News & notes

 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.

News & notes

 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. 

News & notes

 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.

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Friday's lacrosse sectional scoreboard:

Men:

Class A:

Shenendehowa 13, Bethlehem 3.

Guilderland 10, Shaker 9.

Class B:

Niskayuna 21, LaSalle 13.

Ballston Spa 18, Queensbury 6.

Class C:

South Glens Falls 18, Glens Falls 6.

Burnt Hills 21, Averill Park 7.

Class D:

Schuylerville 19, Voorheesville 4.

Stillwater-Mechanicville 9, Greenwich-Cambridge 7.

The Class A & D finals are Wednesday at Shaker. The Class B & C finals take place on Tuesday, also at Shaker.

Women:

Class A finals:

Shenendehowa 12, Saratoga 8.

Class B:

Queensbury 24, Niskayuna 6.

Thursday's sectional scoreboard, 5/26

 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.

News & notes

 Inflation and greed have permeated Section II.

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........

News & notes

 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. 

Class B:

Glens Falls 5, Schalmont 0.

Ichabod Crane 4, Cohoes 1.

Class C:

Greenwich 1, Whitehall 0.

Chatham 10, Lake George 0.

Class D:

Salem 7, Fort Ann 0.

Argyle 8, Germantown 1.

Monday's sectional scoreboard, 5/23

 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.