With six, you take a loss (Quebec @ Tri-City, 5/16/26)

 Former Major League Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti wrote, nearly 40 years ago, that "the game is designed to break your heart". Over the last two nights, the Tri-City ValleyCats, and their fans, have had their hearts broken.

After losing, 4-3, on Friday, the 'Cats were back at it against the defending Frontier League champion Quebec Capitales on Saturday night. The crowd was smaller than it was on Friday, and Adam Cohen was back in the PA/broadcast booth after Brian Cady filled in on Friday.

Speaking of being filled in, team president Rick Murphy explained the absence of a foam replica head of Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs. The head is "in production" and pending approval from the Mayor's office, hence the use of former Mayor Jerry Jennings this weekend, and, likely, Applyrs' direct predecessor, Kathy Sheehan, until the new head is ready. That solves that mystery.

And it seemed as though, over the first six innings, that the 'Cats had finally figured out how to beat Quebec, which came in having beaten Tri-City in three straight games, dating back to last season's playoffs. Starter Brayden Barreto went the first five innings, and, well, MLB fans can sympathize with this, left with a no-hitter. Reliever Nate Nabholz extended the potential no-no to six innings. Meanwhile, the ValleyCat offense came to life.

In the 5th, with Tri-City already up, 1-0, Dylan Broderick slammed a solo homer to right field that appeared to clear the shrubbery, to make it 2-0. David Glancy was hit by a pitch by Quebec starter Emile Boies, the 2nd time Glancy had been hit in the game, and fans were calling for Boies to be ejected. Didn't happen. Glancy was left stranded.

To the 7th. Nabholz got in trouble right away, as Torin Montgomery singled to end the no-hit bid. He would score on a single by Antonio Valdez. Nabholz committed an error trying to throw out Chavez Young, allowing two runs to score. Kyle Crowl cranked a 3 run homer to put Quebec up, 6-2, heading into the 7th inning stretch.

In the home 7th, with one out, Glancy took Quebec reliever Yukto Nakata deep, getting Tri-City back to within three at 6-3. Ben Smith was shaky in the final two innings, but slammed the door on the Capitales to give Tri-City a chance, again, to win it in the bottom of the 9th.

In that final frame, with one out, Broderick doubled. Glancy brought him home with a single to make it 6-4. Instead of calling on Cooper Morgan, who closed Friday's win, Quebec opted to use Conner Floyd, and at that point, it looked like this move would backfire on the Capitales. Amani Larry came on to pinch hit with 2 outs, and it looked like that it was an instant replay of Friday's finish, as Larry popped to 2nd. However, the ump ruled that Quebec catcher Yuta Hamada had interfered with Larry, and the bases were loaded. But, Brayden Jobert struck out to end the game.

Tri-City has lost four in a row overall, and four in a row to Quebec dating back to last September. They'll try to break both strings today at 5 pm.

Troy High sports review, through May 16

 Sectionals begin this coming week, weather permitting. The women's teams have the momentum. The guys? Well...........!

Softball:

Final regular season record: 15-4 (12-1 Colonial Council).

Sean Geisel's club sent a very strong message to the rest of Section 2 over the last 48 hours. Three games, three mercy rule wins, all shutouts. Mohonasen, Holy Names, & Lansingburgh fell by a combined total of 46-0 over the last 48 hours. Ouch, babe! And Troy started the week by clipping 'Burgh, 3-2.

Next: Sectional pairings will be announced Monday. Troy will scrimmage Averill Park, weather permitting, on Tuesday, before their first sectional game.

Flag football:

Final regular season record: 10-2.

Albany Leadership was roadkill on Monday, to the tune of 64-12. Even the Times-Union's Kyra Santicola has jumped on the Troy bandwagon.

Next: The Lady Horses would love to send coach Frank Rogers off to Union College with a sectional title. The first step comes Tuesday against the winner of tonight's game between Burnt Hills & Ballston Spa.

Women's lacrosse:

Final regular season record: 10-6.

In a word, history. 43 seasons of lacrosse at Troy High, and the women are the 1st ones to finish with a winning record, punctuating the feat with a 15-3 thumping of Albany in Wednesday's season finale.

Next: It's off to the North Country, with a 5 game winning streak on the line, vs. Queensbury, which has lost 7 in a row, and 8 of their last 9, Tuesday afternoon.

Men's lacrosse:

Final regular season record: 4-10.

Zach Gill's club defeated Mohonasen-Schalmont-Schenectady, but dropped their Senior Night finale in a tight one to Voorheesville.

Next: Sectional pairings will be announced on Tuesday.

Baseball:

Current record: 7-12.

Trevor McCarthy's club defeated Lansingburgh & Mohonasen, but were mercy ruled by LaSalle on Friday in the first round of the Uncle Sam tournament.

Next: The season ends tomorrow vs. Tamarac in the Uncle Sam consolation game. Sectional pairings will be announced on Monday.

News & notes

 If it sounded like you were at the wrestling matches instead of Bruno Stadium for the Tri-City ValleyCats' home opener vs. Quebec, there's a good reason for that.

Brian Cady is back.

Cady was MIA during the Section II basketball sectionals at HVCC, but there was no mistaking his voice issuing from the PA booth at The Joe. The "Round Mound of Sound" has been the PA voice of the 'Cats for a bit, but last night was more pronounced than usual to get the fans fired up.

On to the game.

1st pitch was delayed to 6:42 pm due to the opening night intros of both teams. It's an annual thing that you get used to. Quebec drew first blood in the 3rd with 2 outs. Arturo DeFreitas drew a walk, and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch by Tri-City starter Austin Dill. David "Bend it like" Mendham then deposited a 2 run homer over the left field fence to give the Capitales a 2-0 lead. Quebec added a run in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Eddie Halopian.

Quebec starter Francis Ferguson held the 'Cats scoreless through 5 innings. In the 6th, reliever Halley Gollert gave up a solo homer to "Well dressed" Amani Larry to get Tri-City on the board. In the 7th, with Aaron Whitley (Niskayuna) on board, David Glancy launched a 2 run homer, after the Capitales had scored in the top half, to get within a run at 4-3.

Tri-City had a chance to win it in the 9th after Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem) held the Capitales scoreless in the top half of the frame. But, with 2 outs, Cooper Morgan got Larry to fly out to center to seal the win for Quebec, sending the 'Cats to their 3rd straight loss.

Game two will start on time tonight at 6:30.

The Uncle Sam baseball tournament has indeed returned as well, with day 1 taking place Friday at Lansingburgh. The hosts blew away Tamarac, 14-2, in 5 innings, and LaSalle did the same to Troy High, 11-1, also in 5. The Knights & Cadets meet again tomorrow at 12:30 pm., with the Bengals & Flying Horses playing the consolation game, presumably at 10 am.

Back to the ValleyCats for a moment. Apparently, they couldn't find any black or brown foam to create a replica head for Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, so they instead went to the vaults for a Jerry Jennings head for the Mayor's Race in the middle of the 6th inning. Had a feeling something like this would happen. We'll look further into it.

The rest of Friday's high school scores:

Men's lacrosse:

Voorheesville 10, Troy 9. The Blackbirds sweep the season series.

Softball:

Warrensburg 8, Fort Edward 7.

Albany Academy 14, Convent of The Sacred Heart 4 (5 innings).

Voorheesville 10, Fonda-Fultonville 2.

Troy 22, Holy Names 0 (5 innings). 

Niskayuna 8, Albany 2.

Columbia 11, Saratoga 9.

South Glens Falls 9, Amsterdam 0.

Ichabod Crane 2, LaSalle 0.

Taconic Hills 3, Catskill 0.

Hudson Falls 13, Gloversville 1 (5 innings).

Mohonasen 3, Lansingburgh 1. Mohon recovers after getting blown out by Troy on Thursday.

Coxsackie-Athens 7, Cairo-Durham 6.

Hoosic Valley 15, Stillwater 4.

North Warren 8, Hartford 5.

Greenwich 10, Tamarac 4.

Whitehall 12, Granville 3.

Argyle 2, Fort Ann 0.

Hadley-Luzerne 8, North Warren 2.

Ballston Spa 2, Shenendehowa 1. The game was played at Luther Forest in Malta, where one or both teams could return in the sectionals later this month.

News & notes

 Saratoga took the unusual step of forfeiting their 1st round flag football playoff to Schenectady on Thursday due to scheduling conflicts surrounding their annual senior prom, which is, I guess, coming up on Saturday, when the Lady Streaks would've had a quarterfinal round game to play had they played & won on Thursday.

So now, the Lady Patriots advance to play top seeded Shaker in the Class A quarters tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.

The Tri-City ValleyCats lost their 2nd straight series, and were blown out for the 2nd day in a row by Sussex County, 15-7, on Thursday afternoon. Thus, the 'Cats come home with a 2-4 record as they host Quebec beginning tonight. First pitch is set for 6:30, though player introductions might delay the start of the game.

You'll need either a radio or your computer to listen to or watch game 1 of the 2026 Subway Series between the Mets & Yankees tonight. The game will stream nationally on Apple TV, with first pitch at 7:10 pm, and can be heard on WTMM (104.5 FM) with Dave Sims & Suzyn Waldman. The other option is to pick up the Mets radio broadcast from NYC on Audacy. Just punch up Mets radio online on your computer, and you'll find the link to what used to be WCBS AM in NY, with Howie Rose & Pat McCarthy.

Thursday's high school results:

Tennis:

The Class AA final (Shaker vs. Bethlehem @ Columbia) was postponed for the 2nd straight day, and will be played next Thursday, likely due to scheduling issues for both schools.

The Class A final (Queensbury vs. Columbia) was also postponed, and will be played today at Shaker with a 4:15 start.

Class B final:

Glens Falls 4, Scotia 3.

Class C/D final:

Cairo-Durham 5, Maple Hill 2.

Softball:

Averill Park 4, Guilderland 3.

Ichabod Crane 1, Schalmont 0 (9 innings).

Fonda-Fultonville 8, Canajoharie-Ft. Plain 5.

Holy Trinity 20, Holy Names 2 (5 innings).

Troy 14, Mohonasen 0 (5 innings). The Lady Horses sweep Mohon, both in mercy rule fashion.

South Glens Falls 8, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Ravena 8, Voorheesville 1.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2, Cobleskill-Richmondville 1.

OESJ 7, Mayfield 6.

Schoharie 10, Johnstown 2.

Bethlehem 11, Galway 5.

Queensbury 8, Schuylerville 0.

Cohoes 7, Lansingburgh 6.

Men's lacrosse:

Ballston Spa 14, CBA 13.

Bethlehem 14, Colonie 9.

Shaker 11, Saratoga 8.

Guilderland 14, Schuylerville 7.

Averill Park 12, Queensbury 8.

South Glens Falls 17, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Shenendehowa 18, Columbia 5.

Women's lacrosse: 

Holy Names @ Albany was cancelled. No reason given. The game won't be made-up.

Baseball:

Troy 4, Mohonasen 3.

Cohoes 14, Lansingburgh 4.

Shaker 8, Burnt Hills 0.

2026 Section 2 women's lacrosse sectional pairings released

 The women's lacrosse sectionals have just been released. Siena University will host the finals in all 4 classes on May 31.

Class A:

Tuesday:

Guilderland @ Saratoga. The winner will play Shaker May 27.

May 27:

Colonie @ Shenendehowa.

Class B:

Wednesday:

South Glens Falls @ Niskayuna. Winner to play Bethlehem May 28.

Ballston Spa @ Columbia.

Troy @ Queensbury.

Semi-finals are on May 28.

Class C:

Wednesday:

Scotia @ Averill Park. Winner to play Burnt Hills May 28.

May 28:

Glens Falls @ Cohoes.

Class D:

Tuesday:

Johnstown @ LaSalle. Winner to play Schuylerville May 27.

Greenwich-Cambridge @ Voorheesville.

Holy Names @ Hoosick Falls-Tamarac.

Both semi-finals will be played May 27.

Good luck to all the teams.

News & notes

 The Tri-City ValleyCats will look to win their first series of the season later today when they take the field vs. Sussex County after losing to the Miners, 12-6, on Wednesday afternoon. We suggest bringing umbrellas & rain slickers tomorrow for the home opener, just in case.

As noted, all 4 Section 2 tennis title matches have been rescheduled for today. As of now, it doesn't appear as though there's any more rain to spoil the action. The fact that the finals have been moved away from Central Park in Schenectady, and to 3 Suburban Council schools (Columbia, Shaker, Bethlehem) and a Patroon Conference school (Coxsackie-Athens) suggests issues between Section 2 and the city of Schenectady. Hmmmmm.

Wednesday's high school scores:

Women's lacrosse:

Greenwich-Cambridge 16, Hudson Falls 6.

Shaker 15, Guilderland 6.

LaSalle 19, Holy Names 11.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 14, Ichabod Crane 2.

Johnstown 13, Greenwich-Cambridge 4.

Troy 15, Albany 3. The Lady Horses gain a split of the season series, and clinch the 1st winning record in Troy lacrosse history.

Men's lacrosse:

Troy 11, Schenectady-Mohonasen-Schalmont 6. 

Scotia 16, Amsterdam 11.

Mechanicville-Stillwater 16, Greenwich-Cambridge 5.

Voorheesville 16, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 4. The Blackbirds will look to sweep Troy tomorrow night.

Baseball:

Taconic Hills 22, Greenville 0 (5 innings).

Softball:

North Warren 24, Corinth 22.

Burnt Hills 2, Niskayuna 0.

Colonie 2, Guilderland 1.

Chatham 16, Watervliet 0 (5 innings).

Ravena 16, Catskill 1 (5 innings).

Germantown 14, Cairo-Durham 8.

South Glens Falls 3, Schuylerville 1.

Queensbury 8, Hudson Falls 1.

Tamarac 12, Cambridge 0 (5 innings).

Broadalbin-Perth 8, Gloversville 0.

Kyra Santicola, writing in today's Albany Times-Union, has picked Shaker, Troy, & Holy Trinity to win their classes in the flag football sectional playoffs, which begin today. Women's lacrosse pairings will be announced later today.

Weather postponement update, 5/13

 The following have either been postponed or outright cancelled due to weather.

Baseball:

Cohoes @ Albany-cancelled.

Gloversville @ Fonda-Fultonville-postponed. No make-up date set as of now.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo @ Rensselaer-cancelled.

Women's lacrosse:

Cohoes @ LaSalle has been cancelled. LaSalle will instead play another Colonial Council team, Holy Names, in what will be the last game of the regular season, since sectional pairings will be announced tomorrow. The match vs. Holy Names was moved up from Friday.

Softball:

Lansingburgh @ Mohonasen has been rescheduled for Friday.

Maple Hill @ Coxsackie-Athens has been rescheduled for Saturday.

Tennis:

Queensbury has announced that the Class A final has been postponed. One would guess the other finals are also being pushed back. What is not firm is if its tomorrow or Friday or Saturday.