La Salle senior pitcher Kyle Charron throws a pitch in Monday's game against Albany High Wednesday afternoon at Geer Field. Charron, in his second start of the season, was perfect through three innings and held the Falcons to two hits in six innings, striking out 12. La Salle won the game, 8-2, avenging an early season defeat at Bleecker Stadium. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

"It was a huge game for us," he said. "We’re not that far behind in the Big 10 and giving them their second loss, that’s big for us. If they lose one more, we’re right back in it. It’s right there for anyone to take."

Shortstop J.P. Sportman bombed a long home run over the center field fence in the first inning of Albany High starter Michael Hughes, as his future Coastal Carolina University coach looked on. The Cadets hit him hard in the first inning and forced him out of the game after three frames.

Sportman finished with two hits, two runs scored and three RBI.

"I saw first pitch curveball and I knew he was going to come with a fastball," Sportman said. "I knew right off the bat, it got a little up there, but I knew it was gone. That was probably the greatest feeling."

La Salle catcher Lukas Bridenbeck readies to throw out Albany's Pat Landers (foreground) to lead off the third inning of Wednesday's game.

The Cadets have climbed back into the Big 10 race and now with Charron and Dave Roseboom taking the hill every other day for La Salle, the team is feeling much better about its chances in the Section II Class AA tournament, coming up in just a few weeks.

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In other big news on Wednesday, Catholic Central High School named new boys and girls varsity basketball coaches.
Richard Foglia will take over as the boys head coach and Audra DiBacco is the new girls varsity leader.

Foglia, a 1980 CCHS alum, has coached the junior varsity team for the past six seasons and is also involved with the football and weightlifting programs.

"I'm definitely left with some solid athletes and I'm looking into turning things around," he said. "We had a little bit of a drop off last year and I'm hoping to get the kids playing with a little more energy and passion."

The Crusaders stumbled to a 5-16 record during the 2008-09 season after finishing 16-6 the year before.

DiBacco, the wife of Lansingburgh High School boys head coach Guy DiBacco, played at Siena College from 1996 to 2001, won a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title with the Saints and appeared in the NCAA tournament.

She has big shoes to fill in following LaBombard, who won 260 games in 16 varsity seasons and led the Crusaders to the 2001-02 New York State Class A championship.

"Chris and I are similar but were also different in some ways," DiBacco said. "She was here for over 20 years and took this program from nothing to what it is. I just want to bring my passion and love for the game, which I think Chris had too, but we show it in different ways."