Union College came up short in their bid to capture the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse title, losing to RIT, 12-10, on Sunday. RIT has now won 21 straight over the Dutchmen.
Speaking of lacrosse, a traveling league will be visiting Albany this weekend. Wouldn't be surprised to see a few local players taking part.
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The Tri-City Valleycats return home tonight to open a series with last year's arch-nemesis, the Sussex County Miners. Pete Incaviglia's club has dropped four of five after losing, 7-3, to Schaumburg on Sunday. The Boomers lead the Frontier League's West division, while the 'Cats are in 3rd place in the East, off to an 8-6 start.
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Former Valleycat Garrett Stubbs was in New York last weekend with the Philadelphia Phillies as the Phils were swept by the Mets. Stubbs hit a 3 run homer on Friday, but the bullpen couldn't contain the Mets. Stubbs played yesterday against San Francisco as the backup to starting catcher J. T. Realmuto.
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The state regional & sub-regional schedules are starting to clear for Section II baseball & softball. As of press time, however, Class A baseball champ Averill Park, per the Albany Times-Union, still doesn't know their opponent for Thursday's sub-regional, nor the site of the game.
Updating the schedule, as of today:
Class AA: Shenendehowa vs. Fayetteville-Manilus (Section III), Saturday at 1 pm at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam.
Class A sub-regional: Averill Park vs. TBA. Site & time also TBA on June 2.
Class B: Schuylerville vs. Peru or Salmon River, site & time TBA on June 4.
Class C sub-regional: Chatham vs. Ticonderoga, June 2 at 4 pm at SUNY Plattsburgh.
Class D sub-regional: Germantown vs. Chapel Field Christian at East Side Rec in Saratoga, 12 noon on June 4.
Softball:
Class AA: Saratoga vs. TBA, Saturday at 4 at Luther Forest (Malta).
Class A: Troy vs. Massena, Thursday at 4:30 at Luther Forest.
Class B: Ichabod Crane vs. Peru, Thursday at 4:30 at Luther Forest.
Class C: Greenwich vs. AuSable Valley or Norwood-Norfolk, Saturday at 4 at Luther Forest.
Class D: Argyle vs. Bolton-Schroon Lake, Saturday at 2 at SUNY Plattsburgh.
The Tri-City Valleycats snapped a 3 game losing streak Saturday in beating the Schaumburg Boomers, 4-3. The 'Cats rallied in the 9th with homers by Juan Silverio & Juan Santana to get back in the win column.
The series concludes today before the Valleycats return home on Tuesday.
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The Albany Empire ran their winning streak to 4 in a row in downing the Columbus (Georgia) Lions, 39-31. Unfortunately, the YouTube video is missing the audio. Darius Prince's only catch of the game came in the form of a game clinching TD in the 4th quarter.
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Championship week is over in Section II for baseball.
In Class D, top-seeded Germantown walked off #2 Fort Ann, 2-1, to win their 2nd straight sectional title. In the nightcap at Joe Bruno Stadium, Chatham overcame an early deficit to beat Galway, 10-6.
Whereas ye scribe thought that they'd wait until Tuesday to announce the schedule for the state tournament, the pairings were made official on Saturday for baseball, softball, & lacrosse.
Baseball:
Class AA:
Saratoga travels to Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam on June 4 to play the Section III champion, yet to be named. First pitch is at 1 pm.
Class A:
Averill Park will have their first game Thursday, June 2, against the Section III champion. Venue to be announced.
Class B:
Schuylerville will play either Peru (Section VII) or Salmon River (Section X) on Saturday. Site yet to be announced.
Class C:
Chatham travels to SUNY-Plattsburgh on Thursday to play Ticonderoga.
Class D:
Germantown will play the Section IX champion (to be determined) at Gloversville on Saturday.
Women's lacrosse:
Class A:
Shenendehowa travels to Rondout Valley High to play Kingston (Section IX) on Tuesday.
Class B:
Queensbury plays the 2nd half of the doubleheader at Rondout Valley on Tuesday vs. Warwick (Section IX).
Class C:
Burnt Hills will play Saugerties (Section IX) at Rondout Valley in the first half of the Wednesday doubleheader.
Class D:
Schuylerville has the Wednesday nightcap vs O'Neill (Section IX).
Softball:
Classes AA-C will play at Luther Forest in Malta on June 4.
Class AA:
Saratoga plays the Section III champion.
Class A:
Troy takes on Massena (Section X).
Class B:
Ichabod Crane vs. Peru (Section VII).
Class C:
Greenwich will play either AuSable Valley(Section VII) or Norwood-Norfolk (Section X).
Class D:
Arqyle visits SUNY Plattsburgh to play Bolton-Schroon Lake (Section VII).
Men's lacrosse pairings will be announced after sectionals conclude June 1.
The Tri-City Valleycats made their first visit to Schaumburg, Illinois on Friday night. Unfortunately, the offense was late in arriving.
The Boomers blew out the 'Cats, 19-2, extending Tri-City's current losing streak to three in a row. Starter Oddy Nunez couldn't get out of the 3rd inning, and fell to 1-1 on the season.
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Conversely, the Albany Patroons closed the home portion of their schedule by blowing out the Connecticut Cougars, 171-106, at the Washington Avenue Armory. Luther Page had 24 points and 20 rebounds, leading 8 Patroons in double figures.
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Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa) started off his night Friday in dominant fashion against the Miami Marlins, but he tired in the 6th inning, and the Marlins cashed in, scoring 4 runs in the frame to knock Anderson out. However, the Atlanta Braves recovered, and defeated Miami, 6-4, to keep pace with the NL East-leading Mets, who beat Philadelphia, 8-6. Anderson went 5 1/3 innings, giving up the 4 runs on 4 hits, walking 3, and striking out 5.
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Time to recognize another pro wrestler with ties to the 518.
Troy's Mike Parrow, billed by his last name only as 1/2 of NWA tag team title contenders The End, was the sole survivor of a 3-team elimination tag war match on NWA Power. The full episode will premiere on YouTube later this afternoon. Sooner or later, Parrow and his tag team partner, Odinson, will land with either WWE or AEW. Trust me.
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The one big concern heading into Friday's Class AA baseball game between Shaker & Saratoga was what would happen if the series went the full three games? CDTA's #85 line suspends service on Sundays after the last runs, north & south, leave around 8:30 pm or thereabouts. As for the rain? It never showed up until after the game was over!
There won't be a game 3 after all, though, as the 7th seeded Blue Streaks came from behind to complete a 2 game sweep of 4th seeded Shaker, 7-6. Alex Teator shifted from shortstop to pitcher to relieve Michael Mack, and picked up the win.
Earlier Friday, Averill Park delivered another sectional title to the Suburban Council, winning the Class A title over Mohonasen, 5-4. The Warriors scored 2 runs in the 4th inning to take the lead, and held on for their 2nd upset of the week, having previously beaten top seeded Scotia on Monday.
State regional pairings won't be announced until Tuesday, it seems.
Championship week at Bruno Stadium ends today, weather permitting, with the Class D title game at 4 pm, and the Class C/CC match at 7.
It was championship Thursday in Section II softball. Five games, two venues, five champions crowned.
To borrow from "The Blues Brothers", Troy High was "on a mission from God", having already avenged a loss to Averill Park on Tuesday. Coach Sean Geisel's club was looking to collect a 2nd receipt, this time against Burnt Hills, which took Troy to 12 innings before taking a 2-1 victory last month.
The Flying Horses clearly had studied the game tape from that first meeting. Senior 1st baseman Emma Thompson drove in the only run with a 3rd inning homer. Olivia DeCitise did the rest, scattering five hits while striking out 16, bringing her season total to 266. For the first time in six years, Troy High claimed a sectional championship with the 1-0 win.
In addition to being named the female athlete of the week by the Albany Times-Union, DeCitise was named Suburban Council pitcher of the year on Wednesday, and Geisel was honored as the league's coach of the year.
In other action:
Saratoga completed its recovery from a sub-.500 regular season, upsetting Shenendehowa in 8 innings, 6-4, to claim the Class AA title.
Ichabod Crane needed just 5 innings (mercy rule) in crushing Glens Falls, 12-0, for the Class B title. Kari Graziano hurled a 1 hitter with 5 strikeouts. Ava Heffner & Clare Knapp went back-to-back with homers to pace the Lady Riders.
At Moreau Recreational, Greenwich upset top-seeded Chatham to win the C title, 4-3, and Argyle won the Class D title, beating Salem, 4-1.
State tournament schedules should be available as early as tomorrow.
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There's no guarantee that they'll play baseball at Bruno Stadium today, with thunderstorms in the forecast, but Thursday's doubleheader provided plenty of excitement.
Galway claimed the Class C title, defeating Duanesburg, 4-0. The Class CC title game went 11 innings before Chatham defeated Canajoharie, 3-2, on a bases-loaded walk.
Chatham and Galway will meet tomorrow night at 7 pm, weather permitting, of course, to unify the C & CC titles.
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For some strange reason, the Times-Union, after acknowledging that Burnt Hills is a Class C school in lacrosse, mistakenly said the women won the A title Thursday in a 17-7 rout of Albany Academy. They do have editorial issues at the T-U, to be sure. MK Lescault & Ella Blesi led the Spartans with 5 goals each.
The A title is actually on the line today at Christian Brothers Academy, as Saratoga and Shenendehowa will meet for the title. Also today, Niskayuna hosts Queensbury. Even though lacrosse can be played in the rain, player safety will determine if they'll take a chance in the storm.
The last time I attended a sectional game in any sport, ticket prices were $6 per person, and I assumed that would be the case headed into game 1 of the Class AA championship series on Wednesday.
Nope. Prices were raised to $10. Why? Because Section II entered a contract with a 3rd party, online ticket agency, GoFan, last year, and while they encourage people to buy tickets online, you still can get tickets at the door.
To be sure, fans attending the Saratoga-Shaker game got their money's worth, and then some.
Saratoga drew first blood in the 2nd inning when Shaker starter Ryan Bates balked in Owen Redick, who had walked. It stayed that way until the 6th. With one out, Alex Teator walked. With two out, Teator advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Charles DeRizzo. Michael Mack followed with a double to make it 3-0, and Bates' tenure as a pitcher was over. The Siena-bound senior moved to 1st base as Joe Trombley took over (Cam Mailloux was double-switched out of the game). Trombley was magnificent, but ran out of gas in the 12th inning. With the game tied at 3, Redick laced a base hit to left to tie the game. Saratoga added three more runs to ice it, and take game 1, 7-4.
Nate Rodriguez started for Saratoga, and was forced out with an arm injury in the 6th with 1 out. It looked like the training staff was looking at his elbow. Uh-oh! Xavier Garcia allowed the tying runs to score, then gave way to eventual winner Mateo Avila in the 8th.
Game 2, weather permitting, is tomorrow at 7.
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Wednesday's opener saw Schuylerville upset Ichabod Crane, 1-0, to claim the Class B title. Some of the same stars who carried the Black Horses to within a game of the state title in football in the fall were part of this team, including winning pitcher Ryan Dow, Carson Patrick, and the Sherman brothers, Owen & Luke. The state tournament awaits;
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The Albany Times-Union's Athletes of the Week for the week ending May 22 should surprise no one.
On the men's side, LaSalle's Getachew "Gitch" Hayes copped yet another honor, as he won a few of these earlier in the season. This time, while he didn't win, Hayes broke a Section II record for the mile during Trials for Miles Night at Icahn Stadium in New York, finishing the course in 4:09.04. Hayes will attend North Carolina next season.
For the women, Troy's Olivia DeCitise was recognized for a 1 hitter against Mohonasen in the Section II quarter-finals. DeCitise has 250 strikeouts for the season heading into today's sectional final vs. Burnt Hills at Luther Forest.
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Women's lacrosse results:
Class A:
Shenendehowa 13, Shaker 9.
Saratoga 12, Bethlehem 11 (3 OT).
Class B:
Niskayuna 14, Columbia 6. The Silver Warriors will face Queensbury in the finals.
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The Tri-City Valleycats went to sudden death in the 11th inning under the Frontier League's oddball extra inning rules, and evened their series with the Washington Wild Things, 2-1. As the home team, the Wild Things had the option of batting first in the 11th, but chose to go on defense. As a result, Jesus Lujano was credited with his 3rd straight walk-off RBI, this one on a fielder's choice that plated the game winner.
Makes ya wonder if the highlights made it to ESPN........
Having not played since Saturday, it would be too easy to assume the Tri-City Valleycats came out flat Tuesday night in Washington, PA against the Wild Things. They didn't.
Brantley Bell, son of former major leaguer Jay Bell (Pirates, Mets), homered to give the 'Cats an early lead, but Tri-City starter Matt Mercer got cuffed by the Wild Things for 9 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks in 3 innings. Washington won, 11-2. Pavin Parks, another 1st year 'Cat, homered for Tri-City's other run.
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Pete Dougherty, now a freelance reporter-columnist for the Albany Times-Union, writes today about how WRGB put one of those weather bugs on the screen during the PGA Championship over the weekend, as if any precipitation was headed our way. On Sunday, it did, and maybe that's when the bug was placed on the screen. Those bugs are not just for the tri-cities. Pete must've had a frustrating weekend.
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Tuesday's sectional roundup. Keep in mind that due to space considerations in the papers, not all of the scores were fully submitted.
Men's lacrosse:
Class A quarter-finals:
Guilderland 20, Colonie 2.
Shaker 16, CBA 7.
Bethlehem 9, Saratoga 7.
Semi-final pairings for Friday:
Bethlehem @ Shenendehowa.
Shaker @ Guilderland.
Class B:
Ballston Spa 21, Troy 1. Troy's lack of defense hurt them one final time. Morgan Watters had the only goal for the Flying Horses.
Queensbury 23, Amsterdam-Broadalbin-Perth 4.
LaSalle 11, Columbia 9.
Semi-final pairings for Friday:
LaSalle @ Niskayuna.
Queensbury @ Ballston Spa.
Class C:
Averill Park 12, Scotia-Glenville 10.
Semi-final pairings for Friday:
Averill Park @ Burnt Hills.
Glens Falls @ South Glens Falls.
Class D:
Voorheesville 11, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 6.
Semi-final pairings for Friday:
Greenwich @ Stillwater-Mechanicville.
Voorheesville @ Schuylerville.
Women's lacrosse:
Class C:
Burnt Hills 17, Glens Falls 7. The Lady Spartans will play Albany Academy for the title on Thursday.
Softball:
Class AA semi-finals:
Shenendehowa 5, Ballston Spa 4.
Saratoga 5, Columbia 3.
Class A:
Burnt Hills 8, Queensbury 0. Another #1 seed falls.
Troy 5, Averill Park 3. Katie Pryor's 2nd inning grand slam was the difference. Olivia DeCitise had 5 walks, two of which were with the bases loaded, but also struck out 10.
Two more #1 seeds fell in Section II baseball on Monday, three days after the top three in Class AA all were upset.
In Class A, Scotia-Glenville (Foothills Council) was upset by #5 Averill Park (Suburban Council), 8-3, in the second half of the Monday double-bill at East Side Recreation Center in Saratoga. However, it won't be an all-Suburban final, as defending champion Troy was walked off by Mohonasen (Colonial Council), 8-7, in the opener. The Flying Horses might've been looking ahead to playing in front of the hometown fans on Friday, but it was a nip & tuck game all the way. Troy finishes 12-7 (8-6 Suburban), and will lose key seniors Mike Kennedy (LSU) & Austin Francis (New Jersey Institute of Technology) to graduation next month.
In Class B, #4 Schuylerville (Foothills) upset top-ranked Catskill (Patroon Conference), 9-7. The Black Horses took the lead with a 5-run 6th inning. Catskill rallied for 5 of their own in the final inning, falling just short.
Schuylerville will face Ichabod Crane (Colonial), which beat Fonda-Fultonville, 8-2. The B title game is tomorrow at Bruno Stadium, with a 4 pm first pitch.
The Class AA finals will be, as we've noted, a best of 3 series for the first time, taking a cue from the College World Series, which has used this format the last few years, mostly for television. #4 Shaker defeated Columbia, 2-0, and will face #7 Saratoga, which upset #6 Shenendehowa, 7-1. The schedule has game 1 tomorrow at 7 pm, with game 2 set for Friday, weather permitting. Rain is in the forecast for both Friday & Saturday, which will cause some scheduling headaches.
Other scores:
Class CC:
Canajoharie 11, Maple Hill 10.
Chatham 7, Greenwich 2.
Class C:
Galway 11, Hartford-Fort Edward 3.
Duanesburg 13, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 6.
Class D:
Fort Ann 5, Argyle 1.
Germantown 15, Loudonville Christian 0.
Women's lacrosse:
Class A:
Shenendehowa 19, Guilderland 2.
Other scores were not reported. However, the semi-final pairings have Shen vs. Shaker, and Saratoga vs. Bethlehem. Both games are on Wednesday.
Don't look now, but Union College is closing in on a national title. In lacrosse.
The Dutchmen play in Division III in lacrosse, as opposed to Division I in football, hockey, etc., but just the same, they'll be traveling to East Hartford May 29 to play for the DIII title vs. Rochester Institute of Technology. Game time is 1 pm.
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When the Albany Empire & Jacksonville Sharks kicked off Sunday afternoon, it was raining. Albany, coming off a bye week, completed a season sweep of the Sharks, 62-29.
The Empire (3-1) travel to Columbus on Saturday before returning home to MVP Arena on June 4.
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The late afternoon rain was enough to force a postponement of the series finale between the Tri-City Valleycats and Windy City Thunderbolts. Today is a travel day for the 'Cats, who will play the Washington Wild Things starting tomorrow. The Wild Things are not scheduled to visit Bruno Stadium this season.
The Tri-City Valleycats officially welcomed pitcher Kumar Rocker on Saturday prior to their game vs. Windy City. Rocker will make his 'Cats debut June 4 at home vs. Trois-Riveres, one of the Canadian teams in the Frontier League.
The Cardiac 'Cats then went out and walked off the Thunderbolts for the 2nd straight night, 7-6. Jesus Lujano drove in the game winner for the 2nd straight night, as the 'Cats have now won three in a row, and clinched their third straight series win. The series finale is scheduled for 5 pm this afternoon, weather permitting.
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Speaking of weather, it was inclement weather in Florida that kept the Jacksonville Sharks from their rematch with the Albany Empire Saturday night at MVP Arena. The game was postponed, and they'll play today, also at 5 pm. If the Empire loses, they can always blame the Sharks for bringing the storms with them......! Just kidding.
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The Albany Patroons will close the home portion of their schedule Friday at the Washington Avenue Armory, but they made an emphatic statement last night in blowing out the Tri-State Admirals, 139-79.
Anthony Moe had 26 points to lead 8 Patroons in double figures in what was likely another sparse crowd due to the Valleycats playing across the river at Bruno Stadium. The only competition the Pats would have next week would be high school baseball at The Joe, unless the Empire have another home game.
As their name implies, the Windy City Thunderbolts hail from the Chicago area, and made their first visit to Bruno Stadium on Friday to open a three game series with the Tri-City Valleycats. The crowd was just shy of 2400, which is low for a Friday, but, then again, the numbers may be smaller next week during sectionals week at the Joe.
The 'Cats broke the ice in the 2nd off Windy City starter Garrett Christman. With one out, Juan Silverio singled, and then, Brad Zunica went opposite field for a 2 run homer to give Tri-City the lead. It stayed that way until the 4th, when Jace Mercer got the Thunderbolts' 1st hit off 'Cats starter Jose Cruz, who'd started the game by retiring the T-Bolts in order through the first three innings with 5 strikeouts. With one out, Rob Weissheier was hit on the arm, just grazed enough to be awarded first base to load the bases. Mercer scored on a ground ball by Jarius Richards which forced Weissheier at second. Cruz then fanned Jake Boone to end the inning.
Cruz went five innings, striking out seven in all, and allowed just four hits. In the 8th, after Oddy Nunez pitched two scoreless innings, Brac Warren's wildness allowed the T-Bolts to tie the game. A one out walk to Payton Robertson set up Mercer to hit a double into the gap. Robertson to score and tie the game. Warren wriggled out of trouble after a double play ended the frame.
The game went to extras. In the 10th, Windy City got 2 runs off the 'Cats' pen. Tri-City came back and got three in the home half, as Jesus Lujano sent everyone home with a base hit to plate the winning run, giving Tri-City a 5-4 win.
The two teams continue their series tonight, with temperatures possibly still in the 90's by game time. You might need to bring sunscreen at the start of the game.
Among the new promotions for the 'Cats this season, the staff will have the fans boogie to the beat of this 90's relic:
To think they'll do this at every home game this season. Yikes!
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High school Fridays:
The top 3 seeds in the Class AA baseball sectionals were all eliminated on Friday. This class might as well be renamed Class SC, as in Suburban Council, since all 8 teams are from the league, and this was part of a day of upsets in baseball.
Overall league champion Colonie was upset by Columbia, despite the Garnet Raiders rallying for four runs in the home 7th, 8-6. #2 Guilderland also went down, held to five hits by Saratoga's Michael Mack, as the Blue Streaks defeated the Dutchmen, 2-0. #3 CBA fell to old nemesis Shenendehowa, 4-2, and Shaker beat Ballston Spa, 3-1.
Monday's pairings in Amsterdam:
Saratoga vs. Shen at 4 pm.
Columbia vs. Shaker at 7 pm.
Class A:
Troy High's Mike Kennedy spun his 2nd no-hitter of the season, fanning 13, outdueling Albany Academy's Geneo Savoca, and drove in an insurance run in the top of the 7th, lifting Troy past the third seeded Cadets, 2-0.
Up next for Troy will be #2 Mohonasen, which thumped LaSalle, 13-4. A win over the Mighty Warriors will send the Flying Horses to Bruno Stadium next weekend. In the other half of the bracket, top seeded Scotia-Glenville clipped South Glens Falls, 3-1, and Averill Park shut out Amsterdam, 4-0.
Monday's pairings in Saratoga:
Mohonasen vs. Troy, 4 pm.
Averill Park vs. Scotia, 7 pm.
Class B quarterfinals:
Fonda-Fultonville 10, Mechanicville 1.
Ichabod Crane 3, Coxsackie-Athens 2.
Catskill 5, Schalmont 4.
Schuylerville 7, Cohoes 0.
Monday's pairings in Guilderland:
Fonda-Fultonville vs. Ichabod Crane, 4 pm.
Catskill vs. Schuylerville, 7 pm.
Class CC:
Maple Hill 13, Granville 3.
Canajoharie 6, Hoosick Falls 4.
Chatham 6, Hoosic Valley 0.
Greenwich 11, Lake George 4.
Monday's pairings at Gloversville:
Canajoharie vs. Maple Hill, 4 pm.
Chatham vs. Greenwich, 7 pm.
Class C:
Duanesburg 3, Waterford 2.
Monday in Glens Falls:
Duanesburg vs. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, 4 pm.
Galway vs. Hartford-Fort Edward, 7 pm.
Class D:
Argyle 3, OESJ 2.
Monday:
Argyle vs. Fort Ann, 4 pm.
Loudonville Christian vs. Germantown, 7 pm.
While the pairings are set, not all of the scores were included due to space considerations in the paper.
Women's lacrosse:
Class C quarterfinals:
Scotia-Glenville 15, South Glens Falls 14 (OT).
Glens Falls 15, Academy of Holy Names 12.
Albany Academy 13, Averill Park 9.
Class D:
Greenwich 11, Voorheesville 3.
Softball:
Class AA quarterfinals:
Columbia 13, Guilderland 6.
Shenendehowa 4, Shaker 1.
Saratoga 4, Bethlehem 1.
Ballston Spa 12, Colonie 0 (6 innings).
Tuesday at Luther Forest in Malta:
Columbia vs. Saratoga.
Ballston Spa vs. Shen.
Both games begin at 5 pm.
Class A quarterfinals:
Averill Park 17, Hudson Falls 3 (5 innings). The Warriors scored 10 runs in the 4th to ice it.
Troy 7, Mohonasen 0. Olivia DeCitise struck out 13, gave up just 1 hit, and went 4-4 at the plate, with 3 RBI. She had time after the game to accompany the boys to Albany Academy, and served as a videographer for The Record's Kyle Adams. Troy earns a rematch with Averill Park.
Burnt Hills 4, South Glens Falls 1. It'll be a Battle of the Spartans in the semi-finals at Schalmont, as Queensbury awaits (their score was not reported).
Most, but not all, of Thursday's sectionals were postponed due to rain. Games that were rained out will be played today.
For Troy High, the #2 seed in Class A softball, their home game vs. Mohonasen was moved up to a 12 noon starting time. Originally, the teams agreed to a 1 pm first pitch, but the game was moved up an additional hour. The Mighty Warriors' last visit to Troy last month was also threatened with rain, but Troy won that game.
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The first Education Day game in three years at Joe Bruno Stadium saw the Tri-City Valleycats dismantle the Lake Erie Crushers, 10-6. Denis Phipps homered twice, and Jonah Girand added one for the 'Cats. Girand was traded by the Crushers to Tri-City during spring training. Tri-City opens a weekend series tonight vs. the Windy City Thunderbolts.
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The sectional pairings for men's & women's lacrosse were to be announced today, but with most of Thursday's schedule washed out, Section II lacrosse officials decided, ehhhh, let's get it out now. So, here we go. No Class AA in lacrosse.
Men: All games, except where noted, are set for Tuesday:
Class A:
Saratoga @ Bethlehem.
Colonie @ Guilderland.
CBA @ Shaker.
Shenendehowa gets a bye directly into the semi-finals, and would get the Saratoga-Bethlehem winner.
Class B:
Troy @ Ballston Spa.
Columbia @ LaSalle.
Amsterdam @ Queensbury.
Niskayuna gets the bye, and will face the Columbia-LaSalle winner.
Class C:
Scotia @ Averill Park.
The top 3 seeds in this class, Burnt Hills, South Glens Falls, & Glens Falls, all get byes, though the city rivals in Glens Falls will still face each other.
Class D: Apparently, these games take place today.
Johnstown @ Greenwich.
Hoosick Falls @ Voorheesville.
Stillwater-Mechanicville and Schuylerville get the byes.
Women:
Class A:
Monday:
Colonie @ Saratoga.
Albany @ Shaker.
Guilderland @ Shenendehowa.
Bethlehem gets the bye, and the Colonie-Saratoga winner.
Class B:
Only three teams qualified. Queensbury gets a bye directly into the title game, while Columbia & Niskayuna meet on Wednesday.
Class C:
Today:
Glens Falls @ Academy of Holy Names.
Averill Park @ Albany Academy.
South Glens Falls @ Scotia-Glenville.
Burnt Hills has the bye, and will face the Glens Falls-Holy Names winner.
Class D:
Today:
Voorheesville @ Greenwich.
Catholic Central @ Hoosick Falls.
Schuylerville & Cohoes have the byes.
Shenendehowa won the Suburban Council men's track & field championships. Troy, which is sending at least one athlete to sectionals, finished tied for last with Bethlehem.
Any die-hard baseball fan will tell you there's nothing worse than rallying in the 9th inning, winning run on base, and falling short.
It happened to the Mets on Tuesday in the 2nd game of their doubleheader against St. Louis. It happened to the Tri-City Valleycats Wednesday in a 5-3 loss to Lake Erie. Tri-City (3-2) had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, but couldn't bring the winning run across. The two teams will play an Education Day special this morning, provided the rain doesn't get any heavier before then, at 10 am. Wednesday's game clocked in, as Yankee announcer Michael Kay would say, at an unmanageable 4 hours and 2 minutes. Pace of play, anyone?
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Devon Dillard led five Albany Patroons in double figures with 30 points, as the Pats avenged Sunday's loss to Syracuse by blowing the Stallions out of the Washington Avenue Armory, 134-102. Unfortunately, attendance fell below 1,000 fans for the game, due largely to the Valleycats playing across the river. The Pats and 'Cats will vie for fan attendance again on Saturday night, when the Tri-State Admirals return to the Armory after getting routed themselves last Saturday.
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Could Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High have been looking too far ahead in the Class A baseball sectionals?
Last year's runner-up was knocked out in the opening round Wednesday, as South Glens Falls defeated the Spartans, 1-0, on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 7th off Spartan ace Kyle DeCresece. South High now moves on to play Foothills Council rival Scotia, the top seed, on Friday.
Meanwhile, last year's champions, Troy High, opened defense of their title by routing Gloversville, 9-2. Davin Keddell-Tuckey slammed a 3 run homer to ice the game for Troy (11-6), which now hits the road, and will play 3rd seeded Albany Academy on Friday. Expect Troy's senior ace, Mike Kennedy, to be on the mound for the Flying Horses against Academy, which went 13-2 in the Colonial Council.
The rest of Wednesday's action:
Baseball:
Class AA 1st round:
Saratoga 2, Niskayuna 1.
Columbia 3, Bethlehem 2.
Class A 1st round:
LaSalle 1, Queensbury 0. Eddie Girtler spun a no-hitter for the Cadets, who will play #2 Mohonasen on Friday.
Class B:
Schalmont 4, Broadalbin-Perth 1.
Schuylerville 3, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.
Cohoes 5, Tamarac 1.
Ichabod Crane 12, Ravena 2.
Fonda-Fultonville 3, Hudson 1.
Coxsackie-Athens def. Greenville. No score was reported.
Friday's games:
Schalmont @ Catskill.
Cohoes @ Schuylerville.
Fonda-Fultonville @ Mechanicville.
Coxsackie-Athens @ Ichabod Crane.
Class CC:
Hoosick Falls 21, Rensselaer 0 (5 innings). Connor Jones pitched a perfect game, and went 4-4 with 3 RBI's for the Panthers.
Hoosic Valley 7, Salem-Cambridge 0.
Granville def. Stillwater. No score was reported.
Friday's games:
Hoosic Valley @ Chatham.
Hoosick Falls @ Canajoharie.
Granville @ Maple Hill.
Greenwich @ Lake George.
Class C:
Waterford 7, Schoharie 4.
Space considerations in the papers are preventing some scores from being published, but the brackets have been updated, just the same.
Class C quarterfinal pairings for Friday:
Fort Plain @ Galway.
Hartford-Fort Edward @ Whitehall.
Waterford @ Duanesburg.
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons @ Hadley-Luzerne.
Softball:
Class C 1st round:
Warrensburg 6, Galway 0.
Berne-Knox-Westerlo 15, Duanesburg 3 (6 innings).
Chatham def. Berlin-New Lebanon.
Hoosick Falls def. Rensselaer.
Lake George def. Granville.
Stillwater def. Maple Hill.
Whitehall def. Canajoharie.
Greenwich def. Mayfield.
Today's quarterfinal pairings:
Hoosick Falls @ Chatham.
Berne-Knox-Westerlo @ Lake George.
Warrensburg @ Greenwich.
Stillwater @ Whitehall.
Check with your schools before going in case games are postponed.
Albany Patroons coach/GM Will Brown has one concern going into tonight's rematch vs. Syracuse at the Washington Avenue Armory.
How many people will actually be there?
The 2022 The Basketball League season will bleed into the start of summer, and the Pats' primary competition now isn't on the court, but across the river, as the Tri-City Valleycats opened the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday with a 8-7 comeback win over the Lake Erie Crushers. The 'Cats are hoping to average about 3,000 fans per game, but there wasn't enough promotion (i.e. television advertising) to let people know baseball season starts in May instead of June for the 'Cats (3-1). The Patroons (16-3 overall) will look to remain undefeated tonight.
What might work against the Pats is that their standard ticket price ($15) is higher than the game day price for seats behind home plate at Bruno Stadium ($12), and some folks might want to save some cheddar.
The bottom line is that Brown wishes the TBL season would move back to winter. Can ya blame him?
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Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa) went six innings in a losing effort for Atlanta Monday night in Milwaukee, as the Brewers clipped the World Series champs. Anderson gave up the only run of the game on a wild pitch that plated Hunter Renfroe in the home 6th inning. Anderson's ERA is now 3.75 after giving up just the 1 run while walking 2 and striking out 3.
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Albany High's women's track team can count themselves thankful they'll be able to compete in the sectionals next week at Colonie High.
According to James Allen in today's Albany Times-Union, a number of women wanted to sub out their school-issued jersey tops for sports bras during the first sustained heat wave of the season. Albany AD Ashley Chapple said no, and sent some ladies home for wearing the sports bras on May 12. The women returned to support the lacrosse team later that night, and were kept behind the fence. 13 women were suspended on Friday, which led to the Lady Falcons finishing in last at the Shenendehowa Invitational that night.
12 of the 13 suspended athletes have since been reinstated, and will be on the track today for a league meet at Averill Park.
The issue stems from some of the men being allowed to run shirtless in the heat. If the bras can contain the cleavage, there's no issue, but apparently, district and/or league regulations don't allow for such alternatives, despite a petition circulated at the end of last week. I think the women are thinking in terms of better aerodynamics under these conditions while retaining their modesty.
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Tuesday's high school scoreboard:
Baseball:
Suburban Council:
Shenendehowa 8, Ballston Spa 3.
Non-league:
Saratoga Catholic 9, Mayfield 4.
CBA 5, Mohonasen 4.
Amsterdam 6, Guilderland 4.
Men's lacrosse:
Suburban Council:
Niskayuna 13, Burnt Hills 9.
Saratoga 8, Columbia 6.
Guilderland 14, Bethlehem 12.
Colonial Council:
Voorheesville 16, Ichabod Crane-Maple Hill 4.
Women's lacrosse:
Non-league:
Glens Falls 13, Greenwich 9.
Softball sectionals 1st round:
Class AA:
Shaker 2, Albany 1.
Class B:
Catholic Central 9, Hudson 6.
Cohoes 9, Coxsackie-Athens 8.
Tamarac 8, Albany Academy 7.
Fonda-Fultonville 13, Mechanicville 2.
Schalmont 8, Voorheesville 2.
Class C play-in round:
Galway 6, Waterford 0.
Mayfield 3, Hartford/Fort Edward 0.
Granville 7, Corinth 2.
Berlin-New Lebanon 8, Cambridge 3.
Duanesburg 10, Hoosic Valley 6.
Canajoharie 6, Schoharie 4.
Tennis sectionals:
Class AA semi-finals:
Bethlehem 9, Saratoga 0.
Shaker 6, Shenendehowa 3.
Class A semi-finals:
Burnt Hills 4, Scotia-Glenville 3. This was delayed twice due to weather on Saturday & Monday.
Queensbury 6, Averill Park 1.
Class B semi-finals:
Glens Falls 4, LaSalle 3.
Ichabod Crane 5, Greenville 2.
Class C/D semi-finals:
Lake George 4, Hadley-Luzerne 3.
Maple Hill 4, Mekeel Christian 3.
All 4 championship matches take place today at Central Park in Schenectady.
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A correction from yesterday: The Class AA best of 3 series actually will begin one week from today at Bruno Stadium, with the games scheduled for May 25, 27, and, if necessary, 29, not on consecutive nights as we had assumed. The off-day in between is in case of rain.
For this year's baseball sectionals, all roads lead back to Joe Bruno Stadium, but this time, there's a twist in Class AA. The title game is now a best of 3, just like in the College World Series, so you can see where Section 2 suits got the idea. Tournament play begins tomorrow. Here, then, are the pairings for this year's tournament, by class.
Class AA:
Wednesday:
#10 Niskayuna @ #7 Saratoga. Winner plays #2 Guilderland on Friday.
#9 Bethlehem @ #8 Columbia. Winner plays #1 Colonie on Friday.
Also Friday:
#5 Ballston Spa @ #4 Shaker.
#6 Shenendehowa @ #3 CBA.
The semi-finals will be at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam on Monday. The championship series starts May 27 at Bruno Stadium, with the 3rd and deciding game, if needed, set for a 7 pm start on May 29.
Class A;
Wednesday:
#11 Gloversville @ #6 Troy. Winner plays #3 Albany Academy on Friday.
#10 Queensbury @ #7 LaSalle. Winner plays #2 Mohonasen on Friday.
#9 Burnt Hills @ #8 South Glens Falls. Winner plays #1 Scotia-Glenville on Friday.
Also Friday:
#$ Averill Park @ #4 Amsterdam.
The semi-finals are at Shuttleworth Park on Monday, with the title game at Bruno Stadium May 27 at 4 pm.
Class B:
Wednesday:
#9 Broadalbin-Perth @ #8 Schalmont. Winner plays #1 Catskill on Friday.
#10 Hudson @ #7 Fonda-Fultonville. Winner plays #2 Mechanicville on Friday.
#11 Coxsackie-Athens @ #6 Greenville.
#14 Ravena @ #3 Ichabod Crane. The winners of these two games will meet on Friday.
#12 Cohoes @ #5 Tamarac.
#13 Cobleskill-Richmondville @ #4 Schuylerville. The winners meet on Friday.
The semi-finals are Monday in Guilderland, with the finals at Bruno Stadium May 25 at 4 pm.
Class CC:
Wednesday:
#9 Hoosic Valley @ #8 Salem-Cambridge. Winner plays #1 Chatham on Friday.
#10 Rensselaer @ #7 Hoosick Falls. Winner plays #2 Canajoharie on Friday.
#11 Stillwater @ #6 Granville. Winner plays #3 Maple Hill on Friday.
Also Friday:
#5 Greenwich @ #4 Lake George.
The semi-finals are in Gloversville on Monday, with the title game at Bruno Stadium May 26 at 7 pm.
Class C:
Wednesday:
#9 Middleburgh @ #8 Fort Plain. Winner plays #1 Galway on Friday.
#10 Waterford @ #7 Schoharie. Winner plays #2 Duanesburg on Friday.
Also Friday:
#6 Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons @ #3 Hadley-Luzerne.
#5 Hartford-Fort Edward @ #4 Whitehall.
The semi-finals are in Glens Falls on Monday, with the title game at Bruno Stadium on May 26 at 4 pm.
Class D:
Friday:
#6 Argyle @ #3 Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville. Winner plays #2 Fort Ann on Monday.
#5 North Warren @ #4 Loudonville Christian. Winner plays #1 Germantown on Monday.
The title game will be at Bruno Stadium on May 28 at 4 pm.
The fields are now set for this year's Section 2 softball tournaments, which begin tomorrow. The baseball sectionals will be announced on Tuesday as well.
Class AA:
Tuesday:
#10 Niskayuna @ #7 Saratoga. Winner will play #2 Bethlehem on Thursday.
#9 Albany @ #8 Shaker. Winner will play #1 Shenendehowa on Thursday.
Also Thursday:
#5 Colonie @ #4 Ballston Spa.
#6 Guilderland @ #3 Columbia.
Semi-finals are May 24, and the finals on May 26, both at Luther Forest Complex in Malta.
Class A:
Thursday:
#8 Scotia-Glenville @ #1 Queensbury.
#7 Mohonasen @ #2 Troy. The Mighty Warriors will look to avenge an earlier loss, and try to stop the runaway train in its tracks. Troy has won 14 in a row.
#6 Hudson Falls @ #3 Averill Park.
#5 South Glens Falls @ #4 Burnt Hills.
Semi-finals are May 24 at Schalmont, with the finals at Luther Forest on May 26.
Class B:
Tuesday:
#10 Schuylerville @ #7 Greenville. Winner will play #2 Glens Falls on Thursday.
#9 Catholic Central @ #8 Hudson. Winner will play #1 Ichabod Crane on Thursday.
#13 Mechanicville @ #4 Fonda-Fultonville.
#14 Albany Academy @ #3 Tamarac.
#11 Voorheesville @ #6 Schalmont.
#12 Coxsackie-Athens @ #5 Cohoes.
Semi-finals are May 24 & the finals on May 26, both at Luther Forest.
Class C:
Scheduled for today, but may not play due to weather:
#17 Cambridge @ #16 Berlin-New Lebanon. Winner is to play #1 Chatham.
#20 Corinth @ #13 Granville. Winner will play #4 Lake George.
#21 Duanesburg @ #12 Hoosic Valley. Winner will play #5 Berne-Knox-Westerlo.
#19 Fort Edward-Hartford @ #14 Mayfield. Winner will play #3 Greenwich.
#22 Waterford @ #11 Galway. Winner will play #6 Warrensburg.
#18 Canajoharie @ #15 Schoharie. Winner will play #2 Whitehall.
Also Tuesday:
#9 Rensselaer @ #8 Hoosick Falls.
#10 Maple Hill @ #7 Stillwater.
The quarter-finals are set for Thursday, with the highest remaining seeds hosting. The semi-finals are May 24, and the finals on May 26, both at Moreau Recreational Center.
Class D:
Semi-finals, May 24:
#3 Germantown @ #2 Argyle.
#4 Fort Ann @ #1 Salem.
Finals at Moreau Recreational, May 26.
If any or all of today's games are rained out, the schedule will move up a day. Class D is safe since there's only 4 teams that made the tournament.
It was an up & down weekend for the Albany Patroons.
After running their winning streak to 8 in a row in beating Tri-State on Saturday, the Pats dropped just their third game this season, all on the road, losing to Syracuse, 106-99, in a game contested at Liverpool High. The two teams will meet again at the Armory in the rubber game of the season series on Wednesday. This is a make-up game for a COVID-induced postponement last month. Tip time is 7 pm.
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We've seen crazy, softball-style scores in baseball at various levels, including the majors.
Saturday's Tri-City Valleycats game vs. the Florence Y'alls was no different, as the 'Cats rallied to win the rubber game of the series, 14-13. Come to think of it, that sounds like a football score, too.
Tri-City's home opener is Tuesday vs. Lake Erie.
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We're all waiting for the result of Saturday's sectional tennis match between Scotia-Glenville and Burnt Hills, which, as of press time, has not been reported.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sectional tennis schedule is set as follows:
Today:
Class AA:
Saratoga @ Bethlehem.
Shaker @ Shenendehowa.
The winners will meet at Central Park in Schenectady, scheduled for tomorrow. With rain in the forecast, things could change.
Class B:
Greenville @ Ichabod Crane.
Glens Falls @ LaSalle.
Class C/D:
Mekeel Christian @ Maple Hill.
Lake George @ Hadley-Luzerne.
All of the finals are scheduled for Central Park, which has multiple courts so that the four meets can play concurrently.
The Tri-City Valleycats weren't expected to have a perfect season, despite what some of their more hardcore, obsessed fans might think to the contrary.
The 'Cats dropped a 7-1 decision to the Florence Y'alls Friday in Kentucky. The series wraps tonight, and the 'Cats, as noted previously, will have two days off before the home opener on Tuesday.
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On the surface, it's another day, another win for Troy High's scorching hot softball team, which has now won 14 in a row after clipping Guilderland in a non-league game, 4-3. The question, though is whether or not this comes with a price.
Ace lefthander Olivia DeCitise went the distance, scattering five hits in giving up the three runs, while striking out 12 and walking 5. The five walks are significant because it says the junior may be suffering from fatigue. She's walked 9 in her last two games. Luckily, the Flying Horses are off until the start of sectionals, which will come as early as Wednesday.
Is it a cause for concern? From where this writer sits, yes. Troy (17-2, 11-2 Suburban Council) has other pitchers, which makes coach Sean Geisel's little experiment to start DeCitise in almost every game all the more curious. As the sectionals begin, Geisel has to be aware that part of the reason for the free passes yesterday was because the Lady Dutch had seen DeCitise before, just a couple of weeks earlier, and knew what to expect. If Troy runs into league foes Burnt Hills and/or Averill Park in the tournament, Geisel would be well advised to have another starter in the circle, and save DeCitise for a fresh opponent, like, for example, projected #1 seed Queensbury. The more rest DeCitise gets, the better Troy will be.
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Meanwhile, Troy's tennis team is done for the season, losing a 1st round Class A sectional to Averill Park this morning, 7-0. Yes, 7 matches on the card instead of 9, and Troy forfeited three of the seven due to lack of players. The Warriors await the winner of Scotia-Glenville at Burnt Hills later today. We'll have the rest of the results tomorrow.
