muckdogs

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.

Came across this article about the Muckdogs attendance and financial situation in the Niagara Gazette...

Also of concern is the following excerpt...

"In the cause of efficiency, Rochester has benched a lot of the touches that made Batavia special. The hot dogs are pre-packaged. Base Paths treated himself to a premium beer and paid $6, more than the best seat in Dwyer Stadium. The scoreboard operator left, weary of criticism about capital letters from “bosses” barely out of high school. Gone, too, is the genial and raffish beer-tent tapster who seemed like a castoff from “cheers.”"

Not living in town anymore, I am curious to hear from those that have been out to Dwyer this season. Has the experience really changed, or are these just the views of a writer who comes to town once a year? I understand the financial challenges that the new management team is up against to turn a profit, but have the changes they have made effected the experience for better or worse?

I'm curious to hear your comments...

Tom @ 

http://20prospect.wordpress.com/

The Batavia Muckdogs remain a mere percentage point ahead of Mahoning Valley in the Pinckney division after splitting a double header with the Williamsport Crosscutters on Monday.

Batavia took the first game 5-1 as Matt Carpenter and Ryde Rodriquez continued to swing hot bats, each picking up a pair of RBIs.

Devin Goodwin also had two hits from the lead off spot while Xavier Scruggs continues putting together a good start to the season with a double and an RBI.

San Diego native Deryk Hooker pitched five innings giving up four hits and no runs to pick up his first win of the season.

In the second game, Crosscutters' pitching held the Muckdogs to only five hits, with only D'Marcus Ingram notching a multi-hit game. The Muckdogs dropped the nightcap 4-3, with Joshua Squatrito taking the loss -- his first of the season.

Squatrito pitched one and a third inning giving up two runs, but only one of those was earned. 

San Diego State grad Tyler Lavigne pitched the first three and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs.

The Muckdogs battle the Crosscutters again tonight in Williamsport at 7:05. Batavia returns home tomorrow for a 7:05 p.m. game against Jamestown and then are home again Friday night against the Jammers.

Matt Carpenter and Ryde Rodriguez  each collected three hits while Xavier Scruggs homered to lead the Muckdogs to a 9-2 victory over Jamestown Saturday.

Sunday's game against Williamsport was rained out.

At 5-2, the Muckdog's are in first place in the Pinckney division, a half game ahead of Mahoning Valley.

Carpenter is leading the league with a .483 batting average. Rodriquez is the early RBI leader with nine.

The Muckdogs play a double header in Williamsport today (making up Sunday's rain out), and face Williamsport again tomorrow. The team returns home Wednesday and Friday to host Jamestown (with fireworks following Friday's game, of course).

Batavia (4-2) got them on, but couldn’t get enough in as they lost 3-2 to Jamestown (2-5).  They stranded 13 runners on base, reaching on eight hits and ten walks.

Things got dramatic in the bottom of the 9^th when the Muckdogs got a two out rally.  Matt Carpenter and Xavier Scruggs had back-to-back walks and came in to score on a triple off the bat of Ryde Rodriguez.  Niko Vasquez then reached on another walk, but Jack Cawley followed him going down looking to end the game.

Batavia also had threatened in the 6th.  Rodriguez led of the inning with a base hit.  Bases became loaded later after both Cawley and Beau Riportella drew walks.  However, with two outs, Rodriguez ended the inning at home when he attempted to slide in on a ball in the dirt.

The Jammers got on the board first in the top of the second after Ricky Orton walked, Sequoya Storecipher singled and Jose Ceballos got them both in on a two RBI base hit.  They added one more in the 6^th when Kyle Jenson singled and came home on an error.

Michael Blazek (1-1) suffered the loss as the starter, going four innings with two runs, four hits, three walks and three strikeouts.

Beau Riportella was effective at the plate tonight, going 1-for-2 with a double and two full-count walks.

The offense wasn’t there for the Muckdogs (4-1) tonight, as they were handed their first loss of the season by Williamsport (3-3) ona slim 1-0 margin.

Crosscutter starter Siulman LeBron (2-0) had a brilliant start, going seven strong innings with only two hits and one walk while striking out ten for the win.

The one decisive run of the game came in the top of the 3^rd for Williamsport.  Jiwan James had a two-out double and came home during the next at-bat on a base hit by Evan Porter.

Batavia pitching remained sharp despite the lack of run support.  Starter Tyler Leach (0-1) threw four innings with three hits, one run and one strikeout.  Relievers Christopher Corrigan and Josh Squatrito combined for only three hits, two walks and one strikeout.

Matt Carpenter made up most of the Muckdog offense, having 2 of the team’s 4 hits.

Batavia is on the road tomorrow to start a three game series with Jamestown.  They return home on Friday night at 7:05.

Batavia (4-0) pitchers shutout the Crosscutters (3-2) and the Muckdog bats came up with ten hits on the night.

Batavia got on board in the 4th scoring one run after Matt Carpenter doubled and came home on a wild pitch.  They added two more in the 6th.  Devin Goodwin led off the inning with a double.  Two batters later Ryan Jackson singled for the RBI.  Jackson then came home on a sacrifice fly by Xavier Scruggs.

But the Muckdogs weren’t done there.  The team tacked one more on in the 7th after Jack Cawley walked and came home on a fielder’s choice.  The runs kept coming in the 8th when Carpenter singled, Scruggs walked and both were moved up a base on a wild pitch.  Ryde Rodriguez then came up with a base hit to score two.  Another wild pitcher later in the inning scored the Muckdog’s last run.

Williamsport threatened in the top of the first when the first two batters reached on a walk and hit by pitch. Bases were loaded with two outs after Michael Dabbs singled, but Anthony Hewitt followed with a pop out to second base to end the inning.

Deryk Hooker threw four innings in the start with two hits, one walk and four strikeouts.  Tyler Lavigne (1-0) followed him in a strong four innings, letting up only one run with four strikeouts to earn the win.  Dan Richardson pitched a scoreless, winless 9th to end the game.

Wednesday night at 7:00 the Muckdogs go for the sweep to remain perfect.