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GCC men's baseball team looking to continue winning ways in 2010

By Howard B. Owens

A team that has won at least 40 games in each of its last three seasons, swept Ithaca College at GCC on Saturday, giving the Cougars seven straight wins and an overall 10-5 record to start the spring.

Head Coach Skip Sherman said the program has been successful both at winning and helping players move onto higher levels.  

Three players over the past five years have been selected in the professional draft: Ryan Gugal (Phillies) of Batavia, Yimy Rodriguez (Dodgers) of Rochester and Chris Page (Reds) of Batavia. Page did not sign and is playing at Emery Riddle College in Florida.

Over the past five years, 32 GCC players have received baseball scholarships.

On the current roster, three players have already signed with four-year colleges, and more are expected to sign before the end of the season. John Polonius has signed a letter of intent to play at West Virginia next year and is expected to be drafted in June. Manny Hernandez has signed a letter of intent to play at Canisius College in Buffalo and John Broll has signed a letter of intent to play at Ashland University in Ohio.

"Keep an eye on Shaun Slemko who looks like he will have a great spring," Sherman said.

Three freshmen to watch, according to Sherman: Adam Grace, Tyler Koronas and Dan Sharpe. 

The team features six first-team all conference players: Pitcher Greg Rapp, Catcher Adam Grace, SS John Polonius, 2B Manny Hernandez, OF Jacob Featherstone, and DH John Broll.

The Cougars next game is at 1 p.m., Thursday, at Dwyer Stadium. For the full schedule, click here.

Photos: First catch of spring

By Howard B. Owens

Nothing says spring more than baseball.

Today, in Oakfield, I came across Ryan Byrnes and Joe Colon, both originally from Elba, having a first catch of the season.

They said nothing felt better after a long winter than tossing a ball around.

Michael Napoleone Memorial Youth Baseball Tournament

By Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation

MAY 27-28-29, 2011

MICHAEL NAPOLEONE MEMORIAL YOUTH BASEBALL TOURNAMENT:

Played on the Little League fields in Batavia. Three age groups compete: 12/under, 10/under, 8/under. More info and registration form at www.michaelshope.org (upcoming events). Contacts: Dave (585) 797-7836; Paul (585) 781-8138; lhale04@hotmail.com; tkwoodzo@aol.com

Event Date and Time
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Photos: Muckdogs Annual Hotstove Dinner

By Howard B. Owens

Baseball, believe it or not, is just around the corner, and right on schedule, the booster club for the Batavia Muckdogs hosted its annual hot stove dinner and auction at the Batavia Party House.

More than 200 people were on hand for dinner and both a silent auction and a live auction with auctioneer Todd Jantzi of Bontrager's (below).

The booster club presented a donation to the Michael Napoleone Foundation. Above, accepting the check from Shirley Fanara, right, are Laurie Napoleone, center, and Ann Marie Suttell, president of the foundation.

More pictures after the jump:

Travis Sick, Muckdogs general manager.

Brian Paris, president of the ownership group.

GCC baseball signs two area players

By Howard B. Owens

GCC's head baseball coach, Skip Sherman, right, is excited about two players who will be joining his squad.

Adam Pratt, above with his parents, signed a letter of intent to play for GCC and is receiving a two-year scholarship to play for the Cougers. Entering his senior season at Batavia High School, the southpaw has a 3.06 ERA with 106 Ks in 66 1/3 innings with a record of 6-4. He was the Rotary Tournament MVP last season.

Says Sherman:

Left-handed pitcher. I have been watching Adam for a couple of years now and we are very excited to have him join our program. He will be expected to help lead our pitching staff and will be tested very early to see if he is ready to pitch at a high level. He has great composure on the mound and was asked to pitch in some big games as a junior. I am expecting him to have a big senior year for Batavia High School and I am looking forward to working with him at Genesee next year.

Also signing on with the squad is Ken Urbanik of Lyndonville.

Sherman:

Kenny is a very versatile player and is an extremely hard worker. He will do very well in our program because of his work ethic. Right now he is projected to play a corner in the outfield and we are excited about having a player of his size, with his speed, in our program. He is the type of player that always succeeds in our program and it will be very interesting to see what happens after a couple of years in our program.

Council agrees to lease extension for Muckdogs to play at Dwyer

By Howard B. Owens

In an item added at the least minute to the city council agenda Monday night, the council approved an extension to the Dwyer Stadium lease agreement for the Batavia Muckdogs.

Formalizing the lease agreement extension in a hurry-up fashion was necessary, said City Manager Jason Molino, because it's only been recently that another year of professional baseball in Batavia was "set in stone." 

Once that was in place, Molino said, the New York-Penn League demanded a lease agreement be in place well before the start of the season.

The NY-Penn League has been pretty demanding during the off season, Molino said, and the city has, in response, made improvements to the field and locker rooms.

"You talk about unfunded state mandates," Molino said. "Minor league baseball has mandates of its own."

Near the end of the 2010 season, league president Ben Hayes spoke harshly about the condition of the Dwyer playing field. Molino said the field wasn't in the horrid shape Hayes made it out to be, but the league did have some (valid) concerns.

"We addressed those concerns in the fall and the league is satisfied with the changes that we've made," Molino said.

The renewed lease makes few changes to prior agreements and does not increase the funding burden on taxpayers, Molino said.

The primary change is memorializing a capital expense fund balance with a minimum balance of $20,000, though the city has a $60,000 balance currently, Molino said.

Dann Bilardello returns for second season as Muckdogs' manager

By Billie Owens

Here's a news release from Travis Sick, general manager of the Batavia Muckdogs.

Dann Bilardello will return in 2011 for his second season as manager of the Batavia Muckdogs. The 51-year-old Bilardello had a record of 45-29 and led the Muckdogs to the Pinckney Division title in his first season as the Muckdogs' skipper.

Prior to managing the Muckdogs, Bilardello was the St. Louis Cardinals' Minor League catching coordinator for three seasons. The former Major League catcher also has four years of Minor League managing experience in the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations.

Bilardello managed the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Carolina League during the 2005 season. Before that, he spent three years managing for the Dodgers in Great Falls of the Pioneer League starting in 2002 and then the following two years with Columbus in the South Atlantic League. He led Great Falls to a Pioneer League Championship in 2002 with a record of 47-28 and 4-1 in the playoffs.
 
The Vero Beach, Fla., resident played all or part of eight Major League seasons as a catcher with Cincinnati (1983-85), Montreal (1986), Pittsburgh (1989-90) and San Diego (1991-92). He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being chosen in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1978 amateur draft. In 382 Major League games, he batted .204 with 18 home runs and 91 RBI.

Joining Bilardello in the dugout will be Pitching Coach Arthur “Ace” Adams and Hitting Coach Roger LaFrancois.

Ace Adams, 58, will return for his second season as the Muckdogs' pitching coach and his fourth year in the Cardinals organization. His previous two seasons were spent serving as the pitching coach of Quad Cities.

Adams entered the professional coaching ranks in 1997 with the Montreal Expos organization after 13 years as a college coach at Dartmouth (1984), Harvard (1985), Brandeis (1986-89) and the University of Michigan (1989-96). The Wellesley, Mass., native was a traveling batting-practice pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1984-85.
 
Roger LaFrancois, 54, will begin his second season as the Muckdogs' hitting coach and has more than 20 years of coaching experience. He has coached or managed at all levels of the Minor Leagues with several different Major League organizations.

A catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, LaFrancois spent eight years with the Sox, and saw action in the Major Leagues during the 1982 season. The Old Saybrook, Conn., resident has been a partner and director of the World Baseball Coaches Convention since 2003.

Mike Petrarca will serve as the trainer for the 2010 season, his first with the Muckdogs. Petrarca will be entering his fourth season in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

 

Cougars win WNY Athletic Conference Championship

By Billie Owens

For the third time in five years, the Cougar Baseball Team won the Western New York Athletic Conference Championship.

In game one on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, the Cougars defeated Jamestown Community College 3-0. The team was led by pitcher Greg Rapp who threw a one-hitter in all nine innings while striking out five and walking three. Nate Smith and Adam Grace each had two hits to lead the offense.

In the championship game later that day, Genesee defeated Niagara County Community College 7-1 to win the WNYAC championship.

The Cougars took the early lead scoring in the second inning. John Broll led the inning off with a walk and then scored off a single by Jacob Featherstone. NCCC came back to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning, but Genesee was determined to battle back as they continued to score throughout the game to make the score 7-1.

Adam Grace led the team in offense going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Genesee starting pitcher Shaun Slemko pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up two hits while walking one. Dan Sharpe entered the game and got the win pitching the rest of the way, striking out four and walking one.

The team will play at SUNY Brockport on Saturday, Oct. 9, in an "all day" game with SUNY Brockport and Finger Lakes Community College. The team will play three games on Saturday.

On Sunday, Oct. 10 the team will hold its annual Eastern Great Lakes Baseball Showcase at Dwyer Stadium. The team invites high school students, as well as junior college players, to workout in front of four-year colleges and professional baseball scouts.

This is one of the ways Genesee successfully sends its players up to other colleges. In the last five years, the program has had 32 players get baseball scholarships from colleges and universities around the country. Genesee has also had three players drafted or sign to play professional baseball.

The team finished its Conference fall season with an impressive 11-3 record. Coach Skip Sherman says, "I could not be more proud of this team. They have worked very hard and this a well deserved championship for this group of players."

All Conference players should be announced in the next couple of weeks and the team will then begin getting prepared for a competitive spring season.

GCC Baseball Roster:

Shan Alexander, of Willemstad, Curacao; John Broll, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Bryan Depew, of Wellsville; Jacob Featherstone, of Ajax, Ontario; Charles Gibbons, of Port Washington; Adam Grace, Niagara Falls, NY; Ross Graham, Kingston, Ontario; Alex Harms, Hamburg, Germany; Manuel Hernandez, Valencia, Venezuela; Josh Hill, Akron; Josh Leavitt, of Kingston, Ontario; Ivan Madafferi, of Albion; Leandro Pereira, of Curacao; John Polonius, of Curacao; Bryan Pyper, of Toronto; Greg Rapp, of Cambridge, Ontario; Adrian Rosellon, of Mexico City; Daniel Sharpe, of Youngstown; Shaun Slemko, of Courtice, Ontario; Nathan Smith, of Brampton, Ontario; Kyle Taylor, of Ajax, Ontario; Jaymee Young, of Pickering, Ontario; Greg Young, Waterloo, Ontario.

For further information please contact Genesee Community College Baseball Team Coach Sherman at 343-0055, ext. 6454 or email: SSherman@genesee.edu.

Pro baseball in Batavia in 2011 likely, says Red Wings president

By Howard B. Owens

Today Batavia baseball fans learned that they're not without hope that some St. Louis Cardinals prospect will be hurling an opening day pitch at Dwyer Stadium in June, 2011.

At a press conference where Cardinals officials were on hand to sign a new affiliation agreement with the Genesee County Baseball Club, Naomi Silver, president of Rochester Community Baseball said the Red Wings are prepared to support baseball in Batavia for at least one more season.

There are details to be settled before the current agreement expires on Oct. 31, but Silver said the Red Wings "will not leave GCBC in the lurch."

Without financial backing, and if a new owner is not found in time, GCBC could lose its New York-Penn League franchise and the $4 to $6 million that could be garnered in a sale.

"If the details of a sale have not been worked out, we would be willing to come in and help out Batavia and continue to run the ball club," Silver said. "I think the chances of baseball being in Batavia in 2011 are extremely strong. What role we play in that has yet to be determined."

Even so, Silver said, the club needs to be sold. The ideal buyer would be somebody committed to the community, with sufficient financial backing to keep the team in Batavia.

"We won’t walk away while we’re waiting for a buyer to come along," Silver said. "Somebody has got to be able to run this team because the St. Louis Cardinals are going to come here and expect to field a team. That is our obligation and that is the league's obligation."

For the Cardinals part, the storied major league franchise sent Assistant Manager John Abbamondi and John Vuch, director of Minor League operations, to Batavia to sign a new two-year agreement with GCBC.

GCBC President Brian Paris said the new agreement and the presense of Abarmondi and Vuch signal how committed the Cardinals are to working with GCBC, the Red Wings and baseball in Batavia.

"They could have done this through the mail," Paris said. "They could have done this through a fax machine, but they told me they wanted to come out here and and show their support."

The Cardinals show of support for baseball in Batavia comes just a couple of weeks after NY-Penn League President Ben Hayes criticized the Dwyer field, saying it was unfit for professional baseball.

"Always, there are things that could be better, but some of the concerns may have been overblown," said Vuch. "The facility is a safe facility. There are not glaring problems. We understand the situation here and we have no concerns."

Vuch praised the community for its support of the players, from giving prospects places to live, to providing a positive environment to support their development.

"The community has always been a good host for our players," Vuch said.

(Initial Post)

Muckdogs, Cardinals extend contract; baseball likely to be here in 2011

By Billie Owens

Although the Red Wings have not firmly committed to having community baseball remain in Batavia next year, they will maintain a financial interest in ownership of the Muckdogs and in providing the team with an affiliate in the NY Penn League -- the St. Louis Cardinals.

"The chances of there being baseball in Batavia in 2011 are extremely strong," said Maomi Silver, president and CEO of Red Wings Management, LLC, the company which has managed the Muckdogs since 2008.

She commented on the issue at Dwyer Stadium this afternoon, when it was announced that the Muckdogs and St. Louis Cardinals will extend their working relationship through the 2012 season.

The existing Muckdogs-Cardinals Player-Development Contract expires Sept. 30.

Silver made it clear that the Red Wings are not going to abandon the Muckdogs and that if it takes longer than this off-season to find a buyer, so be it. The search for a buyer continues and there has been interest shown, but no deal is imminent, she said.

A joint announcment about the continued affiliation between the Muckdogs and St. Louis Cardinals was made by Cardinals Assistant Manager John Abbamondi, Cardinals Director of Minor League Operations John Vuch, and Brian Paris, president of Genesee County Community Baseball, the nonprofit that owns the Batavia Muckdogs franchise.

Paris said: "The Genesee County Baseball Club is pleased to announce that will we be extending our working relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals for two more years. This is a great day for the Batavia community as we continue our partnership with one of the greatest teams in the history of Batavia baseball, including the unforgettable 2008 New York-Penn League Championship season.

"They've been a first-class organization to work with and we're fortunate to have them at our affiliate in Batavia."

Silver said: "We're very pleased to see the working relationship between Batavia and the St. Louis Cardinals extended. The Cardinals have done everything a Minor League franchise could hope for in an affiliation.

"They also understand how important small town Minor League Baseball is to the Batavia Community and they deserve a lot of credit for providing the baseball fans of Batavia with extremely talented young players."

Abbamondi said: "We have had a good experience working with the ownership and management team in Batavia and I want to thank Naomi Silver, Gary Larder and Brian Paris for their support.

"We reached the playoffs this season and won the Championship in 2008 and we look forward to building on this recent success."

In four seasons as a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate (2007 to present), the Batavia Muckdogs have made the New York-Penn League playoffs twice, with the Muckdogs winning their first New York-Penn League Championship in 45 years in 2008.

"The St. Louis Cardinals are a first-class organization and we couldn't ask for more," Silver added.

Ryan Gugel home for rehab, and eager to get back to baseball

By Howard B. Owens

Former Batavia High baseball standout Ryan Gugel still has a place in the Philadelphia Phillie's organization even though he missed most of 2010 with a shoulder injury.

Gugel is back home for a few months and helping out a little with his family's business -- Clor's Meat Market -- and continuing his rehabilitation.

The 23-year-old catcher was off to a good start in spring training -- hitting .450 with one home run -- when he was throwing at a scouting session and felt a stinging pain in his shoulder.

The initial diagnoses was tendinitis, but after three stints in rehab without improvement, the Phillies trainers sent him in for an MRI. Doctors found a 50-percent tear in his rotator cuff.

The Phillies gave him a choice -- more rehab, with the risk that the problem would return, or surgery. After giving it a couple of days thought and talking it over with his parents, Gugel opted for surgery.

That was in May and Gugel spent the next few months in Florida at the Phillies' training facility, going through rehab in the morning and just hanging out at the hotel in the afternoon.

"It was a tough period," Gugel said. "I'd get back to the hotel and there just wasn't much to do."

The rehab stint wasn't entirely boring, though. Gugel said as the season went on, more members of the Phillies organization joined him in Florida, including some of the MLB team's stars.

"It wasn’t bad when I got to rehab with Rollins, Happ, Madson, Durbin, Polanco and Utley," Gugel said. "It was a good time there talking with some of those guys."

Gugel's rehab continues in Batavia. He's glad to finally be back lifting weights and he trains with his uncle Dee Gugel. In October, he can start tossing a baseball again. The Phillies want him to report to Florida in January, where he'll get some work as Roy Halladay's bullpen catcher when the ace starter starts his pre-season workouts.

In an organization with some drafted catchers -- including this year's third-round pick Cameron Rupp -- Gugel, who was signed as a free agent in 2009,  knows he has his work cut out. But he feels encouraged that the Phillies are showing faith in him despite the injury.

"It’s really a bit tougher being one of the lower-ranked guys," Gugel said. "You’ve got to work your way to the top."

One run is all ValleyCats need to put end to Batavia's season

By Howard B. Owens

Starting pitcher Andrew Moss did all he could, from charging check-swing grounders to diving for infield bloopers and pitching nine complete innings of four-hit ball, but in the end it wasn't enough.

The Batavia Muckdogs lost 1-0, dropping its playoff series with the Tri-City ValleyCats 2-1.

Attendance for what may be the last professional baseball game in Batavia was 601.

But it was a rowdy 601 fans, never giving up until the final called strike -- with a runner on first -- to Nick Longmire.

The WildCats plated their lone run in the 4th when Adam Bailey doubled to right field with a runner on first base. Tyler Burnett reached on a squib infield single that both Moss and second baseman Joey Bergman made heroic efforts to field.

The Muckdogs managed only three hits.

Once the reality of the loss sunk in, only some fans started to leave. Many stayed a few minutes longer and gave a final cheer and yelled thank you to the players as they left the field.

More pictures after the jump:

Muckdogs win on walk-off out at home plate

By Howard B. Owens

NOTE: As the video embedded below shows, Joey Bergman, not Nick Longmire made the throw, even though the official game recap credits Nick Longmire.

All season, Nick Longmire has swung a productive bat to help the Batavia Muckdogs make it to the NY-Penn League playoffs.

Tonight, it was Longmire's arm that helped ensure there will be at least one more professional baseball game played in Batavia.

In the top of the ninth, with two out and bases loaded, Tri-City Wildcats shortstop Ben Orloff hit a blooper to center. Longmire charged, dove and the ball ticked off his glove. Chris Wallace scored from third to make the score 5-4. Jacke Healey, on second, never broke stride, charging for home. Muckdogs catcher Juan Castillo stepped in front of the plate blocking Healey's path and taking Bergman's throw on one bounce. Healey didn't have a chance.

The play capped a game that was as good as they come. For the 59,000 Genesee County residents who weren't at Dwyer tonight -- you were in the wrong place.

It was a game that was as unusual as it was compelling. It opened under dark, heavy cloud cover, a threat of rain, and a must-win match in a three-game playoff series after the Muckdogs had already dropped one game.

Orloff opened the first with a double, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on the second out. Starter Zach Russell then walked the next three batters and hit the fourth.

The Muckdogs were down by two runs on only one hit.

In the fifth inning, with the score 2-1, the Muckdogs loaded the bases and Joey Bergman came to the plate working the count to 3-1, or did he? The scoreboard read two balls and one strike. Tri-City starter Jim Robinson tossed the next pitch and it was called a ball.

Bergman dropped his bat and started heading to first, but none of the Muckdogs' runners advanced, as the third-base coach waved his hands for everybody to hold their bases.

As fans yelled "ball four," the Tri-City manager trotted out to home plate to ask what was going on. The four umpires conferred and decided Bergman did in fact draw a walk, allowing Chris Edmundson to score (pictured above).

It's not often, at any level of professional baseball, that you see an attempt at a sacrifice turn into a double play. But in the 7th, following a single to right by Daniel Adamson, Tri-City DH Michael Kvasnicka managed to bunt the ball just hard enough for Batavia pitcher Zach Russell to charge off the mound, scope up the ball, wheel and fire to second. Enrique Hernandez followed with what was then a meaningless double.

Russell left the game after six innings with a 3-2 lead, having given up only one hit, the lead-off double to Orloff.

Keith Butler nailed down the final three outs in the ninth to get the save.

Third baseman Jon Rodriguez had three hits and two RBIs, while both Longmire and Victor Sanchez had two hits each.

Game three of the playoff series is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., Thursday, at Dwyer.

In the other NY-Penn League series, Brooklyn beat Jamestown 9-8 in 12 innings to knot the series at 1-1.

UPDATE: Video by Mike Janes:

More pictures after the jump:

Batavia Muckdogs lose first game of playoff series

By Howard B. Owens

If the Batavia Muckdogs have had one weakness this year, it's been the bullpen.

While relief pitching has been stellar at points, the Muckdogs have let a lot of games slip away in late innings.

Tonight, in Troy against the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Muckdogs took a two-run lead into the ninth, blew it and ended up losing in the 11th, 10-9.

Closer Michael Reid was charged with a blown save and took the loss, giving up three runs in 2 1/2 innings. Reid had a 2.05 ERA and two wins and two saves during the regular season in 31 innings of work.

Starter John Gast, who came into the playoffs with a regular season record of 6-0 and a 1.54 ERA in six starts, gave up seven runs in five innings.

The Muckdog's offense was led by Jon Rodriguez with four hits and Nick Longmire with three hits, two walks and two RBIs.

Chris Edmundson and Geoff Klein also had two hits each. Edmundson had two RBIs and Klein drew two walks.

The Muckdogs return to Dwyer Stadium at 7:05 p.m., Wednesday, for game two of the three-game series.

Muckdogs regular season over; time for playoffs

By Howard B. Owens

They could call the team the Albany ValleyCats, but that's not a popular city in New York these days. Instead, they're the Tri-City ValleyCats, and that's who the Batavia Muckdogs will play in the first round of the NY-Penn League playoffs.

Tuesday's first game is in the ValleyCat's home park, which is on a college campus in Troy.

Games two and three (if a third is necessary) are at Dwyer Stadium. Both games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Tri-City finished the regular season with a record of 38-36 to win the Stedler Division. The Muckdogs took the Pinckney Division crown with a record of 45-29. Brooklyn comes into the playoffs with the most wins in the season with 51. The Jamestown Jammers grab the wild card spot with a record of 43-32.

The Muckdogs will come into the game fresh off a win against Auburn, beating the Doubledays 7-0 in a Sunday afternoon match-up.

Starter Nick McCully (pictured, file photo), pitched six scoreless innings, giving up six hits to move his record to 4-2.

Matt Valaika and Jon Edwards each had two RBIs on two hits. Audry Perez, Joey Bergman and Pat Biserta also had two hit games.

Nick Longmire finished the season in the top 10 in seven offensive categories: Second in runs scored with 53; seventh in hits with 76; sixth in triples with 7; fifth in homers with 9; third in RBIs with 55; fifth in total bases with 128; and eighth in slugging percentage at .483.

Jon Rodriguez finished: third in homers with 12; 10th in RBIs with 40; sixth in total bases with 122; and seventh in slugging percentage at .500.

Audry Perez finished seventh in RBIs with 47.

Victor Sanchez finished sixth in doubles with 19.

Joey Bergman finished eighth in on-base percentage at .400.

In pitching, Zach Russell had the ninth best ERA at 2.93.

Jose Rada, who was called up earlier in the season, had 10 saves while in Batavia, which was the sixth best in the league.

Justin Edwards (77 1/3) and Andrew Moss (75 1/2) were seventh and eighth, respectively, in innings pitched. Also, Edwards was fourth in strike-outs with 66, and Moss was eighth with 61.

Moss's eight wins were tied for second in the league.

A Sunday with the Muckdogs!

By Susan Brownell

We have been waiting all summer for today, because today was a matinee game at Dwyer Stadium.  It was cloudy, windy and quite chily, but over all a great game!  Don't get me wrong, we love those night games, but we had never been to a matinee game before.

The Muckdogs won it 7-0 against the Auburn Doubledays.

It was also Fan Appreciation day and my daughter, Celeste, won a baseball signed by the whole Muckdog's team.  And after the game, her and any kids that wanted to, were able to run the bases with Homer.  They recieved a Bob Evans coupon at third base!

Thank you Muckdogs and good luck in the Playoffs this week!

 

 

Here is Celeste and her Grandma enjoying some french fries!

 

 

 

Celeste and her new autographed baseball !!

 

 

 

Some game pictures...

 

Kids and Homer running the bases!

 

 

And here is a picture from earlier in the season!

 

Muckdogs beat Auburn, 8-5

By Howard B. Owens

Florida native Joey Bergman has made quite a showing in his first year of pro ball, hitting .302, scoring 35 times, driving in 31 runs and drawing 30 walks. But Friday night he achieved a special milestone -- hitting his first professional home run.

The blast in the fifth inning was part of a Muckdog onslaught against Auburn that lifted the division champs to a 8-5 victory.

Chris Edmundson also homered -- his second of the year. Edmundson's three-run shot was part of a five-run third inning for the Batavia.

Burgman had three hits and Edmundson two.

Starter Zach Russell went five innings and gave up three runs -- all in the first -- to get the win and move his record to 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA.

Batavia is in Auburn on Saturday and closes out the regular season at 1:05, Sunday, against Auburn. The playoffs open on Tuesday, but Batavia's first opponent and the location of the game have not yet been announced.

Photo: File photo.

Meet the Muckdogs: Seth Blair

By Gretel Kauffman

 

Sorry about the poor audio quality in the last two questions. The rest of the interview had to be cut out because of it. 

Muckdogs drop home game to Jammers

By Howard B. Owens

The Jamestown Jammers managed to get to starting pitcher Justin Edwards (4-5, 3.38 ERA) for five runs in the fourth and fifth innings, giving them all the runs they needed to defeat the Batavia Muckdogs.

The Jammers (40-32) are still in a wild card playoff hunt with Williamsport (41-32), while the Muckdogs are cruising into the playoffs as Pinckney Division champions.

The Muckdogs scored early, taking a 2-0 lead following a Victor Sanchez double, and hits from Jon Rodriguez and Joey Bergman.

The Muckdogs would score again in the fourth and fifth innings, but still come up short, 5-4.

Muckdogs coach Oliver Marmol was ejected in the fifth inning along with Manager Dann Bilardello. Marmol and Bilardello argued a foul ball call, which may have cost the Muckdogs a run. Shortstop Yunier Castillo hit the called foul, and later grounded out, and he apparently mouthed off himself and got tossed.

Rodriguez had three hits, knocked in two and scored twice.

Batavia is at home tonight against Auburn, in Auburn tomorrow and finish out the regular season Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against Auburn.

The playoffs start Tuesday at a location to be determined.

More pictures after the jump:

 

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