek finished 4-for-5 with three runs, two doubles and four RBI. Brady Mazur, who also earned the win on the mound, went 3-for-4 and drove in five runs.

“Brady threw very well for us tonight, keeping the Attica hitters off balance and challenging them,” Sputore said.

Maggio Buchholz added a triple among his three hits, scoring three times and driving in three. Carter Mullen and Bronx Buchholz each had two hits, combining for five runs and four RBI.

Attica scored in the top of the first, but Mazur settled in, tossing six innings and allowing just three hits, striking out four and giving up one earned run.

“Proud of the boys tonight,” Sputore said. “It was a nice way to bounce back after a challenging week for us.”

Batavia improved to 9-8 overall and 5-3 in league play. The Blue Devils close out the regular season at Brockport on Friday at 5 p.m.

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Byron-Bergen defeated Alexander 3-2 in tennis on Thursday.

• 1st singles Riley Shallenberger (BB) defeated Kendrick Ochoa (Alex) 6-3, 6-0
• 2nd singles Erron Kimble (BB) defeated Adam Dolph (Alex) due to withdrawal
• 3rd singles Simon Fuller (Alex) defeated Josiah Hiscutt (BB) 7-5, 0-6
• 1st doubles Ela Bodnarskyj/Carli Koch (Alex) defeated Sara Bishop/Addy Cumings (BB) 7-6(7-4), 6-2
• 2 doubles Noah Clare/Craig DiQuattro (BB) defeated Merrick Eisele/Mary Grimes (Alex) 6-1, 7-5

Batavia defeated Williamson/Sodus/Marion 25-6 Thursday night in the Section V Class C Flag Football pre-quarterfinals, jumping out to a 25-0 halftime lead and controlling the game from start to finish.

“We wanted to set the tone early,” senior linebacker Jaimin Macdonald said. “Everyone was locked in from the first snap.”

Batavia’s defense consistently set up the offense with short fields. Macdonald grabbed two interceptions and finished with five flag pulls. Junior free safety Libby Grazioplene added another interception. Senior defensive ends Kylee Brennan and Nicole Doeringer each recorded seven flag pulls, with Brennan making two tackles for loss and Doeringer three.

Doeringer opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run. Macdonald went 7-for-12 passing for 54 yards and three touchdowns, all to sophomore wide receiver Leilah Manuel, who finished with four catches for 28 yards.

Macdonald also rushed for 29 yards on four carries. Grazioplene led the team with 31 rushing yards on three carries.

Batavia advanced to the Class C quarterfinals and will play the winner of Gananda vs. Rochester Prep on Monday, May 19. Game time and location are to be announced.

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Oakfield-Alabama built an early lead and defeated Elba, 9-1, in softball on Wednesday. 

The Hornets improved to 12-1 on the season.

Oakfield-Alabama scored four runs in the first inning and added to their lead in the second, third, fourth, and sixth. 

Allison Harkness earned the win, pitching seven innings, allowing four hits, and striking out eight.

Hornets offense:

• Piper Hyde: 3-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI
• Raine Denny: 3-for-4
• Allison Harkness: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
• Chloe Lamb: 1-for-1, triple, 3 RBI
• Allie Williams: 1-for-3, RBI
• Jess Sosnowski: 1-for-3, RBI

“It was our eighth game in a nine-day stretch," said Coach Jeff Schlagenhauf. "I am very proud of how our girls have battled and have been able to maintain their focus. It has been a long stretch. It will be good to get some practice work in tomorrow.” 

Photos by Kristin Smith

Byron-Bergen beat Pembroke 3-2 in tennis on Wednesday.

• First singles, Riley Shallenberger (BB) defeated D.J. Hale (Pem) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
• Second singles, Angel Neureutor (Pem) defeated Erron Kimble (BB) 7-5, 6-3
• Third singles, Levi McGrath (BB) defeated Camden Schneider (Pem) 6-4, 6-2
• First doubles, Tyler Kuepf/Logan Manna (Pem) defeated Sara Bishop/Justin Gabehart (BB) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
• Second doubles, Noah Clare/Craig DiQuattro (BB) defeated Danielle Mast/Paul Tebur (Pem) 6-7(5-7), 7-6(7-5), 6-4

Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro.

Mark Caparco delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth inning as Elba rallied to defeat Byron-Bergen in extra innings on Wednesday night.

Nicholas Scott earned the win for Elba with 7 1/3 innings of three-hit ball. After surrendering a bloop single in the first, Scott settled in and allowed just one more hit the rest of the way, finishing with 10 strikeouts.

Mason Vigiano came on to record the final two outs and notch the save.

Caparco finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, including his game-winning gapper. Scott also helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. Bing Zuber contributed, going 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Vigiano added an RBI single.

After falling behind early, Elba responded by tying the game and ultimately prevailing in extras.

“We’ve talked a lot about how our energy and toughness directly impact winning baseball,” said Coach Andrew Boyce. “Tonight, the boys battled back after taking a haymaker in the first. That’s the kind of game we’ll remember come sectionals when we need to dig deep. Elba baseball is a tough out for anyone.”

Elba will look to build on this momentum as the postseason approaches.

Photos by Kristin Smith

Arianna Almekinder delivered a stellar performance on Tuesday afternoon, striking out 13 batters and tossing her first varsity perfect game as Batavia cruised to a 19-0 victory over East High.

Almekinder reached a major milestone early, recording her 100th strikeout of the season in the second inning. She was dominant throughout, not allowing a single hit or walk in the shutout win.

Offensive leaders were Violet Lopez, Hannah Carney, Almekinder herself, and Libby Grazioplene..

The win marks Batavia’s third straight victory. 

Press release:

Batavia Boys competed against Greece Olympia/Odyssey on Tuesday and came away with a 110-31 victory.  Winners for Batavia were:

• Jamere Reeves -110 Hurdles (17.3)
• Grant Gahagan - 400m (54.0)
• Cameron Garofalo - 1600m (4:35.6), 3200m (10:56)
• Sheldon Siverling - Shot Put (58-11), Discus (155-10)
• Justin Smith - Triple Jump (39-6.75), High Jump (5-10)
• Da'Von Gallo Williams - 400 Hurdles (1:03.9)
• Cooper Banser - 800m (2:18.0)
• Keagan Calmes - 200m (23.7)
• Cooper Konieczny - Pole Vault (10-6)
• 4x400 Relay - Jamari Irvin, Brandon Currier, Da'Von Gallo Williams, Isaac Varland
• 4x800 Relay - Mason Bellamy, Gabe Flanagan, Noah Richmond, Grady Moore

We also celebrated and recognized our seniors prior to this meet and we have 23 Seniors who have competed with us this year! 

Photos by Kristin Smith. 

Alexander beat Attica on the day of the Trojans' Senior Game on Tuesday, 10-5.

The Trojans answered a late rally by Attica, scoring four runs and tying the game, with six runs in the sixth inning.

Emily Pietrzykowski tripled, scoring two runs, Melanie Bump laid down a sacrifice bunt, scoring one run, and Felski tripled, scoring three runs. Sophomore Ella Felski led the Trojans at the plate and provided clutch hitting that put the game out of reach for Attica.

Pietrzykowski earned the win for Alexander. The righty surrendered five hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out eight and walking six.

Sophomore Haley Mills took the loss for Attica. The starter went six innings, giving up 10 runs (six earned) on 10 hits, striking out three and walking four. Piorun led Attica with two runs batted in. The outfielder went 3-for-4 on the day.

Alexander piled up 10 hits in the game. Melissa Sawyer, Yax, and Pietrzykowski each collected multiple hits for Alexander.
 

Hitting:

• Ella Felski went 3-for-4 with a triple, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, stolen base
• Melissa Sawyer went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs, run, walk
• Ava Yax went 2-for-3 with an RBI, 2 runs, walk, stolen base
• Emili Pietrzykowski went 2-for-4 with a Triple, 2 RBIs, and a run scored

Pitching:

• Emily Pietrzykowski – Win, 7 Innings, 5 hits allowed, 4 earned runs allowed, 6 walks issued and 8 punch outs.

"This was senior night for our girls, and the way it played out felt like a movie script," said Coach John Goodenbury. "After giving up four runs in the top of the sixth, I told them in the dugout, 'This is your script to write, go out and write it.' They went out there, fought for it, and made it happen. It was a great moment for their families to see them respond that way on an emotional senior night. We needed this win to stay in contention to win the GR (Division 1). 

"I also want to give credit to Attica’s pitcher Haley Mills; she’s a developing pitcher and is going to be a force for Attica over the next couple of years. She’s poised, she battles, and I had the pleasure of having her fill in with our travel team last summer. I know she’s only going to keep rising to the top, and she won’t be easy next year."

Photo by Makenna Boyce.