News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats took down the Ottawa Titans, 8-4, on Education Day at Bruno Stadium Thursday in front of what was reported as a sold out crowd. We'll see if they draw the same kind of crowd for tonight's game vs. the expansion New England Knockouts, who replaced the Empire State Greys. First pitch is at 6:30 pm.

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Duke University is in the losers bracket in the Women's College World Series after dropping a 9-1 decision to Oklahoma in 6 innings due to the mercy rule. Ana Gold (Ballston Spa) is still mired in a post-season slump, going 0-3. Duke will play Alabama with their season on the line later today.

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Things got chippy between the Albany Patroons & Frederick Flying Cows at the Washington Avenue Armory Thursday, such that the game officials called the contest with under a minute left in the 4th quarter, and Albany having already clinched the game, 130-118. Expect Frederick to go into game 2 tomorrow in Maryland short-handed.

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A quick reminder that WWE's Friday Night Smackdown takes over MVP Arena tonight, with the live broadcast on Fox beginning at 8 pm. There will be a preliminary match or two without the cameras starting around 7:30. Tickets start at $30, though, given recent trends, the show could be sold out.

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Thursday's state regional scoreboard:

Softball:

Class A: 

Ichabod Crane 13, Plattsburgh 0 (5 innings). Kate Graziano twirled a perfect game with 13 strikeouts. The Riders will host Camden at Luther Forest Saturday at 5.

Class B:

Schuylerville 13, Gouverneur 1. Next for the Black Horses will be Saranac tomorrow in Plattsburgh at 3 pm.

Also ahead:

Class D: Salem vs. Crown Point, today at 4:30 at Plattsburgh.

Class C: Berne-Knox-Westerlo vs. St. Lawrence Central, Saturday at noon at St. Lawrence University.

Class AA: Burnt Hills vs. Whitesboro, Saturday at 5 at Luther Forest.

Class AAA: Saratoga vs. Liverpool, Saturday at 1 at Luther Forest.

Baseball:

Class A: Albany Academy 3, Plattsburgh 1. The Cadets move on to face Jamesville-DeWitt at Auburn Saturday at noon.

Class B: Taconic Hills 7, Saranac 5. The Titans will play Canton Saturday at 11 am at Dutchman Park in Guilderland.

Class C: Chatham 18, Tupper Lake 10. The Panthers host Ticonderoga at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam Saturday at noon.

Also ahead:

Class D: Hadley-Luzerne vs. Parishville-Hopkinton, Saturday at noon at St. Lawrence University.

Class AA: Bethlehem vs. West Genesee, Saturday at Dutchman Park at 2 pm.

Class AAA: Shenendehowa vs. CBA-Syracuse, Saturday at Onondaga Community College at 6 pm.

Troy High fall sports schedule 2024---for now

 As an incoming member of the Colonial Council, Troy High now has its own page on the league's website, from whence we've been able to obtain information on their fall sports schedule, aside from football and women's swimming/diving, which will be revealed later.

We'll start with golf. Troy shares Frear Park with Catholic Central and LaSalle as a home course. Lansingburgh & Cohoes do not field golf teams.

September:

3: Home opener vs. Ichabod Crane.

4: Catholic Central.

5: Albany Academy.

9: Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

10: @ Schalmont.

12: @ Mohonasen.

13: @ Voorheesville.

16: LaSalle.

18: @ Ichabod Crane.

23: @ Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

26: @ Catholic Central.

30: Schalmont.

October:

2: Mohonasen.

4: Senior Day vs. Voorheesville.

7: @ Albany Academy.

8: @ LaSalle.

Note: We may have the dates with LaSalle & CCHS in reverse order. We'll have to check as we get closer to the start of the season.

Women's tennis: 

September:

5: @ Mohonasen.

10: Home opener vs. Schoharie (Western Athletic Conference).

12: @ Academy of Holy Names.

16: Emma Willard (Wasaren League).

18: @ Ichabod Crane.

20: Albany Academy.

October:

1: Catholic Central:

3: @ Voorheesville.

8: Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

As you can see, the schedule is incomplete. As more dates are added (we think), we'll add them in.

Volleyball:

September:

3: @ Albany.

5: @ Academy of Holy Names.

10: Home opener vs. Schalmont.

13: @ Averill Park.

17: Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

24: Cohoes.

26: @ Lansingburgh.

October:

1: Mohonasen.

8: Ichabod Crane.

10: @ Albany Academy.

15: Voorheesville.

17: @ Cohoes.

20: Senior night vs. Lansingburgh.

24: @ Mohonasen.

Some dates look like they may be added later here as well.

Soccer-men's games are listed, with the women's game at the opposite site unless otherwise indicated.

September:

5: Women's opener @ Academy of Holy Names.

7: Men's opener @ Amsterdam.

10: Men @ Schalmont. Women's home opener.

12: Women @ Catholic Central.

17: @ Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

19: LaSalle.

24: @ Cohoes.

26: @ Lansingburgh (women appear to have the day off).

30: @ Mohonasen. 1st meeting since 2017.

October:

2: Albany Academy.

3: Women vs. Ichabod Crane. Men @ Voorheesville.

8: Cohoes.

10: @ Lansingburgh.

15: Men's senior day vs. Mohonasen.

19: @ Ichabod Crane.

Schedules are subject to change.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats evened their series with the Ottawa Titans by pounding the Titans, 10-3, on Wednesday night. The series finale is underway as this is being written, the first of 3 Education/Camp Day games at Bruno Stadium.

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

Wednesday's lacrosse sectional scoreboard:

Women:

Class B:

Bethlehem 8, Niskayuna 3.

Class C:

Queensbury 22, Glens Falls 3.

Men:

Class A:

Shenendehowa 7, Shaker 4.

Class D:

Schuylerville def. Hoosick Falls-Tamarac. Score has not been published.

Class C (Tuesday):

Queensbury 15, South Glens Falls 4.

State regional pairings:

Women-all games at Queensbury on Saturday:

Class A:

Saratoga vs. Suffern, 3 pm.

Class B:

Bethlehem vs. Greeley or Minisink Valley, 5 pm.

Class C:

Rye @ Queensbury, 11 am.

Class D:

Voorheesville vs. Bronxville, 1 pm.

Men-all games at Amsterdam on Saturday:

Class A:

Shenendehowa vs. Mamaroneck, 12:30 pm.

Class B:

Niskayuna vs. Yorktown, 3 pm.

Class C:

Queensbury vs. Rye, 5:30 pm.

Class D:

Schuylerville vs. Pleasantville, 10 am.

Softball update:

Class C state 1st round:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 10, Ticonderoga 1. BKW now moves on to play St. Lawrence Saturday at St. Lawrence University at noon.

Tuesday's pro & high school scoreboard, 5/28

 ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs:

Florida 4, Adirondack 3. Florida wins the series, 4-2.

The Basketball League playoffs, 1st round:

Albany 131, Reading 120. Shadell Millinghaus (Troy/Schenectady) led the way with 31 points. Division champion Frederick returns to Albany to begin a best of 3 series Thursday night at the Washington Avenue Armory.

Frontier League:

Ottawa 5, Tri-City 4 (11 innings).

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High schools:

Women's lacrosse:

Class A final:

Saratoga 11, Colonie 10.

Class D final:

Voorheesville 17, Schuylerville 12. The Blackbirds will play the winner of tonight's game between O'Neill & Bronxville on Saturday.

Tennis:

Division 1 state regionals:

Bethlehem 7, Fayetteville-Manilus 0. The undefeated Eagles will head to New York for the state semifinals June 7 

Division 2 state regionals:

Cazenovia 3, Glens Falls 2.

Men's lacrosse:

Class B:

Niskayuna 12, Bethlehem 4. Niskayuna will play an opponent to be named Saturday in Amsterdam.

NYSPHSAA state regional matchups revealed

 For flag football, softball, & baseball, the real tests begin this weekend.

State lacrosse pairings will be announced as early as Thursday.

Flag football:

Columbia travels to Cortland to play Plainview-Old Bethpage, from Section 7, Saturday at 9:30 am.

Baseball:

Class AAA: Shenendehowa vs. CBA-Syracuse at Onondaga Community College, Saturday at 6 pm.

Class AA: Bethlehem vs. West Genesee at Dutchman Park (Keenholts Park), Guilderland, Saturday at 2.

Class A: Albany Academy vs. Plattsburgh at SUNY-Plattsburgh, Thursday at 4.

Class B: Taconic Hills vs. Saranac at Dutchman Park, Thursday at 4.

Class C: Chatham vs. Tupper Lake at St. Lawrence, Thursday at 5.

Class D: Hadley-Luzerne gets a bye, and will play the winner of Thursday's game between Bolton and Parishville-Hopkinton on Saturday at a site to be determined. The Eagles will be headed to either St. Lawrence or Plattsburgh High.

Softball:

Class AAA: Saratoga vs. Liverpool at Luther Forest, Saturday at 5.

Class AA: Burnt Hills will play an opponent not yet named, Saturday at Luther Forest, also at 5.

Class A: Ichabod Crane at Plattsburgh, Thursday at 4:30.

Class B: Schuylerville vs. Gouveneur at St. Lawrence, Thursday at 5.

Class C: Berne-Knox-Westerlo vs. Ticonderoga at Plattsburgh, Wednesday at 4:30.

Class D: Salem vs. an opponent not yet named, Friday at Plattsburgh at 4:30.

Good luck to our Section II squads.

News & notes

 The Albany Patroons will start the postseason on the road.

The Pats closed the regular season losing to the Frederick Flying Cows, 129-111, at the Washington Avenue Armory. Albany finishes 17-6 for the regular season, and will be on the road for the playoffs. Shadell Millinghaus (Troy/Schenectady) led all scorers with 37 points.

Albany had to forfeit a game on Thursday at Virginia Valley due to travel concerns, so they will be at Reading, with the season on the line, Tuesday, on a 2 game losing streak.

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The Tri-City Valleycats will head home with some momentum after beating Quebec, 5-1, on Sunday, to finish 3-3 on the road trip. 

However, if you're listening to WROW this morning, Ben Patten has the Saturday & Sunday results mixed up, as he has given Saturday's score (6-5 'Cats) as Sunday's. I have no idea why.

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

Shenendehowa added another sectional title to their growing collection, capturing the initial Class AAA baseball title Sunday night, beating Saratoga, 9-4, to take the best of 3 series, 2-1. State play awaits.

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

Ballston Spa's Ana Gold is heading to the Women's College World Series.

Gold, a senior 3rd baseman for Duke, had gone 0-9 in the weekend series vs. Missouri before clanging a double to right in the top of the 9th inning, driving in a run, then scoring what would be the winning run, as the Tigers came back with 3 of their own in the bottom of the 9th, but the Blue Devils held on, 4-3, and will head to Oklahoma City for the WCWS, which begins Thursday. Duke will play Oklahoma in the 1st round. The Sooners defeated Duke in the season opener, back in February.

News & notes

 Section 2's webpage has not updated the flag football sectionals since mid-week. This, again, suggests a glaring lack of actual interest in the sport.

That having been said, at least the Albany Times-Union is making do with what they have.

Saturday, Columbia, which beat Albany to win the Section II division 1 title, took down Corning-Painted Post, 12-0, at Shenendehowa to advance to state play. It helps that the Blue Devils have a veteran coach who knows a little something about (tackle) football. Craig Cavotta's resume includes stops at Tamarac and Mechanicville before being asked to lead Columbia's flag football program.

Columbia advances to state play next Saturday, at a site to be announced.

At the end of business tonight, the last Section II baseball champion will be crowned, in the conclusion of the Class AAA series between Shenendehowa & Saratoga at Bruno Stadium.

On Saturday, fans were treated to another doubleheader at The Joe, but this time, it may not have been as taxing on the fans as Friday's double bill was.

The day began with Hadley-Luzerne, which hadn't won a title since 1968 (!!!), defeating Mekeel Christian, walking off the Lions, literally, with a walk in the bottom of the 7th, 5-4, to claim the Class D title.

In the nightcap, Chatham won its 5th straight sectional title, defeating Hoosick Falls, 5-0, for the Class C crown. The Panthers will play for a 3rd straight state title when state pairings are announced as early as Tuesday.

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

The Adirondack Thunder, down 3-1 in games to the Florida EverBlades, forced a game 6, and a return home to Glens Falls, by beating Florida, 4-2, on Saturday. The series resumes at Cool Insuring Arena on Tuesday.

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The Tri-City Valleycats downed Quebec, 6-5, on Saturday. The final game of the Canadian road trip starts today at 5 pm.

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

518 alumni watch:

ACC baseball semi-finals:

Florida State 9, Wake Forest 6. Jake Reinisch (Shen) went 1-4. There's still a chance the Demon Deacons will advance to the NCAA tournament to determine the field for the College World Series.

NCAA softball super-regionals:

Missouri 3, Duke 1. Ana Gold (Ballston Spa) went 0-3 for the 2nd straight game. The series concludes today.

News & notes

 The late A. Bartlett Giamatti, former commissioner of Major League Baseball, once wrote that "the game is designed to break your heart". Never was that more true than on Friday at Bruno Stadium.

Shenendehowa, with their backs against the wall, scored six runs in the top of the 6th, four of them on a Cooper Reinisch grand slam, then tacked on four more insurance runs in the 7th, to force a 3rd and deciding game vs. Saratoga, 10-3.

The game had already started late because Friday's opener, game 2 of the Class AA championship series between Bethlehem & Averill Park, went 8 innings, and was a slog through the final three innings.

Reinisch, the brother of Shen alum and Wake Forest senior Jake Reinisch, had entered the game in the 5th inning as a pinch-hitter, and doubled. His 6th inning slam off Louis Betit got Shen started RJ Ensel off the hook.

Game 3 will be tomorrow at 7 pm at Bruno Stadium.

Bethlehem saw Averill Park rally to tie the game in the 7th to force extra innings, then scored 2 runs in the top of the 8th to sweep off AP, 6-5, the school's first sectional title in baseball since 1998.

In other sectional action:

Men's lacrosse:

Class A:

Shaker def. Ballston Spa.

Shenendehowa def. Saratoga.

Scores have not been published as of press time.

Class B:

Bethlehem def. LaSalle.

Niskayuna def. CBA.

Class C:

Queensbury def. Burnt Hills.

South Glens Falls def. Glens Falls.

Class D:

Schuylerville def. Johnstown.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac def. Voorheesville.

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

The Albany Firebirds have been through adversity already this season, and rose up.

Friday was another example at MVP Arena, and scored 26 points in the 4th quarter to defeat the West Texas Desert Hawks, 47-46, to remain undefeated at 5-0.

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

Another night, another loss for the Tri-City Valleycats.

The Quebec Capitales walked off the 'Cats in 11 innings, 3-2. Tri-City (4-9) has dropped 6 of their last 7 as the series continues tonight.

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

518 alumni watch:

ACC baseball tournament:

Wake Forest 9, North Carolina State 5. Jake Reinisch (Shen) was 1-3

Atlantic 10 tournament:

St. Joseph's 13, George Washington 12. Brett Young (Albany Academy) went 1-5 in what was his final college game. For real this time.

NCAA softball:

Duke 6, Missouri 3. Ana Gold (Ballston Spa) was 0-3 at the plate, and had a difficult day in the field, committing an error in the 1st inning that gave the Tigers an early lead, then bumbled through the 2nd inning. Duke can close out Missouri today.

Thursday's sectional scoreboard, 5/23

 There won't be a three-peat at Troy High.

Burnt Hills saw to that, as they shut down the Flying Horses, 5-1, to claim the Class AA title Thursday night at Luther Forest. The Spartans (17-2) blew out Troy via mercy rule a few weeks back, but this time, Troy came prepared. The Horses finish 10-12, and will return most of this year's team next season, with only Katie Pryor graduating next month.

The rest of Thursday's action:

Softball:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 11, Guilderland 4.

Class A:

Ichabod Crane 5, Glens Falls 1. Six straight sectional titles for the Riders, representing the Colonial Council.

Class B:

Schuylerville 3, Tamarac 2.

Class C:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 3, Hoosick Falls 2 (9 innings).

Class D:

Salem 10, Fort Ann 3.

Men's lacrosse results were not reported as of press time.

Baseball:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 4, Shenendehowa 1. Saratoga leads, 1-0.

Class AA:

Bethlehem 4, Averill Park 2. Bethlehem leads, 1-0.

Game 2 in each series takes place today, starting with game 2 of the Bethlehem-Averill Park series at 4 pm.

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Next year's baseball tournament at Bruno Stadium could be on artificial turf.

Hudson Valley Community College and the Tri-City Valleycats are looking at installing the turf to replace the current grass field. The Joe already has one of the better drainage systems in the area, but maybe the thinking here is that switching from grass to turf might help speed up the games played there. Last Friday's home opener for the 'Cats, for example, took a shade over 4 hours over 10 innings. That's not supposed to happen in the pitch clock era. Hmmmmm.

News & notes

 Minor league scoreboard:

ECHL Eastern Conference finals:

Florida 4, Adirondack 0. Florida leads, 2-1.

Frontier League:

Tri-City 2, Ottawa 1 (11 innings).

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

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard:

Flag football:

Division 1 final:

Columbia 34, Albany 12. The Blue Devils snap Albany's 10 game winning streak, and await the winner of a sub-regional of their own at Shenendehowa on Saturday.

Baseball:

Class A:

Albany Academy 5, LaSalle 2.

Class B: 

Taconic Hills 9, Schuylerville 0.

Men's lacrosse:

Class A:

Saratoga def. Guilderland.

Women's lacrosse:

Class B:

Niskayuna 19, Columbia 10.

Class C:

Queensbury 17, Burnt Hills 2.

Glens Falls 12, South Glens Falls 11.

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Colleges:

Baseball:

America East tournament:

UMass-Lowell 5, UAlbany 0.

ACC tournament:

Wake Forest 8, Pittsburgh 1. Jake Reinisch (Shenendehowa) went 1-3 with a 2 run homer. The Demon Deacons will play North Carolina tomorrow (ACC Network, 7 pm.).

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Ballston Spa grad Ana Gold has reached the post-season for the 3rd straight year with Duke, which will play for a spot in the Women's College World Series starting tomorrow against Missouri. Game 1 of the best of 3 will begin at 2 pm, airing on ESPN2.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats dropped another close one, this time on the road at Ottawa, 7-6, on Tuesday, dropping their 4th straight. They'll try to right the ship tonight at 6:30 pm.

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The ACC baseball tournament begins today, with Wake Forest and Shenendehowa grad Jake Reinisch in the 8th seed.

Reinisch, the son of Troy AD Paul Reinisch, is batting .317 on the season with 17 homers and 64 RBI. Check your cable listings to see if the Demon Deacons are on ACC Network or ESPNU today.

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

Tuesday's sectional scoreboard:

 

Men's lacrosse:

Class A:

Shaker def. Schenectady-Mohonasen. Score has not been reported.

Ballston Spa 20, Colonie 6.

Friday:

Ballston Spa @ Shaker.

Top-seeded Shen awaits the winner of today's game between Saratoga & Guilderland, which looks like it was moved to today, due likely to a lack of available game officials or weather.

Class B:

CBA 15, Amsterdam/Broadalbin-Perth 7. The Brothers will play Niskayuna on Friday.

Bethlehem def. Troy.

LaSalle def. Columbia. The scores of these two games were not reported. LaSalle visits Bethlehem tomorrow.

Class C:

Burnt Hills def. Averill Park. The Spartans will play at Queensbury on Friday.

Glens Falls def. Scotia-Glenville. Glens Falls meets South Glens Falls in the other semi-final.

Class D:

Johnstown upset Stillwater-Mechanicville, and will play Schuylerville on Friday.

Today, Voorheesville takes on Greenwich, with the winner to face Hoosick Falls-Tamarac on Friday.

Women's lacrosse:

Class A:

Saratoga 12, Shen 11.

Colonie 9, Shaker 8.

Saratoga vs. Colonie next Tuesday at Schuylerville.

Class D:

Voorheesville 18, Greenwich 12.

Schuylerville 10, Cohoes 8. The Black Horses will host the Blackbirds next Tuesday, but will be the visiting team since Voorheesville is the top seed.

Softball:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 1, Shen 0.

Guilderland 5, Shaker 1.

Class AA:

Burnt Hills 4, Ballston Spa 0. Katie Rhodes fanned 9, and gave up just 6 hits.

Troy 3, Columbia 0. Lauren Matthews twirled a complete game 4 hitter, striking out 6, as Troy avenged a loss nearly 2 weeks ago to the Blue Devils. The payback tour figures to end at Luther Forest tomorrow, weather permitting. If I'm the Spartans, I'd worry. This has happened to them before.

Class A:

Ichabod Crane 15, Hudson Falls 0 (5 innings).

Glens Falls 5, Schalmont 1.

Class B:

Tamarac 12, Holy Trinity 4.

Schuylerville 3, Mechanicville 1.

Class C:

Hoosick Falls 5, Chatham 3.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2, Greenwich 0.

Class D:

Salem 2, Hartford 0.

Fort Ann 4, Argyle 1.

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

We now know it'll be Columbia vs. Albany in the flag football division 1 final tonight at Troy High. Burnt Hills def. Albany Leadership, as expected, in Division 2, and will play a subregional at Ausable tomorrow before the regional final at Shen on Saturday.

Monday's sectional scoreboard, 5/20

 Flag football:

Division 1 semi-final:

Albany 48, Shenendehowa 7.

Shaker @ Columbia was not reported as of press time. Neither was the Division 2 game between Albany Leadership & Burnt Hills.

Baseball:

Class AAA semi-final:

Shenendehowa 10, CBA 7. Shen wins the series, 2-1, and will play Saratoga at Bruno Stadium starting Thursday (weather permitting).

Class AA:

Averill Park 4, South Glens Falls 2.

Bethlehem 4, Ballston Spa 0.

Averill Park vs. Bethlehem begins Thursday (weather permitting) at Bruno Stadium.

Class A:

LaSalle 4, Ichabod Crane 3.

Albany Academy 6, Broadalbin-Perth 1.

The Battle of The Cadets for the A title is Wednesday at Bruno Stadium, weather permitting.

Class B:

Schuylerville 6, Stillwater 5.

Taconic Hills 2, Mechanicville 1.

The B final is now set for Wednesday at 4 at Bruno Stadium.

Class C:

Chatham 9, Duanesburg 1.

Hoosick Falls 8, Saratoga Catholic 6.

The C final headlines Saturday's doubleheader at 7 pm.

Class D:

Mekeel Christian 4, Warrensburg 1.

Hadley-Luzerne 10, Hartford-Fort Edward 9.

The D final is Saturday at 4 pm.

Schedules are subject to change in case of rain Wednesday & Thursday.

News & notes

 Troy High's flag football season ended with a thud on Friday afternoon at Shaker, as the Bison blew out the Lady Horses (6-6) for the 2nd time in as many weeks, 59-19. Shaker will play Columbia tonight, while Shenendehowa travels to Albany to play the red hot Falcons, winners of 9 in a row. The winners of tonight's games visit Picken Field at Troy High on Wednesday night.

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The Tri-City Valleycats closed their home schedule in 2023 by getting swept by Sussex County.

The 2024 home schedule starts with the 'Cats getting swept again, this time by the Washington Wild Things.

You can say it's early, and it is, but Tri-City (3-6) left 14 runners on base on Sunday, including leaving the bases loaded at the end of the game when Oscar Campos made the last out on a ground out.

The 'Cats are in Canada this week while Section II takes over The Joe.

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All last week, local media was hoping Mystik Dan would win the Preakness, setting up the prospect of Saratoga, in hosting its first Belmont Stakes on June 8, possibly also hosting a Triple Crown winner.

Nope, not happening.

Seize The Grey, trained by 88 year old D. Wayne Lukas, held off Mystik Dan to win the Preakness on Saturday night in Baltimore.

Saratoga will still be packed on June 8, but the biggest lure available is gone. Well, maybe next year.

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

The Albany Times-Union has begun charting the progress of local players in the majors for 2024. 

Kevin Smith (Columbia) was optioned to the Yankees' top farm team in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he's hitting .220 with 1 homer and 13 RBI in 24 games as of May 19. He'll be back in the Bronx later this season.

Otherwise:

Luke Gold (Ballston Spa) is playing for Detroit's West Michigan team, where he's batting .294 with 8 homers and 23 RBI through 34 games.

Brian O'Keefe (Colonie), now in the Kansas City chain, is batting .269 for Omaha, the Royals' top farm team, with 3 homers and 9 RBI through 18 games.

Zach Remillard (LaSalle), is hitting .313 for the Chicago White Sox, having played just 7 games this season.

Adam Zebrowski (CBA) is playing for Atlanta's Rome team in the South Atlantic League, batting .236 with 2 homers and 17 RBI through 30 games.

Ben Anderson (Shen) is back on the mound for Frisco, a Texas League affiliate of the World Series champion Texas Rangers. Anderson is 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 31 innings with 27 strikeouts in 7 games. Twin brother Ian is still recovering from injuries and has not pitched for Gwinnett (Atlanta) this season.

Matt Gage (Broadalbin-Perth) is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA for Oklahoma City, the top farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gage has pitched 5 1/3 innings in 6 games with 6 strikeouts.

Jeff Hoffman (Shaker) is off to a good start for Philadelphia, helping the NL East leaders with a 2-0 record through 20 games, aided by a ridiculous 0.90 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

Mike Kennedy (Troy) is 1-2 with Bradenton (Pittsburgh) through 7 games with a 3.71 ERA through 34 innings, with 41 strikeouts.

John Rooney (Hoosic Valley) is Gage's teammate with Oklahoma City, and is currently 2-2 in 17 games coming out of the bullpen, with a 3.20 ERA & 22 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.

Dale Stanavich (Amsterdam) is 2-2 for Beloit (Miami) with a 2.77 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 13 innings over 11 games.

Tommy Kahnle (Shaker) is on a rehab stint in Somerset for the Yankees. He's pitched in 2 games, 2 innings, with 6 strikeouts. He, too, should be up in the Bronx soon.

A silent storm (South West Kansas @ Albany, 5/19)

 The South West Kansas Storm (yes, the spelling is correct) shares their color scheme with Kansas State University. And, that's about it.

The Storm entered Sunday's matinee at MVP Arena against the Albany Firebirds with a 1-2 record. Albany came in 3-0, as last week's cancelled game vs. Minnesota was declared a forfeit in favor of Albany. 

A kick return tackled in the end zone equals just 1 point, not 2 points for a safety, in arena football. The Storm took that early 1-0 lead, but it was all Albany after that.

The Firebirds streamed the game on their YouTube channel, with WOFX's Tom Goslowski joined by former Record reporter Andrew Santillo.

Albany will be right back at it on Friday vs. West Texas, and, as minor league sports goes, they'll be the only game in town, with the Patroons & Valleycats on the road on Friday.

News & notes

 The Adirondack Thunder evened the ECHL Eastern Conference finals Saturday night, shutting down the Florida EverBlades, 2-0. The scene shifts to Florida for games 3 & 4 this week.

Due to an error on their website, the Albany Patroons led their fans to think they were playing Virginia Valley last night at the Armory. In reality, they demolished Connecticut, 144-16. 8 Patroons finished in double figures, including Shadell Millinghaus (Troy/Schenectady), who had 27 points. Ja'Quaye James led Albany with 36 points. The Pats will be on the road this week, returning to the Armory for the home finale vs. Frederick (Md.) one week from today at 3 pm.

Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) got the start in what amounted to a bullpen game for the Tri-City Valleycats at Bruno Stadium on Saturday. Marynczak went 2 innings, and left with the game tied a 0-0. However, Washington won the game, 2-1, scoring late to thwart the 'Cats. Tri-City will try to salvage the final game of the series today at 5.

The Albany FireWolves were swept by the Buffalo Bandits, as the Bandits claimed the NLL title, 13-11, on Saturday night. Albany finished 14-7, with plenty of reason to contend for next year.

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

Saturday's baseball sectional scoreboard:

Class AAA:

CBA 5, Shenendehowa 4. The series is tied at a game apiece, with the finale at Shen on Monday.

Saratoga 3, Shaker 2. Saratoga wins the series, 2-0, and will await the CBA-Shen winner Thursday at Bruno Stadium (weather permitting).

Class AA:

Averill Park 8, Niskayuna 2. Top-seeded Nisky falls victim to the upset virus!

South Glens Falls 8, Queensbury 5.

Bethlehem 3, Burnt Hills 0.

Ballston Spa 8, Columbia 2.

Monday at Bruno Stadium:

Bethlehem vs. Ballston Spa, 4 pm.

Averill Park vs. South Glens Falls, 7 pm.

Class A:

LaSalle 15, Schalmont 2.

Ichabod Crane 14, Ravena 4.

Broadalbin-Perth 11, Scotia-Glenville 1.

Albany Academy 6, Cohoes 1.

Monday at Keenholts Park (Guilderland):

Ichabod Crane vs. LaSalle, 7 pm.

Broadalbin-Perth vs. Albany Academy, 4 pm.

Class B:

Schuylerville 6, Catskill 3.

Stillwater 8, Coxsackie-Athens 6. Stillwater scores its 2nd straight upset.

Mechanicville 13, Granville 3.

Taconic Hills 7, Johnstown 2.

Monday in Amsterdam:

Taconic Hills vs. Mechanicville, 4 pm,

Stillwater vs. Schuylerville, 7 pm.

Class C:

Chatham 9, Maple Hill 6.

Duanesburg 3, Waterford 2.

Saratoga Catholic 9, Greenwich 0.

Hoosick Falls 4, Canajoharie 3.

Monday in Gloversville:

Hoosick Falls vs. Saratoga Catholic, 4 pm.

Duanesburg vs. Chatham, 7 pm.

Class D:

Warrensburg 5, Germantown 4.

Mekeel Christian 7, North Warren 1.

Hadley-Luzerne 8, Argyle 0.

Hartford-Fort Edward 5, Fort Ann 1.

Monday at Lansingburgh:

Hartford vs. Hadley-Luzerne, 4 pm.

Mekeel Christian vs. Warrensburg, 7 pm.

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

College softball:

St. Francis (PA) 1, Siena 0. Siena is eliminated.

Penn State 9, UAlbany 3. UAlbany is eliminated.

College baseball:

UAlbany 4, Maine 3. UAlbany's season is over, as they will not advance to the America East tournament.

Siena 9, Iona 5. Siena's season is over, as well.

News & notes

 The Albany FireWolves need to win tonight in Buffalo to force a deciding 3rd game in the National Lacrosse League finals after losing to Buffalo, 12-8, Friday at MVP Arena. The game will again be only available via streaming on ESPN+. Face-off is at 7:30 pm.

Up the hill at the Washington Avenue Armory, the Albany Patroons defeated the Jamestown Jackals for the 2nd time in a week, but this time, it was a close one, 128-124. The Pats remain at home to entertain Connecticut tonight at 7.

And, in Glens Falls, the Florida EverBlades beat the Adirondack Thunder, 2-1, to take a 1-0 lead in the ECHL Eastern Conference finals. Game 2 is tonight at 7 as well.

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

It used to be that fireworks night would guarantee a sellout crowd at Bruno Stadium for the Tri-City Valleycats' home opener. Not this year.

There were plenty of empty seats in the grandstand sections for Friday's game vs. the Washington Wild Things. However, despite the use of a pitch clock, like in major league baseball, the teams slogged through 10 innings in just a shade over 4 hours before Washington won, 13-11, after Tri-City battled back from a 10-2 deficit after 4 innings to force extras.

Valleycat starter Wes Albert was knocked out of the game with a leg injury after a collision at first base in the 2nd inning. It's unclear if/when he'll make his next start. Reliever Justin Dill, activated from the bereavement list before the game, entered with his team already in a bit of a pickle.

The teams will play again tonight at 6:30 pm, with Tri-City wearing their Spanish-language variant uniforms.

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

It's a good thing the regional rounds of the NCAA softball tournament are round robin. Otherwise, Siena & UAlbany would be done for the season.

Siena fell to Texas, 5-0, while the Lady Danes lost to Texas A & M, 6-2.

Back at home, RPI was eliminated from the Division III tournament after losing to Husson, 2-1, in 8 innings.

It wasn't a good day for Albany on the diamond, as the baseball team lost to Maine, 7-5.  They'll need to win today to earn a spot in the America East tournament next week.

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

Friday's sectional scoreboard:

Flag football:

Shenendehowa 25, Niskayuna 20.

Albany 21, Saratoga 6.

It'll be Shen at Albany on Monday.

Troy @ Shaker & Bethlehem @ Columbia have not been reported.

Baseball:

Class AAA semi-finals:

Saratoga 9, Shaker 1.

Shenendehowa 2, CBA 1.

Game 2 in each series is today.

Class B 1st round:

Taconic Hills 4, Cobleskill-Richmondville 3

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

George Washington University split a doubleheader with St. Joseph on Friday to close the regular season, winning the 1st game, 4-0, then dropping the finale, 4-1. Brett Young (Albany Academy/Siena) went 1-8 for the doubleheader, 2-12 in the series, as St. Joseph's shut down on of GWU's hottest hitters.

2024 Section II men's lacrosse sectional pairings

Section II has released the men's lacrosse sectional pairings. Tournament play will start next week.

Class A:

Tuesday:

Guilderland @ Saratoga. Winner plays Shenendehowa one week from today.

Schenectady-Mohonasen @ Shaker.

Colonie @ Ballston Spa.

The winners of the last two games will meet next Friday, with the finals on May 29 at Shaker.

Class B:

Tuesday:

Amsterdam-Broadalbin-Perth @ CBA. Winner to play Niskayuna next Friday.

Troy @ Bethlehem. The winless Flying Horses land a bid, if but only to fill out the field.

Columbia @ LaSalle.

The winners of the last two games meet May 23. The final is at Shaker May 28.

Class C:

Tuesday:

Averill Park @ Burnt Hills. Winner to play Queensbury next Friday.

Scotia-Glenville @ Glens Falls. Winner to play South Glens Falls next Friday.

The finals will be at Shaker May 28.

Class D:

Tuesday:

Johnstown @ Stillwater-Mechanicville. The winner to play Schuylerville next Friday.

Greenwich @ Voorheesville. The winner meets Hoosick Falls-Tamarac next Friday.

The finals will be at Shaker on May 29.

Good luck to all the teams.

News & notes

 Tonight, the 518 has an embarrassment of riches in pro sports. To wit:

1. NLL finals, game 1, Buffalo Bandits @ Albany FireWolves, MVP Arena, 7 pm. (ESPN+).

2. Tri-City ValleyCats home opener vs. Washington Wild Things, Bruno Stadium, 6:30 pm.

3. ECHL Eastern Conference finals, game 1, Florida EverBlades @ Adirondack Thunder, Cool Insuring Arena, 7 pm.

4. Albany Patroons vs. Jamestown, Washington Avenue Armory, 7 pm.

Unfortunately, WROW morning host Ben Patten is only hyping the 'Wolves & Thunder games, ignoring the Pats & 'Cats. Not cool.

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

Thursday's college scoreboard:

Baseball:

UAlbany 6, Maine 1.

Siena 12, Iona 2.

St. Joseph 9, George Washington 0.

Softball:

NCAA Division III tournament, Maine regional:

Williams 9, RPI 0.

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

Upsets have dotted the early rounds in the Section II tournaments in baseball & softball, heading into play today. May Madness, anyone?

Baseball:

Class AA:

Averill Park 7, Troy 5. Trevor McCarthy's 1st season at Troy ends with a 7 game losing streak (4-15 overall). The 2022 Class A champs from Averill Park will play Niskayuna next.

Queensbury 6, Mohonasen 5. Queensbury will play South Glens Falls next.

Burnt Hills 15, Amsterdam 9. The Spartans, a #10 seed, upset the 7th seeded Rams, and will move on to play Bethlehem.

Guilderland 4, Columbia 1. An 11 seed over a 6 seed. The Blue Devils will next play Ballston Spa.

Class A:

Schalmont 10, Glens Falls 3. The Sabres will play top-ranked LaSalle tomorrow.

Ravena 11, Hudson Falls 0 (5 innings). Ravena moves on to play Ichabod Crane next.

Scotia-Glenville 4, Gloversville 0. The Tartans will stay in the Foothills Council, with Broadalbin-Perth next.

Albany Academy 9, Lansingburgh 0. The Cadets get one more crack at Cohoes.

Class B:

Schuylerville 16, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 4 (5 innings).

Catskill 5, Hudson 2.

Stillwater 9, Fonda-Fultonville 6. A #13 over a #4. 3rd upset of the day in baseball.

Coxsackie-Athens 2, Corinth 0.

Mechanicville 11, Voorheesville 1.

Granville 2, Cairo-Durham 0.

Johnstown 13, Salem-Cambridge 1. The Sir Bills await the winner of today's game between Taconic Hills & Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Saturday:

Granville @ Mechanicville.

Catskill @ Schuylerville.

Stillwater @ Coxsackie-Athens.

Class C:

Chatham 8, Hoosic Valley 1.

Maple Hill 6, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 2.

Waterford 4, Middleburgh 3. Another 13 over a 4.

Duanesburg 2, Mayfield 0.

Saratoga Catholic 18, Whitehall 0

Hoosick Falls 8, Schoharie 1.

Greenwich 11, Galway 1.

Canajoharie 7, Lake George 5.

Saturday:

Hoosick Falls @ Canajoharie.

Greenwich @ Saratoga Catholic.

Waterford @ Duanesburg.

Maple Hill @ Chatham.

Softball:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 8, Colonie 0. A 5 over a 4. A common upset.

Guilderland 7, Albany 3.

Tuesday @ Luther Forest:

Guilderland vs. Shaker.

Saratoga vs. Shenendehowa.

Class AA:

Burnt Hills 10, Bethlehem 5.

Troy 8, South Glens Falls 5 (8 innings). The 6th seeded Flying Horses, 2-time Class A champs, get another crack at Columbia next.

Ballston Spa 6, Averill Park 3. Another 5 over 4. The Scotties will play Burnt Hills next.

Columbia 8, Queensbury 0.

Class A:

Ichabod Crane 18, Emma Willard 0 (5 innings).

Hudson Falls 4, Cohoes 0.

Schalmont 3, Scotia-Glenville 0.

Glens Falls 2, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

The Classes A & AA semis are at Clifton Commons on Tuesday.

Tamarac 2, Voorheesville 1 (8 innings).

Holy Trinity 11, Stillwater 5.

Mechanicville 5, Greenville 4.

Schuylerville 2, Coxsackie-Athens 1.

The semis will be at Moreau Recreation on Tuesday.

Class C:

Chatham 2, Maple Hill 0.

Hoosick Falls 3, Galway 0.

Greenwich 5, Duanesburg 4 (8 innings).

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 9, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Semi-finals at Schalmont on Tuesday.

Women's lacrosse:

Class C:

Queensbury 33, Academy of Holy Names 2.

Burnt Hills 15, Albany Academy 3.

South Glens Falls 21, Scotia-Glenville 11.

LaSalle 2024-5 hockey schedule revealed

 It's only mid-April, but we are privy to LaSalle Institute's 2024-5 hockey schedule.

As of now, the Cadets will play their home games at Frear Park for the 3rd straight season, and 4th in 5. As of now, and this likely will change as we get closer to the season, some of the early season games at Frear have morning start times. Again, this is likely to change come the fall.

December:

6: @ Plattsburgh.

7: vs. Beekmantown @ Plattsburgh State University.

10: Home opener vs. Mohawks.

14: Bethlehem.

20-21: Mohawks tournament @ Union College. Traditionally, this takes place after Christmas, so there might be a schedule conflict with Union.

January:

3: Queensbury.

4: Shenendehowa.

10: @ Albany Academy.

11: Christian Brothers Academy.

17: @ Christian Brothers Academy.

18: Cadets For Vets night vs. CD Jets.

24: Gates-Chili (Section 5).

25: Penfield (Section 5).

31: Saratoga.

February:

1: @ Adirondack.

7: Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa.

8: @ Bethlehem.

14: vs. Guilderville @ Bethlehem.

15: Senior night vs. Albany Academy.

The annual coaches meeting will take place February 16, with the playoffs to begin 2 nights later, with the finals set for Union College March 2. It would appear that the disparity between home & road games will be reconciled come the fall. Schedule is subject to change due to weather and other complications.

News & notes

 As of press time, Section II had not yet released the pairings for the men's lacrosse sectionals, which would start next week.

Troy High would be well off if they don't get a bid.

The Flying Horses finished a winless regular season Tuesday night by getting blown out at Columbia, 17-0. Brody DeLaMeter led the Blue Devils with a hat trick and 4 assists. To suggest Troy was overmatched would be a gross understatement.

There's always next year, of course.

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

Jhon Vargas pitched 7 1/3 innings to pick up the win as the Tri-City Valleycats salvaged the final game of their series with Schaumberg, 8-5, Wednesday afternoon, in the first mid-week matinee of the season.

The 'Cats are off today, and will open the home portion of their schedule tomorrow vs. Washington.

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

22 years ago, Glenn Clark was a member of the Toronto Rock team that won the National Lacrosse League title over the Albany Attack, one of 5 titles he garnered as a player.

Beginning tomorrow, Clark will seek to win his first title as a coach, and bring the NLL title to Albany, as he leads the FireWolves against in-state rival Buffalo in the NLL championship series. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, as there are no plans for over-the-air cable coverage, due likely to college baseball, softball, or lacrosse on ESPNU. Game time is 7 pm.

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

Illustrating again the lack of actual interest, last night's flag football playoffs have not been reported as of press time. We are, however, assuming that it will be Colonie vs. Albany, and Bethlehem vs. Columbia in games to be played tomorrow. We should have clarification by this time tomorrow.

Update, 5/17, 7:52 am. Here are the scores:

Bethlehem 35, Schenectady 13.

Saratoga 25, Colonie 12.

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

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's lacrosse:

Class A: 

Shenendehowa def. Guilderland. No score was reported. The Plainswomen advance to play Saratoga on Tuesday.

Class D:

Cohoes def. LaSalle.

Greenwich def. Hoosick Falls.

Again, scores were not reported. The Cohoes-LaSalle game was moved to LaSalle's turf field, as apparently, Cohoes has a grass field that was unplayable.

Tuesday:

Greenwich @ Voorheesville.

Cohoes @ Schuylerville.

Baseball:

Class AAA:

CBA def. Colonie. No score was reported. CBA will play Shenendehowa in a best-of-3 series starting Friday.

Class C 1st round:

Hoosic Valley 2, Berlin-New Lebanon 1.

News & notes

 The Albany Firebirds have filled the vacant spaces on their schedule the next two weekends. 

For starters, the Southwest Kansas Storm will visit MVP Arena Sunday at 1 pm. Ticket giveaways resumed this morning on WROW's Magic in The Morning show with Ben Patten, and will continue through Friday. Then, next Friday, May 24, the West Texas Desert Hawks roll into town.

In the midst of this, Lee Hutton III was voted out as commissioner, replaced by former NFL coach Jeff Fisher, the president of the Nashville Kats. Hutton, for whatever reason, would not communicate with the media over the first three weeks of the season. Fisher, prior to this season, was coach/GM of the USFL's Michigan Panthers (now part of the UFL).

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

Please check with your schools today to see if sectional games scheduled will go on despite the weather. It is expected to rain all day today, and possibly also tomorrow.

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

Tuesday's college scoreboard:

Baseball:

UAlbany & LeMoyne played to a 4-4 tie in 7 innings due to weather.

Fairleigh Dickinson 14, Siena 5.

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

Tuesday's sectional scoreboard:

Tennis:

Class A final:

Burnt Hills 4, Queensbury 3.

Softball:

Class AA first round:

Bethlehem 10, Mohonasen 1.

Queensbury 13, Niskayuna 2.

Class B first round:

Holy Trinity 13, Albany Academy 2.

Greenville 10, Fonda-Fultonville 3.

Voorheesville 6, Granville 0.

Stillwater 5, Taconic Hills 1.

Coxsackie-Athens 6, Cobleskill-Richmondville 5.

Class C first round:

Maple Hill 4, Whitehall 0.

Galway 9, Hoosic Valley 3.

Greenwich 25, OESJ 0.

Saratoga Catholic 6, Schoharie 5.

Hoosick Falls 11, Lake George 0.

Duanesburg 10, Mayfield 2.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 9, Cambridge 0.

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

Guilderland won the Suburban Council women's track championship on Tuesday. Troy High finished 11th in their final meet in the league.

==========================================
The Tri-City Valleycats will play their first mid-week matinee today, hoping to salvage the final game of their series with Schaumburg. The Boomers blew out the 'Cats, 9-1, Tuesday night. Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks with 1 strikeout.