muckdogs

The Crosscutters (32-30) scored sixteen runs to Batavia's (39-24) seven to put an end to the Muckdogs' seven game win streak.  Adam Veres (0-1) had a shaky start that gave him the loss.  He lasted two innings with six hits, six runs, two walks and four strikeouts.  For Williamsport, Justin De Fratus (5-4) picked up the win in five and a third innings with seven hits, four runs, four walks and nine strikeouts.

Williamsport got the lead right off the bat in the 1st on two singles and a double.  Batavia answered with one run in the bottom of the inning when Jose Garcia reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and came home when Colt Sedbrook hit a double down the middle.  However, the Crosscutters added twelve runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings to make the game unreachable.

Batavia wasn't quite finished, though, as they had a three-run 6th inning when Charlie Cutler and Jairo Martinez had back-to-back singles and Chris Swauger tripled to drive them in.  Swauger then came in to score on a Brett Lilley single.  They also had a three-run 8th inning.  Swauger, Garcia and Sedbrook all singled and Shane Peterson had a two-run double, giving the Muckdogs seven total runs, but it was not enough as the Crosscutters plated sixteen on the night.

Swauger went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored.  Peterson was also 3-for-5 with two RBI.  Sedbrook continued to raise his average, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored.  Batavia looks to get back on the winning track Tuesday as they travel to Mahoning Valley for two games with the Scrappers.

A four-run 8th inning for the Muckdogs (39-23) was enough to get the 4-3 win against Williamsport (31-30).  Arquimedes Nieto (6-0) picked up the win, pitching the 6th, 7th and 8th with one strikeout.  Adam Reifer (19) earned himself the save in the 9th with two hits, one run and two strikeouts.  Jesse Oster (1-1) blew the save and got the loss throwing one inning with two hits, four runs and two walks for the opposition.

The Crosscutters started their early lead in the 3rd, scoring one run when Brandon  Haislet singled, Bryan Frew walked and Steve Susdorf came up with a RBI single.  They added another in the 5th after Haislet was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Later in the inning, Haislet came around to score on a Susdorf sacrifice fly.

However, Batavia came through in the 8th to score enough for the win.  Jose Garcia got on base with a walk and advanced on a wild pitch.  Colt Sedbrook came up and singled to send Garcia home.  After Osvaldo Morales also was walked, Xavier Scruggs drove one over the fence in right field to bring three runs home.

Williamsport threatened in the 9th by scoring one run on a Troy Hanzawa double and Tim Binkoski single, but Reifer struck out the next two he faced to finalize the win.

Sedbrook had a big game, having three of the team's five hits in four at bats, including a double, RBI and a run scored.  Scruggs was clutch in his 1-for-3 day with a homerun and desicive three RBI.  The Muckdogs look to sweep Williamsport and increase their streak tomorrow night at home.

Batavia's (38-23) four errors looked to be costly, but the Muckdogs took the game into extra innings to get the 4-3 over the Williamsport Crosscutters (31-29).  Josh Hester started the game positively, going five innings with four hits, one run (unearned) and three strikeouts.  LaCurtis Mayes (4-0) threw the 11th and 12th innings for the win.  He walked one while striking out three.  Williamsport's Michael Schwimmer (0-2) got the loss in two and a third innings with two hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts.

The Crosscutters led 1-0 after the 4th when D'Arby Myers reached on a throwing error and came around to score on a Steve Susdorf double.  The Muckdogs took over the lead by scoring three in the 7th.  Colt Sedbrook singled and Shane Peterson reached on catcher's interference.  They then both advanced on a balk before Xavier Scruggs came up with a double to score them both.  Charlie Cutler followed with a single to move Scruggs to third.  A wild pitch then allowed him to score.

However, Williamsport came back in the next inning to even things up.  Arlon Quiroz and Myers both singled, then Susdorf had a RBI double.  The other run came on a sacrifice fly that scored Myers.  The game remained at a 3-3 standstill until the bottom of the 12th inning.  Edwin Gomez started off the inning with a single.  After Frederick Parejo was intentionally walk, Sedbrook singled through the right side to let Gomez come in to score to win the game.

Sedbrook and Gomez both finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored.  The two teams meet again today at 1:00.

The Muckdogs picked up a 4-3 Saturday night over Williamsport, and with Jamestown beating Auburn by an identical 4-3 score, Batavia retains its half gain lead in the Pinckney Division.

Xavier Scruggs went 2-5 and drove in two runs, while Edwin Gomez and Colt Sedbrook each gathered two hits.

The winning pitcher was LaCurtis Mayes (4-0) who tossed two innings of scoreless ball.

The starter, Joshua Hester, went five innings and surrendered four hits and one unearned run.

Hector Cardenas was tagged for two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Muckdogs move to 38-23 (Standings).

Attendance was 1,070.

(Box score)

With our 5th win in a row tonight, we hold on to our first place standing in the Pinckney Division.  Jamestown was able to pull out a win in extra innings to remain just a half game back.  Here's a look at where we stand in other areas of the NYPL:

• Batavia is 3rd in batting and pitching with a combined .264 BA and 3.08 ERA.
• Arquimedes Nieto is now 2nd in pitching with a 1.28 ERA and perfect 5-0 record.
• Adam Reifer still dominates in saves and games at 18 and 25, respectively.
• Colt Sedbrook is 8th in batting with a .310 ERA.  He is also 3rd in on-base percentage at .403 and tied for 3rd in triples with 5.
• Shane Peterson is 5th in on-base percentage (.388).
• Jose Garcia's 19 stolen bases makes him tied for 3rd.

Make sure you get to the ballpark this weekend for some great promotions!  Tomorrow (Saturday) the first 500 fans will receive a Chase Utley bobblehead.  Sunday, the ZOOperstars will be in town for some added entertainment at the game, and as always, kids can run the bases after the game.

The Batavia Muckdogs improved their record to 37--23 with a 10-1 win over Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Dwyer Stadium tonight.

The Muckdogs retained their half-game first-place lead over Jamestown, who beat State College tonight 2-1.

Thomas Eager improved his record to 4-3 by going five innings and giving up only two hits and one run, though he did walk four.

Eager carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when a line shot from the first batter he faced bounced off his glove toward the third base line. The next batter singled to left and then Eager issued a walk.  A run scored on a double play, and then Eager walked the next two batters -- missing badly on several pitches -- to load the bases again. He retired the next batter he faced, however.

(Sorry, while I was there -- I wasn't keeping score, so I don't have the names of the Scapper batters involved in that one-run inning.)

In only his third game as a Muckdog, second baseman Alejandro Castellanos went 3-4 with a triple and two RBI.

Chris Swauger also had three hits, while Edwin Gomez and Cold Sedbrook each had two (Box Score).

Eight of the Muckdog's runs came in an explosive third inning, which proved to be a preview of the fireworks that would follow the game.

The post-game show was worth the $5 GA by itself.  It was a major league exhibition lasting for at least 20 minutes.

The announced paid attendance was 1,490. 

There should have been at least another 1,000 people there to see the first-place Muckdogs continue its quest for a division crown (not to mention the great fireworks show).

Dave Wellenzohn was energetic as always with between inning games and promotions. He certainly throws himself into supporting the team.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see my favorite Muckdog, sweet-swining Beau Riportella, who rode the bench for the night.

Saturday at 7:05 p.m. the Muckdogs take on Williamsport while Jamestown visits Auburn. Game time for Sunday is 1:05 p.m.

The Muckdogs (37-23) excelled on both sides of the plate to take down Mahoning Valley (26-35) by a score of 10-1.  Thomas Eager (4-3) started and earned the win in five innings with two htis, one run, four walks and five strikeouts (including four straight).  George Brown (3) picked up the save in the 9th, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.  On the losing end, Mark Rodrigues (0-2) went two-thirds innings with three hits and four runs.

Batavia had one of their biggest innings of the season, scoring eight runs in the 3rd inning to put the game out of reach.  It all started when Chris Swauger and Edwin Gomez plated back-to-back singles.  Jose Garcia then had a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners one base.  When Frederick Parejo was up next, he reached and the two runners scored on a fielder's choice; Parejo then moved to second on a throwing error.  Colt Sedbrook singled in the next at-bat to score Parejo.

Shane Peterson then reached on another fielder's choice, Osvaldo Morales was hit by a pitch and Charlie Cutler singled to load the bases.  Alex Castellanos then came up with a two RBI single.  After Swauger walked to load the bases again, Gomez had his second hit of the inning, a three-run double.  The Muckdogs scored the eight runs on six hits and an error and had thirteen come up to the plate during the inning.

Mahoning Valley's only run came in the 5th inning as singles by Brock Simpson and Jeremie Tice put two on.  Simpson scored the only run when he came home on a double play ball.  On the night, Swauger was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, a RBI and two runs scored.  Castellanos went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored.  They finish out the weekend with a three-game series against Williamsport at home.

*At the completion of all tonight's NYPL games, I'll have an update on our standings!*

Two new faces have been added to the Muckdogs roster. Here's a look at our new players:

• Ismael Cardona, Catcher: Cardona comes up from the GCL Cardinals where he was batting .222 with 7 RBI.  Orignally from La Sabana, Venezuela, Cardona will add some depth in catching.
• Osvaldo Morales, First Base: In Johnson City, Morales was batting .250 with 12 homeruns and 28 RBI.  In his first start as a Muckdog last night, he went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Also, I know I'm a little late with the reminder but, don't foget there are player appearances today at Denny's from 11:30-12:30 and at Oliver's Candies 12-1! Be sure to stop out, chat them up and get to know some Muckdogs...and then of course get out to a game to cheer them on! We are home all this weekend and this Monday with all games starting at 7:05, except for a 1:05 start on Sunday.

Behind a solid starting pitching effort by Scott Gorgen (3-2), the Muckdogs (36-23) remain in 1st place in the Pinckney Division after a 4-2 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (26-34).  Gorgen threw five innings with five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.  Russell Young (4-3) suffered the loss in his six innings with five hits, three runs (one earned), one walk and 2 strikeouts.

In the 2nd inning, Batavia started things off by scoring two runs on three hits.  Chris Swauger singled and Alex Castellonas doubled to get on base and Edwin Gomez came up with a double to drive them both in.  They added another run in the 4th when newcomer Osvaldo Morales doubled and Swauger singled.  The Muckdogs's 4th and final run of the night came in the 8th inning.  Jose Garcia bunt-singled, stole second and then advanced to third on a throwing error.  With Frederick Parejo at the plate, the Scrappers had a fielding error which allowed Garcia to come in to score.

Mahoning Valley threatened in the 9th, scoring two runs in the inning on a walk and two doubles, but it was not enough.  Jason Buursma came into relieve Miguel Tapia in the 9th to earn himself his third save.  In an inning of work, he let up only one hit while striking out two.

Castellonas finished the game 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.  Swauger also went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored.  The teams face each other again tonight in Batavia at 7:05.

Batavia Muckdog closer Adam Reifer, who leads the league in saves with 18, picked up the win Tuesday night, and Muckdog Charles Cutler scored the winning run, as the National League erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth to cap a 4-3 walk-off victory.

In fact, NL manager Darin Everson said it was Reifer's performance that semi-inspired the comeback win.

"It was very dramatic," Everson said. "I was telling the other guys that having the energy of Reifer throwing in the ninth inning, our dugout was kind of bubbling with energy after watching him throw."

Muckdog Frederick Parejo broke the game's scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth when he he homered off of right-hander Robert Bell (Auburn).

Here's the game's box score.

The Muckdogs host Mahoning Valley tomorrow to open the closing weeks of the season in first place with a half-game lead over Jamestown.

Thursday and Friday's games start at 7:50 p.m. 

Williamsport is in town Saturday and Sunday. After that, there are only four more regular season home games (the team is 18-10 at Dwyer this year), including two against Jamestown, which should make for a dramatic close of the season.

Your team is fighting for the division pennant, Genesee County, go support them. General admission tickets are only $5. These kids have put on a great show all season; they deserve to see the stands packed with fans.

My wife and I will be there Friday night. Look for us in the third-base bleachers. I expect I'll be wearing my old school San Diego Padres cap.

Here's a look at where our Muckdog leaders are in the NYPL:

• Arquimedes Nieto remains the league's pitching leader with a 5-0 record and 1.28 ERA.
• Adam Reifer also still leads in saves with 18 and in games with 25.
• Colt Sedbrook is 8th in batting with a .312 BA.  He also is 2nd in on-base percentage (.406) and tied for 4th in triples (5).
• Jose Garcia is 4th in stolen bases with 18.
• As a team, the Muckdogs are 3rd in both hitting and pitching.  They have a combined batting average of .263 and a combined ERA of 3.13.

*In closing, Sunday was my last game here in Batavia. I am returning to school at Kent State University to begin my senior year as a broadcast journalism major.  It was great getting to know those of you who I had a chance to meet at games and getting feedback from you!  I will still be posting frequently for the Muckdogs with game reviews, information on players being moved up or down, community events, and so-forth.  So keep checking in! And get out to Dwyer Stadium as we continue our great run for the playoffs!

The Muckdogs (35-23) took down the Doubledays (31-27) by a score of 5-3 to complete the sweep this weekend.  Ramon Delgado (5-1) had a strong start for the win, going five innings with two hits and four strikeouts.  Adam Reifer (18) came in to pitch the 9th and got the save.  He let up one hit, one run and one walk while striking out one.  Auburn's Joel Carreno (5-4) suffered the loss in his five innings with seven hits, five runs, two walks and two strikeouts.

Batavia started their offense in the 1st, scoring once in the inning on a Brett Lilley walk, Colt Sedbrook double and a sacrifice fly by Christian Rosa.  They added two in the 2nd when Frederick Parejo double and came around home on a throwing error.  Jairo Martinez then doubled and Jose Garcia singled to drive him in.  In the 4th, Alex Castellanos doubled and Martinez singled to make it 4-0.  The Muckdogs last run came on a Chris Swauger homerun in the next inning.

The Doubledays threatened in the 7th as they scored two runs, the first on a solo-homerun by Adam Amar and the second on a Joel Collins double and Karim Turkamani single.  Collins also had a homerun in the 9th, but Batavia held on for the win.

Martinez finished 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI.  The Muckdogs now send seven players to the All-Star game this week before returning to league action at home versus Mahoning Valley on the 21st.

Batavia resident Donald Weyer writes in the Daily News that WBTA's broadcast of Muckdog games helps reduce attendance.

I disagree.

I bet Mel Allen would, too. And Harry Caray. And Jack Buck. And Red Barber. And Vin Scully.

My point is, baseball and radio have a pretty long, rich and memorable love affair.  WBTA has a pretty fair announcer, to put it mildly,  in Wayne Fuller.

Good baseball radio does more to sell the team than detract from it. If that were not the case, wouldn't MLB franchises have stopped broadcasting their games decades ago? In fact, today, every MLB puts every single home and away game on television (which is even a closer substitute for actually being their than radio). Why? Because it helps sell tickets.

Game broadcasts do as much to put people in the stands than any other marketing a team could do. Broadcasts help generate interest in individual players, allow people who can't attended every day to keep up with the running story line that is a baseball season, act as a regular reminder -- this is your team, support it.

I thought about responding to Mr. Weyer in a letter to the editor, but since it is allegedly an offense punishable by firing to even acknowledge the existence of The Batavian in the pages of the Daily News, I figure the letter's editor wouldn't publish it.  So if somebody could let Mr. Weyer know -- in case he doesn't know about the site yet -- that somebody did attempt to "disabuse" him of is "erroneous reasoning," as he requested.

In his letter, Mr. Weyer offers four other suggestions. If you've read the letter and have thoughts about any of those other ideas, feel free to post a comment below.

Previous post: Daily News: Muckdog attendence lagging

 Batavia (33-23) looked sharp defensively as they beat Auburn (31-25) 5-1 to gain another game on the Doubledays.  Hector Cardenas (4-0) remained perfect in the win, going five innings with two hits, one run (unearned), two walks and three strikeouts.  Matthew Wright suffered the loss in his four and a third innings, giving up five hits, two runs, two walks and striking out two.

The Muckdogs jumped on board first in the 2nd as Charlie Cutler scored the first run after he walked and scored on a Frederick Parejo double.  The Doubledays came back to tie it up in the top of the 3rd.  Luis Rivera scored the only Auburn run of the night when he singled, moved around the bases on two sacrifice bunts and scored on a fielding error.

However, the Muckdogs came out with offensive power to get the win.  In the 5th they got the lead back after Jose Garcia doubled and then came home when Colt Sedbrook grounded out.  They plated another in the 7th on three singles by Edwin Gomez, Brett Lilley and Sedbrook.  Batavia's big inning came in the 8th as they added two insurance runs on back-to-back round-trippers off the bats of Xavier Scruggs and Cutler.

Sedbrook ended the night 3-for-4 with an RBI and Gomez went 2-for-4 with a run scored.  The Muckdogs travel to Auburn tomorrow to try to gain yet another game on the Doubledays.

In a recent post about low attendance at Muckdog games, some suggested getting players out into the community in order to get more people to fill the seats at Dwyer Stadium.  We do have player appearances scheduled.  Last Friday, pitchers Arquimedes Nieto and Hector Cardenas and catcher Christian Rosa were at Denny's from 11:30-12:20 signing autographs and meeting fans.

 Muckdogs Arqumedes Nieto, Hector Cardenas and Christian Rosa.

Players sign autographs for young Muckdog fans.

We have three other player appearances set-up in the near future:

-Friday, August 22: Denny's from 11:30-12:30 and Oliver's Candies from 12-1.

-Friday, September 5: Denny's from 11:30-12:30

These are some great opportunities to get to know the Muckdogs and ask them questions and get some autographs.  So, on your lunch breaks, get out to grab a bite to eat and meet some of the team, and then come cheer them on as they fight for a playoff spot this season!

After winning three and losing three on their six game road trip, the Batavia Muckdogs now have a record of 32-23 which puts them 1 1/2 games back of Pinckney Division leader Jamestown and 1 game up of Auburn.  Here's a quick look of each of the six games:

• Saturday, August 9: Batavia 2, Brooklyn 0:  Thomas Eager improved to 3-3 with the win on the mound, throwing the first 5 innings with only 1 hit and 1 walk.  Adam Reifer picked up his 14th save with a 1 hit, 2 strikeout 9th inning.  Colt Sedbrook had his 2nd homerun of the season, ending the night 2-for-3.  Chris Swauger went 2-for4 with the other RBI.
• Sunday, August 10: Brooklyn 6, Batavia 5:  The Muckdogs out-hit the Cyclones 13-9 but Brooklyn scored 1 in the bottom of the 10th to squeeze out the win.  Josh Hester started the game, going 3 innings with 6 hits, 5 runs and 3 strikeouts.  Jason Buursma suffered the loss as he went 1 1/3 innings with 2 hits, 1 run and 1 strikeout.  Offensively, Jose Garcia had a big game, going 4-for-5 with 2 runs scored.
• Monday, August 11: Brooklyn 2, Batavia 1:  Batavia dropped another close game, as the Brooklyn pitching staff had 14 strikeouts in all.  For the Muckdogs, Zach Pitts threw 4 innings with 5 hits, 2 runs and 2 strikeouts to drop him to 0-4.  There were no offensive stand-outs, as Garcia, Brett Lilley, Sedbrook, Xavier Scruggs and Swauger each had 1 of the team's 5 hits.
• Tuesday, August 12: Batavia 3, Tri-City 2:  Newcomer Adam Veres went 5 strong innings with 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts in the start and Ramon Delgado (4-1) followed him with 1 hit, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts in the next 3 innings for the win.  Reifer added another save in 1 inning of work with 1 strikeout.  Beau Riportella broke out of his slump in a big way, going 2-for-3 with a double and all 3 of the team's RBI.  Charlie Cutler also went 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, August 13: Batavia 5, Tri-City 2:  LaCurtis Mayes (3-0) earned the win in his 1 inning of work, only allowing 1 hit.  Reifer had yet another save, making it 16 on the season.  He pitched 1 inning with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.  Riportella had a big night again, going 2-for-4 with a double, stolen base and 2 runs scored.  Lilley went 2-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI.
• Thursday, August 14: Tri-City 2, Batavia 1:  The Muckdogs tried for the sweep, but couldn't hang on in another low-scoring game to finish up their road trip.  George Brown (0-3) got the start and the loss, throwing 5 innings with 5 hits, 2 runs and 4 strikeouts.  Sedbrook had the only multi-hit night for Batavia.  He went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Batavia now comes home for a big weekend series against Auburn.  Tonight's game starts at 7:05 with Launch-a-Ball and fireworks after the game.  After traveling to Auburn on Saturday, they finish up the series back at Dwyer on Sunday at 1:05.  Going into tonight, here is a look where some of the Muckdogs stand statistically in the NYPL:

• Arquimedes Nieto now leads in pitching with a 5-0 record and 1.42 ERA.
• Adam Reifer is still on top in saves with 16.
• Jose Garcia's 17 stolen bases puts him in 4th place.
• Colt Sedbrook is 5th in on-base percentage with .396 and tied for 3rd in triples with 5.
• As a team, we are 3rd in batting with a .236 BA and 4th in pitching with a 3.22 ERA.

*Also of note, the Muckdogs have acquired new infielder Alex Castellanos who is being brought up from Johnson City.  While there, Castellanos was batting .298 with 7 homeruns, 31 RBI and 20 stolen bases.  The Miami, Florida, native with be wearing jersey number 24.

The Rochester Red Wings have done everything that the team was told was needed to improve attendence at Batavia Muckdogs games, General Manager Dave Wellenzohn tells David Hibbard of the Daily News, and the team is drawing no better this year than last.

Fireworks don't help. A better field doesn't help. More marketing hasn't helped. Even a winning record and exciting pennant race aren't putting more people in more seats.

In May, Wellenzohn predicted that 60,000 people would pay to see the Muckdogs this year. At the current rate, only about 45,000 people will come through the gates.

"They've kept their word. They've invested a lot of money into the franchise," Wellenzohn said. "Rochester's (Red Wings) kept their promise 100 percent, even more. They're spending more money than I thought they would -- an maybe even should. Because they're thinking, 'Well, maybe if we do this, this will trigger more attendance.' It hasn't."

Wellenzohn says the team is likely to stay in Batavia next season, but if attendance doesn't improve, he isn't sure how long the Red Wings will keep investing in the team.

So here's the thing: Batavia is damn fortunate to have a minor league baseball team. In fact, having lived in major league cities, I'm not sure Batavians realize how fortunate they are to have a minor league baseball team.  It's a hell of a lot of fun to watch these developing players in a small venue with your friends and neighbors.

So what will it take to get Batavians to support their home town team?

We've been trying to do our part -- The Batavian is a team sponsor and we carry as much team coverage as we can -- because we believe sports teams serve a civic purpose of promoting community and local pride. 

In an era of high gas prices and higher and higher costs of everything, isn't a $5 general admission ticket quite a bargain for such great entertainment?

So what else can we do, what can we all to do, get more people at the games?

And, FWIW, kudos to Hibbard for a fine article.

Brian Walton, writing for Scout.com, reports that six Muckdogs have made the NY-Penn League All Star roster. 

They are:

• Arquimedes Nieto
• Adam Reifer,
• Colt Sedbrook
• Jermaine Curtis
• Frederick Parejo
• Shane Peterson.

Click the link above for details on each player's season and photos.

Last year, the Muckdogs had only three all stars. 

The game will be played in Troy on Aug. 19.