baseball

Local baseball fans may get to see a familiar face at Dwyer Stadium on Aug. 2 and 3 when Williamsport visits the Muckdogs.

Former BHS standout Ryan Gugel, signed as a free agent by the Phillies a month ago out of Albany, has been moved from the team's affiliate in Lakewood to the Crosscutters.

He will be the Crosscutters' third catcher, so he may not get any playing time during his visit to his hometown. 

Those are Williamsport's final two games at Dwyer this season. The Muckdogs face the Crosscutters tomorrow and Thursday in Williamsport.

Gugel was hitless in four plate appearances for Lakewood, drawing one walk.

It was a close game through nine innings, but the Muckdogs (15-16) couldn’t hold the Tigers (17-11) in the bottom of the 10th as Oneonta went on to win 3-2.

The game was scoreless until the 5th inning.  Niko Vasquez had a lead off double to get things going for Batavia.  Ivan Castro got on base right after on a fielding error by the Tiger’s shortstop.  Both advanced a base during the next at-bat when Beau Riportella grounded out.  Ryan Jackson then came up with a RBI base hit to score Vasquez and Castro came home later on a wild pitch.

Oneonta answered right back, scoring two of their own in the bottom of the inning.  The game remained tied until the Tigers were able to plate the winning run in the bottom of the tenth on base hits.

LaCurtis Mayes (0-2, 1.54) suffered the loss, pitching through the last two outs letting in the winning run on three hits with one strikeout.  Deryk Hooker was the starter.  He went five innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.  Joe Kelly and Santo Maertz threw two innings each, both giving up one hit while striking out two.

D’Marcus Ingram continued to stay hot on the road in July.  He was the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4 with a walk. 

Starter Eric Fornataro held opposing batters nearly hitless in seven innings of work today, setting the pace as the Muckdogs (15-15) completed the three-game sweep of Tri-City (9-18) with a 1-0 victory.

The lone run came in the bottom of the 8th.  Ryan Jackson started things off with a base hit and moved to second on a error and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by D’Marcus Ingram.  Jackson came in to score when Devin Goodwin hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

Fornataro finished with just one hit and one strikeout.  He had just 14 balls through seven innings and threw a first pitch strike to 15 of the 22 batters he faced.  Scott Schneider (1-0, .92) picked up the win throwing the last two innings with three hits and three strikeouts.

Jackson was the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.

Batavia (14-15) kept things going in their second game of the night, beating Tri City (9-17) this time by a score of 7-2.

The Valley Cats looked to take the second game of the series by going up 2-0 by one run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings.  But, the Batavia offense turned it on beginning in the 4th.

Alan Ahmady got on base after being hit by a pitch and Xavier Scruggs followed him with a two-run blast to keep his momentum from game one. Ryde Rodriguez then doubled and came around to score on a base hit by Jairo Martinez.

They plated two more in the next inning to cushion their lead.  Ahmady began the rally again by getting on base after a base hit.  Scruggs then doubled and both came in to score on an error during Rodriguez’s at-bat.

Two more insurance runs came in the 6th starting with a single by Guillermo Toribio.  He moved to third on a single by Beau Riportella and was able to come home when Niko Vasquez hit into a double play. Rodriguez picked up another RBI later by hitting a single to plate Ahmady who walked earlier in the inning.

Michael Blazek (3-3, 3.46) settled in in the start to get himself the win.  He went five innings with eight hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and four strikeouts.  Santo Maertz followed him in relief and worked out of a bases-loaded jam, throwing one and two-thirds innings with no runs, no hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

Scruggs stayed sharp in the second game of the night, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a homerun and two RBI.  Ahmady went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored and Rodriguez went 2-for-4 also with a double.

A fresh day gave the Muckdogs (13-15) a fresh start, which was just what they needed to erase a 3-0 deficit in the continuation of Friday night’s game to go on and beat the Valley Cats (9-16) 5-4.

On Friday, J.D. Martinez powered the Tri-City offense with a two-run homerun in the 1st.  And then came the rain.

When play resumed Saturday night, Martinez added another on the board with a solo shot.  The Valley Cats made it 4-0 in the 4th, but that would be all as Batavia battled back to get the win.

 The offense started just four pitches into the bottom of the 4th as Xavier Scruggs put his fourth homerun ball over the left field wall.  They added one more in the 5th when D’Marcus Ingram reached on a force out, stole second, and eventually came in to score on a base hit by Scruggs.

Batavia’s big inning came in the 6th as they scored three runs to go up 6-5 and put the game away for the win. It all started when Niko Vasquez reached on an error. Beau Riportella and Ryan Jackson had back-to-back singles to load the bases.  Ingram then got a RBI on another force out as Vasquez came in to score.  Devin Goodwin got the other two runners in on a double.

Justin Edwards (2-1, 3.44) started on Saturday to earn himself the win.  He went four and two-thirds innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.  Joe Kelly followed him for the hold and LaCurtis Mayes finished it in the 9th for his third save on the season.

Scruggs went 2-for-3 in the game with a homerun and two RBI.  Ryan Jackson also had two hits in the game, going 2-for-4.

 I've finally gotten my videos to upload, so here's the first of player interviews. Many more to come in the upcoming weeks...let me know who you want to hear from...Enjoy!

For the 8th time this month, the Muckdogs (12-14) couldn’t muster enough and lost by just one run, this time by a score of 5-4 to Hudson Valley (14-11).

Batavia was down 2-0 after the Renegades scored a run in both the 1st and 4th innings.  The Muckdogs looked to come back with three runs of their own after 6th and 7th innings.

The lone run in the 6th came on a high fly ball to left field that resulted in Ryde Rodriguez’s second homerun of the season.  In the next inning, bases were loaded after a Ryan Jackson single, D’Marcus Ingram reached on an error and Luis De La Cruz laid down a bunt single.  Rodriguez then came up with the big bat again as he doubled to score two.

But history seems to repeat itself, as the Muckdogs couldn’t hold on to their late lead.  Hudson Valley battled back to score three runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead back again, 5-3.

Batavia came close to a comeback.  In the 9th, De La Cruz reached on a force out.  Alan Ahmady followed with a single that allowed De La Cruz to move to third while Ahmady himself moved to second on the throw.  In the next at-bat, Xavier Scruggs hit a base hit to plate De La Cruz and Ahmady was thrown out at home trying to be the tying run.  And that would be the ball game as Rodriguez struck out swinging during the next at-bat to record the final out.

Tyler Lavigne and Josh Squatrito both pitched two innings with one run and three hits each.  Lavigne struck out three while Squatrito walked one and struck out one.  Deryk Hooker (1-2, 3.48) picked up the loss in his three and two-thirds innings, letting up three runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.  Santo Maertz faced the last two batters, giving up two hits but getting out of the jam when Rodriguez threw out a runner at home to end the inning.

Rodriguez and Ahmady both finished 3-for-5, Rodriguez with two doubles, a homerun and three RBI.  D’Marcus Ingram had his second mutli-hit day in a row, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored.

Batavia (12-12) scored as many runs as they had all series, but it was not enough as they lost 9-6 to Mahoning Valley (16-8).

The Muckdogs got on board first in the 1st when Devin Goodwin doubled and came in to score on a base hit by Alan Ahmady.  After the Scrappers tied it up in the next inning, Batavia answered right back with two of their own.  Ryde Rodriguez led off the inning with a single and Niko Vasquez followed with a triple down the right field line.  Jario Martinez then had a sacrifice fly to get himself an RBI.

However, the 3-1 lead was short-lived, as Mahoning Valley scored three runs in both the 3rd and 4th innings and two more in the 7th.

Batavia also plated two in the 7th.  Luis De La Cruz got himself a base hit before Beau Riportella smashed his second home run of the season.  They looked to rally back in the 9th.  LaCurtis Mayes pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout and two groundouts to start the momentum.  In the bottom of the inning, De La Cruz reached and moved to second on errors.  He then advanced again on a passed ball and came home on a Riportella single.  But with two outs already in the inning, that was all they could muster.

Michael Blazek (2-3, 3.86) had a rough start to get himself the loss.  He went three and a third innings letting in seven runs, although only five were earned, on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts.  Daniel Calhoun threw three innings of his own with two runs, four hits, one walk and two strikeouts.

Vasquez and Riportella both went 2-for-4 on the night.  Vasquez had a triple, a run and a RBI.  Riportella had a homerun, one run and three RBI.

Tomorrow the league has a day off before Batavia travels to Hudson Valley for a three game set.

The Muckdogs (12-11) got an early 5-1 lead and were able to hold on against a tough Mahoning Valley (15-8) team for the win.

Batavia’s big inning came in the 3rd when D’Marcus Ingram, Devin Goodwin and Alan Ahmady all singled to load the bases.  Xavier Scruggs followed with a double to plate two.  Ryde Rodriguez kept things going with another two-RBI double in the next at-bat.  Rodriguez later came home himself on a single by Beau Riportella.

The Scrappers added two of their own in the 5th and another in the 7th but that was all they could muster.

Kevin Siegrist went four innings in the start with five hits, one run and two strikeouts.  Josh Squatrito (1-1, 1.74) picked up the win in his one and 2/3 innings of relief work.  He let up two hits while striking out two.  Newcomer Joeseph Kelly got his first save, pitching a scoreless 9th.

Goodwin and Ahmady both finished 2-for-4, each with a run scored.

The rubber match between the two teams is tomorrow night. Game time is 5:05.

Batavia (11-11) was lack-luster on both sides of the plate, which led to a 8-1 loss to the Renegades (15-7).

Mahoning Valley’s lead was manageable at two runs throughout the game, but a five run 8^th proved to be too much.  One walk and two errors from Batavia and two doubles and two base hits off of Renegade bats accounted for the big inning.

The Muckdogs plated one in the bottom of the 8^th when Ryan Jackson reached on an error, moved to third on a single by Guillermo Toribio and came home on a pass ball.

Andres Rosales (1-1, 11.57) got the loss in one inning of relief work, giving up two runs on two hits with one strikeout.   Christopher Corrigan went four innings in the start with three hits and two strikeouts.

D’Marcus Ingram had half of the Batavia hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a double.  The two teams play again same time, same place tomorrow.

Both teams had seven hits but the Spikes (10-9) scored one more run than Batavia (10-9) to grab the first game of the series.  The Muckdogs’ pitching was as good as usual but had no run support.

Daniel Calhoun went five innings in the start with one run, five hits and six strikeouts.  Michael Blazek (2-2) finished the last three innings of the game and got the loss, letting up the deciding run with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.

Batavia’s lone run came in the 3rd when Ryan Jackson singled, moved to second on a Devin Goodwin ground out and came in to score on a RBI base hit by Alan Ahmady.

Ryde Rodriguez continues to produce at the plate; he was the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4.  Ahmady finished 1-for-4 with a RBI, pushing his current hit streak into double digits.

With Mahoning Valley winning and Williamsport edging out Jamestown in ten innings, Batavia drops to third place in the standings, one and a half games out of first.

Friday night, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Batavia Muckdogs infielder Alan Ahmady smashed a home run over The Batavian's right field promotional sign.  The opposite field shot from the right-handed slugger made the game an especially memorable one for Jacoby Miller of Albion.  Miller was the lucky fan that night to have his name drawn in The Batavian's Fifth Inning Home Run Contest.  He won $250, which he picked up at The Batavian's office this afternoon.  We also presented him with an autographed baseball from Ahmady.

Ahmady, from Fresno Calif. (my parents and a brother live just a couple of hours south in the same San Joaquin Valley in Bakersfield), is one of the Cardinals top prospects.  Maybe some day that autographed ball will be worth more than $250.

The home run was Ahmady's first as a professional player (just to be clear, the autographed ball is not the one he hit over the sign -- I don't know what happened to that ball -- hopefully it was retrieved and given to Ahmady for his own collection).

Miller's father, Kevin, said Friday night, "This is something he will never forget."  Today, Kevin Miller told me he and both his sons are huge baseball fans and they attend many Muckdogs games.

Batavia's (11-8) pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts on the night while Auburn had two costly errors to get the Muckdogs back on the winning track after a three game slide.

Batavia's big inning came in the 4th as they scored three runs to go up 3-2.  Devin Goodwin singled and advanced to second on a throwing error and was moved to third when Alan Ahmady reached on a base hit.  Two batters later, Ryde rodriguez reached safely on a force attempt while another error allowed Goodwin to come home and Ahmady to advance to second. Another single by Niko Vazquez loaded the bases before Ivan Castro hit a two RBI base hit to center field.

Justin Edwards started the game out right on the mound going three innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Kevin Siegrist followed him to get the win in three innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and three strikeouts. After that, Josh Squatrito picked up his first hold and LaCurtis Mayes picked up his first save on the season.

Goodwin, Vazquez, Castro and Scruggs all went 2-for-4 on the night with Scruggs sending one over the fence for his third homerun on the season.

The Pinckney Division remains the same with all the top teams getting wins tonight.  Batavia sits tied in 2nd place with Williamsport one game behind Mahoning Valley.  They head to State College Tuesday to take on the Spikes who are close behind in 3rd place, just two games behind the leader.

Batavia (9-6) tried to hang on but couldn’t match Auburn’s (6-9) six runs as the Muckdogs fell to the Doubledays 6-5.

Auburn took their first lead in the 5th inning when Kyle Gilligan led off with a double and came home to score on a Kevin Nolan single.  Batavia answered with one of their own after Jairo Martinez struck out but reached on a wild pitch.  Ivan Castro then singled before both runners were advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Beau Riportella.  Martinez then came in to score on a ground ball by Guillermo Toribio.   

But the Doubledays took a 3-1 lead right after on a two-run homerun by Bradley Glenn.  They added four more runs in the 8th to increase their lead to 6-2.

Batavia rallied late in the 8th when they scored three to make it 6-5.  The inning started with back-to-back walks by Alan Ahmady and Xavier Scruggs.  Both came home the next at bat when Ryde Rodriguez hit a double down the right field line.  Rodriguez then came home himself on a sacrifice fly by Riportella.  But, the inning ended there as Toribio went down looking to end the rally.

Auburn tried to add some insurance in the top of the 9th after a lead-off triple by Lance Durham.  However, Josh Squatrito got the next two batters to ground out and Scruggs had a remarkable catch in foul territory to end the threat.

Tyler Lavigne went five innings in the start with one run, three hits, one walk and eight strikeouts.  Deryk Hooker (1-1) suffered the loss in his three innings of relief.  He ended the night allowing five runs on two hits with five walks and one strikeout.

Rodriguez and Castro were the only ones with multi-hits.  Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and one run.  Castro finished 2-for-3 with a run and a walk.

Batavia now travels to Auburn for a doubleheader tomorrow and closes the series away on Monday.

Batavia (9-5) went up 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st and never looked back as they shutout Jamestown (5-10) 12-0.

Devin Goodwin singled in his first at bat before Xavier Scruggs hit one out of the park to start off the night.Three two-out runs in the 3rd kept things going.  Alan Ahmady singled and was followed by a Scruggs walk.  Ryde Rodriguez placed a ball far down the first base side on a two-run triple.  He then came in when Luis De La Cruz reached on an error by the Jamestown shortstop Chase Austin.

 The Muckdogs had a big five-run 5th to cement their victory.  The inning started off with a solo homerun by Ahmady.  Scruggs and Rodriguez then singled and walked, respectively, and De La Cruz came up with a RBI base hit.  Later in the inning, Ryan Jackson walked to load the bases before D’Marcus Ingram doubled on a line drive to center to clear the bags.

Scott Schneider got the start, going an effective three innings with three hits and four strikeouts.  Eric Fornataro (2-0) followed him for the win in four innings of work with just one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.  LaCurtis Mayes shut down the Jammers in the 9th, striking out two while only allowing one walk.

Batavia moves on to face Auburn at home tomorrow night.

Contrary to a report in another media outlet, there are still tickets available for the Batavia Muckdogs game tomorrow, July 4th.

Traditionally, the Muckdogs July 4th game, with fireworks, is the best attended game of the season, but don't let the inaccurate report of no seats being available keep you from the ballpark.

That said, you might want to get to Dwyer ASAP to reserve your seats.

Catcher Ivan Castro homered and Xavier Scruggs picked up two-RBI to lead the Muckdogs to a 8-2 victory over Jamestown Thursday night.

In a game in which Batavia notched only six hits while scratching out 8 runs, Ryde Rodriguez also contributed two singles.

The winning pitcher was Michael Blazek (2-0), who tossed 5 2/3 of scoreless ball in relief.

Batavia, now 8-5, is in second place in the Pinckney division, a half game behind Williamsport.

The Muckdogs host the Jammers tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Dwyer Stadium. Auburn is in tomorrow night for a 7:05 p.m. game.

Both games will be followed by fireworks.