A new tradition begins (Valleycats vs. Hudson Valley Community College, 4/30/22)

 "I'll meet you halfway. That's better than no way."---The Partridge Family, 1970.

On the 2nd anniversary of the passing of team founder Bill Gladstone, the Tri-City Valleycats began what they hope is a new pre-season tradition, a pre-season game vs. the Vikings of Hudson Valley Community College.

While the 'Cats are promoting their 2022 home opener on May 17, today's game, despite being a Vikings home game, was sparsely attended. There weren't many of the usual Valleycat fans lining the concourse, even though admission was free. This was the first time I had a chance to see the Vikings, and apparently, with HVCC still in remote learning due to COVID-19, the small crowd may well be par for the course.

The reason for the above lyric? The Vikings used aluminum bats as normal. The Valleycats had wooden bats. Big difference. Likely for reasons related to their respective leagues, the teams couldn't both use aluminum or wood. Something to think about for next year.

On to the game. The 'Cats hit the ground running, and never stopped. Fans were led to believe this would be a 9 inning game, which is the standard in major colleges and pro baseball. Instead, it was a 7 inning game. Any shorter, and the mercy rule would've been invoked.

Newcomer Brantley Bell set the table with one out in the first, reaching on an infield single. After a walk to Brad Zunica, Willy Garcia singled to bring home Bell with the game's first run. Zach Biermann followed suit, as Zunica scored, with Garcia reaching third, where he scored on a sacrifice fly by Juan Silverio. A ground rule double by Carson McCusker plated Biermann, and the 'Cats led, 4-0, before the Vikings could go on offense.

Jack DeFayette (Schalmont) led off the home 1st with a single, but was quickly erased on a double play. In the 2nd, Tri-City added four more runs. Three straight walks with one out brought up Garcia, who reached on an error, allowing Bell and another new 'Cat, Pavin Parks, to score.

Hudson Valley finally got on the board in the home 2nd. Josh Foglia (Shaker) led off with a double, and came around on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Shader (Galway). Walks, for the most part, were the reason for the Vikings' pitchers having so many problems. Tri-City added 4 more runs in the 3rd. HVCC plated their last two runs in the home half.

In case anyone wondered if anyone was hitting one out today, that question was answered in the 4th, when another new Valleycat, Jesus Lujano, launched a three run homer to right. That made the score, 15-4. Tri-City scored in every inning, and the bullpen shut the door, en route to a 21-4 win.

Paid admissions will start with the next pre-season game on Wednesday. The official home opener is May 17, when Lake Erie makes its first trip to Troy. Education Day will be the final game of the series vs. Lake Erie on May 19.

Friday's high school scoreboard, 4/29

Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 3, Cohoes 2.

Albany Academy 14, Ravena 2 (5 innings).

LaSalle 17, Voorheesville 3 (5 innings).

Schalmont 16, Lansingburgh 14.

Foothills Council:

Broadalbin-Perth 6, Gloversville 3.

Scotia-Glenville 7, Schuylerville 4.

Patroon Conference:

Chatham 13, Maple Hill 3.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 3, Shenendehowa 2.

Colonie 6, Niskayuna 3.

Guilderland 7, Troy 1. Troy's winning streak ends at 7. The score was obtained from the Suburban Council's Twitter page.

Averill Park 17, CBA 11.

Shaker 16, Albany 0.

Burnt Hills 4, Schenectady 2.

Ballston Spa 8, Bethlehem 6. 

Wasaren League:

Waterford 13, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Shaker 11, Saratoga 6.

Non-league:

Hudson Falls 18, Ichabod Crane-Maple Hill 3.

Women's lacrosse:

Capital District Women's Lacrosse League:

Albany Academy 12, Academy of Holy Names 9.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 17, South Glens Falls 13.

Non-league:

Voorheesville 14, Emma Willard 2.

Queensbury 16, Burnt Hills 8. Bayley Duffy had 7 goals for Queensbury. MK Lescault & Ella Blesi each had a hat trick in a losing effort for Burnt Hills.

Softball:

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 9, Cohoes 2.

Catholic Central 10, Cobleskill-Richmondville 2.

Patroon Conference:

Chatham 19, Maple Hill 1 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Troy 3, Guilderland 2. Olivia DeCitise with another complete game, fanning 12, scattering 5 hits. Troy has now won 9 in a row heading into matches next week vs. Shenendehowa & Columbia, the latter of which could decide the Gray division.

Shaker 9, Albany 2.

Ballston Spa 1, Bethlehem 0.

Shenendehowa 9, Columbia 5.

Colonie 11, Niskayuna 1.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 9, Emma Willard 0.
Cambridge 4, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 5, Canajoharie 4.

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

Hadley-Luzerne 6, Corinth 1.

Lake George 5, Whitehall 2.

Argyle 5, Johnsburg 0.

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 5, Hudson Falls 1.

Glens Falls 4, Scotia-Glenville 3.

Gloversville 4, Schuylerville 3.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 5, Taconic Hills 2.

Suburban Council:

Guilderland 8, Troy 1. Yes, the Flying Horses finally won a singles match, but have not won a meet yet this season.

Shenendehowa 9, Columbia 0.

Bethlehem 9, Ballston Spa 0.

Shaker 7, Albany 2.

Thursday's high school scoreboard, 4/28

 Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 23, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 7 (5 innings). The Mighty Warriors scored 10 runs in the 3rd inning to lock this game down. Ravena scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th, but it wasn't enough to prevent the mercy rule from being invoked after the inning.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 19, Berlin-New Lebanon 8. The Bengals blew out the undermanned B-NL squad for the 2nd time in 3 days. It was 5 innings here, too.

Hoosick Falls 12, Waterford 3.

Greenwich 13, Saratoga Catholic 0 (5 innings).

Non-league:

Fonda-Fultonville 15, Voorheesville 3 (5 innings). Fonda sits atop the Western Athletic Conference with a perfect record at 11-0 (5-0 in league play).

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

CBA 18, Averill Park 3.

Niskayuna 21, Colonie 4.

Shenendehowa 14, Columbia 3.

Non-league:

Lansingburgh 7, Ichabod Crane-Maple Hill 5. This was incorrectly listed in the paper as a Wasaren League game, when none of the teams are in the league. Ichabod Crane (Colonial Council) & Maple Hill (Patroon Conference) are joining forces, and Lansingburgh is also in the Colonial Council.

Voorheesville 13, Mohonasen-Schenectady 3. Mohon and Schenectady are fused together for lacrosse & tennis, which is why the Patriots don't play Troy in those two sports.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 12, Colonie 11.

Shenendehowa 14, Columbia 5.

Shaker 10, Albany 4.

Non-league:

Averill Park 10, Johnstown 4.

Softball:

Patroon Conference:

Chatham 13, Rensselaer 0.

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy 10, Ravena 5.

Lansingburgh 29, Academy of Holy Names 11 (5 innings). The Lady Knights scored 10 runs in the 2nd inning, and 15 in the 3rd, to clinch the game.

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 11, Ballston Spa 8.

Guilderland 6, Niskayuna 5. The Lady Dutch travel to Troy today, hoping to slow down Sean Geisel's club, which has won 8 in a row.

Wasaren League:

Stillwater 7, Hoosic Valley 0.

Hoosic Valley 8, Mechanicville 6.

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

Whiteshall 4, Argyle 3.

Patroon Conference:

Coxsackie-Athens 6, Cairo-Durham 1.

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 8, Colonie 1.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mekeel Christian 6, Middleburgh 1.

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen-Schenectady 5, LaSalle 2.

Men's track & field:

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill won a three team meet over Hudson & Rensselaer.

Western Athletic Conference:

Canajoharie 78, Fort Plain 59.

Galway 83, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 46.

Women's track & field:

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill won a three team meet over Hudson & Rensselaer.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway 100, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 29.

Canajoharie 97, Fort Plain 33.

News & notes

 We are two weeks away from Opening Day for the Tri-City Valleycats. Hard to believe, but it's true. This season also marks the 20th anniversary of the team relocating from Pittsfield to Troy.

With the Education Day pre-season game vs. the Albany Dutchmen having been discontinued after the 2019 season, the 'Cats will welcome their loyal fans with a pre-season game against Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday. Admission is free. First pitch is at 3 pm. It will be the first meeting ever between the two tenants of Bruno Stadium.

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Schenectady High has not won a softball game yet this season. Despite this, host Troy took the time prior to Wednesday's game to bestow some gifts on a Schenectady player who was shot at Crossgates Mall earlier this month. The unnamed student was given gift cards, a blanket, and body wash, among other items.

Then, the two teams got down to business, and, unfortunately for the Lady Patriots, they were held to just 2 hits, and committed 9 errors as the Lady Horses ran their winning streak to 8 in a row in a 5 inning, 21-0 shutout. For Troy, it was their 3rd shutout in four games. Olivia DeCitise didn't pitch, it appears, but went 3-3 at the plate with 2 triples and 4 RBI. Troy has today off before hosting Guilderland on Friday.

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Mohonasen captured the Colonial Council track & field championships in both men's & women's competition on Wednesday. Individual stats were not made available.

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The rest of Wednesday's action:

Men's lacrosse:

Non-league:

Guilderland 16, LaSalle 5.

Women's lacrosse:

Colonial Council:

Voorheesville 11, Catholic Central 0.

Baseball:

Colonial Council:

LaSalle 11, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 4.

Ichabod Crane 13, Schalmont 12.

Mohonasen 12, Cohoes 2.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 15, Cairo-Durham 0 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Colonie 4, Burnt Hills 0.

Shaker 9, Shenendehowa 6.

Columbia 10, Averill Park 9.

Troy 9, Schenectady 1. Mike Kennedy picked up the win as Troy, now winners of 7 in a row, scored 7 in the home 3rd inning, and never looked back.

Saratoga 4, CBA 3.

Guilderland 23, Albany 2 (5 innings).

Western Athletic Conference:

Fonda-Fultonville 9, Middleburgh 6.

Softball:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 12, Cohoes 2.

Catholic Central 13, Voorheesville 1.

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 9, Shaker 0.

Albany 9, Guilderland 7.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 9, Berlin-New Lebanon 3.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 11, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 5.

Track & field:

Patroon Conference:

Chatham 105, Albany Leadership 23.

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 105, Troy 69.

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

Warrensburg 5, Granville 1.

Hadley-Luzerne 7, North Warren 0.

Lake George 7, Johnsburg 0.

Whitehall 6, Corinth 1.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 7, South Glens Falls 0.

Glens Falls 6, Hudson Falls 1.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 5, Taconic Hills 2.

Suburban Council:

Guilderland 5, Albany 4.

Bethlehem 7, Niskayuna 2.

Burnt Hills 5, Colonie 4.

Shenendehowa 7, Shaker 2.

Averill Park 7, Columbia 2.

Saratoga 9, CBA 0.

Non-league:

Mekeel Christian 5, Chatham 2.

News & notes

 This morning at the earliest, Kevin Huerter may be heading home to Clifton Park.

Huerter scored 12 points in a losing effort as the Atlanta Hawks were eliminated by Miami in the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday, 110-86. As we noted yesterday, the Heat's defense stifled both Huerter and Trae Young, forcing an early end to the Hawks' season.

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Rumors have Capital District Off-Track Betting merging operations with their counterparts in Catskill, which is facing the prospect of bankruptcy amid claims made four years ago that the company president mismanaged operations.

Corruption in horse racing isn't limited to the track, folks, but we've known that for years, if you follow the movies.

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LaSalle Institute's first women's varsity sports team is in track & field. That's the good news. The bad? The Lady Cadets were blown off the field by Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk on Tuesday to the tune of 117-18. OUCH!

In sharp contrast, the men's team defeated Ravena, 85-51.

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The rest of Tuesday's action:

Baseball:

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 22, Berlin-New Lebanon 8. We don't have a linescore for this game, but I'd imagine the mercy rule was invoked.

Men's lacrosse:

Foothills Council:

Quieensbury 19, Scotia-Glenville 1.

Suburban Council:

Guilderland 19, Albany 1.

Bethlehem 12, Niskayuna 9.

Burnt Hills 22, Colonie 1.

Averill Park 15, Troy 3.

Non-league:

Voorheesville 20, Ichabod Crane-Maple Hill 1.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 1, Mohonasen-Schenectady 4.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 17, Niskayuna 5.

Columbia 11, Averill Park 6.

Shaker 9, Shenendehowa 7.

Guilderland 18, Albany 5.

Softball:

Troy 3, Shaker 1. Make it 7 in a row for the Lady Horses. Still another complete game for Olivia DeCitise, who checked the Bison on just 2 hits while striking out 13. Hannah Hipwell went the distance  for Shaker, fanning 8 and giving up 4 hits.

Troy starts a 3 game homestand today vs. Schenectady.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 2, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Non-league:

Mayfield 12, Corinth 5.

Ballston Spa 12, South Glens Falls 2.

Stillwater 19, Duanesburg 4 (5 innings).

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

North Warren 6, Warrensburg 1.

Hadley-Luzerne 4, Argyle 3.

Men's track & field:

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 92, Hudson Falls 47.

Scotia-Glenville 100, Johnstown 22.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 97, Averill Park 82.

In a 4 team meet, CBA outpointed Shaker, 124-41, but also lost to Saratoga, 99-80. The Blue Streaks also defeated Niskayuna, 118-39.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield-Northville 107, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 30.

Women's track & field:

Colonial Council:

In addition to LaSalle, Ravena swept the trios meet by beating Holy Names, 78-62.

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 128, Hudson Falls 12.

Scotia-Glenville 103, Johnstown 24.

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 92, Columbia 88.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield-Northville 110, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 22.

Local colleges:

Baseball:

Union 23, Bard 11.

Middlebury 16, Skidmore 14.

Keystone 18, Cobleskill 3.

Men's lacrosse:

College of St. Rose 14, Franklin Pierce 7.

Softball:

Siena 7, Bryant 3. The Lady Saints snap an 8 game losing streak.

News & notes

 It is zero hour for Shenendehowa grad Kevin Huerter and the Atlanta Hawks.

Down 3-1 in games to the Eastern Conference's top seeded Miami Heat, Atlanta needs to win in enemy territory tonight to keep their season alive. Not only has the Heat's defense shackled Huerter, limiting him to 33 points in 4 games, or, an average of 8.1 points per game in the series (Huerter was held to 4 points on Sunday), but also leading scorer Trae Young, who had just 9 points in Sunday night's loss. 

The game airs on NBA TV (Spectrum channel 308) at 7 pm.

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When RPI begins hockey season in October, the Engineers will be looking for a new captain.

Ture Linden announced Monday he is transferring to Penn State for next season. A move like this enhances Linden's chances of being drafted to the NHL. RPI hasn't had very many players drafted since the NCAA title team of 1984-5, which saw Adam Oates, Joe Juneau, and George McPhee, among others, reach the NHL.

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Walks have become a problem for Atlanta Braves pitcher Ian Anderson (Shen).

Anderson didn't figure into the decision in Saturday's game against Miami, and was actually in line for the win, but the Atlanta bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Anderson gave up 3 runs (2 earned), walked 3, and struck out 4 in 5 innings Saturday in a game Miami ultimately won, 9-7. Anderson's likely next start is Friday, which means he won't face the Mets next week at Citi Field.

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Troy High snapped a 6 game losing streak in lacrosse on Saturday, beating Albany, 5-4. They will try to build on that tonight with a twilight game vs. Averill Park at Picken Field. Game time is 7 pm. Expect mostly crickets in the bleachers, since most fans will be paying more attention to either the Hawks or the Yankees.

On Monday, Troy baseball took advantage of 6 Falcon errors in blowing out Albany, 15-0. The Flying Horses, who've now won 6 in a row, scored 8 runs in the 2nd inning to put this one away.

Also at the Plumeri Sports Complex on the College of St. Rose campus, Olivia DeCitise spun Troy's 2nd straight no hitter in softball, fanning 11 while going 2-3 at the plate with a triple and 2 RBI's as the red hot Lady Horses shut down Albany, 11-0. Sean Geisel's club, which has also won 6 in a row, will try to make it 7 if/when they play at Shaker this afternoon in a make-up game from a rainout earlier this month. Weather permitting, of course.

For what it's worth, Albany salvaged what otherwise was a miserable day by beating Troy in---what else?---tennis. 

Troy has already postponed today's non-league baseball game at Mohonasen in anticipation of rain, but it doesn't look like the game will be played at all.

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LaSalle and Albany Academy engaged in baseball's version of the Battle of The Cadets on Monday at Geer Field. Jesse Braverman's club plated 9 runs in the third inning, and the mercy rule was invoked after five, as LaSalle blew out Academy, 11-1.

LaSalle also defeated Cobleskill-Richmondville in tennis, 5-2.

News & notes

 In the midst of a difficult, frustrating 2022 campaign at Siena, Ben Seiler (Albany Academy) is finding his groove.

Four days after fanning 16 vs. St. Peter's, Seiler struck out a season high 19, tops in the NCAA, in going nine innings vs. Niagara on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Saints lost in 10 innings, 6-5. Three Siena errors didn't help matters, as Seiler gave up 5 runs (2 earned) and 3 walks.

Brett Young (Albany Academy/Virginia Commonwealth) went 0-2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

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Another championship banner was hung at MVP Arena, as the Albany Empire began defense of the National Arena League title. However, the Carolina Cobras collected a receipt after losing the title game last summer, taking advantage of 3 Albany turnovers to earn a 59-51 win. Check the video:

Tom Menas' crew heads to Jacksonville next week to play the Sharks.

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With Easter vacation winding down, it was tournament day in Section II softball & baseball on Saturday.

Baseball:

Colonie Cup:

CBA 9, Colonie 1. Owen Goodridge and the Brothers' bullpen held the Raiders to just one hit.

Shaker 11, Colonie 4.

Shaker won the tournament, 8-5, over CBA.

Canonica Classic:

Voorheesville 5, Germantown 4.

Maple Hill 26, Berlin-New Lebanon 1 (6 innings). The Wildcats plated 14 runs in the 5th inning, forcing the mercy rule after the top of the 6th.

Maple Hill won the tournament, 8-7, over Voorheesville.

Phil Waring Tournament:

Fonda-Fultonville 4, Saratoga Catholic 3.

Schuylerville 11, Canajoharie 3.

Consolation game:

Canajoharie 5, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Championship game:

Fonda-Fultonville 2, Schuylerville 1.

Non-league:

Albany Academy 3, Niskayuna 0.

Saratoga 13, Broadalbin-Perth 1.

Hoorick Falls 9, Mount Anthony Union 8.

Troy 16, Lansingburgh 2. Troy runs its winning streak to 5 in a row.

Colonial Council:

Cohoes 5, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.

Softball:

Maple Hill Tournament:

Greenwich 7, Greenville 1.

Maple Hill 18, Amsterdam 2. The Wildcats put the game away with 12 runs in the top of the 7th inning.

Consolation game:

Greenville 16, Amsterdam 0 (5 innings).

Championship game:

Greenwich 10, Maple Hill 0.

Ballston Spa Grand Slam:

Monroe-Woodbury upset Shenendehowa, 2-0.

Shen 15, Averill Park 5.

Ballston Spa 14, Oneida 2 (5 innings).

Charlie Weeden Tournament:

Hoosick Falls 14, Mechanicville 1.

Consolation game:

Mechanicville 9, Brattleboro 8. 

The title game was not reported.

Non-league:

Albany 12, Cohoes 0 (5 innings).

Gilboa-Conesville 15, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 4 (6 innings).

Colonial Council:

Friday:

Catholic Central 15, Albany Academy 2 (5 innings).

Tennis:

Shaker 9, Troy 0.

A men's lacrosse match between Troy & Albany was not reported.

News & notes

 The Albany Patroons keep right on rolling, defeating Reading, 117-104, on Friday. The Rebels, like the Lehigh Valley Legends, are using a high school gym for home games, and it seems this was more to the Pats' liking. AJ Mosby led Albany with 27 points, one of six Patroons in double figures. Mike Williams added 21, and Anthony Moe had 17 for Albany (10-2), which now gets a week off, due to tonight's home game vs. Syracuse being postponed (COVID), and will travel to play Connecticut next Friday.

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With a killer schedule that has them playing four games in five days next week, Troy High's softball team traveled to Rensselaer Park Elementary's baseball field to play Lansingburgh on Friday. The Lady Knights might as well have left welcome mats at the doors.

Coach Sean Geisel finally gave his ace, Olivia DeCitise, a break from pitching, after she'd started each of the first 9 games of the season. What resulted was two pitchers combining on a 5-inning no-hitter, as Troy routed the Knights, 19-0. Troy plated 10 runs in the 1st inning against the 'Burgh defense, and racked up 20 hits in the shutout.

What awaits Troy next week?

Monday: @ Albany.

Tuesday @ Shaker (make-up game for a rainout).

Wednesday: Schenectady.

Friday: Guilderland.

Troy now has won 5 in a row. The baseball team will look to do the same at Lansingburgh later this morning. Chris Stack's club has the same schedule next week, except they'll be at Mohonasen on Tuesday, having already beaten Shaker.

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The rest of Friday's action:

High schools:

Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 10, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0 (6 innings).

LaSalle 11, Lansingburgh 6.

Albany Academy 16, Voorheesville 6.

Schalmont 10, Cohoes 8.

Voorheesville 18, Ichabod Crane 9.

Foothills Council:

Amsterdam & Gloversville split a doubleheader. The Rams won the opener, 4-3, then the Dragons gained a split with a 3-2 win in the nightcap.

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 4, Saratoga 3.

Shenendehowa 1, Colonie 0. Colin Maloney and Ryan Pittz combined on a no-hitter. Maloney had reached his pitch count limit with two out in the 7th, so Pittz picks up the save.

Shaker 3, Columbia 2.

Guilderland 6, CBA 3.

Burnt Hills 6, Averill Park 2.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 15, Waterford 0.

Hoosick Falls 8, Hoosic Valley 0.

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Columbia 12, Colonie 6.

Softball:

Colonial Council:

Catholic Central 15, Albany Academy 2 (5 innings).

Mohonasen 5, Cobleskill-Richmondville 2.

Ichabod Crane 25, Voorheesville 0 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 4, Albany 1. Anna Cleary pitched a complete game, fanning 12, giving up 5 hits, and driving in 2 runs herself with a double.

Ballston Spa 26, Schenectady 0 (5 innings). The Lady Patriots were also victims of a no-hitter, and committed 6 errors in the field, as the Lady Scotties, coming off a loss to Troy earlier in the week, put the game away with 13 runs in the 1st inning.

Columbia 3, Shaker 2.

Averill Park 9, Burnt Hills 6.

Shenendehowa 4, Colonie 3.

Tennis:

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 9, Albany 0.

Guilderland 9, CBA 0.

Shaker 9, Columbia 0.

Saratoga 7, Niskayuna 2.

Burnt Hills 6, Averill Park 3.

Local colleges:

Baseball:

UAlbany 19, Hartford 8.

Cobleskill 9, Canton 8 (10 innings).

Siena 10, Niagara 8 (11 innings).

Russell Sage split with St. John Fisher, losing the first game, 7-0, then rebounding to take the nightcap, 9-8.

Women's lacrosse:

William Smith 15, RPI 2.

Skidmore 17, Rochester 9.

Softball:

Cobleskill swept SUNY-Delhi, 9-1 & 11-3.

Men's lacrosse:

UAlbany 16, New Jersey Institute of Technology 6.

News & notes

 Those of you expecting to make the trip to the Washington Avenue Armory tomorrow night for the Albany Patroons' rematch with Syracuse will have to wait.

The Stallions announced on Thursday that both of their weekend games, against the Pats and Philadelphia, have been postponed because of an outbreak of---wait for it----COVID-19 on the team. No make-up date has yet been set.

All that does for fans here at home is it gives the Albany Empire more people coming down to MVP Arena for their season opener. We think.

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TV options for tonight:

Kevin Huerter & the Atlanta Hawks will try to stay alive against the Miami Heat in game 3 of their first round series. This will either be on ESPN or on their streaming service.

Friday Night Smackdown originates from MVP Arena at 8 pm, airing on WXXA. If you can't afford the tickets, sitting at home is the best option to watch the show. It's also available for streaming on Fox's website.

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Thursday's high school scoreboard:

Baseball:

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville 4, South Glens Falls 3.

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 23, Albany 2. The Blue Streaks took advantage of 7 Falcon errors, and scored 9 runs in the 7th to put the game away.

Non-league:

Ichabod Crane swept a doubleheader from Columbia, 3-2 & 1-0.

Men's lacrosse:

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 9, Queensbury 6.

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 21, Averill Park 2.

Guilderland 11, CBA 10.

Shenendehowa 15, Colonie 0.

Niskayuna 14, Saratoga 9.

Women's lacrosse:

Capital District Women's Lacrosse League:

Albany Academy 15, Emma Willard 2.

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 10, Colonie 9.

Burnt Hills 17, Averill Park 2. The Lescault sisters, Maggie & MK, combined for 7 goals for the Spartans.

Bethlehem 21, Albany 1.

Non-league:

Shaker 17, National Cathedral School 12.

Softball:

Colonial Council:

Cohoes 9, Cobleskill-Richmondville 1.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 15, Catskill 2 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 4, Columbia 0. Breanna Hayes pitched a 2-hit shutout, fanning 12.

Columbia 6, Guilderland 4.

Wasaren League:

Emma Willard 12, Mechanicville 9.

Greenwich 11, Stillwater 7.

Men's tennis:

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 9, CBA 0.

News & notes

 Don't look now, but Arena Football season begins on Saturday. The Albany Empire open at home at MVP Arena vs. Carolina, with a 7 pm start. The game will be streamed on YouTube, as was the case last season. The Arena will be a busy place this weekend, with Smackdown airing live on Fox on Friday.

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The Atlanta Hawks are down 2-0 in games to Miami as the 1st round playoff series shifts to Atlanta on Friday. Kevin Huerter (Shenendehowa/Maryland) has been held to a total of 17 points in the first two games, a credit to the Heat defense recognizing the scoring threat he is. Friday's game will likely be on ESPN.

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Tuesday's off-season mixed precipitation forced the postponement of almost everything in high school & college sports, with few exceptions. The boneheads at the Albany Times-Union mislabeled Tuesday's lacrosse scores under boys' basketball, but then, we expect the errors to slip past proofreading.

Tuesday's scores:

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 14, Shaker 2.

Ballston Spa 15, Saratoga 1.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 19, Albany 1.

Ballston Spa delayed the start of their softball & baseball games vs. Troy by four hours to 3 pm, but the information wasn't passed to the Times-Union, which also listed the tennis meet that took place on April 12, thinking no one would remember. Yeah, right.

Troy High says thank you very much.

Former Troy coach Curt Nobles has had the Flying Horses' number since leaving for Ballston Spa, but that wasn't to be on Wednesday. Mike Kennedy, who was MIA when Troy lost their first three games due to injury, combined with Austin Francis on a 3 hit shutout. Kennedy fanned 10 in 4 innings, and Francis added 5 K's in going the final 3, as Troy ran their winning streak to 4 in a row with a 7-0 win. Troy's road trip continues with two non-league games at Lansingburgh (Friday) & Mohonasen (Tuesday), sandwiched around a trip to Albany on Monday.

Update, 10:27 am: Schedule Galaxy shows that the Troy-'Burgh baseball game has been moved to Saturday morning due to Tuesday's game vs. LaSalle being rescheduled to Friday. First pitch is at 11 am. For Lansingburgh, Colonial Council scheduling takes precedence.

Meanwhile, Troy's Olivia DeCitise and Ballston Spa's Livia Wiltsie had a pitchers' duel for the ages. Both went the distance. Wiltsie fanned 16, but gave up a game winning 2 run homer to Katie Pryor, as Troy softball also ran their winning streak to 4 in a row, 3-1. DeCitise struck out 14 for the 2nd straight game, and has 128 for the season. Keep in mind, she's a junior who also plays for Troy's bowling team. The Lady Horses travel to Lansingburgh on Friday.

The rest of Wednesday's high school scoreboard:

Baseball:

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 11, Averill Park 1.

Colonie 1, Columbia 0. Tyler Sausville tossed a 2 hit shutout, and struck out 11.

CBA 6, Bethlehem 2.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 12, Cairo-Durham 5.

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 13, Guilderland 12.

Non-league:

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 10, Lansingburgh 2.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 12, Guilderland 9.

Colonie 21, Columbia 3.

Non-league:

Shaker 11, Elizabeth Seton 10.

Softball:

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 5, Albany 0.

Shenendehowa 10, Averill Park 3

Columbia 3, Colonie 1.

Tennis:

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 7, Albany 2.

Shaker 9, Burnt Hills 0.

Monday's high school scoreboard, 4/18

 You would think that with earlier starting times during Easter break, schools would be more diligent in submitting results. It doesn't look that way, judging from today's scoreboard:

Baseball:

Patroon Conference

Maple Hill 11, Catskill 1 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Columbia 12, Albany 2.

Guilderland 13, Shaker 2.

Non-league:

Shenendehowa 8, Kingston 7.

Mohonasen 6, Niskayuna 4.

Catholic Central 8, Albany 6.

Schuylerville 11, Corinth 1 (5 innings).

Saratoga 6, Queensbury 4.

Albany Academy 4, Bethlehem 3.

Troy 7, LaSalle 5. Troy squares its overall record at 3-3, and continues its road trip at Ballston Spa on Wednesday.

Fonda-Fultonville 7, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0. Derek Duval & Tyler Daus combined on a no-hitter, with a combined 17 strikeouts. Duval fanned 14 in 6 innings, while Daus struck out the side in the 7th to close the game.

Fort Plain 8, OESJ 7 (8 innings).

Wasaren League:

Saratoga Catholic 14, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Saratoga Catholic 13, Berlin-New Lebanon 2.

Tamarac 6, Stillwater 1.

Waterford 7, Hoosic Valley 6.

Softball: 

Non-league:

Troy 6, Whitesboro 2. 

Burnt Hills 11, Whitesboro 2.

The games were moved to Monday, as they were rained out on Saturday, and New Hartford has not rescheduled. Troy has now won 3 in a row to go to 6-2 on the season. Olivia DeCitise pitched another complete game for Troy, which moves on to Ballston Spa on Wednesday. DeCitise finished with 14 strikeouts, raising her total for the season to 114.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 18, Broadalbin-Perth 1 (5 innings).

South Glens Falls 12, Johnstown 0 (5 innings).

Queensbury 10, Glens Falls 7.

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 3, Shaker 1.

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 26, Lansingburgh 0 (5 innings). Morgan Ormerod fanned 13 in throwing a 5 inning no-hitter.

This morning's mixed precipitation has forced a postponement of a multi-team outdoor track meet at Ballston Spa. No make-up date has been set.

News & notes

 The Albany FireWolves needed a win badly to have any hope of getting to the National Lacrosse League playoffs.

Mission accomplished.

Joe Resetaritis led the way with 5 goals, and netminder Doug Jamieson was credited with one assist, in a rare case of a goaltender assisting on a goal, as the 'Wolves blew out Philadelphia, 11-5. Albany has another bye week next week before hosting the NY Riptide on April 30 to close the regular season.

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While the result of Saturday night's NBLC (National Basketball League of Canada)-TBL (The Basketball League All Star Game won't make the papers for whatever reason, we can thank fellow blogger and long time local historian Chuck Miller for clueing us in on the fact that the TBL defeated the NBL, 155-150. No individual stats are available. Chuck was honored by the NBL for 10 years of service to the league at halftime. Congratulations, Chuck.

============================================

Atlanta's Ian Anderson righted the ship Saturday in San Diego, as he went six innings, giving up two hits while fanning seven, as the Braves won their 2nd straight over the Padres, 5-2. The two teams close the series tonight on ESPN (7 pm).

===========================================

Former WQBK-FM afternoon host Dalton Castle had a match in front of the biggest television audience of his career in making his debut for All Elite Wrestling.

At AEW's Battle of The Belts, taped Friday, and shown Saturday on TNT, Castle challenged current Ring of Honor champion Jonathan Gresham in an attempt to regain the title he held for nearly a year (2017-18). However, Gresham retained, and both champion & challenger were attacked post-match by newcomer Satham Singh, a former NBA draft pick now with AEW under the tutelage of another ex-ROH champion, Jay Lethal. Expect to see Castle on AEW again soon.

============================================

Kevin Huerter scored 13 points for the 2nd straight game Friday, as Atlanta eliminated Cleveland, 107-101, to advance in the NBA playoffs. The Hawks open a 1st round series vs. Miami today. The Heat have the home court advantage, so Atlanta will host game 3 this coming Friday.

============================================

Friday & Saturday's high school scores:

Baseball:

Friday:

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville 1, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 6, Shenendehowa 1.

Troy 6, Shaker 3. Troy's now won 2 in a row after starting the season 0-3, heading into a non-league game vs. LaSalle on Monday.

Non-league:

Colonie 12, Queensbury 1.

Saturday:

Wasaren League:

Hoosic Valley 10, Waterford 6.

Tamarac 19, Stillwater 2.

Softball:

Friday:

Suburban Council:

Ballston Spa 8, Shaker 2.

Non-league:

Troy 6, Cohoes 5 (11 innings). Olivia DeCitise started her 7th straight game, and went 5 innings, finishing with 14 strikeouts, bringing her season total to an even 100, averaging 14.2 K's per 7 innings, pending the results of Saturday's games vs. New Hartford & Whitesboro, which were not reported.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 18, Amsterdam 5.

Men's lacrosse:

Friday:

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 12, Columbia 2.

Saturday:

Non-league:

Amsterdam-Broadalbin-Perth 17, Troy 2. I'm guessing the Rams also won last week, which means Troy has now lost 5, maybe 6 in a row.

Skaneateles 13, Columbia 4.

Somers 13, Guilderland 10.

News & notes

 Bethlehem soccer star Claire Hutton has been named the US Women's soccer 17-& under national team. Ms. Hutton is spending her Easter vacation in Fort Lauderdale beginning her first practices with the team. From there, it's off the Domincan Republic to play in Group G of the CONCACAF World Cup. Best wishes & best of luck to Claire.

==========================================

The Colonial Council, and likely, also, some other leagues, postponed most of its Thursday schedule because of rain and/or wet grounds. Check with the member schools for make up dates.

Also, Troy High's winless tennis team will have to wait another day for a match vs. Shaker. The Bison postponed their meet for the 2nd time in as many weeks.

===========================================

Thursday's high school & college scoreboard:

High school baseball:

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 12, Duanesburg 3.

Non-league:

Saugerties 4, Albany 3.

Men's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 12, Bethlehem 7.

Saratoga 16, Troy 1.

CBA 14, Colonie 1.

Ballston Spa 9, Guilderland 7.

Niskayuna 10, Shaker 5.

Burnt Hills 12, Columbia 2.

Non-league:

Stillwater-Mechanicville 10, Mohonasen-Schenectady 4.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 14, Albany 6.

Burnt Hills 20, Columbia 1. MK Lescault continued her assault on the record books with 5 goals and 4 assists.

Shaker 13, Niskayuna 7.

Local college baseball:

Russell Sage split a doubleheader with Houghton, losing the first game in 6 innings, 17-2, then rebounding to win the nightcap, 5-3.

===========================================

A make-up game in softball between Troy & Shaker was not reported. It may have been postponed again due to wet grounds. Troy will play Cohoes this afternoon.

News & notes

 The NBA playoffs have begun with a play-in tournament for the 2nd time in 3 years, and the Atlanta Hawks are in the thick of it. Kevin Huerter (Shenendehowa/Maryland) contributed 13 points as the Hawks eliminated Charlotte, 132-103. Atlanta now advances to play Cleveland to determine the #8 seed in the East on Friday. Cleveland is in a win-or-bust sitch, after losing to Brooklyn on Tuesday.

It was a lot easier back in the day.

==========================================

For the 2nd straight week, Burnt Hills 3 sport star MK Lescault was named the Albany Times-Union's female athlete of the week. Lescault, a junior, is a big reason why the Lady Spartans are at the top of the standings in the Suburban Council's grey division in women's lacrosse. She set a school record with 11 goals vs. Niskayuna last week, and hasn't let up since.

==========================================

Troy High's baseball team finally got off the schneid, as the saying goes, and blew out Saratoga, 14-2, on Wednesday. The Flying Horses (1-3) scored five runs each in the 1st & 3rd innings, which pretty much put the game away.

Meanwhile, the softball team snapped a 2 game losing streak in beating Saratoga, 4-1. Olivia Ashline was the offensive star of the day with two homers and three RBI in going 3-4. Olivia DeCitise went the distance to pick up the win. She has pitched all six games this season, as apparently, coach Sean Geisel doesn't see the need for other starters, though that could change come sectionals next month. DeCitise, a junior lefthander, sports a sterling 1.94 ERA through six starts.

Wednesday's game started a stretch of five games in four days, as the Lady Horses begin a 3 day road trip today with a makeup game at Shaker (weather permitting) before going outside the Suburban Council to play Cohoes on Friday, then travel to Whitesboro on Saturday to play Whitesboro & New Hartford. I'd say having extra starters would be in order now, don't you?

Saratoga salvaged the day with a 9-0 shutout in tennis. Troy didn't even field half their team for some reason. Lack of interest may kill the tennis program.

=================================================

The rest of Wednesday's action:

Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 5, Albany Academy 4. The Mighty Warriors hand the Cadets their first league loss.

Ichabod Crane 3, LaSalle 2. LaSalle has now dropped two straight.

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville 7, Gloversville 1.

Suburban Council:

Colonie 9, CBA 1.

Shaker 10, Niskayuna 6.

Guilderland 4, Ballston Spa 2.

Non-league:

Bethlehem 3, Saugerties 1.

Women's lacrosse:

Non-league:

Voorheesville 12, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 8.

Greenwich 14, Johnstown 8.

Softball:

Ichabod Crane 34, Academy of Holy Names 3 (5 innings). The Lady Riders scored 19 runs in the 1st inning, then 10 more in the 2nd.

Catholic Central 19, Lansingburgh 3 (5 innings).

Mohonasen 4, Albany Academy 2.

Cohoes 14, Ravena 0 (5 innings).

Foothills Council:

Maple Hill 7, Greenville 5.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 11, Burnt Hills 2.

Shenendehowa 18, Schenectady 0 (5 innings).

Guilderland 5, Ballston Spa 4.

Wasaren League:

Stillwater 8, Tamarac 5.

Mechanicville 3, Cambridge 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 12, Duanesburg 3.

Fonda-Fultonville 2, Canajoharie 0.

Schoharie 6, Galway 5.

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

Lake George 7, Corinth 0.

Whitehall 6, Warrensburg 1.

Argyle 5, North Warren 2.

Foothills Council:

Queensbury 7, Glens Falls 0.

Patroon Conference:

Greenville 6, Chathan 1.

Coxsackie-Athens 6, Waterford 1.

Suburban Council:

Albany 8, Averill Park 1.

Shaker 5, Niskayuna 4.

Non-league:

Mohonasen-Schenectady 5, Schoharie 2.

Tuesday's high school scoreboard, 4/12

 Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 15, Ravena 4 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Colonie 7, Ballston Spa 1.

Saratoga 3, Bethlehem 1.

Wasaren League:

Greenwich 6, Hoosic Valley 3.

Men's lacrosse:

Foothills Council:

Queensbury 18, Glens Falls 4.

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 19, Troy 1. Jacob Phelps, Nick Rogers, & Matt Kerwin each had a hat trick, and Ethan Jamison had 4 goals for the Warriors. We're still waiting for the result of last Saturday's Troy-Amsterdam game.

Bethlehem 17, Colonie 1.

Niskayuna 14, Columbia 5.

Saratoga 11, Guilderland 6.

Shenendehowa 16, Albany 1.

Burnt Hills 12, CBA 5.

Ballston Spa 15, Shaker 7.

Colonial Council:

Lansingburgh 6, Catholic Central 5.

Wasaren League:

Stillwater-Mechanicville 17, Hoosic Falls-Tamarac 8.

Women's lacrosse:

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 14, Colonie 7. MK Lescault tallied 7 more goals.

Shen 18, Albany 2.

Niskayuna 9, Columbia 8.

Softball:

Central Hudson Valley League:

Rensselaer 27, Heatly 1 (5 innings). The Rams plated 13 runs in the 2nd inning to put the game away.

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 27, Ravena 0 (5 innings). The Riders closed this with a 17 run outburst in the 4th inning.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 8, Albany 1.

Bethlehem 7, Saratoga 0. Anna Cleary pitched a perfect game for the Eagles.

Guilderland 20, Schenectady 0 (5 innings). The Lady Dutch ran out to a 10-0 lead in the first inning, and never looked back.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 9, Hoosic Valley 0.

Non-league:

Hoosick Falls 2, Maple Hill 1.

Tennis:

Adirondack League:

Hadley-Luzerne 4, Whitehall 3.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 5, Hudson Falls 1.

Patroon Conference:

Greenville 4, Taconic Hills 3.

Suburban Council:

Ballston Spa 9, Troy 0. This match was moved up on the calendar, as it was originally set for April 20.

Shen 9, Colonie 0.

Burnt Hills 7, CBA 2.

Non-league:

Waterford 5, Middleburgh 2.

Men's track & field:

Adirondack League:

Lake George 96, Granville 39.

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 93, Glens Falls 43.

Schuylerville 64, Hudson Falls 49.

Amsterdam 84, Johnstown 43.

Suburban Council:

Averill Park won a dual meet over Ballston Spa & Troy.

Saratoga won a dual meet over Guilderland & Colonie.

Shenendehowa won a dual meet over CBA & Shaker.

Columbia 87, Schenectady 86.

Western Athletic Conference:

Canajoharie 73, Middleburgh 49.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 75, Duanesburg 47.

Women's track & field:

Colonial Council:

The first varsity meet for the LaSalle women sees them finish last behind Mohonasen, Academy of Holy Names, & Ichabod Crane.

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls 121, Glens Falls 16.

Schuylerville 95.66, Hudson Falls 35.33.

Amsterdam 80, Johnstown 47.

Suburban Council:

Averill Park won a dual meet over Troy & Ballston Spa.

Columbia 114, Schenectady 59.

Western Athletic Conference:

Canajoharie 101, Middleburgh 21.

Duanesburg 63, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 55.