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Girls' Summer Softball League Registration Opens Soon!

By Jill Franclemont

          TONAWANDA VALLEY YOUNG LADIES FAST PITCH SOFTBALL

To parents and girls aged 7-16: 

We offer an instructional/recreational program that plays fast pitch softball.   We are based in Batavia but open to any young lady in and around Genesee County.  We teach the basics of pitching, hitting, and fielding and most of our coaches are parents themselves with many years of experience.  Sportsmanship and courtesy are our prime values as we try to teach self-esteem but also team play/spirit as our ladies come from many backgrounds.  Our home field is Lions Park located on Edward Street in Batavia across from the VFW Post.  Past participants have been  teams from Elba, Byron-Bergen, Pembroke, and Oakfield  as well as some ladies from Alexander, Stafford, and Leroy.

The majority of our games are played in Batavia with a few road games within 10-20 minutes of Batavia.  Our season begins on or about Memorial Day and usually is completed by mid-July.  Our age groups, 7-9 and 10-12, will begin after Memorial Day and our age group 13-16 on or about June 5.  If a young lady is 12 and in the 7th grade it is best that she play with our 13-15 age group, since this is the modified-level age group.  Many of the modified, JV, and even varsity softball plays at all our local schools have played in our league.   We are exploring a team of participants ages 16-19 with most games being played in Bergen.

If you would like to pursue registration, please call me at 585/344-0481.  We are currently registering last year’s participants and are taking new inquiries.  Open registration will be held at the Batavia City Centre FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27:  6:00 - 8:00 P.M. and SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28:  10:30 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.   However, you can apply at this time, saving you a trip to that registration.  We have no geographic limitations for participants.

Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions about our program.

Yours in softball,

John Arent, President & Commissioner

City Schools will build girls softball field as part of settlement of lawsuit

By Howard B. Owens

Press release from the Empire Justice Center:

The Empire Justice Center is pleased to announce that a settlement has been reached in the class-action suit Myers v. Batavia City School District. Three female softball players and their families filed the case in April 2013 seeking equal treatment to their male classmates in the provision of practice and competitive facilities and equipment. Among other things, the players alleged that the District’s policy of renting a professional minor league stadium for all boys’ varsity baseball home games, while providing the girls with substandard playing fields at the school, violated Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972.

“More than anything, I am so proud of these young women for having the courage to stand up for themselves,” said Kristin Small, attorney for Empire Justice Center. “They saw that the way they were being treated was unfair and decided to do something about it, knowing full well they might face backlash from their community and that they themselves might never see the benefit of their efforts.”

As part of the agreement, the District has agreed to build a brand new varsity softball facility with permanent dugouts, good drainage, outfield fencing, a permanent electronic scoreboard and other amenities. The improvements are projected to be completed in time for the 2015 softball season. The District has also committed to making significant improvements to the junior varsity and modified softball fields, and affirmed its commitment to ensuring that boys’ and girls’ sports receive equal benefits, even when that requires the District to compensate for donations made by third parties, such as booster clubs.

After hearing that the District had agreed to the settlement, plaintiffs Elizabeth and Rebecca Myers said, “We are proud and thankful that the Batavia City School District has recognized the importance of female athletics and the need for equal treatment. We look forward to a bright future for Batavia girls’ softball, as players will now be able to enjoy and be proud of the fields that they will be playing on. We would like to thank Empire Justice Center for helping us resolve these disparities.”

“We hope that other school districts will take note of this settlement and be reminded that the movement to achieve equality in athletics between boys and girls is far from over,” noted Jonathan Feldman, a senior attorney at Empire Justice Center. “Many districts face similar challenges leftover from an earlier time when equality in sports was not seen as important. We congratulate the Batavia City School District for stepping up to the plate and working with us to find a solution that will ensure fair and equal treatment of all student athletes, regardless of gender.”

Genesee softball receives four All-Conference selections

By Andrew Crofts

 

The Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) recently released its list of 2014 softball All-Conference selections and four members of the Genesee Community College softball team were included. Freshman outfielder Georgie Miller (Attica, NY), sophomore pitcher Ashley Covel (Oakfield, NY), freshman catcher Karissa Schuster (Perry, NY) and freshman utility/DH Chelsey Ruzewski (Attica, NY) were all named to the All-Conference second team.

Miller led the team in triples this spring with four and totaled seven extra-base hits. She batted .284, scored 15 runs and drove in nine. She appeared in all but one game for the Cougars as an infielder/outfielder.

Covel pitched 129.2 innings in 26 appearances, including 16 complete games this season. She had an earned run average of 4.70, struck out 68 batters and won nine games- all team highs. Offensively, she led the Cougars with a .474 batting average, three home runs, 27 runs scored and 18 runs batted in. She was also named to the Division III Region III All-Region second team this spring.

Schuster hit .333 at the plate and stole a team-leading 22 bases. She was tied for the second most runs scored and runs batted in on the team with 22 runs and 14 RBI's. She was one of only three Cougars to appear in all 37 games this spring.

Ruzewski batted .327 in a team-high 113 at bats. She tallied 37 hits, scored 22 runs and stole 19 bases. In the field, the third baseman committed just seven errors in 75 total chances. She played in all 37 games for Genesee this year.

Genesee finished the spring ranked ninth in the Region III standings and had a 14-23 overall record.

Elba upset Notre Dame in girls softball sectional playoff

By Howard B. Owens

The Elba Lancers softball team scored four runs in the top of the 7th inning to upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a Class D Section V playoff game played at Genesee Community College on Friday.

Local HS teams hold first softball scrimmage

By Howard B. Owens

Medina, Notre Dame and Batavia softball teams played a scrimmage today at John Kennedy School. It's the first scrimmage of the year. Batavia HS student Zachary Lee submitted these photos.

ARC's Genesee Lightning brings home the gold (and the silver and the bronze)

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Genesee Lightning, Genesee ARC’s softball team, recently competed in the Special Olympics regionals competition in Victor and the Special Olympics Fall Classic in Pittsford.  In Victor, the team earned a bronze medal and the skills team brought home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals. At the Fall Classic, the team earned another bronze and the skills team came home with three gold and three bronze medals.

Athletes on the 2013 softball team and skills team were: James Grudzien, Erik Goodrich, Wesley Munt, Chris Jakubowski, Angie Maniaci, Juan Baez, Josh Derrick, Josh Jones, Jason Stimson, Jackie Jones, Chris Hartgrove, Josh Tiede, Shawn Bennett, Tim Markek, Jacob Klotzbach, Brandon Oun, Sara Dieck and Shannon Nigh.

Pictured with the team is Certified Coach, Reneé Potter, Genesee ARC Family Support Services manager (far right) and Team Assistant Coach Eileen Corcoran, Genesee ARC prevocational specialist (far left).

Up next are the Special Olympics winter games. As soon as weather permits Genesee ARC’s Special Olympics snowshoeing team will begin practicing.

Z&M Ag and Turf takes Pavilion softball championship

By Howard B. Owens

Photo and information submitted by Tim Kingdon.

The Z&M Ag and Turf's "Ballbusters" took the Thursday night Pavilion slowpitch softball league championship over the weekend. The Ballbusters met Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew in the finals where -- despite being down to only nine guys due to injury -- they were able to beat the Eagle twice in a row to capture their first league championship. They would like to thank the Pavilion Volunteer Fire Department and R.L. Jeffres & Sons, Inc., for the countless hours they put into the field all season.
 
Pictured from left in the front row: Scott Lazarony, Mike Hackett, Jon Parks, Mike Anderson, Tim Kingdon. Back row from left: Dale Buck, Adam Logsdon, Mike Lafex, Kevin Young and Brad Whight.

Team DirecTV takes Oakfield softball championship

By Howard B. Owens

Information and photo provided by Tony Ray.

Team DirecTV is the champs of the Monday Night Oakfield Softball League. DirecTV beat Larry's Steakhouse in the playoff 13-1 and beat Oakfield Hotel for the championship, 30-7.

First row from left to right: Jason Pratt, Chuck Gugel, Ryan Gugel, Ron Klienback. Back row: Evan Nenni, Andre Kinder, Tony Ray, Matt Dimartino, Otis Thomas, Drew Crofts and Rich Baird.

Genesee County girls 14U softball team does well in first tournament

By Howard B. Owens

Photo and information submitted by Anne Stefaniak.

On May 18 and 19, Genesee Storm 14-U Girls Softball Team played its first tournament, the 2013 Orchard Park Softball Tournament. The team was formed in 2012. 

The tournament was played at Brush Mountain Park in Orchard Park. The girls won all three of their games on Saturday, beating Oakville (Canada) 12-3, Evans Storm 10-8, and the Cheektowaga Crabapples 10-2. 

Their winning streak continued through the semifinals game Sunday, beating the West Seneca Dazzlers 14-7.

The championship game was a hard fought defensive battle with the Genesee Storm leading the powerhouse Lancaster Heat after 4 innings 3-1. A few well-placed hits by the Heat ended the game 6-3, handing the Storm its first loss and second place in the tournament.

Team members pictured include; front row -- Ryann Stefaniak (Batavia) and Madison LaGrou (Oakfield). Back row -- Alex Reigle (Elba), Taylor Stefaniak (Batavia), Tabitha Golda (Elba), Carlie Bogue (Elba), Bri Janes (Batavia), Alisha Scroger (Medina), Anna Kabel (Oakfield), Hannah LaGrou (Oakfield) and Alyssa Meyer (Attica), -- not pictured is Hannah Bowen (Batavia). Team coaches are Rich Stefaniak, Eric Klotzbach, Paul Schwartzmeyer, and Mark Janes.

The Storm will be playing next in the 17th Annual Coca-Cola Classic Tournament at Walden Pond Park in Lancaster on June 1 and 2.

Notre Dame pulls out victory in regular season finale over Lyndonville

By Howard B. Owens

The Notre Dame girls softball team closed out the season Friday with a come-from-behind victory over Lyndonville in game played at GCC.

As the defending state champions, the Fighting Irish finish out the season with a 10-8 record, which is good enough to make it to the first round of sectional play, but Head Coach Rick Mancuso said the team still needs to eliminate some mistakes to advance further.

"We're getting better," Mancuso said. "The girls are working really hard. We're not probably where we want to be, but we'll see what happens. We'll throw our hat out there and see how it goes."

Friday's game was a seesaw battle, with Notre Dame and Lyndonville exchange the lead just about every inning.

Going into the bottom of the seventh, down 10-9, the Irish needed to string some hits together and plate two runs to pull out a victory.

The team was loose and confident at the start of the inning and got the job done to notch an 11-10 victory.

"The girls did a great job of rallying back any time we got down," Mancuso said. "They showed a lot of character today."

In the slide show is the sequence of shots from Maddie Mancuso's slide into home in the 4th inning. She was called out. You make the call.

To purchase prints, click here.

Girls Softball: Batavia posts 12-4 victory over East Irondequoit

By Howard B. Owens

Hannah Bowen had three hits, inclduing two doubles, and three RBIs to help Batavia crush East Irondequoit 12-4 in girls softball.

Kimberly Walsh went the distance, giving up only two earned runs and striking out eight.

Kayleight Tourt also had three hits, including a triple.

Alyssa Joe Baiocco, and Halston Wiseley had two hits apiece.

Batavia splits two games in recent action

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia girls softball picked up a win against Pembroke, 10-4, but dropped a game to Alden 10-3 in recent action.

In the game against Pembroke, Kayleigh Tourt had two hits and four RBIs while Hannah Bowen had two hits and two RBIs.

Kimberly Walsh pitched all seven, struck out 6 and gave up seven hits and two earned runs.

Against Alden, Bowen had two hits, Taylor Stefaniak had two hits and Briana Janes had two hits.

Oakfield-Alabama drops championship game in Nunda tournament, 7-0

By Howard B. Owens

Oakfield-Alabama's Salina Stymus connects for a home run during a tournament game in Nunda.

The Hornets advanced to the championship game, but dropped the match 7-0 to Keshequa.

Information and photos submited by Ron Welker.

Batavia girls softball team beat Gates Chili 7-0

By Howard B. Owens

Kimberly Walsh tossed a complete game shutout Tuesday against Gates Chili leading Batavia's girls softball team to a 7-0 victory.

Walsh also had three hits and RBI to help contribute to the win.

Breanna Hurlbut and Kayleigh Tourt each had three hits and collecting two hits each were Taylor Stefaniak, Elizabeth Myers and Hannah Bowen.

Myers and Teiona Kemp each scored two runs.

GCC softball swept by Onondaga

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College softball team lost both games of a doubleheader to Onondaga Community College on Monday afternoon, losing game one 12-8 and falling in game two, 8-4.

GCC honored sophomores Alishia Foss, Chelsea Lynch and Miki Kawaguchi to begin the afternoon as Monday marked the final doubleheader of the season.

Kawaguchi delivered three hits and scored three runs in game one, but Onondaga scored five runs in the first and five in the second to jump in front with a lead they would not give up.

Genesee put together a four-run third inning to get to within 10-7, but managed only a run on four hits the rest of the way.

Foss finished game one 3-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Rachel VanDuser went 2-4 with a double, a triple and a run scored and Lynch added three hits, an RBI and a run scored.

Foss took the loss on the mound, throwing all seven innings, allowing 12 runs and striking out four.

(Catcher Brittnee Hallett-Jonathan tags out an OCC runner trying to score)

 

In game two, Genesee took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Tori Kramer delivered an RBI double that scored Yui Sotah.

The Lady Lazers responded and scored four times in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. GCC had a chance for a big inning in the bottom of the third, but scored only one run and left the bases loaded.

The Lady Cougars answered two OCC runs in the top of the fourth with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but did not score the rest of the game and managed only three hits in the final three innings.

Lynch scored two runs in game two and went 2-4 at the plate. Taylor Gayton delivered an RBI double, VanDuser went 2-3 with a run scored and Kawaguchi went 2-4 with two singles.

Andrea Pursel took the loss on the mound, allowing eight runs on 11 hits and struck out four.

Genesee falls to 10-24.

(GCC sophomores (L-R) Chelsea Lynch, Miki Kawaguchi and Alishia Foss)

GCC softball bats go cold, swept by Monroe

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College softball team managed just six total hits in a doubleheader against Monroe Community College on Thursday afternoon, falling 10-2 in game one and 11-2 in game two.

Monroe jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first in game one but Genesee responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning after Rachel VanDuser singled and eventually scored on fielders choice.

Starting pitcher Alishia Foss set the Lady Tribunes down in order in the second and third and then notched the game at 2-2 after reaching on a single, advancing to second on a wild pitch, reaching third on an infield single by Chelsea Lynch and then scoring after Lynch drew a throw to second on a stolen base.

That would be it for the Lady Cougars bats, however, as Genesee managed only one hit the rest of the way. Monroe sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth in a five-run inning and then added three runs in the fifth to take game one via the mercy rule (eight-run lead or higher after five full innings).

Monroe scored the first ten runs of game two and the Genesee hitters were retired in order in each of the first three innings before Miki Kawaguchi singled to give GCC its first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth. VanDuser followed with a single of her own and both came around to score on RBI ground outs by Foss and Lynch respectively to get Genesee to within 10-2.

The Lady Tribunes added a run in the fifth to extend their lead and GCC went 1-2-3 in their final at bats, falling again via the mercy rule in game two.

VanDuser got a hit in each game for GCC and scored a run in each game as well. Foss collected two hits and scored a run in game one and had a run batted in during game two.

The Lady Cougars fall to 9-19 overall on the season and they will travel to Alfred State on Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Batavia beats Pembroke 7-4 in girls softball game

By Howard B. Owens

Following a 7-4 Batavia victory over Pembroke, both coaches for the girls softball teams said they see things to build on that could carry them into sectional play.

"We need to be more consistent," said Pembroke's Ron Funke. "We're a good hitting team, but we to do the little things. The mental mistakes are hurting us right now."

The Lady Dragons are 3-4 so far this year and Funke said that now that the weather should improve and the girls play together more, those little mistakes will get ironed out.

"The more games we get in, the more consistent we'll become," Funke said.

For Burt Howell, head coach for Batavia, he saw a pitcher today, and his hitters who are starting to put things together.

"When you see them go from practice to game and get some of the skills in it makes you think they're going to get better fast," Howell said.

Kim Walsh threw hard today and Howell thinks that was the big difference in the game.

"She controlled the game from the circle," Howell said. "If she she pitches like that on a daily basis, there isn't anybody we don't think we can't beat. We need the youngsters to make plays behind her, but when she throws like that the girls are in the game and we start to actually make plays."

Among the younger players who stepped up their performance today was Hannah Bowen, who went 2-4 and his hitting .667 so far this season. She's in eighth grade. She also had three RBI on two doubles.

Walsh also went 2-4, including a monster double that would have cleared any fence in a typical softball field if there was one at the Batavia field.

Pembroke had 10 hits, led by Deanna Perry, who went 2-3, and Danni Dellapenta, who was 2-4 with two doubles, and Bre Johnson, who had a triple.

Howell praised Perry saying that she proved she could turn on Walsh's fastball, so they had to change speeds on her.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

GCC softball takes one of two from Niagara

By Andrew Crofts

Alishia Foss came through with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one, but the Genesee Community College softball team fell in game two to split a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader with visiting Niagara County Community College.

Foss' single capped off a five-run seventh inning for the Lady Cougars, who battled back and forth with the Lady Thunderwolves in a high scoring first game.

Genesee scored four times in the bottom of the first but trailed 6-4 before their at bats in the third. Andrea Pursel and Yui Sotah put together back-to-back doubles and both scored runs to tie the game at six after three.

Niagara then scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-6 lead and held GCC to just two hits during their next three at bats. The Lady Thunderwolves upped their lead to 10-6 with a run in the top of the seventh, before Genesee sent all nine batters to the plate in the seventh, highlighted by the walk-off single by Foss.

Sotah finished the game 3-4 with two doubles and three runs scored, Pursel went 2-4 and scored three runs and Rachel VanDuser went 3-4 with a triple, two singles and a run scored.

Along with the game-winning hit, Foss also earned the win on the mound, throwing all seven innings.

(Members of the GCC softball team celebrate after Alishia Foss delivers the game-winning hit in game one of a doubleheader against Niagara County Community College)

 

In game two, Niagara used a six-run second inning to take an 7-0 lead, but Genesee was able to climb back into the game. Taylor Gayton plated Pursel in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI groundout to get the Lady Cougars on the board and VanDuser delivered a run scoring single to get GCC to within 7-2.

Pursel, the game two starter, pitched around a hit in the third and fourth and kept Niagara off the board in both innings.

After two runs in the third, GCC put together a four-run fourth to take an 8-7 lead. Chelsea Lynch, Pursel, Sotah and Gayton each delivered RBI's in the inning.

That would be it for the GCC offense however, as Niagara took the lead with three runs in the fifth and added four in the seventh and held Genesee without a run over the final three innings to win 14-8.

Pursel went 3-4 in game two, scored three runs and drove in one, Lynch scored twice and stole a base and Gayton had two runs batted in.

With the split, Genesee is now 9-17 overall on the season. They will host Monroe Community College for a doubleheader on Thursday beginning at 3 p.m.

GCC softball comes up empty against Mercyhurst North East

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College softball team came up empty in a doubleheader against Mercyhurst North East on Monday afternoon, falling to the visiting Lady Saints, 18-0 in game one and 14-6 in game two.

Genesse was held hitless in game one for 4 1/3 innings before Yui Sotah hustled out an infield single with one out in the fifth. Mercyhurst powered its way to an 18-0 mercy rule win, smashing two home runs in the game and scoring nine runs in the third inning.

In game two, Tori Kramer extended a 3-2 GCC lead with a two-run home run to left center field in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Lady Cougars in front 5-2. Genesee held a 6-4 lead after five innings, but the Lady Saints put together a four-run sixth to take back the lead for good. Mercyhurst shut the Genesee bats down over the final two innings and added six runs in the seventh to complete the sweep with a 14-6 win.

Miki Kawaguchi went 3-4 with a run batted in, Brittnee Hallett-Jonathan scored two runs and went 2-4 at the plate and Kramer finished the game 2-4 with a run scored and three runs batted in.

Genesee falls to 8-16 on the season and will return to action tomorrow when they host Niagara County Community College for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

(#10 Yui Sotah connects on a pitch against Mercyhurst North East)

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