The view behind home plate at Albany's fabled Bleecker Stadium during the 2010 old-timer's day celebration this past August. (Photo by John Whipple - for The Record).

ALBANY -- The Albany Twilight League has announced its 2010 Hall of Fame class which will be inducted at the League’s annual Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 13th at 6 pm at the Polish American Citizens Club in Albany.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Pitcher/Infielder Brian Brown, infielder Dan Conway, and Pitcher/Outfielder Tim Shepardson. Spearheaded by a nomination from the ATL Veterans Association, the League also voted to induct just its second team ever into the Hall of Fame. This year the Oppenheim Post VFW 1019, a top tier franchise in the League for 34 years from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. A committee of league officers and commissioners voted the four inductees from a field of nominations made following the 2010 season. A player, officer or coach is eligible for induction after two full seasons of being retired.

Brown, a current Schenectady resident, played in the league from 1970-1979 and 1982-83 as a pitcher and infielder with Schaffer’s Brewers, Cocca’s Diner and the Sons of Italy. He was a four-time All Star and was the 1977 League MVP hitting .405 and going 5-1 on the mound. Brown was a key player for the 1982 Sons of Italy League Champions and ranks among the career hitting leaders with a .382 batting average, 53 RBI, and 12 homers in just 199 career at-bats.

Conway, a 1972 free agent draft selection by the Kansas City Royals, played shortstop and second base for the Oppenheim Post throughout the 1970’s. He was a perennial All Star and catalyst on five League Champion Oppenheim teams. Conway notched a career high batting average of .394 in the 1979 season, and tallied a .297 career average with 47 RBI, 7 home runs, and 66 runs scored.

Shepardson was a pitcher and outfielder with Finkle’s Jewelers, Burger King, the Sons of Italy and Apex Printing from 1982-85 and 1988-91. He was selected League Rookie of the Year in 1982 for hitting .385 and having a 4-2 pitching record that year. Shepardson was a four-time All Star hitting a career best .352 in 1984 and was a key player on the 1989 Apex Printing team that advanced to the AABC World Series in Battle Creek, MI. Shepardson holds a career batting average of .323 with 92 RBI, 17 home runs, and 73 runs in 349 at bats.

The Oppenheim Post team will be just the second Twilight team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The team achieved excellence from 1955-1988 winning 10 league titles, seeing 12 players sign professionally and 23 of its players later inducted into the Twilight League Hall of Fame.

2010 TEAM AND SEASON AWARD WINNERS HONORED

Also being honored at the banquet are all the 2010 All-Stars and individual award winners, including Albany Athletics’ third baseman Mike Zgorzelski who won the Most Valuable Player award leading the league in batting average (.464), home runs (6) and runs scored (24).

League Pitcher of the Year honors went to the Albany Athletics’ Jim Shook, for a 7-1 record, 7 complete games, a 0.25 ERA, and a new league record 104 strikeouts in 54 innings of work—leading the league in all these categories. This is Shook’s second straight League Pitcher of the Year award.

Rookie of the Year honors went to the Albany Athletics second baseman Al Barbato for hitting .323 with 20 RBI and 6 home runs (tied for the League lead). Barbato will also be presented the Harold Finkle Awards as the League Playoff MVP.

The American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Upper NY Association will also hand out two scholarships to players currently in the league and participating on college teams. This year’s AABC Peter Keyrouze Memorial scholarship winners are Matt Montross from the Albany Athletics and Aaron Tilley from Waterford Nolan Propane.

The Albany Athletics will receive the League Championship trophy at the conclusion of the night, their fourth League championship in the last five years.

The Twilight League will also recognize two AABC achievements by its teams. The Regional Champion, Albany Athletics became the first team since 1989 (and only the 4th in the league’s 80 year history) to reach the AABC National World Series in Houston. Furthermore, All Stars Academy will be recognized as the AABC Upper NY State Champion—their first title and the League’s 11th consecutive crown.

Tickets for the event, which is open to the public, are now on sale for $30. Those interested should contact League President Bill Miles at (518) 459-6534 or mail a check payable to: Albany Twilight League, Bill Miles, 8 Crisswood Drive, Albany, NY 12205. A limited number of tickets will be on sale at the door as well.

2010 Twilight League All-Stars

First Base – Jason Martin, Albany Athletics
Second Base – Al Barbato, Albany Athletics
Third Base – Mike Zgorzelski, Albany Athletics
Shortstop – Leo Corvino, All Stars Academy
Catcher – Bruce Barkevich, Dreyer Boyajan
Outfield – John Marcella, Albany Athletics
Outfield – Justin Meagher, Albany Athletics
Outfield – Greg Sulz, Dreyer Boyajan
Outfield – Paul Izzo, Waterford Nolan Propane
Designated Hitter – Dave Perry, Dreyer Boyajan
Utility – Bill Behrle, Blue Slate Bluehawks
Pitcher – Jim Shook, Albany Athletics Harold Finkle Award
Pitcher – Matt Dahlin, Waterford Nolan Propane Al Barbato, Albany Athletics
Pitcher – Tyler Travis, Waterford Nolan Propane
Relief Pitcher – Chris Shoepe, All Stars Academy

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WATERFORD -- Twilight League playoff MVP Al Barbato went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including a solo home run in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the sixth, to lead the Albany Athletics to an 8-5 victory in game  No. 4 of the League Championship Series and help the team defend its title at Kelts Field. Albany won its fourth league championship in the last 5 years. 

Barbato finished 9-for-21 with six runs, six RBI, and two homers while hitting safely in five of the team's six league playoff games.

Albany's Sean Donovan started the offense with a three-run homer in the second inning to give the A's an early 3-0 lead. Waterford's Paul Terry blasted a solo home run in the third inning to cut the lead to 3-1.

Barbato hit a solo shot and Justin Meagher drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the fifth to increase the lead to 5-1. However, Terry blasted a two-run homer to cut the Athletics lead to 5-3 and consecutive hits following put runners on base in the inning. But Albany's pitching held serve as A's righthander Jim Shook came on in the fifth to relieve starter Chris Smith with runners on base and fanned the final batter of the inning to stave off a Waterford rally.

In the sixth, Albany responded with an RBI single each by Barbato and John Marcella to make it 7-3, then got a sac fly from Dan Barbero to take an 8-3 lead. Marcella finished with a double and single while Zach Halloran singled twice and scored twice for the Athletics.

The Albany Athletics after winning the AABC North Atlantic Stan Musial regional earlier this summer. (Photo courtesy www.albanyathletics.com).

Terry finished 4-for-4 (two home runs, two singles and three RBI) and Waterford's Anthony Gadani also smacked a solo home run in the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, Smith hurled 4.2 innings for the A's to start the game and only yielded five hits, three earned runs and struck out six batters. Shook went 2.1 innings to earn the win, giving up just three hits, two earned runs and fanning four batters.

NOTES: The Athletics are now tied for first for most league championships (Davies AC, All Stars Academy) won by any one team since 1987 (prior to 1987 Sons of Italy and Oppenheim took turns winning championships from 1973-87) ...After dropping game No. 1 to Waterford in the series, the A's reeled off three straight wins to secure their fourth league title...It was only the second time in the last five years (10 series) that the Athletics have trailed in any Twilight League playoff series...The championship series was a rematch of the 2009 League Final when the A's swept Waterford in three games.... Albany has now defeated Waterford in 19 of its last 20 games since Waterford joined the Twilight League in 2008...With its 20-4 league record this year, the Athletics have gone 96-20 the last 5 Twilight League regular seasons and 22-4 in the league postseason....The Athletics just returned home Sunday from their first trip to the AABC National World Series in Houston, TX where they finished 5th nationally. They were only the 3rd Twilight League team ever to earn a trip to the World Series in the league's 80 year history.

RECORDS: Albany Athletics 39-11-1 / 20-4 league
Waterford 32-16 / 15-9 league

Albany Twilight League Championship Series - Game No. 4 of best of 5

Kelts Field

Albany Athletics 030 023 0 - 8 10 1
Waterford Nolan Propane 001 021 1 - 5 8 0
Smith, Shook (5) and S. Weber; Dahlin and Rader

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Albany's Bleecker Stadium was the site of the Albany Twilight League's 80th anniversary Old-Timers game Sunday afternoon. (Photos by  John Whipple - The Record).

ALBANY -- For 60 rainy and windy minutes Sunday afternoon, the Sons of Italy were once again the pride of the Albany Twilight League.

In a celebration of the league’s 80th anniversary – it is the oldest continually operating semi-pro baseball league in the nation – a collection of former players converged for an old timers game, something the league hosts only once every five years.

Jimmy Belgiano, at age 84, played in the old-timers game. He pinch-ran late in the game. 

A group of former Sons of Italy players posted a three-inning, 7-1 victory over a crew of assorted Twilight League legends at Bleecker Stadium, but having fun was the name of the game.

Fred Pidgeon, who played for the Sons from 1968 to 1981, winning four Twilight League batting titles and three Most Valuable Player awards, smacked the hit of the day, a sharp two-run double down the left field line. What was going through his mind as he hustled around first base?

Don Berti, Fred Pidgeon, Bob Murphy, Mark Massaroni and Tom McGuire (left to right) pose with some old jerseys prior to the start of Sunday's game.

"Please go foul so I don’t have to run," laughed Pidgeon. "I’ve always been a pretty good hitter and he threw me a fastball down the middle. I can still hit the ball. I just can’t run anymore."

The Schenectady Sons of Italy, then managed by current Siena College head coach Tony Rossi, won three league titles in the first five years of the 1970s. In the second half of that decade, Oppenheim Post VFW 1019, managed by Tim Lane, won four of five titles.

Former Sons of Italy player Glenn Kinns warms up prior to the start of Sunday's Albany Twilight League old-timers game.

"That used to be the rivalry, Sons of Italy and Oppenheim Post, VFW," Lane said Sunday. "That was the big rivalry in the ‘70s and 80s. It went back and forth and back and forth."

For video highlights from the game, check out http://troyrecord.com/video/sports/

Lane, who was there to watch the game, was one of a few who were around in the league’s formative years. Converted from a reservoir for Albany’s public water system, Bleecker Stadium opened for business on Thanksgiving Day 1934. The Twilight League has been its first and longest-tenured tenant.

"I started in 1954 with the Albany Elks, I went away, played pro ball, went into the Service and then came back to the league again," Lane said. "I went to Buffalo and came back here. Then I managed in here for about 19 years. It was a good run."

Former Twilight League legends Bill Levy, Ed Delehanty and Eddie Plew (left to right) take a break prior to the start of Sunday's old-timers game.

The defensive player of the game was Bill Levy, who won the league’s MVP award in 1976 for Culligan’s. Levy, playing first base, scooped everything thrown his way. Levy also led off the top of the first inning with a single up the middle.

"A lot of good players have come through this league and they continue to come through this league," said Levy, who competed in the league from 1969 to 1982. "It’s a very good league."

Billy Harrell, Glen Barker, Gary Holle and Mickey Brantley are among the local players that went from the Twilight League to the majors.

Gene Madaio and George Rafferty (left to right) lean up against the third base dugout railing prior to the start of Sunday's old-timers game.

The Twilight League is still fielding successful teams, as the Albany Athletics advanced to the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series this past week in Houston, becoming just the third team in league history to do so. Apex Printing (1989) and the Sons of Italy (1973) also reached the World Series.

In recent years, college-age players have been offered more opportunities to play in leagues such as the New York Collegiate Baseball League. The NYCBL’s Albany Dutchmen have shared Bleecker Stadium with the Twilight teams the past two summers.

Still, with a dedicated alumni group, many at Sunday’s game believe nothing is stopping the Twilight League from another 80 years of baseball at Bleecker Stadium.

"I’m part of the hall of fame committee and part of the old-timers and we have meetings throughout the year and we are the ones that make sure that this league continues," Pidgeon said. "I come down to support the younger players in the summertime. It’s fun. As long as baseball is being played in Albany, it has to be played at Bleecker Stadium."

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Former Shaker High and South Troy Dodgers star pitcher Tommy Kahnle returned to the Capital Region Friday for a three-game series against the Tri-City ValleyCats at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

TROY -- Not only did Tommy Kahnle have one heck of a homecoming Friday night, he's had a great start to his professional baseball career.

Kahnle, the former Shaker High and South Troy Dodgers star flamethrowing righthander, who was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fifth round in June and signed with the club a few weeks ago, returned to the area with the Staten Island Yankees for a New York-Penn League game Friday night against the Tri-City ValleyCats at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

The Yankees gave Kahnle a chance to pitch in front of the home crowd and he did not disappoint. Kahnle pitched the seventh and eighth innings, striking out four.

In fact, in his short professional career, he's yet to allow a baserunner. In three appearances at the short-season Class A level (four innings), Kahnle has recorded seven strikeouts. That's it. No walks, no hits...no nothing.

In the ninth inning, the Yankees turned to Richard Martinez and the home fans got even more bang for their buck. Tri-City's Kike Hernandez hit a walk-off home run for the ValleyCats, capping a 2-1 victory.

Former South Troy Dodgers pitcher Mike Ness, who is a member of the ValleyCats, also pitched in the game. He earned the win, his first of the season, on Hernandez's blast.

Our Ed Weaver covered the game and he also spoke with Kahnle for a piece for Saturday's paper. Be sure to check out those stories on Saturday. Kahnle will also be our Sunday profile subject in Sunday's edition.

Here are some excerpts from Weaver's story:

The hard-throwing righthander hit 97 mph on the radar gun, striking out four hitters and retiring the other two on harmless popups, bringing delight to his large, vocal group of fans, which may, of course, included some plain, ole New York Yankees fans.

"I thought I threw real good," Kahnle said. "I had command of my fastball, showing them a breaking ball. I was getting strikeouts and popups. It seemed pretty good. I'm pretty happy."

And so it's been for Kahnle in his first three outings as a pro.
  
"He's the real deal," said Atlanta Braves scout John Stewart. "He throws hard."

He's retired all 12 batters he's faced in four innings, striking out seven.

"I'm trying not to," he replied when asked when he might permit a baserunner. "That's my job. I know it's not always going to be this easy."

Tommy Kahnle gets in some long-toss work prior to Friday's New York-Penn League game against the Tri-City ValleyCats.

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In other baseball news, the Albany Athletics' run in the AABC Stan Musial World Series in Houston came to an end Friday.

Canton's Phil Sabatka hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Stallions to a 6-4 victory over the A's.

Albany (36-10) was making its first appearance in the Stan Musial World Series. Only the 1989 Apex Printing and 1973 Sons of Italy teams were the only Twilight League teams to reach the World Series in the league's 80-year history.

The Twilight League will host an 80th anniversary celebration Sunday (Aug. 15) at Bleecker Stadium in Albany. To read a story Andrew Santillo wrote to preview the event in last Sunday's paper, click here.

A Veteran's Association game begins at 4 p.m., which will be followed by a home run derby and the 2010 All-Star game. The league has been using Bleecker Stadium since 1936.

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HOUSTON, Texas -- The Albany Athletics made quite the debut in their first-ever American Amateur Baseball Congress Stan Musial World Series tournament.

The Athletics defeated the Dallas Royals, the South Plains regional champions, 13-5 in an opening around game Wednesday by scoring eight runs in the sixth inning and pounding out 19 hits in the victory.

Albany's Jason Martin sparked the big inning with a three-run home run that turned a one-run lead into a four-run edge. Mike Zgorzelski immediately followed with a solo homer and Joe DeMarco finished the scoring with a three-run double.

Earlier in the game, Martin hit a two-run single in the first inning to erase a two-run deficit. Then, Albany's Justin Meagher erased a second two-run deficit in the second inning with a two-run double to tie the game.

A's righthander Casey Walsh settled in after two earned runs in the fist inning then two unearned runs in the second inning. Walsh retired 22 straight batters starting at the end of the second inning heading into the ninth.

Albany (36-8), the North Atlantic regional champions, faces the Bayamon Vaqueros of Puerto Rico today at the Baseball USA Complex. Puerto Rico is the defending World Series champion and defeated the Lombard Orioles, 6-1, in its first round game.

ALBANY 13, DALLAS 5

Dallas Royals (28-9) 220 000 001 - 5 5 2
Albany Athletics (36-8) 220 018 00x - 13 19 1
Carlson, Flasik (6) and Smith Walsh and Mastroianni, DeMarco (6).

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USTA National Tennis Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.: Albany Academy grad Matt Kandath (pictured below), who now attends Stanford University, has advanced to the semifinals of the 18-and-under tournament along with doubles partner Jack Sock.

Click here to see details from the tournament.

The doubles team champions earn a wild card berth to the US Open tournament. For more details, click this page.

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ALBANY – The Albany Twilight League will host the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) North Atlantic Regional Tournament from August 6-8 at Bleecker Stadium and Keenholts Park where six teams will compete to advance to the AABC National World Series in Houston, Texas from Wednesday, August 11-14.

The North Atlantic Regional Stan Musial division returns to Albany for the fourth time since 2004 and will see six teams compete in an 11-game schedule starting the morning of Friday, August 6th and running through Sunday, August 8th.

Defending Regional champion Long Island Storm will return to the event following a first place finish in the Long Island Stan Musial League. The Storm finished as Runner Up in the 2009 World Series and won the national title in 2006.

Also returning to this year’s Regional is the Albany Athletics (31-7 overall) who have qualified for the Regional the last five years and lost two Regional title games (2007, 2008). The Athletics earned a spot by winning the Twilight League regular season while league foe All Stars Academy (24-10) earned a berth by winning the Upper New York State tournament.

Other teams qualifying for the Regional in Albany include the North Haledon Reds (18-11) of New Jersey, a 2005 Regional qualifier, as well as the Buena Vista Tomahawks (14-8) of New Jersey and SportsFever (29-4) of Brooklyn. The Storm and the Reds are the only two teams to participate in a AABC World Series.

The Athletics will open against Buena Vista at 11 am at Keenholts on Friday while All Stars will open with the Storm at 2 pm at Bleecker on Friday.

This year the AABC Northeast Region will conduct two World Series qualifiers. Besides the North Atlantic, Worcester, MA will also host the New England Regional, a six-team tournament with the winner going to Houston for the World Series.

The Twilight League hosted the Regional event as a 16-team tournament back in 2005 with teams competing in a pool play format. In 2004, the event was also held in Albany as an 8-team bracketed tournament prior to the World Series and in 2008 the event was 10 teams.

For the complete tournament schedule and results, visit www.northatlanticregional.com. 

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The Tri-City ValleyCats posted a 5-3 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Tuesday night at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in New York-Penn League action.

Tri-City ValleyCats starting pitcher Alex Sogard throws a pitch during the first inning of Tuesday's game against the Vermont Lake Monsters. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

TROY -- The ValleyCats’ bus was waiting for them outside the locker room following Tuesday’s game – Tri-City begin a six-day road trip tonight in Mahoning Valley – but first, the team had Stedler Division action to take care of at home.

Tri-City batters smacked 11 hits and the bullpen spun five and one third innings of one-run relief as the ValleyCats posted a 5-3 New York-Penn League victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

For video highlights from the game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Tri-City pulled within five games of Stedler Division leader Vermont and is now three behind the Connecticut Tigers. In other division action, last-place Lowell defeated Connecticut 1-0 Tuesday night.

"I think we’re still just trying to go out and get better every day and play well that night," said leadoff hitter Ben Orloff, who was named Player of the Game for collecting three hits. "If we do that, at the end of the day, hopefully we’ll be where we want to be."

The ValleyCats won the final four games of the season series with Vermont, splitting the season series, 5-5.
Tri-City (20-24) jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after Ben Orloff led off the bot¬tom of the frame with a double to right field. Orloff advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Kike Hernandez's single to right.

Vermont (25-19) responded in the second when designated hitter Justin Miller hit a solo home run over the left center field fence to even the score at 1-1.

Hernandez scored for the ValleyCats in the third on Ben Heath's sacrifice fly.

In the fourth inning, Adam Bailey led off with a double down the left field line. Jacke Healey laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt, which Vermont pitcher Chris McKenzie fielded and fired toward third base. On an errant throw, the ball got away, allowing Bailey to score and Healey to take second base.

"We think we’ve been playing well the last couple weeks here," said Orloff. "We’ve been getting good pitching still and we’ve started to come around with the bats. We’ve played a lot of really good games."



Tyler Burnett capped Tri-City's scoring with a booming solo home run over the Vermont bullpen in right field.
Tri-City starting pitcher Alex Sogard pitched into the fourth inning but was lifted after facing three batters.

Vermont's David Freitas – the sec¬ond-leading hitter in the New York-Penn League with a .357 batting average coming into Tuesday's game – led off the fourth with a dou¬ble and Ronnie LeBrie followed with an RBI sin¬gle. Wade Moore laid down a successful sacri¬fice bunt, moving LaBrie to second, and out came Tri-City manager Joel Pankovits to remove Sogard.

The ValleyCats' bullpen came to the rescue.

Murillo Gouyea pitched two and two thirds innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits. Blake Blankenship recorded the first two outs in the seventh inning before turning things over to Brandt Walker, who tossed an inning and a third of scoreless ball.

In the fifth inning, Gouyea went after Freitas with runners on second and third and first base open and one man out. The decision paid off, as Freitas grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice and the ValleyCats escaped further damage.

"(Freitas) hadn’t been swinging the bat as well as the guy behind him (LaBrie) over the last five days," said Tri-City manager Joel Pankovits. "He was only hitting .150 or .160 the last five days and the other guy was over .400.

Tri-City's Daniel Adamson, at right, watches a fly ball during his first inning at-bat against Vermont.

"They’re a tough lineup, especially the middle of the order," Pankovits continued. "You have to pick and choose your guys you have to go after and it worked out tonight."

Jorge De Leon took over in the ninth inning and earned his fourth save of the year. Gouvea earned his first win of the season. His ERA was 8.76 in 24 and two thirds innings pitched prior to Tuesday’s outing.

---
Local roundup:

Athletics advance to Twilight League championship series

ALBANY - The Albany Athletics held the Blue Slate Bluehawks scoreless over two games and 14 innings of baseball Tuesday night, earning a spot in the Albany Twilight League championship series for the fifth consecutive season.

Albany posted 1-0 and 3-0 victories over Blue Slate at Bleecker Stadium in the best two-of-three Twilight League semifinals.

All Stars Academy is ahead one game to none over Waterford in the other semifinal series. The championship series begins after the North Atlantic Regional tournament, which is set to be played this weekend.

In Tuesday’s first game, Jim Shook threw a complete game one-hitter, striking out 14 and winning his ninth straight game. Craig Mastroianni scored the game’s only run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.

Al Barbato hit a two-run home run for the A’s in the 3-0 victory over Blue Slate.

Albany (31-7-1) has not lost a game in the Twilight League semifinals since the 2005 season and is 19-3 in all postseason games sine 2006.

Game One
Albany 1, Blue Slate 0
Blue Slate 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
Albany 000 100 x - 1 7 0
Kline and Pollard; Shook and S.Weber

Game Two
Albany 3, Blue Slate 0
Albany 003 000 0 - 3 4 1
Blue Slate 000 000 0 - 0 4 1
Montross, Smith (3), Lawton (5), Walsh (6) and Mastroianni; DeMidio and Pollard.



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The Warning Track Heat, a 14-and-under softball team based out of Stillwater, posted a 9-0 victory over the Northern Nightmare (N.Y.) to win the American Softball Association Eastern National Championship title recently in York, Pa. It was a 60-team field as players from all over the east coast converged for the tournament. Warning Track Heat went 7-0 in the tournament.

 Kayla Doty throws a pitch during the ASA 14-and-under Eastern National Championships last week in York, Pa. (Photos provided by Lisa O'Brien).

Warning Track Heat roster:
Michaela Smith
Rachel Baker
Jordan Podkladek
Heather Dugan
Danielle Mcomber
Hannah Sears
Morgan Rumpf
Jackie OBrien
Jackie Rossi
Kayla Doty
Alyssa Carter

Head Coach - Wayne Carter
Coach - Gary Sears
Coach - Mike O'Brien
Coach - Mike Podkladek

Last week, The Record covered the Lansingburgh Lady Royals as they prepared for the same tournament.

Thank you goes to Lorrie Pizzola, a mother of a player on the East Greenbush Express, who gave us the heads-up on this, as well as to Lisa O'Brien, who sent us a roster and pictures.

We love to pass this news along, but we can't do it without your help, so if you have any tournament results, please send it to us at sports@troyrecord.com

--
The Albany Twilight League playoffs begin tonight. Here is a press release sent to us by Albany Athletics head coach Joe Altieri.


ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Albany Twilight League will open its 2010 postseason at Bleecker Stadium on Monday, August 2 with the top seed and defending League champion Albany Athletics taking on No. 4 Blue Slate Blue Hawks, and No. 2 All Stars Academy hosting No. 3 Waterford Nolan Propane.

The Athletics, who won the Twilight League regular season with a 20-4 mark for the third time in the last four years, started the season 3-2 and then went on to win 16 straight league games. All Stars Academy (18-6) meanwhile started the season hot with an 8-0 start and returns to the playoffs after failing to qualify in 2009. Waterford Nolan Propane, the 2009 Twilight League and State Tournament Runner Up, bounced back from a 4-6 start to go 11-3 and end the season 15-9. First-year franchise Blue Slate Blue Hawks (13-11) qualified as the No. 4 seed by winning their last four games of the season.

Winners of each series will advance to the Twilight League Championship Series following the North Atlantic Regional tournament this weekend. (more info to come later in the week on the Regionals).

All Stars, who just captured their first state title Sunday, and the Athletics, who have nine state championships including four straight (2006-09), have both earned berths in the North Atlantic Regional Tournament August 6-8.


Monday, August 2nd:
6:30 pm - #2 All Stars vs #3 Waterford Nolan Propane
8:30 pm - #1 Albany Athletics vs #4 Blue Slate

Tuesday, August 3rd:
6:30 pm - #4 Blue Slate Blue Hawks vs #1 Albany Athletics
8:30 pm - #3 Waterford Nolan Propane vs #2 All Stars Academy

Wednesday, August 4th, if necessary:
6:30 pm - #2 All Stars vs #3 Waterford Nolan Propane
8:30 pm - #1 Albany Athletics vs #4 Blue Slate

Note: home teams listed first

--
One more note of interest to local baseball fans...the East Greenbush-Castleton Little League team was ousted from the New York State Tournament Sunday night, losing to South Shore 8-3.
South Shore plays Stony Point in the championship game tonight at 7:30 p.m. in West Nyack.

In other Little League news, World Series coaches will now be able to challenge calls thanks to a video replay system in Williamsport.

Will the Major Leagues follow suit?

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ALBANY – For the seventh time since 2000, the Albany Twilight League will host the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Upper New York State Stan Musial Tournament from Friday through Sunday at Bleecker Stadium in Albany and Keenholts Park in Guilderland.

The tournament is a five- team field with the following teams having qualified:

All Stars Academy: 18-6 (2nd place Twilight)
Blue Slate Blue Hawks: 13-11 (4th place Twilight)
CNY Yankees: 14-6 (1st place Central NY League)
Tri-County Bees: 21-10 (1st place Eastern NY League)
Waterford Nolan Propane: 15-9 (3rd place Twilight)

The defending Twilight League and Upper NY State champion Albany Athletics (29-7-1 overall / 20-4 league) earned a BYE by capturing the best regular season record in the Twilight League, thus getting an automatic bid to the North Atlantic Regional tournament next weekend.

This weekend the State tournament opens Friday at Bleecker Stadium with Waterford facing the CNY Yankees at 1 pm, and at Keenholts Park All Stars takes on Tri-County Bees at 1 pm. Blue Slate drew a first round bye and will face the winner of the All Stars/Tri-County game Friday at 5 pm at Keenholts Park. The winner of the Waterford/CNY Yankees game will earn a bye to the third round.

The Twilight League has a streak of nine straight years where one of its teams have captured the State championship every year dating back to 2000. The Athletics have won eight of those championships (along with one more in 1998), Davies AC captured the title in 2003 and the Albany Senators in 2005. Apex Printing was the last Twilight League team to advance to the AABC National World Series back in 1989.

The winner of the State tournament will advance to the North Atlantic Regional Tournament at Bleecker and Keenholts from August 6-8, with the Regional winner moving on to the National World Series in Houston, Texas.

FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2010

ROUND #1 
GAME #1 1 PM Waterford Nolan Propane vs CNY Yankees Bleecker Stadium
GAME #2 1 PM All Stars Academy vs Tri-County Bees Keenholts Park
BYE: Blue Slate Blue Hawks

ROUND #2 
GAME #3 5 PM Loser GM #1 vs Loser GM #2 Bleecker Stadium
GAME #4 5 PM Blue Slate Blue Hawks vs Winner GM #2 Keenholts Park
BYE: Winner of Game #1

SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010

ROUND #3 
GAME #5 * 11 AM Loser GM #4 vs Winner GM #3 Keenholts Park
GAME #6 * 2 PM Winner GM #1 vs Winner GM #4 Keenholts Park
* Pairings determined based on previous matchups, immediately following Round #2 if needed

ROUND #4 
GAME #7 ** 5 PM Teams TBD Keenholts Park
** Pairings AND bye determined (based on previous matchups AND previous bye) immediately following Round #3

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 2010

ROUND #5 
GAME #8 11 AM CHAMPIONSHIP Bleecker Stadium

ROUND #6 
GAME #9 2 PM CHAMPIONSHIP #2 (if necessary) Bleecker Stadium

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