baseball

Entering the bottom of the eighth inning in their game against the Geneva Red Wings at Dwyer Stadium on Tuesday, the Batavia Muckdogs were in danger of dropping their second game in a row for the first time since mid-June when the team rallied for four runs and a 5-2 win.

With one out, Cam Carignan reached base on a walk. Rashad Robinson followed with a double, driving in Carignan to tie the game. An infield single by Josh Leadem put runners at first and third. Lucas Lopez singled to right, driving in Robinson to give Batavia the lead at 3-2.  Lopez stole second.

With two outs after Adam Agresti struck out, the Red Wings gave Giuseppe Acuri a free pass. 

Trey Bacon walked, scoring Leadem.  Cristian Bernadini singled to center, scoring Lopez.  Arcuri was thrown out at the plate trying to score, ending the inning.

Jacob Bruning, from Gasport, recorded the final three outs in his first appearance of the season to get the save. He struck out two batters.

Michael Pedraza (3-1)  got the final out on a strikeout in the top of the eighth, making him the winning pitcher.

Alexander's Ty Woods started and went five innings, giving up two unearned runs, three hits and striking out six Red Wings.

Lopez was named Player of the Game, going 3-4 with a run scored, RBI, and stolen base.  Robinson was 2-3 with a run scored, RBI, and a double.

Arcuri was 1-2 with two walks.

Nicholas Franceschi took the loss for Geneva, giving up four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Geneva's starter Drew Mun went evening innings and fanned seven giving up only one run.

Batavia remains atop the Western Division of the PGCBL at 20-9, 2.5 games ahead of Jamestown.

After a day off today, Batavia plays at home on Thursday against Elmira.  Game time is 5 p.m.

For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.

It's been a rarity these days, but the Batavia Muckdogs lost a game to a division rival on Monday, falling 4-3 to the Jamestown Tarp Skunks in extra innings.

Reliever Trey Bacon took the loss after coming on with one out in the 10th, getting a strikeout before giving up a single to  Drew Garth, who would eventually come around to score an unearned run.

Giuseppe Arcuri stayed hot, going 2-3 with a run scored, a double, and a walk.  Caleb Rodriguez went 2-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

The Muckdogs are 19-9 with a two-game lead over Jamestown (15-9) in the West.

At 6:35 tonight (Tuesday), the Muckdogs take on Geneva to start a run of five consecutive home games, which includes games on Thursday, on July 13, July 14 (non-league game), July 15, and July 16.

In other Muckdogs news, Batavia's 2021 starting shortstop Charlie Szykown was taken in the ninth round of the MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants.

Muckdog's manager Joey Martinez promised at the start of the season that the 2023 edition of the hometown team would feature strong pitching.

Ryan Kinney is the latest Batavia starter to prove him right.

Kinney took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against top division rival Elmira at Dwyer Stadium on Saturday night to help the red-hot, division-leading Muckdogs notch its fourth-straight win, 4-2.

The right-hander from Winter Haven, Fla, is now 3-0 on the year with a 0.42 ERA after going 8 1/2, giving up two hits and two runs. He struck out nine Pioneers.

Rijnaldo Euson came on to get the final out for this third save.

The Muckdogs are now 19-8 after winning 10 of their past 12 games and are three games up on Elmira (15-10) in the Western Divison of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

The win was also Batavia's 15th straight win at home.

Adam Agresti raised his season average to .409 by going 3-4 with two RBIs and two doubles.

Giuseppe Arcuri went 2-3 with a run scored. Trey Bacon was 1-3 with two RBIs.

Attendance was 1,599.

Batavia is home again on Tuesday against Geneva. Game time is 6:35 p.m.

Photos by Nick Serrata

Le Roy's 12-U Little League team is the district champ and next plays in the sectional championship, which will determine the teams to play in the state tournament.

On Friday, Le Roy defeated Allegany 8-0 with two pitchers combining to throw a shutout. 

Matthew McCulley went five innings striking out 12 batters, and Michael Warner came in in the 6th to shut the door and claim the title. The two pitchers gave up only three hits on the night.

 Le Roy scored three runs in the first, two in the second,  and three in the fourth, and gathered 15 hits in the game.

 Catcher Eddie Lathan threw out two Allegany baserunners on attempted steals.

 Hits were recorded by Sammy Bogue (3), Drew Beachel (3), Dalton Luke (2), Eddie Lathan (2), Carter McClurg, Ethan Rose, Matthew McCulley, Michael Warner, and Ryker Vangalio. Runs scored were Sammy Bogue (3), Drew Beachel,  Dalton Luke, Carter McClurg, Michael Warner, and Ryan Crissy.

 Team members include Sammy Bogue #24, Drew Beachel #13, Matthew McCulley #42, Michael Warner #5, Ryker Vangalio #2, Eddie Lathan #6, Blake Biracree #0, Ethan Rose #28, Dalton Luke #11, Carter McClurg #99, Ryan Crissy #8, and Carson Wetsell #23 (missing from photo)

Le Roy went 6-0 on district play, giving up only seven runs while scoring 56 runs.

Submitted photos and information. 

The season has been played, the championships contested, and in Batavia Youth Baseball, after finals were played, two teams stand atop the rest.

In the 12U Division, The Guardians edged out the Dodgers 2-1.

In the 10U Division, The Royals Barbershop Mets defeated the Angels 10-8.

Submitted photos and information.

When you're playing in the postseason, good defense helps win games, and Le Roy's 12-U Little League team didn't commit a single error on its way to a 10-0 victory on Wednesday against ECLV.

Drew Beachel tossed a complete game shutout. He went five innings and struck out 15 hitters, allowing only one hit.

Le Roy opened with four runs in the first inning with hits from Sammy Bogue and Michael Warner. Ethan Rose had an RBI ground out as well.

Warner and Dalton Luke each went deep in the game.

Overall, Le Roy had eight hits. Warner and  Bogue had multi-hit games. Beachel, Eddie Lathan,  Luke and Ryan Crissy all chipped in with one hit a piece. RBIs were recorded by Rose, Luke, Warner, and Beachel (2). Runs scored were recorded by Matthew McCulley, Beachel, Warner (2), Ryker Vangalio, Rose, Lathan, Carson Wetsell, Luke, and Carter McClurg.

Le Roy plays for the district championship at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Submitted info and photo.

The Batavia Muckdogs continued their recent winning ways and padded their lead in the PGCBL Western Division by dominating their closest division rival, the Jamestown Tarp Skunks, for a 9-2 win at home on Wednesday.

Julian Pichardo, a University of Fort Lauderdale senior and in his third year with the Muckdogs, notched his 100 career strikeout in the game. 

Pichardo got the win (3-0, 1.73) by going 6 2/3 innings, allowing only one run.  

He now has K'd 103 batters in his PGCBL career.

It was also a big night for Josh Leadem. The U of R senior scored his 50th career run in the PGCBL, and with three runs scored in the game, now has 53.  He was 2-4 with two doubles and two stolen bases.

Leadem is hitting .238 on the season but has drawn 11 walks. He has 21 stolen bases, 18 runs scored, 15 hits, seven RBIs, and one of the team's two home runs.

Adam Agresti went 2-3 with a run scored, a double, and two RBIs, along with a walk. Henry Daniels went 2-2 with an RBI.

The Muckdogs are now 17-8 on the season, and the Tarp Skunks fall to 13-8.

The attendance on Wednesday was 1,844.

Tonight (Thursday), the Muckdogs travel to Geneva to face the Red Wings.  They're back home on Friday for a non-league game against Syracuse. Game time is 6:35 p.m.  On Saturday, they face Elmira at home. Game time is 6:35 p.m.

The Batavia Muckdogs picked up their 16th win of the 2023 season on Tuesday in an Independence Day match-up in Niagara against the Power.

Tyrone Woods went 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win in the Muckdogs' 3-2 victory.  He struck out four.  The Alexander resident and GCC student is 2-1 on the season with a 2.91 ERA.

Rijnaldo Euson, who also has two wins on the season, picked up the save, his second.

The Muckdogs' offense:

• Lucas Lopez went 2-4. 
• Adam Agresti went 2-3 with a double, a walk, a run, and a stolen base
• Giuseppe Arcuri went 2-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a double.

With the win, the Muckdogs put another game between them and third-place Niagara (11-8) and remain a game ahead of second-place Jamestown (13-7), which is tonight's (Wednesday) opponent at Dwyer Stadium.  Game time is 6:35 p.m.

The Muckdogs are 8-1 over their last nine official league games and 10-1 overall during that span.

With flags flying and fans anticipating a post-game fireworks show, the Batavia Muckdogs took to the field Monday night for a non-league game against Erie-Buffalo and won 8-7.

Giuseppe Archuri was named Player of the Game, going 3-3 and scoring two runs.

No box score is available for the game.

Arcuri, from Allentown, N.J., has become one of the team's most productive hitters, with 21 hits, an Avg. of .309, and 13 RBI.

Adam Agresti leads the team with an average of .375. He also has 21 hits to go along with 11 RBIs.  He's eighth in the league in average. 

Matt DeStefano, of Westbury, is hitting .333 (12 hits) with seven walks. 

James Aselta is hitting .365 but doesn't have enough at-bats (22) to qualify among league leaders. Anthony Calabro has drawn 14 walks to go along with 11 RBIs with an average of .238. Infielder Lucas Lopez is hitting .300.

The next home game is Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. against the Jamestown Tarp Skunks.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

The Batavia Muckdogs beat Queen City on Saturday night at Dwyer Stadium, 7-6.

There is no box score available for the game.

On Monday, Batavia hosts Erie-Buffalo on a night that will include an Independence Day celebration with post-game fireworks.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Le Roy Little League's 12U all-stars defeated Bolivar 10-0 after four innings due to mercy rule.

Le Roy opened up the game with six runs in the first inning. Matthew McCully and Eddie Lathan had two RBIs each in the first. 

Drew Beachel went 2 and 2/3 innings allowing one hit and no runs while striking out six, walking none and tossing only 35 pitches. 

In the third, Beachel and McCulley opened the inning with back-to-back home runs.

Le Roy had five total hits on the day: McCulley, two, Eddie Lathan, Ryan Crissy, and Drew Beachel each with one, and RBIs were recorded by Blake Biracree, Drew Beachel, Matthew McCulley, two, Eddie Lathan, three.

Scoring runs were Sammy Bogue, Drew Beachel, Matthew McCulley, two, Michael Warner, Ryker Vangalio, Ethan Rose, Eddie Lathan, two, and Dalton Luke.

Le Roy is now 2-0 in the Little League All-Stars series

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Batavia Muckdogs ran their win streak to seven games on Thursday in an unusual fashion: A walk-off interference call.

With the score tied 3-3 in the 10th inning against Niagara Power, an umpire ruled Power's third baseman Andrew Fairbrother interfered with the Muckdog's runner, Anthony Calabro, while Calabro was advancing to third on a wild pitch. Calabro was awarded home plate and the winning run.

Garrett Beaver, who pitched the final two frames and didn't give up a hit or a run while striking out two, got the win.  Starter Julian Pichardo went six innings, giving up four hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out six.

Earlier in the evening, the Muckdogs picked up a win against Niagara by completing a game the two teams started on Tuesday, which was suspended in the bottom of the ninth.

At the time of the suspension, the Muckdogs trailed 5-4 with one out and Caleb Rodriguez at the plate on a 3-2 count. Matt DeStefano was on third base.

When the game resumed, Rodriquez singled, driving in DeStefano. 

Rashad Robinson then reached on an error, putting runners at first and second.  Rodriguez then scored the winning run on a single by Lucas Lopez.

Garrett Beaver got the win in relief. Adam Agresti went 3-3.

The Muckdogs are now 15-7 on the season and a game ahead of Jamestown (12-6) in the Western Division and two games ahead of Elmira (11-7).

Tonight (Friday), the Muckdogs are on the road for a game against Niagara Power. They return to Dwyer on Saturday to start a three-game homestand. First up, Queen City at 6:35 p.m. On Sunday, the game time is 4:05 p.m. against Elimra, and on Monday, with a 4th of July Fireworks celebration to follow, the Muckdogs play Erie Buffalo at 6:35 p.m.

At the game on Monday, be sure to visit The Batavian's booth.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

The Batavia Muckdogs won their fifth-straight game in a big way on Monday, beating the Geneva Red Wings 8-4.

The Muckdogs collected 15 hits.

Key offensive contributors: 

• Brice Mortillaro went 3-3 with a run scored and two RBIs
• Matt DeStefano went 2-3 with two runs, a walk, and a triple
• Giuseppe Arcuri went 2-4 with a run scored, a stolen base and two RBIs
• Lucas Lopez went 3-5, scoring twice and smacking a double
• Rashad Robinson went 2-4, scoring once and walking once and swiping a pair of bases.

Ryan Kinney came on in relief, tossed 2 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless ball to pick up his second win. His ERA is 0.77.

The 'Dogs (13-7, first place in the West) are back home tonight (Tuesday) against Niagara Power. Game time is 6:35 p.m.

The Batavia Muckdogs picked up their fourth straight win at home on Saturday, beating Elmira 9-2.

At 12-7, the Muckdogs are tied for first place in the Western Division, percentage points behind Niagara Power, 9-4.  Amsterdam leads the Eastern Division at 17-1.

Jack Keeler (2-0, 3.21) got the win, going five innings, giving up three hits and two runs (neither were earned), while walking two and striking out two.

Ben Weber picked up his first save, going two innings and striking out four.

Matt DeStefano (Avg. .347) reached base in all four plate appearances, going  2-2 with two Walks, an RBI and a run scored. Victor Alongi went 2-4 with three RBIs. Anthony Calabro scored two runs.

The Muckdogs host Geneva today (Sunday) at 4:05 p.m.

The Batavia Muckdogs picked up a 3-2 win in Newark on Friday, 3-2, over the Pilots.

Preston Prince went five innings and whiffed five, giving up only one hit and one run to notch the win.

Adam Agresti and Matt DeStefano duplicated each other's stat line, each going 2-4 with an RBI and a double.  

At 11-7, the Muckdogs are tied for first in the Western Division with Niagara and Elmira.

The Elmira Pioneers will be at Dwyer Stadium tonight (Saturday). Game time is 6:35 p.m.

The Batavia Muckdogs battled back on Monday from a three-run first-inning deficit to beat Newark at Dwyer Stadium 6-5 behind the 3-3, four RBI performance of catcher Adam Agresti.

Garrett Beaver worked a scoreless eight to pick up the win, and Trey Bacon retired all three batters he faced in the ninth, fanning Pilots to pick up his fifth save.

Starter Tyler Henshaw surrendered four runs over three innings, giving up six hits and two walks. He struck out three.

Ryan Kinney pitched four innings, walked one and collected seven strikeouts.

At 8-5, the Muckdogs are in third place in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League's Western Division, a half-game behind Niagara and Elmira.

Reported attendance: 1,432

The next home game is June 22 against Jamestown. 

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

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

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

Batavia is now 7-4 on the season.

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

Trey Bacon pitched a scoreless seventh for his fourth save.

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

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

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

Rick Ruhlman, a fixture at Dwyer Stadium for decades, was recognized before the Batavia Muckdog's second game of a twin bill on Friday against Auburn.

He threw out the first pitch, and PA announcer Paul Spiotta read the following statement:

Rick Ruhlman, BHS Class of 1976, is an essential and beloved figure in the history of Batavia sports.

Whether on the sidelines, in the locker room, from the press box, or in the stands, Rick has enriched and encouraged Batavia athletes in countless ways over the past half century. For his labors of love, Rick was inducted into the Blue Devils Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

Tonight, the Batavia Blue Devils and the Batavia Muckdogs would like to thank Rick Ruhlman for a lifetime of service. Rick, you have made Batavia a better place.

The Muckdogs won the first game 9-0.  Ty Woods, from Alexander and a student at GCC, tossed six innings of shutout ball, yielding a single hit, walking one, and striking out three.  Woods picked up his first win in two starts with an ERA on the season of 0.75.

The team collected 11 hits, with Kyle Hetherington and Zach Kasperowicz getting two hits apiece.  Nine different players scored once and only once, and Kasperowicz was the only player who didn't cross the plate in the game.  He had one RBI.

Batavia won the second game 1-0. Julian Pichardo went the distance (seven innings) to pick up his second win and a complete-game shutout. He scattered three hits and one walk, striking out nine.

The Muckdogs were held to three hits.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

It took a few minutes for Batavia Muckdogs owner Robbie Nichols to answer the phone Tuesday, which is understandable.

Not only does he plan for special events, network and take care of finances for the business, but also the minor details of minor league baseball.

“I was just moving garbage cans around the ballpark,” he said. "Whatever needs to be done."

Nichols had recently made a request that $4,000 originally granted to GO ART! for Picnic in the Park be instead given to Batavia Muckdogs for a Fourth of July fireworks display after the July 3 ball game. City Council approved the request during its business meeting Monday, and The Batavian called Nichols for comment.

“We're glad that it was approved, and we're just gonna give it back to the city and the show. So we're excited about that. We do have fireworks on that night, it's going to be more grandiose, like a big city fireworks show sponsored by the city,” he said. “And so obviously, this will be a much larger show. And thank you to the city. And like we said, we'll get tickets out to those people that could use them.”

In his letter requesting the additional funds, Nichols pledged to donate 100 tickets for families in need. On Tuesday, he said it would likely be more than 100 tickets, as he wanted to make it possible for any families that couldn’t otherwise afford to attend to be able to also enjoy the Fourth of July festivities.

“We enjoy being part of the community, and we enjoy being involved in as many events as possible in Batavia,” he said in his letter to council.

Julia Rogers, coordinator of the Batavia City Community Schools program, will be referring families for the tickets, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said.

Nichols and staff were glad that the money was awarded to them, he said, and they have no plans to keep it, treating it in the same vein as they do Dwyer Stadium:  “This is a city facility. It’s not our facility. We’re just the holders of the keys,” he said.

“You know, we're really excited. We put a lot of hard work into Batavia. (General Manager) Marc Witt does a great job with all the groups and people that he brings here. This Friday is Batavia Blue Devil night, and it's gonna be a large crowd, and Monday's game got rained out, and we already had a large crowd coming Monday night, so Friday should be another sold-out game, and we're really happy,” he said. “We had three sell-outs in our first four (games). So we're pretty happy, and we know we're going to sell out this next one. So the crowds keep coming out. We're just happy. They like our product and like what we do here.

“And we want people to enjoy it. You know, every weekend, people don't know we have baseball games, from morning to night. GLOW uses our field every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” he said. “So if the Dogs aren't playing, we have youth baseball being played from eight in the morning ’til eight at night almost every Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”

That was enough talk. He had other tasks to do.

“We get a lot of trash,” he said.

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

Player stats:

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

Game time is 6:35 p.m.