News & notes

 The drought is over. The Tri-City Valleycats have finally clinched a spot in the Frontier League playoffs.

The 'Cats weathered a late rally by the Sussex County Miners to clinch said spot Friday with a 9-6 verdict. What we didn't know was this also lifted Tri-City into an even stronger position, having overtaken Ottawa for 2nd place in the Eastern division by 1 1/2 games, entering play tonight. One more win locks up a home game Tuesday at Bruno Stadium vs. Ottawa, and if they win that one, they would host game one of the Eastern finals vs. Quebec on Thursday night.

You can bet Tri-City would love to sweep away the Miners, and the ghosts of last year's end-of-season collapse, all in one fell swoop.

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Saratoga native Dylan Davis enters action today having won 4 races in the last two days to bring his total to 33 for the season with 3 days remaining, including today's card.

Can you say, breakout season for the 2nd generation jockey? Thought you could.

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Friday's high school & college scoreboard:

High schools:

Men's golf:

Foothills Council:

Glens Falls 155, Scotia-Glenville 165.

Suburban Council:

CBA 166, Burnt Hills 172.

Saratoga 145, Guilderland 164.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 5, Waterford 0. The Fordians suffer their 2nd straight shutout.

Women's golf:

Saratoga 199, Niskayuna 203.

Colleges:

Field Hockey:

Shidmore 5, Thomas 1.

Ohio State 6, UAlbany 1.

Geneseo 3, RPI 2.

Men's soccer:

New Paltz 1, RPI 0.

Oneonta 1, Union 0.

Skidmore & Utica played to a 1-1 draw.

Seton Hall 2, UAlbany 1.

Women's soccer:

Herkimer 2, Cobleskill 0.

Skidmore 4, St. John Fisher 0.

RPI 1, Union 0.

Women's volleyball:

UAlbany 3, North Dakota State 0.

Occidental 3, Skidmore 1.

Chapman 3, Union 1.

UIllinois-Chicago 3, UAlbany 1.

Union 3, Oklahoma 0.

Holy Cross 3, Siena 1.

Morrisville 3, Russell Sage 2.

News & notes

 All they need now is just 1 win.

The Tri-City Valleycats open a weekend series at Sussex County tonight needing to win one more game to lock down a playoff spot, this after demolishing New Jersey, 17-0, on Thursday night.

Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) and Connor Wilford combined on a 3 hit shutout. Marynczak went 7, giving up 2 walks in addition to the 3 hits, while fanning 12, rebounding from a loss to Ottawa last Friday. Jaxon Hallmark put the icing on the cake with a grand slam late, his 3rd homer in 2 games, to put the game away.

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Siena's men's soccer team is looking for its 1st win of the season after dropping a 1-0 decision to Lafayette Wednesday night. Conversely, the Siena women squared their record at 2-2 in beating Le Moyne, 3-1, on Thursday.

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Jeff Hoffman (Shaker) picked up the save Thursday, as the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in a game seen on MLB Network. Hoffman pitched a clean 9th inning as the Phillies close in on another playoff berth.

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Thursday's high school scoreboard:

Men's golf:

Suburban Council:

Colonie 170, Burnt Hills 173.

Shaker 157, CBA 172.

Western Athletic Conference:

Schoharie 204, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 208.

Wasaren League:

Waterford 5, Cambridge 0.

Women's golf:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 190, Catholic Central 196.

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 198, Niskayuna 201.

Guilderland 174, Columbia 206.

Saratoga 182, Shaker 185.

Non-league:

Saratoga Catholic 214, Broadalbin-Perth 216.

News & notes

 With the NFL regular season 8 days away, a pair of familiar names have landed on NFL practice squads.

Julian Hicks (UAlbany) is currently on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad, which does not mean he'll eventually be activated to play in a game. Same goes for Cole Burgess (Greenwich/Cortland), who likewise is with Cincinnati. Burgess was waived at the end of training camp, but the coaches thought enough of him to bring him back as a practice squad player.

We'll see if either sees the field during the regular season.

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Wednesday's high school scoreboard:

Women's golf:

Suburban Council:

Shenendehowa 204, Burnt Hills 263.

Guilderland 101, Colonie 218.

Niskayuna 183, Columbia 213.

Men's results from Wednesday were not submitted at press time.

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UAlbany is honoring defensive end Anibal Simon, Jr., who passed away in April, by having different players wear Simon's #8 jersey during the season, which begins Saturday at home against Long Island University.

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Siena men's basketball coach Gerry McNamara is doing a meet & greet with fans at Saratoga race course on Friday. McNamara will be there between 1:30 & 2:30 pm in the backyard area behind the Miller-Fourstardave Sports Bar.

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The Tri-City Valleycats got 4 home runs, including 2 from Jaxon Hallmark, to beat the New Jersey Jackals, 12-6, on Wednesday. Another 'Cats win, coupled with a NY Boulders loss, sends the 'Cats to the playoffs. Dylan Broderick & Brett Rodriguez also homered, with Rodriguez (Queensbury) hitting his 1st of the season.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats are hoping they can just play nine innings tonight, and win.

The 'Cats played their 3rd straight extra inning game Tuesday, and fell to New Jersey, 6-5, in 11 innings via sudden death. The series continues tonight, and Tri-City now needs to win out to ensure a playoff berth.

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Some quick notes from Troy High:

Former Watervliet coach Ryan Job, who also has coached the Troy Fighting Irish, has joined Jordan Canzeri's staff as an assistant this season. Job will make his debut in the home opener on September 6.

Former basketball coach Richard Hurley is no longer listed as a principal's assistant, while Canzeri begins his 3rd season in that position. Volleyball coach Talia Valenti is listed as a principal's assistant, and the coach's directory has not been completely updated, as former men's basketball coach Josh Pelletier, who resigned after last season, is still listed. Hurley, meanwhile, has moved into a new role within the district.

Jarret Farrell is the new varsity coach for women's soccer, with Janine Turcio moving to the modifieds after 3 seasons of coaching varsity with little success. Russell Hines continues with the men's varsity, insofar as we know.

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While Troy and the rest of the Colonial Council begin their season next week, Suburban Council schools have begun their golf season as of today. The matches have concluded, but there's no guarantee the results will be in tomorrow's papers.

Local college football schedules for 2024

 Racing at Saratoga is winding down, as the final week begins tomorrow. The Tri-City Valleycats are on the road with their season on the line. 

Fortunately, college football has started, but the real fun begins Saturday night at UAlbany, when the Great Danes open their 2024 slate against Long Island University.

We'll get back to the Danes in a bit, but let's first look at RPI's schedule.

RPI 2024 football:

September:

5: Home opener vs. Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 5 pm.

13: @ Wilkes, 6 pm.

20: Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Transit Trophy game, 7 pm.

28: @ Endicott College, noon.

October:

5: @ Rochester, noon. League play begins.

12: St. Lawrence, noon.

19: @ Ithaca, 1 pm.

November:

2: Hobart, 3 pm.

9: @ Buffalo State, 1 pm.

16: Senior Day/Dutchmen's Shoes game vs. Union, noon.

Take note that the first three games are all weekday games.

Now, let's look at Union:

Union 2024 football:

September:

6: @ Utica, 7 pm.

14: Home opener vs. SUNY-Maritime, 4 pm.

20: @ Springfield, 7 pm.

28: @ Montclair State, 5 pm.

October:

5: @ St. Lawrence, 1 pm.

19: Buffalo State, 1 pm.

26: @ Hobart, 1 pm.

November:

2: Ithaca, noon.

9: Senior day vs. Rochester, noon.

16: @ RPI, noon.

Finally, UAlbany:

UAlbany 2024 football:

August: 

31: Home opener vs. Long Island University, 7 pm.

September:

7: @ West Virginia, 6 pm. Streaming on ESPN+.

14: @ Idaho, 4 pm.

28: Maine, 3:30 pm.

October:

5: @ Cornell, 1 pm.

12: @ Bryant, 1 pm.

19: Elon, 3:30 pm.

26: @ Delaware, 3 pm.

November:

2: New Hampshire, 1 pm.

9: @ Stony Brook, 1 pm.

16: @ Rhode Island, 1 pm.

23: Senior Day vs. Hampton, 1 pm.

We'll preview the rest of Hudson Valley's schedule later this week.

News & notes

 College football season began on Saturday, with the biggest game of the day being in Ireland, as Georgia Tech upset Florida State.

Closer to home, Hudson Valley Community College opened its season with a 27-8 win over Thaddeus Stevens on Saturday night. Bo Catherwood (LaSalle), now a receiver, caught a 10 yard TD pass, and finished with 4 catches for 28 yards, and the TD, plus, he also had 5 rushes for minimal game. 

The Vikings visit Buffalo State on Sunday play their JV's.

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In order for the Tri-City Valleycats to earn that elusive Frontier League playoff berth, they'll have to win out, or, at least, win most of this week's games at New Jersey and Sussex County, starting tomorrow vs. the Jackals, after dropping a 3-2 decision to Ottawa in 10 innings on Sunday, mirroring the 'Cats win by the same score on Saturday.

It won't be easy.

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College soccer is underway, too, at least here at home. Unfortunately, UAlbany's teams didn't have a good day on Sunday.

The men dropped a 1-0 decision to Long Island University to fall to 1-1. The women are now 1-2 after losing to Fordham, 4-2.

News & notes

 Now, I don't really know if Saratoga native Dylan Davis actually had any mounts on Saturday's card, but if he did, he was shut out on the 14 race card, ending a nearly 2 week streak of winning at least one race.

Davis, then, sits at 27 winners going into today's card with a week and change to go.

Meanwhile, Fierceness, the Jim Dandy winner, headed off Thorpedo Anna, the filly who had already won 2 stakes races at the meet, to claim the Travers for trainer Todd Pletcher. Chad Brown's Sierra Leone finished 3rd, and Belmont winner Dornoch finished 4th.

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A personal note before we continue. I made my first trip to Saratoga for the Travers in 1985. The lines at the betting windows were so long, there was no chance of placing a bet. Back then, it was the standard card, starting at 1, not the expanded-for-television schedule we have today. I've been back at the Old Spa three times since then (2007-9), with varying degrees of success. Just wanted to share.

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The Tri-City Valleycats were winners of six straight going into the weekend series vs. Ottawa at Bruno Stadium.

Due to a bus breakdown, Friday's game didn't start until 7:35 pm. After holding down the Titans for 3 innings, Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena), in his final home start of the regular season, began to tire in the 4th, letting in a run on a wild pitch, then giving up 4 more in the 5th. Ottawa ambushed the Tri-City bullpen to the point where infielder Kyle Novak pitched the 9th, giving up a 2 run homer to Michael Fuhrman, and the Titans rolled, 14-0.

Saturday brought the prospect of another shutout, but Ottawa's bullpen imploded in the 9th, as Dylan Broderick hit a 2 run homer to tie it, and the 'Cats walked it off in the 10th, 3-2.

The home finale is today at 5 pm.

Football's right around the corner: High school practices have begun

 50 Section II football teams opened practice on Monday. One, Class AA champion CBA, had to work out in their brand new bubble dome due to weather. The season starts in 2 1/2 weeks, with games being played on Weeks 0-7, not 1-8, as had been assumed. Week 8, November 1-2, is reserved for first round playoff action.

Niskayuna, the Class A champion a year ago, moves to Class AA, and is immediately being fed to the wolves, if you will, as they'll open at home against CBA on September 6. Hudson, a Class B school, is playing a Class C schedule this season, and thus will not be eligible for the post-season. Albany can relate to that. Until moving back to Class AA, the Falcons were a Class A doormat, and ineligible for postseason play. Ballston Spa moves back to Class A in exchange for Albany & Nisky.

The Super Bowls will be played November 15-16, and, for the 2nd straight year, Troy High will host the Class AA title game, while Lansingburgh likewise hosts the Class C game that same night. Schuylerville hosts the Class D game, while Shenendehowa will present the Class A & B title games, all on November 16. The C & D games were held at Troy last year in a tripleheader with the AA game.

Before the season opens, we should have some idea of Spectrum's schedule for Friday Night Matchup, so keep watching this space.

News & notes

 After tormenting the Tri-City Valleycats a week ago, Jake Reinisch (Shenendehowa/Wake Forest) is sitting out this weekend's series in Paloma due to an injury.

Reinisch is currently hitting .227 with 3 homers. We do not know if the injury was such that it placed him on the 7 day minor league injured list.

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You've heard of the injured list. You've heard of the restricted list in the majors for players who've had some off-field, or even on-field, issues that make them a liability. But, a developmental list??

The Chicago White Sox placed Zach Remillard (LaSalle) on this list while he is in Triple A with Charlotte, per the Albany Times-Union. Remillard's current stats have him batting an anemic .146 with 3 homers & 15 RBI in 47 games. That suggests he won't be called up when the rosters expand on September 1.

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Tommy Kahnle (Shaker) and the Yankees are in Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series, for tonight's Little League Classic vs. Detroit, after the two teams split the first two games of the weekend series at Comerica Park.

For the season, Kahnle is 0-1 in 35 games, but has a 1.80 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 30 innings. As we write, there is rain in Williamsport, putting a LLWS game in a rain delay. Hmmmmmmm.

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Let's take a look at some more Section II alumni:

Luke Gold (Ballston Spa/Boston College): Playing for West Michigan in the Midwest League, Luke is hitting .236 in 103 games with 11 homers and 48 RBI.

Brian O'Keefe (Colonie): In 59 games with Omaha, O'Keefe is hitting .274 with 13 homers and 44 RBI. Could Kansas City call him up in September? Maybe.

Kevin Smith (Columbia): Kevin is batting .243 with 3 homers and 28 RBI in 68 games for Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. With the injury issues the Yankees have had, Kevin could be back in the Bronx next month.

Adam Zebrowski (CBA): Adam has appeared in just 2 games for Mississippi in the Southern League. He is hitting .286, but, so far, no homers or runs batted in.

Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa): In 5 games for Gwinnett, Ian is 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA in 25 2/3 innings with 23 strikeouts.

Ben Anderson (Shen): For Frisco in the Texas League, Ben is 5-6 in 64 innings with a 3.75 ERA and 72 strikeouts. One gets the feeling the twins will both be in the majors in 2025-6.

Matt Gage (Broadalbin-Perth/Siena): Matt has pitched in 10 games for Syracuse. While he has 13 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings, he also has an unsightly 6.75 ERA. Will the Mets call him up? We'll see.

Jeff Hoffman (Shaker): The Phillies' All-Star reliever is 3-2 in 53 games with a 1.92 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

Mike Kennedy (Troy): Mike has appeared in 14 games for Bradenton. He's 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 66 2/3 innings with 74 strikeouts That tells me he's been starting.

John Rooney (Hoosic Valley): Rooney has appeared in 40 games for Oklahoma City, with a 2-2 record, a 5.12 ERA, and 50 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings. The Dodgers may need the ERA to go down before he moves to the majors.

Dale Stanavich (Amsterdam): In 21 games for Pensacola, Dale in 2-0 with a 2.32 ERA. He has 42 strikeouts in 31 innings. The Marlins could use him, given they're in the basement in the NL East.

Danny Watson (Columbia): Danny's been struggling for Somerset in the Eastern League. He's 1-4 with 12 strikeouts and a gnarly 6.15 ERA in 26 1/3 innings over 23 games.

News & notes

 Dog racing hasn't been a thing 'round these parts since Green Mountain in Vermont closed its doors for good a few years back, ending a run of greyhound racing at the fabled track.

This week, the Altamont Fair is experimenting with dog racing, but not with greyhounds. Instead, they're racing corgis, cute little dogs who will attract the kids as well as parents. These races are not for pari-mutual betting, unlike the greyhound or horse races, but, rather, for the entertainment value it brings.

Well, it's better than dog fighting......!

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Saratoga native Dylan Davis has been rolling, even though he won't catch Irad Ortiz, Jr. for the riding title at Saratoga.

Davis picked up a winning mount with She's Got Will, trained by Mark Casse, in the 6th race on Thursday. She's Got Will returned $24 on a $2 win ticket. Davis now has 20 winners on the season, with 2+ weeks remaining.

Meanwhile, Mountain Twist, a 2 year old trained by Todd Pletcher, and owned by a consortium that includes WROW's Ben Patten, was a winner in Thursday's opener. Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Mountain Twist led wire to wire, and returned $6.70 on a $2 win ticket. 

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The Tri-City Valleycats' game at New England was cancelled by rain on Thursday, and will not be made up. A previous rainout at the NY Boulders in Paloma will be made up this afternoon as the first half of a single admission doubleheader. First pitch at 5:05 pm. That means Jake Reinisch (Shen/Wake Forest) will have another opportunity to torment the 'Cats. 

Now, if only one of those teams could get a cable TV contract......!

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At least one Olympian from the 518 is getting his flowers.

Melique Garcia (Watervliet) was given a day in his honor Thursday by the Cannoneer City. Garcia raced for Honduras in the Olympics, but finished 5th in a 100 meter heat nearly 2 weeks ago. Garcia will be back in the Olympics. He'll likely return in Los Angeles in 2028.

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A sad note to close.

Troy High is mourning the passing of former soccer coach & physical education teacher Bill Barr, who passed away on August 8.

Barr taught at THS for 37 years (1971-2008), and in 27 of those years was the head coach of Troy's men's soccer team. He also was the women's varsity coach for a time, and was an assistant basketball coach as well, at the freshman & junior varsity levels. Under Barr, the Flying Horses were perennial contenders in the Big 10 in men's soccer in the 70's & 80's.

Rest in peace.

Troy High "final" fall 2024 sports schedule

 We can now confirm, via the Colonial Council website, Troy High's fall sports schedule, complete with event times.

We'll leave football aside, and focus on golf, volleyball, tennis, swimming, & soccer.

September:

3: Golf home opener vs. Ichabod Crane, 4:15 pm.

Volleyball opener @ Albany, 5:30 pm.

4: Golf @ Catholic Central, 4:15 pm. (Troy, Catholic Central, & LaSalle share the use of Frear Park) 

5: Golf vs. Albany Academy, 4:15 pm.

Women's soccer opener @ Academy of Holy Names, 4:30 pm.

Tennis opener @ Mohonasen, 4:30 pm.

Volleyball opener @ Holy Names, 6 pm.

7: Men's soccer opener @ Amsterdam, 10 am.

9: Golf vs. Ravena, 4:15 pm.

10: Golf @ Schalmont, 4:15 pm.

Men's soccer @ Schalmont, 4:30 pm.

Tennis home opener vs. Schoharie, 4:30 pm.

Volleyball @ Schalmont, 6 pm.

Women's soccer home opener vs. Schalmont, 7 pm.

11: Women's swimming opener vs. Shaker-Colonie, 4:30 pm.

12: Golf @ Mohonasen, 4:15 pm.

Women's soccer @ Catholic Central, 4:30 pm.

Men's soccer @ South Glens Falls, 4:30 pm.

Tennis vs. Holy Names, 4:30 pm.

13: Golf @ Voorheesville, 4:15 pm.

Volleyball @ Averill Park, 5:30 pm.

16: Golf vs. LaSalle, 4:15 pm.

Tennis vs. Emma Willard, 4:30 pm.

17: Volleyball vs. Ravena, 6 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Ravena, 7 pm.

Men's soccer @ Ravena, 7 pm.

18: Golf @ Ichabod Crane, 4:15 pm.

Swimming @ Saratoga, 4:30 pm.

Tennis @ Ichabod Crane, 4:30 pm.

19: Men's soccer vs. LaSalle, 7 pm.

Volleyball @ LaSalle,  6 pm.

20: Tennis vs. Albany Academy, 4:30 pm.

21: Volleyball tournament @ Averill Park, 8 am.

Women's soccer @ Schenectady, 1 pm.

Men's soccer vs. Averill Park, 1 pm.

23: Golf @ Ravena, 4:15 pm.

24: Men's soccer @ Cohoes, 4:30 pm.

Tennis @ Schalmont, 4:30 pm.

Volleyball vs. Cohoes, 6 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Cohoes, 7 pm.

25: Swimming vs. Bethlehem, 4:30 pm.

26: Golf vs. Catholic Central, 4:15 pm.

Women's soccer @ Lansingburgh, 4:30 pm.

Men's soccer vs. Lansingburgh, 7 pm.

Volleyball @ Lansingburgh, 6 pm.

27: Swimming @ Niskayuna, 4:30.

Colonial Council golf championships, 9 am.

28: Men's soccer vs. Ballston Spa, 1 pm.

30: Golf vs. Schalmont, 4:15 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Mohonasen, 7 pm.

Men's soccer @ Mohonasen, 7 pm.

October:

1: Volleyball vs. Mohonasen, 6 pm.

2: Golf vs. Mohonasen, 4:15 pm.

Women's soccer @ Albany Academy, 4:30 pm.

Men's soccer vs. Albany Academy, 4:30 pm.

Swimming vs. Schenectady-Mohonasen, 4:30.

3: Volleyball vs. Albany, 6 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Ichabod Crane, 7 pm.

4: Men's soccer @ Voorheesville, 4:30.

Tennis @ Voorheesville, 4:30 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Voorheesville, 7 pm.

5: Swimming meet @ Shenendehowa, time TBA.

7: Golf @ Albany Academy, 4:15 pm.

8: Golf @ LaSalle, 4:15 pm.

Tennis vs. Ravena, 4:30 pm.

Volleyball vs. Ichabod Crane, 6 pm.

Women's soccer @ Cohoes, 7 pm.

Men's soccer vs. Cohoes, 7 pm.

10: Men's soccer @ Lansingburgh, 4:30 pm.

Volleyball @ Albany Academy, 6 pm.

Women's soccer vs. Lansingburgh, 7 pm.

15: Men's soccer vs. Mohonasen, 7 pm.

Volleyball vs. Voorheesville, 6 pm.

Women's soccer @ Mohonasen, 7 pm.

16: Swimming v. Albany, 4: 30 pm.

17: Volleyball @ Cohoes, 6 pm.

18: Volleyball vs. Tamarac, 6 pm.

Swimming vs. Ballston Spa, 4:30 pm.

19: Men's soccer @ Ichabod Crane, 11 am.

22: Volleyball @ Lansingburgh, 6 pm.

23: Swimming vs. Burnt Hills, 4:30 pm.

24: Volleyball @ Mohonasen, 4:30.

Schedules are subject to change in case of inclement weather for tennis & soccer.

Time is running out for the Valleycats

 When the Tri-City Valleycats began play last week, they had the 3rd playoff spot in the Eastern Division of the Frontier League, and swept Trois Rivieres in a rain shortened series.

But, then, the 'Cats dropped a weekend series to the NY Boulders, and were held to two runs by New England's Sam Ryan in a complete game performance last night, as the Knockouts beat the 'Cats, 7-2.

Back to the Boulders. It's not just ex-Valleycats Chris Kwitzer & Austin Dennis that the 'Cats need to be concerned with. As Tri-City signed former Queensbury star Brett Rodriguez last month, the Boulders also looked to Section II's recent past to fortify their offense, signing Jake Reinisch (Shen), who graduated from Wake Forest in May. Reinisch, the son of Troy High AD Paul Reinisch, himself a Wake grad, wasn't drafted during last month's MLB Entry Draft.

No stranger to Bruno Stadium, Reinisch hurt the 'Cats on Saturday with a homer to help the Boulders mount a comeback en route to a win. He also drove in the only run in Sunday's nightcap with a sacrifice fly as the 'Cats salvaged the finale, 2-1.

Tri-City's series at New England continues tonight, but there are just six home dates left, the period from August 20-25, before the 'Cats close out on the road, and they'll need to win out to secure their first Frontier League playoff berth.

Stay tuned.

News & notes

 The remnants of Tropical Storm Debby have forced the NY Racing Association to cancel today's card at Saratoga. The announcement was made right after the final race at the track on Thursday.

The cancellation of the card also postpones the debut of a 2 year old named Manhattan Twist, owned by WROW morning host Ben Patten, to a later date. It's Patten's first foray into the racing business as an owner. Best of luck to Ben and Manhattan Twist when the latter makes its debut.

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You might've noticed that last night's Giants-Lions game aired on WNYA (Spectrum channel 1215) as WNYT, the NBC affiliate, is tied up with the Olympics until Saturday. Subsequent Giants pre-season games will air on WNYT.

Additionally, the team has ended its affiliation with WNBC in New York, shifting over to WNYW, the Fox flagship station. Makes sense, considering most, but not all, of the team's regular season games will air on Fox during the season.

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The Tri-City Valleycats suffered their 2nd rainout in a week, as Thursday's game vs. Trois-Rivieres was cancelled. Since it was the Aigles' final visit to Troy, the game won't be made up at Bruno Stadium, and there is still no indication that the 'Cats will make up last Saturday's rainout at the NY Boulders while the Boulders are in town this weekend.

The 'Cats won both games that were played in the mid-week series. Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) was the winning pitcher Wednesday despite getting strafed for 5 runs on 6 hits in 3 innings of relief. It happens.

Heading into play tonight (maybe), the 'Cats maintain the 3rd & final playoff spot in the Eastern division.

Update, 3:51 pm.: Tonight's game has been rained out, and will be part of a single admission doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats open a 3-set with Trois Rivieres tonight at Bruno Stadium, weather permitting, coming off winning Sunday, 8-5, over the NY Boulders.

Saturday's game was rained out, and likely will be made up this weekend when the Boulders come to Troy, as Tri-City made its final trip to Poloma last weekend. Next week brings a road trip to New England to pay a call on Ben Seiler & the Knockouts.

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We're halfway through the Saratoga meet, and Dylan Davis has 15 wins, picking up a win on Sunday with the Queens M G in the Adirondack Stakes. Rodger Wyland, writing in the Albany Times-Union Monday, doesn't think Davis will win the riding title, but, ya never know.

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Elisa Mevius, newly graduated from Siena, earned a gold medal for Germany in the women's 3 x 3 basketball tournament at the Olympics on Sunday.

Conversely, Jimmer Fredette (Glens Falls/BYU) tore a couple of ligaments in his groin, and missed the rest of the men's 3 x 3 tournament as Team USA failed to medal. The US women's team finished 3rd.

In track & field, Rudy Winkler (Averill Park), in his likely final Olympiad, finished 6th in the hammer throw.

News & notes

 The Tri-City Valleycats split a doubleheader with the New England Knockouts on Thursday, taking two of three in the series, which was also a mini-convention of former 518 high school stars.

Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem/Siena) picked up his 4th win of the season Tuesday, going 6 1/3 innings.

Tommy Kretzler (Colonie), who was with the 'Cats last year, went 1-4 in game 1 Thursday for New England with an RBI & a run scored.

Ben Seiler (Albany Academy/Siena) picked up his 2nd save in that game, going 3 innings to close a 7-0 Knockouts win.

Brett Rodriguez (Queensbury), who was signed by the 'Cats in late July, played game 2, but went 0-2.

The 'Cats visit the NY Boulders, starting tonight.

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Saratoga native Dylan Davis is enjoying the home cooking at Saratoga.

Davis picked up 3 wins in the last two days to raise his meet total to 14, good for a tie for 3rd place with Manny Franco on the jockeys list. One of Wednesday's winners was trained by Todd Pletcher, who has 10 for the season, trailing Mechanicville's Chad Brown.

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Shaker graduates Jeff Hoffman & Tommy Kahnle had a little meeting in Philadelphia earlier this week, as the Phillies & Yankees played each other.

Hoffman went 2 innings on Tuesday, giving up a run on two hits with a strikeout.

Between Tuesday & Wednesday, Kahnle pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up just a walk with two strikeouts.

The Yanks swept the NL East leaders, who may be hearing footsteps in their own division from the Braves & Mets. Speaking of Atlanta.......

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Ian Anderson (Shenendehowa) was set for a rehab start for Gwinnett on Thursday.

File photo courtesy Getty Images via Albany Times-Union.

In an interview with the Times-Union, Anderson wouldn't speculate on when he'd be recalled to Atlanta, knowing that's up to Atlanta manager Brian Snitker and the front office. I've said all along he might be back in the bigs by September, but sometime this month would be nice, too. Twin brother Ben is pitching in the minors in the Texas Rangers' chain, so one wonders when they'll pitch against each other in a game.......!

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The media is already spoiling it, but Rudy Winkler (Averill Park) will be part of the Olympic track & field coverage tonight on NBC, as he is competing in the hammer throw. Suffice to say, AP fans will be tuning in, if they haven't already seen the live coverage on Peacock.