Sports

The Muckdogs (27-27) got their record back up to .500 by completing the sweep of the Lake Monsters (24-29) by winning 7-1.

Scoring began in the 5th starting with a double by Jon Edwards and a RBI double by Luis De La Cruz.  Ivan Castro then had a base hit to score De La Cruz and Castro came into home himself on another double by Michael Swinson.

They added one more to make it a 5-0 game in the 6th.  Matthew Adams took the second pitch of bottom of the inning over the right field wall.

Vermont was able to avoid a shut out by scoring one run in the 7th but Batavia answered right back with two more insurance runs in the 8th.  Edwards singled and then Niko Vasquez got his second homerun of the season.

Starter Dan Calhoun (1-0, 1.48) got the win, going six strong innings with three hits and six strikeouts.  Tyler Leach followed him through one and two-thirds with one run on one hit with a walk and a strikeout.  LaCurtis Mayes sat down the Lake Monsters quickly to end the game on two strikeouts and a groundout.

Edwards finished 2-for-4 on the night with a double, RBI and two runs scored.  De La Cruz and Castro also had two hits each with one RBI and one run scored.

Tomorrow night the Staten Island Yankees come in to town.  As always, there will be fireworks Friday night and Saturday is team photo giveaway.

It took a full nine innings, but Batavia (26-27) was able to come through to beat Vermont (24-28) by a score of 4-3.

With the score deadlocked at 3-3, Luis De La Cruz led off the ninth inning with a single. Devin Goodwin followed with a walk.  Michael Swinson then put down a perfect sacrifice bunt moving both runners in scoring position.  With the potential winning run already on third, the Lake Monsters decided intentionally walk Ryan Jackson, loading the bases.   And that was all the Muckdogs needed as Alan Ahmady came up with a sacrifice fly to score the winning run.

Josh Squatrito (2-1, 1.89) picked up the win after entering the game in the eight to record the final out on a strike out. He then proceeded to go 0-2 on each of the three batters he faced in the ninth, striking out all three.

Batavia pitchers notched 16 Ks on the evening.

Batavia jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the 2nd inning.  Kyle Conley started the scoring off with a solo homerun to left field.  Later, Niko Vasquez and Luis De La Cruz picked up base hits and bases became loaded when Goodwin walked.  Swinson then singled to score two.

The Lake Monsters answered with two runs in the 4th and tied things up in the 8th, but the Muckdogs were able to prevail.

Jesse Simpson went four innings in the start, letting in two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.  Tyler Lavigne followed him in one inning of work with a strikeout.  Justin Edwards filled in the other two and two-thirds innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out five.

Conley finished 2-for-3 with a homerun, double, RBI and run scored.  Vasquez and Swinson both went 2-for-4, Vasquez with a double and a run scored and Swinson with two RBI.

Alan Ahmady, Santo Maertz and Luis De La Cruz have been named to this year's NYPL All-Star team.  The game is to be held next Tuesday, the 18th, in State College.

Ahmady is currently batting .311 with 23 RBI and 11 doubles.  Maertz has been one of Batavia's best relievers, with a 1.21 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.  De La Cruz has started the majority of the season behind the plate.  He has thrown out 34% of the runners attempting to steal on him.

The host Spikes have a fun-filled three days planned for the All-Star break, including a concert, fan fest and baseball clinic.

Batavia (25-27) kept things going in the right direction to start off their six game homestand by taking down Vermont (24-27) 10-3.

The Lake Monsters struck first, scoring one run in the 2nd on a solo homerun.  But the Muckdogs scored one of their own in the 5th and followed with three runs each in the 6th and 7th to put the game away.

In the 5th, Jon Edwards singled and came home later to score when Luis De La Cruz reached on an error.  They broke things open on base hits in the 6th.  Michael Swinson, Ryan Jackson and Alan Ahmady all singled and Matthew Adams followed with a double to score three in the inning.  Then again in the 7th, De La Cruz reached again on another error before Ivan Castro and Swinson had back-to-back doubles.  Swinson was able to come in on a passed ball.

Vermont was able to score two runs in the 7th, but it was too late.  As if a 7-3 lead wasn’t enough, Batavia added another three runs in the 8th.  Edwards singled and De La Cruz and Castro both walked to load the bases.  Jackson then also was delivered a walk to score Edwards.  With bases still loaded, Ahmady picked up two RBI with a base hit.

Justin Smith had the start, going five innings with one run, two hits, one walk and five strikeouts.  Chris Corrigan (1-2, 3.34) followed him to get the win.  Corrigan went one and two-thirds innings with two runs on two hits, two walks and one strikeout.  Santo Maertz got his second hold pitching one and one-third innings with a walk and a strikeout.  Andres Rosales finished out the game in the 9th with just one hit.

Swinson finished 2-for-4 on the night with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.  Ahmady went 2-for-4 with three RBI.  Adams stayed hot as a Muckdog, going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.

*Also to note: Guillermo Toribio returned to Quad Cities last week where he played 32 games to start the 2009 season.  Also, pitcher Scott Schneider made the move up. Schneider had a .092 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 39.1 innings in his first professional year with the Muckdogs.

Xavier Scruggs and Kyle Conley both earned Player of the Week honors in their leagues. Scruggs is batting .556 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homeruns and 16 RBI and a remarkable 1.185 slugging percentage in his first week as a River Bandit.  Conley is batting .458 with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homeruns and 4 RBI with a 1.000 slugging percentage as a Muckdog.

A 38-year-old driver was injured during the ninth race last night at Batavia Downs.

Kevin Cummings, who was driving 13-year-old square-gaiter Devilinhiseyes, suffered a spill and sustained injuries to his hip and elbow, according to a statement issued by Todd Haight, spokesman for Batavia Downs.

Haight quotes Cummings:

I’m really not sure what happened. Things got tight and the race bike got jerked from underneath me. When the left wheel tipped sideways I knew I was in trouble. I just let go of the lines and landed on the ground.

My hip is really bruised, that’s where I hit the ground and my elbow has a hole in it. I lost a chunk of skin. It's really sore today.

The accident occurred going into the first turn, during the ninth race, a $4,000 claiming trot.

Cummings, a father of four, plans to return to racing on Wednesday night.

Devilinhiseyes was uninjured in the incident, nor were any other drivers or horses hurt.

The Muckdog that Chelsea and I have been hosting this season got the phone call last night.  Scott Schneider will be leaving our home today to head to Quad Cities and join his former teammates. He is the second pitcher to be called up from Batavia.

Chelsea and I will miss having him around and wish him the best of luck.

Batavia Little League is planning a series of upgrades to the ball field at MacArthur Park. The plans include construction of new, larger dugouts, a remodeled concession stand and a new, second batting cage.

The Little League will build the improvements and pay for it through its own fundraising and then donate the improvements to the city. The donation of the completed project to the city is required by law.

Batavia Downs is celebrating a world record set in 1977 by a horse named Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls. Excalibur set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939.

Full press release after the jump:

Batavia, NY --- It was one of the biggest nights in Batavia Downs history. A new world record and new track record in the same night, and it came 32 years ago.

Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls, set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record, set earlier in his career. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939. His time was 4:07.5, performed in an era before time was kept in fifths of a second.

Later that same evening Stanley Dancer would team the great pacing filly Mistletoe Shalee to a new track record, when she went wire-to-wire in 1:59.1, in a New York Sire Stakes event for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

On Saturday night (August 8), Batavia Downs Casino continues its tradition of honoring a horse that has a profound impact in the history of harness racing in Western New York. This year we honor Excalibur, the locally owned horse that set the world record back in 1977.

The sensational double-gaited gelding came on the local scene as a pacer in 1972 when Fred Haslip and Paul Zambito, Jr. purchased him for $3,500, an excellent investment considering he made his owners almost $200,000 lifetime. Driver, trainer, and co-owner Haslip used Excalibur predominately as a pacer until he was a 6-year-old, but noticed he did not take kindly to hobbles.

“I never dreamed he wanted to trot until 1974 when I had trouble getting him going in training. He had been a decent pacer up until that point and was making money, but he wasn’t happy on the pace,” Haslip remarked in 1977.

Additionally, upon further investigation in 1974, Haslip discovered that Excalibur’s mother, Spanish Lady, was a royally bred trotting mare.

His best mile as a pacer was 2:03.3, set in 1974.

Between 1975 and 1977, Haslip used Excalibur to his strength as a double-gaited gelding, competing in pacing and trotting events each year. However after the 1977 season Excalibur would strictly remain on the trot.

During his career he would start 169 times and make 50 winner's circle appearances. He notched 12 victories with hobbles on and 38 as a square gaiter. Excalibur raced until the veteran age of 14, retiring in 1982. His combined lifetime earnings were $196,668.

He was always a force in the featured trotting events at Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway and because of his uniqueness, a fan favorite.

Come out to Batavia Downs Casino this Saturday as we honor the gusty gelding by rolling back prices to 1977. Zweigles hot dogs and sodas will be just 50 cents beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Paddock Room all night long. The Batavia Downs program will feature a special four-page insert with newspaper clippings and photos of Excalibur, as we take a walk down memory lane.

Todd Haight
Promotional Marketing Specialist
Batavia Downs Casino

A three-run bottom of the 9th put Batavia (22-26) within one run, but that’s all they could do as Brooklyn (30-17) got the sweep by a score of 5-4.

The Muckdogs scored their first run in the 5th to tie things up.  Beau Riportella walked, stole second base and then came home on a single by Michael Swinson.  The Cyclones scored four more through the last three innings to make it a 5-1 game before the Muckdogs tried to make things interesting.

In the bottom of the 9th, the rally started on a single by Kyle Conley, a walk by Devin Goowin and a single by Travis Mitchell to load the bases.  Jon Edwards followed with a single of his own for a RBI.  Swinson then hit a sacrifice fly to score another.  During the next at-bat, Ryan Jackson had a base hit to score Mitchell for the last run of the night.

Justin Edwards lasted five innings in the start with one run, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.  Jesse Simpson (0-1, 6.00) followed him to get the loss.  He went three innings with two runs, five hits, two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Lavigne struggled a bit in the 9th, going two-thirds of an inning with two runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Leach threw two pitches to get a pop out to end the inning.

Matthew Adams had the only multi-hit night.  He finished 2-for-5.

New Muckdog Kyle Conley had two homeruns, supplying three of Batavia’s (22-25) four runs, but Brooklyn (30-17) plated six to get the win.

The Cyclones jumped on board first in the 1st inning but the Muckdogs answered right back in the 2nd and 3rd, scoring once in each inning.  Conley had a solo shot in the 2nd.  Then in the 3rd, Ryan Jackson walked and came home on a Matthew Adams double.

But a one-run 4th, three-run 5th and one more run in the 9th for Brooklyn put the game away.  Batavia scored their other two runs in the 8th after Adams singled and Conley followed with his second homerun of the night.

Chris Corrigan went four innings in the start, giving up two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.  Andres Rosales (2-2, 8.25) got the loss, facing just six batters with three runs, two hits and two walks.  Justin Smith had a good outing; he pitched the 6th, 7th and 8th with two walks and six strikeouts.  Josh Squatrito finished out the game, pitching the 9th with one run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

With his two homeruns, Conley finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.  He is batting .500 with three homeruns and two doubles in three games as a Muckdog.  Adams was also 2-for4 with a double and a RBI and Alan Ahmady went 3-for-5 with a double of his own.

Richard Stefaniak e-mail in this report and the championship picture:

The Batavia 9 & 10 year olds all-stars won two games this past weekend to become section 1 champs. In game one Batavia beat Orchard Park 9 - 6. Matt Roach pitched the first three innings for Batavia and did a great job giving up only three hits. Orchard Park had a 5 - 2 lead going into the 6th. Batavia finally got the offense going in the top of the 6th when Bryce Polito got things going with a lead off single Alex Canty singled, Ryan Antinore drew a walk  then the scoring started when Tyler Hale singled ,Steven Stefaniak doubled and Jacob Hale singled. T.Hale, Stefaniak and J. Hale would score after Jeremy Boyle and Reid Rademaker would draw walks  Boyle would also score  giving Batavia  a 7 run top of the 6th for a 9-5 lead.Polito would close out the game for Batavia  by pitching a strong 6th giving up  one run on one hit and getting the #5 batter to pop-up to the catcher (Rademaker).
 
In the Sectional Championship game Batavia faced Webster and won 12-10 Batavia scored first to start the game when T.Hale lead off with a single followed by singles from S.Stefaniak and J.Hale to give Batavia a two run lead.Webster also scored two in the bottom of the first to tie the game. In the  third Batavia would jump out to a 7-2 lead with hits from T.Hale (dbl) and singles from  Stefaniak, Rademaker, Jeremy Boyle and Alex Canty. Again Webster faught back scoring five runs to tie the game in ther half of the third.In the top of of the forth Polito,Canty and Micheal Marrocco would score for Batavia giving them a three-run lead Webster would score one in there half inning. In the top of the fifth Batavia's Andrew Mruczek would finally put Batavia on top for good with a shot to right field that scored two. Alex Canty then shut down the webster bats in the sixth and getting the final out by strike out. Batavia will now advance to the state finals in Penfield Saturday August 8 at 11:00 a.m. and Sunday August 9 at 12:00 p.m.

The picture is as follows Front row Ryan Antinore, Alex Canty, Jeremy Boyle, Steven Stefaniak, Micheal Marrocco. Middle row Jacob Hale, Reid Rademaker, Matt ROACH, Bryce Polito, Andrew Mruczek,Tyler Hale, Josh Boyle.Coach Tom Canty and Manager Larry Hale

Eleven runs and nineteen hits usually gets the win, but that was not so for the Muckdogs (22-24) as they went down 15-11 to the Cyclones (29-17) who had fourteen hits themselves.  The Muckdogs also had four errors on the night.

Batavia jumped out to an early lead, scoring two in the 1st and one in the 2nd.  Ryan Jackson and Matthew Adams both singled.  Jackson then came home on a throwing error.  Adams came home during the next at-bat on a Jon Edwards double.  In the 2nd, Devin Goodwin had his first homerun of the season to make it 3-0.

After the Cyclones added one in the 3rd inning, the Muckdogs added two of their own in the 4th. Kyle Conley had his first homerun as a Muckdog, a solo shot to left field.  Goodwin followed him with a double and came in later after back-to-back singles by Michael Swinson and Jackson.

However, relievers Joe Kelly and Jonny Bravo found trouble in the 6th and 7th innings as Brooklyn scored four runs and three runs, respectively.  Batavia answered with two of their own in the 6th and one in the 7th, but Brooklyn’s five-run 9th inning put the game away, even though Batavia attempted a comeback in the bottom of the 9th, scoring three of their own.

Starter Deryk Hooker went four innings with one run, four hits and three strikeouts.  Kelly pitched the next two with five runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.   Bravo (2-1, 4.70) only faced three batters to get the loss, letting in three runs with two hits and a walk.  Santo Maertz filled in for two innings, giving up one run on one hit with three strikeouts.

Goodwin was on fire at the plate.  He went 4-for-4 with with two doubles, two homeruns, three RBI and four runs scored.  Jackson finished 4-for-6 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored.

Batavia (22-23) scattered eleven hits across the board, including six for extra bases, to take one game back from Williamsport (26-19).  Starter Scott Schneider matched the offense with his performance, going hitless through five innings.

The Muckdogs scored a run each in the 2nd and 3rd to get things started.  In the 2nd, Niko Vasquez led off with a double, moved to third on a Luis De La Cruz single and then came in to score on a ground out.  In the 3rd, Ryan Jackson tripled and scored on a base hit by Alan Ahmady.

Their big inning came in the 5th as they scored five runs.  Bases became loaded after Devin Goowin and Beau Riportella both walked and Michael Swinson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  Jackson then singled to get one in and Ahmady was walked to plate another.  Matthew Adams followed with another base hit to pick up two RBI.  The last run of the inning came when he hit a RBI double.

Batavia added on two more insurance runs in the 8th on consecutive hits; Cruz singled, Ivan Castro tripled and Kyle Conley doubled.

Schneider (2-0, 0.52) earned himself the win, going five and two-thirds innings with three runs on two hits with eight strikeouts.  Kevin Siegrist earned his first save pitching the 8th and 9th with one run, two hits and two strikeouts.

De La Cruz finished 3-for-4 with a double and RBI.  Jackson went 2-for-5 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.  Newcomers Swinson and Adams both went 1-for-4, Swinson with a double and Adams with two RBI.  Other newcomer Conley picked up a RBI double in hit one pinch-hit at-bat.

The Muckdogs saw six players leave Batavia today as seven new players came in to town.  Here’s a breakdown of the transactions:

Pitcher Eric Fornataro, first baseman Xavier Scruggs, and outfielders D’Marcus Ingram and Ryde Rodriguez move up to Quad Cities.  Fornataro went 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA in his eight games (five starts) while in Batavia.  Scruggs was batting .234 with seven doubles, 26 RBI and was second in the league with seven homeruns.  Ingram had a .290 batting average and led the league in stolen bases with 18.  Rodriguez rejoins Quad Cities after starting his 2009 season there.  He leaves the Muckdogs with a .311 batting average and league-best 30 RBI.

Both pitcher Dan Richardson and outfielder Jairo Martinez were released by the Cardinals organization.  In his second year as a Muckdog, Richardson leaves with a 6.28 ERA in 11 appearances this season.  Martinez was batting .177 with one homerun in Batavia this year.

New Faces:

Jesse Simpson:

Position: RHP

Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 40^th Round

2009 Stats: 3-0, 1.24 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 29 innings

Justin Smith:

Position: RHP

Hometown: Pleasant Grove, Utah

College: Utah Valley University

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 36^th Round

2009 Stats: 1-1, 3.70 ERA, 37 strikeouts in 24.1 innings

Matthew Adams:

Position: Infield

Hometown: Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

College: Slippery Rock University

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 23^rd Round

2009 Stats: .378 BA, 6 2Bs, 6 HRs, 24 RBI, .595 OBP

Kyle Conley:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Richland, Washington

College: Washington

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2009 Draft, 7^th Round

2009 Stats: .200 BA, 3 doubles

Jon Edwards:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2006 Draft, 14^th Round

2009 Stats: .191 BA, 9 2Bs, 11 HRs, 32 RBI

Travis Mitchell:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Creve Couer, Missouri

Last Played: Quad Cities

Acquired: 2006 Draft, 13^th Round

2009 Stats: .254 BA, 8 2Bs, 9SBs

Michael Swinson:

Position: Outfield

Hometown: Douglas, Georgia

Last Played: Johnson City

Acquired: 2008 Draft, 12^th Round

2009 Stats: .343, 3 HRs, 6 SBs