News & notes

 The Tri-City ValleyCats closed out a week's run in Mississippi by splitting a doubleheader with the Mud Monsters on Saturday.

The 'Cats won the opener, 6-3, with Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) picking up his 2nd save. However, Mississippi won the nightcap, ending Tri-City's modest 3 game winning streak, 15-5. The 'Cats return home on Tuesday.

The Albany Firebirds came out of the bye week, and it was business as usual, as they thrashed Oceanside, 69-33, at MVP Arena Saturday night, opening a 3 game homestand.

Katie Izzo captured the Delightful Run For Women in roughly 15 1/2 minutes Saturday morning. The weather wasn't as much of a factor as had been assumed, as it was mere sprinkles for much of the morning.

Saturday's high school scoreboard:

Flag football:

Class C:

Northeastern Clinton 7, Catskill 0.

This leaves Class A champ Shaker as the only Section II team left, and they'll play Penfield at Homer High next Saturday at 9:30 am.

Softball:

Class A final:

Averill Park 13, Glens Falls 1 (6 innings).

Class B final:

Chatham 7, Hoosick Falls 0.

Class C final:

Galway 10, Greenwich 7.

Class D final:

Fort Ann 3, Argyle 1.

Baseball:

Class AA championship, best of 3:

Mohonasen 9, Bethlehem 0. Series tied at 1 game each.

Class AAA championship, best of 3:

Saratoga 11, Colonie 3. Series tied at 1 game each.

Men's lacrosse:

Class A final:

Shaker def. Guilderland.

Class B final:

Niskayuna def. Ballston Spa.

Class C final:

Burnt Hills def. Averill Park.

Class D final:

Schuylerville def. Stillwater-Mechanicville.

News & notes

 The Tri-City ValleyCats made it two in a row over Mississippi on Friday, taking a 10-7 slugfest. I'd think the return of Jake Reinisch (Shenendehowa/Wake Forest) may have been the catalyst for the 'Cats' recent offensive surges.

The series concludes with a doubleheader this afternoon.

Meanwhile, back at Joe Bruno Stadium, the Class AAA & AA championship series began in earnest Friday afternoon, with no rain in sight.

In Class AA, Bethlehem shut out Mohonasen, 9-0. In the nightcap, Colonie outlasted Saratoga, 14-6.

Game 2 in both series takes place today. Bethlehem vs. Mohonasen at 4 pm, and Colonie vs. Saratoga at 7 pm. A reminder that they will not accept cash payments for tickets.

However, the 'Cats will accept cash for the 518 Futures Game, taking place June 11, so some of these same players may be back for the Section II all-star game.

Now, let's turn our attention to the state tournaments in flag football:

Class A:

Shaker 32, Syracuse East 7.

Class B:

Fayetteville-Manilus 26, Columbia 0.

Catskill will play its first game tonight.

News & notes

 After losing the first two games of their series to Mississippi by identical 6-3 scores, the Tri-City ValleyCats finally won on Thursday, blowing away the Mud Monsters, 10-1. Jake Reinisch (Shenendehowa/Wake Forest) homered to help lead the 'Cats and winning pitcher Austin Dill. Aaron Whitley (Niskayuna) & Reinisch are tied for the team lead in RBI with 10 each.

Game 4 is tonight at 7:30 pm.

The old adage says that April showers bring May flowers. In the 518, major events are ruined by rain on a seemingly annual basis.

Guess what the forecast calls for on Saturday for the Delightful Run For Women? You got it. Rain. The course is being altered this year due to renovation on the Capitol, which has also caused traffic detours off & on.

Race time is 9 am. Rain or shine.

Russell Sage pitcher Matt Grimes (Shen) is getting some attention from pro scouts ahead of the July MLB Draft. Of course, it's been 10 years since the Anderson twins, Ben (Texas) & Ian (Atlanta) were drafted, and Shen is hoping for lightning in a bottle, via Sage.

Stay tuned.

Thursday's sectional scores:

Women's lacrosse:

Class B semi-finals:

Queensbury 24, Columbia 3.

Bethlehem 12, Niskayuna 7.

Class C semi-finals:

Burnt Hills 16, Averill Park 7.

Glens Falls 16, Cohoes 6.

Sunday at Siena:

Burnt Hills vs. Glens Falls, 4:30 pm.

Bethlehem vs. Queensbury, 2:15 pm.

Baseball:

Class A final:

Averill Park 2, Scotia 1.

Class B final:

Taconic Hills 3, Chatham 1.

Softball:

Class AAA semi-finals:

Saratoga 3, Colonie 2 (8 innings).

Shenendehowa 3, Guilderland 2.

Class AA semi-finals:

Columbia 3, Burnt Hills 0.

Queensbury 2, Bethlehem 0.

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard, 5/27

 Women's lacrosse:

Class A:

Shaker 12, Saratoga 9.

Shenendehowa 10, Colonie 7.

Class D:

Schuylerville 18, LaSalle 1.

Voorheesville 20, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 11.

Sunday at Siena:

Voorheesville vs. Schuylerville, 7 pm.

Shen vs. Shaker, 12 noon.

Men's lacrosse:

Class A:

Shaker 9, Saratoga 6.

Guilderland 9, Shenendehowa 5.

Class B:

Niskayuna 20, South Glens Falls 2.

Ballston Spa 16, Bethlehem 5.

Class C:

Burnt Hills 27, Scotia 5.

Averill Park 8, Glens Falls 7.

Class D:

Schuylerville 19, Voorheesville 2.

Stillwater-Mechanicville 15, Johnstown 3.

Saturday at Siena:

Ballston Spa vs. Niskayuna 10:30 am.

Burnt Hills vs. Averill Park, 1 pm.

Shaker vs. Guilderland, 3:30 pm.

Schuylerville vs. Stillwater-Mechanicville, 6 pm.

Softball:

Class A:

Glens Falls 11, Ichabod Crane 8.

Averill Park 12, Schalmont 0 (5 innings).

Class B:

Chatham 2, LaSalle 0.

Hoosick Falls 3, Tamarac 1.

Class C:

Galway 10, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 3.

Greenwich 15, Schoharie 8.

Class D:

Argyle 13, Salem 0 (6 innings).

Fort Ann 9, Duanesburg 0.

Saturday at Lansingburgh:

Averill Park vs. Glens Falls, 11 am.

Hoosick Falls vs. Chatham, 1:30 pm.

Fort Ann vs. Argyle, 4 pm.

Galway vs. Greenwich, 6: 30 pm.

Baseball:

Class D:

Duanesburg 6, Hartford 5 (11 innings).

Class C:

Saratoga Catholic 2, Maple Hill 0.

The pairings have been announced for the state flag football championships.

Class A: Shaker will play a team to be announced tomorrow at 7 pm at SUNY-Morrisville.

Class B: Columbia will play Fayetteville-Manilus tomorrow at 5 pm at SUNY-Morrisville.

Class C: Catskill faces Northeastern Clinton Saturday at 6:30 pm at AuSable High.

News & notes

 Shenendehowa didn't have to look far to find their next men's basketball coach. Just an old foe.

Andrew Platek, who starred for Guilderland, and whose college resume includes stops at North Carolina & Siena, and most recently was an assistant at Niskayuna, was hired today to succeed Paul Yattaw, who stepped down after the season ended in March. Platek, I believe, will be the youngest coach in the Suburban Council when play starts this winter.

The Tri-City ValleyCats dropped another one on Monday, a rare Monday, in fact, 6-3, to Mississippi to start a 6 game series. The 'Cats welcomed back Wes Albert from the inactive list, but he has yet to pick up a win this season. Albert was credited with three innings pitched, and saw his record drop to 0-3. Game 2 is tomorrow at 12 noon.

Monday's sectional scoreboard:

Baseball:

Class AA:

Bethlehem 5, Columbia 0.

Mohonasen 6, Troy 0. Troy's season is over after a late season surge lifted them into the sectionals.

Mohon & the Eagles begin a 3 game series Friday at 4 pm.

Class A:

Averill Park 9, Broadalbin-Perth 1.

Scotia 6, Ravena 2.

The Tartans & Golden Knights headline Thursday's doubleheader at the Joe.

Class B:

Taconic Hills 3, Chatham 1.

Cairo-Durham 5, Schuylerville 1.

An all-Patroon Conference final leads off Thursday's action.

Class C:

Maple Hill 9, Waterford 0.

Saratoga Catholic 5, Greenwich 3.

The Wildcats & Saints will duel tomorrow at 7 pm.

Class D:

Hartford 10, Fort Ann 0.

Duanesburg 8, North Warren 2.

The finals will kick off action tomorrow at 4.

News & notes

 The Tri-City ValleyCats were rained out Saturday vs. Brockton. The teams will play today at 5 pm, but last night's rainout will be made up as part of a doubleheader when the Rox return to Troy July 3-5.

Update: Tonight's game has also been postponed, and will be made up at a later date.

The first sectional finals are now set in Section II baseball.

The AAA semifinals Friday & Saturday saw Saratoga sweep Shaker, and Colonie do likewise with Albany, at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam. The Wolfpack & Blue Streaks will meet at Bruno Stadium starting Friday at 7 pm.

The rest of Saturday's sectional results:

Men's lacrosse:

Class A:

Saratoga 13, CBA 10. Saratoga will play Shaker on Wednesday.

Shenendehowa 9, Colonie 5. Shen vs. Guilderland on Wednesday. The Dutchmen were awarded a forfeit over Albany when the Falcons withdrew at the last minute.

Class B:

Niskayuna 22, Troy 3.

South Glens Falls 17, LaSalle 3.

Ballston Spa 17, Columbia 3.

Bethlehem 13, Queensbury 5.

Next Saturday at Siena:

Niskayuna vs. South Glens Falls.

Ballston Spa vs. Bethlehem.

Class D:

Voorheesville 9, Greenwich-Cambridge 8. The Blackbirds visit Schuylerville on Wednesday.

Johnstown 15, Hoosick Falls 5. The Sir Bills will play Stillwater-Mechanicville on Wednesday.

Troy High sports review, through May 23

 "In a season that's become improbable, the impossible has happened!"----Vin Scully.

"All good things must end."--Geoffrey Chaucer.

"The best laid plans of mice & men often go astray."---Robert Burns.

There's a reason for those three quotes, as you'll see as we go along.

Flag football:

Final record: 11-3.

Troy shut out Ballston Spa on Tuesday to reach the Class B title game, then took Columbia to double overtime before falling short of the title, 12-6.

Thank you, Frank Rogers, for laying the foundation. Good luck at Union College.

This is where the oft-quoted line from Chaucer fits.

Softball:

Final record: 15-5.

Robbed of a home game due to politics, Sean Geisel's club couldn't hold a lead vs. Queensbury on Thursday, losing, 7-1.

Chaucer fits here, too, as does Burns.

Women's lacrosse:

Final record: 10-7.

Queensbury ended the historic 1st varsity season for the Troy women, 24-3, on Wednesday. Nothing will take away the significance of this year's efforts.

Men's lacrosse:

Final record: 5-11.

Zach Gill's first season ended this afternoon as the Flying Horses fell to Niskayuna, 22-3, after downing Amsterdam at home on Wednesday.

Baseball:

Current record: 8-12.

Here's where Vin Scully's famous quote kicks in. Trevor McCarthy's underachieving crew upset Queensbury, 3-2, on Friday, as they continue their late season surge.

Next: Troy makes its first appearance in sectional play at Joe Bruno Stadium in years, as they'll play Mohonasen for the 3rd time this season on Monday, weather permitting.

The sports review returns in September.