muckdogs

A gallon of gas is $4. A ticket to the Muckdogs is only $5. Conclusion? Why waste a lot of money on gas when you could  stick close to home for some inexpensive fun tonight at  Dwyer and watch the NY-Penn league's hottest team.

Batavia smacked down the Spikes last night 12-7, to move the team's record to 26-16.  The Muckdogs are a game behind Jamestown in the race for the Pinckney Division crown. The team also has the second best record in the entire NY-Penn league.

Tonight's game against lackluster State College is scheduled for 7:05  p.m. Tomorrow's game against Williamsport is at 4:05 p.m.

It was a back-and-forth game, but Batavia (25-16) prevailed to beat State College (9-31) 8-5.  Hector Cardenas (3-0) got the win on the mound, throwing two innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer came in to pitch a scoreless 9^th with two strikeouts for his twelfth save.  Rudy Owens (1-5) suffered the loss and blown save in three innings with five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

 The Spikes scored first in the 3^rd when Ciro Rosero hit a solo homerun.  Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning on a Charley Cutler single and Jose Garcia double.  But the Spikes came back again in the 4^th to score two.  Andrew Biela and Quincy Latimore both had singles then Miguel Mendez cleared the bases with a double.

 They added to their lead in the 5^th when Chase D’Arnaud started off the inning when he reached on a throwing error.  Jeremy Farrell then singled before Latimore singled to plate the two.  However, the Muckdogs started their comeback in the bottom of the 5^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Frederick Parejo, Cutler and Xavier Scruggs.  Scruggs came through to score on a throwing error later that inning.

 Batavia came through with the win in the bottom of the 8^th after Jermaine Curtis, Shane Peterson and Jon Edwards all singled.  Peterson came through to score the go-ahead run when Cutler ground-out.  Scruggs added some insurance with a two run double.

The Batavia Muckdogs ended their road trip strongly, taking all three games from the Crosscutters of Williamsport.  Here is a look at those games:

• Monday, July 28: Batavia 4, Williamsport 3:  Ramon Delgado (2-1) got the start and win, going five innings with six hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.  Jameson Maj closed out the game and got his first save with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts in his four innings of work.  Jermaine Curtis went 1-for-4 with a three-run homerun.  Christian Rosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Tuesday, July 29: Batavia 6, Williamsport 4:  On the mound, Scott Gorgen (2-0) pitched five innings with three hits, one run and four strikeouts in his start for the win.  Adam Reifer let up two hits, one run and a walk in the 9th, but was still good enough to earn his eleventh save of the season.  Offensively, Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.  Jon Edwards also had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, July 30: Batavia 8, Williamsport 1:  The Muckdogs excelled in both parts of the game to complete the three-game sweep of the Crosscutters.  Thomas Eager (2-3) threw the first five innings with three hits, one run, four walks and three strikeouts to get the win.  George Brown was impressive in the last three innings, letting up only two hits and one walk with six strikeouts for his second save.  And the Batavia bats were hot, totaling twelve hits on the night.  Edwards went 1-for-5 and Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4, each with a homerun and two RBI.  Shane Peterson went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.

Batavia is back in action tonight, starting a long homestand.  The State College Spikes come into town to play a three-game series.  The Muckdogs hope to keep-up their impressive stretch.  Here is where we stand right now:

• We are on a 5 game winning streak, winning 8 of our last 10 games.
• We are tied for 2nd with Auburn in the Pinckney Division, 2 games back of Jamestown.
• Jermaine Curtis's .324 batting average is 7th in the New York Penn League (NYPL).
• Arquimedes Nieto has record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.41 to put him 2nd in the NYPL.
• Thomas Eager is right behind him with a 2-3 record and 2.12 ERA to place him 5th in the NYPL.
• Adam Reifer leads the NYPL with 11 saves.
• The team is 3rd in batting, with an average of .262.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied with two others for the league lead in triples; he has 5 on the season.

This week, we also lost pitcher Lance Lynn, as he was moved up to Quad Cities. Blake Murphy also got the call up and Louis De La Cruz has also left Batavia.  However, Nick Vera is back on the roster and new infielder Brett Lilley has joined the team.  Lilley, oringinally from North Canton, Ohio, went to school at Notre Dame.  He has a .308 batting average with Johnson City.

Stay tuned for more information on games, players and everything else Muckdogs!

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Future Redbirds takes a look at the progress of several Cardinal Prospects.   Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Here are what they say about a few of the Muckdogs.  There's more coverage on the links above.

Pick #2, Supplemental First Round, #39 Overall - Lance Lynn

• Batavia - 14.2 ip, 15 k’s, 3 BB, 1 ER

Lynn pitched 89.2 innings for Ole Miss this season already, so it is my guess (hope) that the Cardinals are going to get him 30-40 relatively easy innings at Batavia this season before starting him at Quad Cities next year.  He has looked pretty dominant at Batavia so far, but there’s no need to rush him this year.  He hasn’t walked anyone in his last three appearances (11 innings) and he’s only given up one extra base hit (a double) in his time at Batavia.

Pick #3, Second Round, #59 overall - Shane Peterson

• Batavia - .352/.455/.429 14.4 BB%, 20 LD%, .471 BABIP

Shane has certainly torn up Batavia in his first twenty-seven games (take a look at that BABIP, though). He played three years in college at Long Beach State and has shown that he can play at this level, so I’d like to see him challenged by a move up to Quad Cities.  He has played all three outfield positions and a little bit of first base, but it seems to me that he profiles best in center field if he’s got the fielding chops to play there.  His power numbers have never really fit for a corner outfielder or first base and that has continued at Batavia (.077 isolated power).  He is, however, still only twenty years old, so he could still grow into more of a power stroke as he moves up the ladder.

Pick #5, Fourth Round, #125 overall - Scott Gorgen

• Batavia - 16 ip, 19 k’s, 5 BB, 4 ER

Gorgen put up outstanding numbers at UC-Irvine and has continued with similar rates at Batavia.  Like Lynn, Gorgen put in quite a few innings in college (115.2), so the Cardinals will probably not want to give him too many more innings this year.  I would bet that if Gorgen was 6′2″ with the same numbers he would get a lot more hype than he has, but continued success at higher levels will be the only antidote to the size bias.

Pick #6, Fifth Round, #155 Overall - Jermaine Curtis

• Batavia - .315/.390/.438 8.0 BB%, 14 LD%, .360 BABIP

Jermaine is a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Shane Peterson (with the exception, of course, that Curtis is a righty and Peterson is a lefty).  He has hit well, but doesn’t seem to have the power to stay at third base (.123 ISO).  It has been suggested that he may be converted to second base, where his bat would play a lot better.  Of course, like Peterson he is still only twenty years old, so the power could still come.

Pick #20, Round Nineteen, #575 Overall - Xavier Scruggs

• Batavia - .189/.262/.305 7.4 BB%, 18 LD%, .266 BABIP

Xavier was a power hitting first baseman for UNLV, but he hasn’t yet lived up to his reputation in his first 95 at bats at Batavia. He’s got good size and had outstanding plate discipline in college, so it is a little disappointing that he has struggled so much.

Pick #43, Forty-second Round, #1265 Overall - Blakely Murphy

• Batavia - .253/.337/.471 3 hr, 10.1 BB%, 9.0 LD%, .365 BABIP

Blake has been called one of the great sleepers of the draft. Looking at his college numbers, he played four years at Western Carolina University, I can’t understand why he didn’t get more interest in the draft. He had a very solid junior year in college and then put up a line of .367/.495/.683 his senior year, hitting 16 homers in 221 at bats. He isn’t undersized (or oversized for a catcher) at 6′1″, 195 lbs, he’s got good patience at the plate and hits for good power. Maybe he’s a black hole on defense, but those numbers should play anywhere. He hasn’t quite put up the same numbers thus far at Batavia, but he has been solid.

Also covered (see links above):

Pick #15, Round Fourteen, #425 Overall - Charles Cutler

Pick #18, Round Seventeen, #515 Overall - Joshua Hester

Pick #23, Round Twenty-two, #665 Overall - Colt Sedbrook

Pick #25, Round Twenty-four, #725 Overall - Zachary Pitts

Pick #26, Round Twenty-five, #755 Overall - Jason Buursma

Pick #27, Round Twenty-six, #785 Overall - Christopher Swauger

Pick #28, Round Twenty-seven, #815 Overall - George Brown

Pick #39, Thirty-eighth Round, #1145 Overall - Daniel Richardson

Here is a quick video of the key players from the two home games against Oneonta last Tuesday and Wednesday.  More (and better) video is to come!

I also want to start a "Meet the Muckdogs" feature where I do interviews with the players.  Feedback would be great to see who you all want to hear from and learn about!

Enjoy!

 After yet another rainout on Thursday, the Muckdogs took to the road to win a series against the State College Spikes to improve their record to 21-16.  Batavia lost Friday’s contest 4-3 before winning 7-3 on Saturday and 6-5 on Sunday.  Here is a quick look at those games:

• Friday, July 25: State College 4, Batavia 3:  George Brown got the start on the mound, going three and two-thirds innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned) and three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager (1-3) suffered the loss, throwing the last three innings with four hits, one run and three strikeouts.  Jose Garcia led off the game with a triple and ended the night 1-for-3 with a stolen base.  Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a RBI.

• Saturday, July 26: Batavia 7, State College 3:  Batavia had fourteen hits and eleven strikeouts in the game to get back on the winning track.  Lance Lynn had a strong start, pitching four innings with three hits, one run, one walk and seven strikeouts.  Josh Hester (2-1) also threw four innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and four strikeouts for the win.  Offensively, Xavier Scruggs went 3-for-4 with two solo-homeruns.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple.

• Sunday, July 27: Batavia 6, State College 5:  Zachary Pitts went five innings with three hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts for the start, but Arquidemes Nieto (4-0) got the win in his three innings.  Nieto let-up four hits and two runs and struck out two.  Jason Buursma earned his second save, facing the last two batters of the game.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a RBI and Charley Cutler went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Muckdogs now travel to Williamsport for a three game series against the Crosscutters before returning home for another three game series versus State College.

From today's D&C:

Rochester Community Baseball is more than satisfied working with and promoting the New York-Penn League Batavia Muckdogs this year, and general manager Dan Mason on Friday said he expects to continue the operation in 2009, with the St. Louis Cardinals remaining as the parent club.

The Muckdogs drew 21,952 for their first 17 home dates this summer. Last year's final home attendance was 44,270 for 38 dates. "We expect attendance to pick up in August, when we'll have fireworks on four Friday nights, and bobblehead nights for Ryan Howard (Saturday) and Chase Utley (Aug. 23)," said Mason.

Dwyer Stadium seats about 2,600 and Mason said the July 4 crowd of 3,012 was the largest for Batavia "in years."

The rain out of yesterday's Muckdog's game also washed away an opportunity to take in nine innings with Bill Kauffman. 

Instead, we sat in the stands above the soggy field surrounded by 500 restless summer camp kids and chatted until the din of some undefinable noises from the sound system drove us away.  Once we discovered a mutual affection for the Pok-A-Dot and concluded the game would not be played, we dashed over to the diner for lunch.

Having exhausted Google in requests for links to articles by Bill Kauffman, I asked him to send me some pointers to published pieces.

This morning's e-mail brings another essay about Batavia, Play Ball, in First Principles.

Kauffman delights in the quirky fates of life in America, where either by chance or odd ball persistence, people leave marks both indelible  and obscure. In "Play Ball," Kauffman passes along the tale of Vince Maney, perhaps the first and perhaps the only Batavian to ever play major league baseball.

The chance of a lifetime was the result of Ty Cobb fighting with a fan, which led to a suspension, which led to Cobb's teammates refusing to take the field, which led to a team of amateurs and semi-pros filling out the roster of the Detroit Tigers for one day nearly a century ago.

The game of May 18, 1912, was a rout. Emergency Tigers pitcher Aloysius Travers, who later became a Jesuit priest, was touched for twenty-four runs on twenty-six hits in eight innings. Who needs a bullpen? Vince Maney described the game in a letter to his brother: “I played shortstop and had more fun than you can imagine. Of course it was a big defeat for us, but they paid us $15 for a couple of hours work and I was satisfied to be able to say that I had played against the world champions. I had three putouts, three assists, one error, and no hits.”

If only Bill James had been sabermetricking in 1912. For Vince also walked once and was hit by a pitch, giving him an on-base percentage of .500. Calling Billy Beane!

Maney played under an assumed name that day. He was a strikebreaker, after all—a scab of sorts, although Ty Cobb wasn’t exactly Samuel Gompers. For nigh unto one hundred years the baseball record books listed Maney as Pat Meaney, forty-one, of Philadelphia. The fictive Meany’s made-up age gave him the specious distinction of being the oldest rookie ever to debut in the majors, till forty-two-year-old Satchel Paige joined Cleveland in 1948.

I just wish I had been in the stands last August when Kauffman read a Charles Bukowski poem to the fans between innings. Perhaps he can be persuaded to reprise the performance this summer.

Batavia (19-15) battled back and forth with Oneonta (17-17) to finally come through to prevail 5-3.  Miguel Tapia (4-2) went five innings on the mound with two hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts to get the win.  Adam Reifer got his tenth save in his usual fashion, pitching a hitless 9^th with one strikeout.

The Muckdogs jumped on the board first in the 2^nd inning when Blake Murphy doubled and was then driven in on a Domnit Bolivar sacrifice fly.  The Tigers answered back with two runs of their own in the 3^rd after Christopher White walked and Ben Guez hit a homerun.  But Batavia tied it up in the bottom of the inning.  Beau Riportella singled, Jose Garcia reached on a fielder’s choice and Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Shane Peterson then flew out to centerfield for a RBI.

Batavia came through to break the tie and get the win in the 5^th when the same three players loaded the bases again after Riportella doubled, Garcia was hit by a pitch and Sedbrook singled.  Peterson then cracked a double to clear the bases.

Riportella went 2-for-3 at the plate while Murphy went 2-for-4, each with a double.  Peterson had four RBI.  The rubber-match between the two teams is set for an early 11:05 start on Thursday.

The Muckdogs (18-15) added one to the loss column, falling 6-3 to the Oneonta Tigers (17-16).  Jameson Maj (2-2) got the start and the loss, pitching five innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts.  For the Tigers, Darwin De Leon (3-1) got the win in five and two-thirds innings with three hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout.  Aaron Fuherman pitched the last three and a third innings with two hits, one run and two strikeouts to get his first save of the season.

Oneonta struck first in the 3^rd inning when Ben Guez reached on a fielding error, Joshua Workman doubled and Bryan Pounds flew out for the RBI.  Angel Flores singled to score the other run in the inning.  In the 6^th, they made it 3-0 when Mike Gosse reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on Brent Wyatt triple.

Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning when Shane Peterson was hit by a pitch and Blake Murphy hit his third homerun of the season.  However, Oneonta scored three in the 7^th to seal their win.  Guez walked, stole second and scored when Pounds singled.  Then Billy Nowlin and Gosse both had RBI singles.

The Muckdogs’ last run came in the bottom of the 7^th on a Beau Riportella double and a Jose Garcia single.  Riportella ended the night 2-for-4.

Batavia Middle School will get a rock climbing wall. The city School Board approved the purchase of the $55,000 wall at its meeting last night, according to the Daily News. Reporter Joanne Beck writes: "The district can afford the purchase with surplus year-end funds from 2007-08, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said."

At the same meeting, following the purchase of the rock wall, the board then approved an increase in breakfast and lunch prices at city schools, reported Beck. Breakfast will now be $1.10 at the elementary school and $1.25 at the middle and high schools; lunch will be $1.55 and $1.85, respectively.

Work on the Walnut Street roundabout and street reconstruction will be postponed until next year. City Manager Jason Molino told the Daily News that "the decision was made by contractor CATCO." It was decided to hold off on the project "to minimize disruptions to the normal traffic flow," and meetings will be held in February to "help people understand how best to navigate and use the roundabout."

Mercy Flight and the Batavia Muckdogs will join together for a fundraiser that will grant two lucky raffle winners the chance to ride a helicopter from the airport to Dwyer Stadium and throw out the first pitch of that night's game. A $10 ticket will include admission to the Muckdogs game on August 4, as well as entry into the drawing. "Mercy Flight will get $6 out of every $10 ticket sold." Tickets can be purchased at Dwyer Stadium and at Mercy Flight's base at Genesee County Airport. Winners will be announced at the August 1 Muckdogs game.

Congratulations to Batavia's 11-year-old Little League Baseball all-stars whop took home the District 3 championship last night in the second straight defeat of Oakfield. In its past three games, Batavia has outscored its opponents 34-4. Talk about an offensive powerhouse!

As always, we encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

For the second Sunday in a row the Muckdogs were rained out, this time after not quite a full inning of play.  The game is re-scheduled for August 6th when Auburn comes back into town.

The Muckdogs were on the road this past Wednesday through Sunday for a three-game series against Staten Island and a game in Auburn.  They finished the trip 2-2.  Here is a quick recap of those games:

• Wednesday, July 16: Staten Island 6, Batavia 5:  Ramon Delgado (1-1) got the start and the loss, going three and a third innings with eight hits and six runs (five earned). Jameson Maj had a strong performance, throwing the last four innings allowing only one hit with six strikeouts and no walks.  Offensively, Batavia had twelve hits to Staten Islands ten.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with his first homerun of the season.  Jermaine Curtis and Domnit Bolivar went 4-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively, each with a double.
• Thursday, July 17: Batavia 4, Staten Island 2: Scott Gorgen started the game, going four innings with three hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts, but Miguel Tapia (3-2) scored the win.  Tapia pitched three and a third innings with three hits, two walks and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer pitched a scoreless 9th with one strikeout for the save.  Sedbrook was big at the plate again, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.
• Friday, July 18: Staten Island 3, Batavia 2:  The Yankees broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 9th to win the rubber-match.  George Brown (0-1) suffered the loss in three innings, letting up five hits, three runs and one walk with three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager started the game, throwing five innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-4 with a homerun and Christian Rosa went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
• Saturday, July 19: Batavia 7, Auburn 5:  Josh Hester had a great start, pitching four and a third innings, allowing only one hit and five strikeouts.  Hector Cardenas (2-0) pitched three innings with a walk and two strikeouts for the win.  Reifer pitched another scoreless 9th with one strikeout for his eighth save.  At the plate, Sedbrook went 2-for-4 with a triple.  Shane Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Rosa went 2-for-5, also with a double and a RBI.

The Muckdogs (17-14) are now tied for second place in the Pinckney Division with Auburn, whom they play tonight.  They then come home for a three-game series against the Oneonta Tigers.  Tuesday and Wednesday's games start at 7:05 and Thursday has an early start of 11:05.

The Muckdogs (15-12) dropped the first game 3-1 but rallied back in dramatic fashion to win the second game and the series against the Aberdeen Ironbirds (13-14).

In the first game, Josh Hester (1-1) pitched three innings, giving up six hits and three runs with two strikeouts in the loss.  Aberdeen’s Cole McCurry (4-0) earned the win, pitching five innings with five hits, one run and four strikeouts.

The Ironbirds scored two in the 2^nd when Lee Ellis singled and Robert Widlansky hit a homerun over the right field wall.  The Muckdogs looked to threaten in the bottom of the inning when they scored their one run.  Chris Swauger doubled and Domnit Bolivar singled to move Swauger to third before Xavier Scruggs flied out for the RBI.

Aberdeen’s last run came on three singles off the bats of Caleb Joseph, Jacob Julius and Tyler Kolodny.  Batavia’s Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 in the game.

In the second contest of the night, Hector Cardenas (1-0) got the win through his one inning of work.  Joseph Esposito (0-1) got the loss and the blown save as he allowed two hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts in one inning.

The Ironbirds jumped out to an early lead in the 1^st when Calvin Lester singled, stole second and scored on a wild pitch. Batavia started their offense in the 3^rd, scoring three runs.  Charley Cutler singled then Sedbrook tripled to drive him in.  Jermaine Curtis singled and Shane Peterson doubled to score the other two.

Things then got interesting when Aberdeen had a big six-run 6^th inning.  An Eric Perlozzo single, Calvin Lester single, then a Joseph double started the rally.  After a pitching change, Julius walked and Kolodny was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Joseph scored on a wild pitch.  An Ellis double and Widlansky single plated the other runs.

The Muckdogs weren’t done though, as they started the comeback, scoring twice in the bottom of the 6^th.  Peterson singled and Jon Edwards was hit by a pitch before both advanced a base on a wild pitch.  Cutler then singled to get two RBI.

After holding Aberdeen in the next inning, Batavia continued their rally.  Sedbrook led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Curtis followed with another walk.  Then with two outs, Christian Rosa dropped a single in front of the plate to score Sedbrook.  Scruggs then came into the spotlight, as he smashed a double to right field to score the two winning runs to end the game as the Muckdogs won 8-7.

Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and Cutler went 2-for-3 with two RBI to finish out the homestand.  The Muckdogs now travel to Staten Island for a three game series.

The Batavia Muckdogs' home game tonight, 7/14, against the Aberdeen Ironbirds is a double header since the game was rained out on Sun., 7/13.  Game start time is 5:05pm.  Booster Club 50/50 sales will begin normal time, 6pm.  If I'm not mistaken, both games will be a total of 7 innings each, unless there's OT.

The Muckdogs (14-11) improved their winning streak to three games, winning 4-1 against the Aberdeen Ironbirds (12-13). LaCurtis Mayes’s (1-0) one inning of work was enough to get him the win on the mound. Adam Reifer (6) pitched a scoreless 9^th, walking one and striking out two to get the save. On the losing end, Aaron Odom (1-3) pitched five innings with seven hits, two earned runs and eight strikeouts for the loss.

 The Muckdogs (12-11) rallied early to edge out the Lowell Spinners (11-12) 5-3 behind the winning pitcher Jameson Maj (2-1). Maj went five innings, striking out six while giving up four hits and two runs. Lowell’s Yeiper Castillo got the loss in his one inning of work, walking three and allowing four earned runs.

Adam Reifer let up one hit and had one strikeout in the 9^th to get his fifth save. Murphy went 1-for-4 on the night with a double and three RBI.

Don't forget everyone...  Every Friday home game of the Batavia Muckdogs, from now until the end of the season, is scheduled to have fireworks every night after the game.

A story in the local section of today's Daily News about the logo design contest for the New York-Penn League was missing one very important element. In a story all about designs, it would have been nice to see them.

So I went online and found them.

First things first, make sure you visit the Web site and vote for your favorite. There are six altogether from five finalists — Matthew Steinberg of Corfu got two submissions into the finals. Unfortunately, you can't tell which two are his. (This one to the left here is the current logo.)

Here are some more details about the contest from the Minor League Baseball Web site:

At the beginning of April, the New York-Penn League announced their current logo would be retired at the completion of the 2008 season. In an effort to find a new mark, the league announced a contest to help design the new logo. The league received over 80 designs from talented artists as far away as Paris, France, as well as designers from throughout the New York-Penn League community. After narrowing the competition to the top five designs, the contest will now be turned over to you, the fans, to select the league’s new logo.

And here are the final six. I kind of like Option Nos. 4 and 5.

Now, go vote!