News & notes

When the news broke late Wednesday afternoon that the Albany Dutchmen would not play this season, you could tell something was wrong.

The team issued a statement saying they'd been told by the Guilderland Town Board that they'd "over-used" Dutchmen Field at Keenholts Park the last two seasons, supposedly depriving children in the town of playing time. That the Guilderland Babe Ruth league is involved in this suggests something else entirely.

File photo courtesy The Daily Gazette.

A commenter on Facebook pinned the blame on "try hard parents living vicariously through their kids". It leads one to think that one or more of these parents might also be politically connected, and used that pull to force the Dutchmen out of a park they'd used for just the two seasons after leading a nomadic existence from the beginning, having previously used three fields. Another person suggested renting Connors Park at Siena College, which, if memory serves, the Dutchmen had done previously before moving to Guilderland in 2022.

No, the Dutchmen didn't "overuse" Keenholts Park. The team has done a lot of work helping children in Albany County from the go, and this is the thanks they get? Sooner or later, someone will come forward with the truth. The last thing we need is politics ruining amateur baseball in the 518. The kids shouldn't be used as political pawns. Period.

That being said, whomever started this needs to own up. You owe the Dutchmen one gigantic apology.

The Perfect Game Collegiate League has already announced that a replacement team will undertake the Dutchmen's schedule. Are the Empire State Greys available?

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Wednesday's high school & college scoreboard:

High schools:

Baseball:

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy 19, Lansingburgh 0 (5 innings).

LaSalle 13, Schalmont 3 (5 innings).

Ravena 11, Ichabod Crane 1 (5 innings).

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 18, Greenville 9.

Taconic Hills 10, Rensselaer 0 (5 innings).

Suburban Council:

Niskayuna 1, Shenendehowa 0.

Saratoga 7, Troy 2.

Western Athletic Conference:

Middleburgh 10, Bishop Gibbons 0.

Duanesburg 11, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2.

Men's lacrosse:

Non-league:

LaSalle 17, Troy 0. Troy (0-7) apparently has no defense.

Women's lacrosse:

Non-league:

Scotia 14, Ballston Spa 5.

Softball:

Colonial Council:

Holy Trinity 14, Voorheesville 0.

Mohonasen 4, Cobleskill-Richmondville 1.

Patroon Conference:

Coxsackie-Athens 26, Hudson 5.

Greenville 13, Maple Hill 1.

Taconic Hills 12, Rensselaer 0.

Suburban Council:

Ballston Spa 26, Schenectady 0 (5 innings).

Shenendehowa 10, Niskayuna 0.
Saratoga 3, Troy 2.

Wasaren League:

Saratoga Catholic 15, Hoosic Valley 4.

Greenwich 21, Cambridge 2 (5 innings).

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 19, Middleburgh 2 (5 innings).

Men's track & field:

Suburban Council:

Guilderland won a 3 team meet over Shenendehowa & Bethlehem.

Colleges:

Baseball:

Massachusetts 15, Siena 4 (7 innings).

RPI 10, Western New England 2.

Union 11, Mount St. Mary's 3.

New Paltz 4, Cobleskill 2.

Men's lacrosse:

Morrisville 24, Cobleskill 3.

Union 11, St. John Fisher 0.

Women's lacrosse:

Southern New Hampshire 21, College of St. Rose 8.

Utica 16, Russell Sage 4.

Skidmore 14, RIT 13.

Softball:

Niagara 9, Siena 8.

Castleton swept Union, 9-1 & 11-8.

MCLA (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) split with Cobleskill. MCLA won the first game, 8-2. Cobleskill salvaged the nightcap, 5-4.