Matt Zanotta follows through on a home run swing during a game this summer with the South Troy Dodgers at Geer Field. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Matt Zanotta, a 2010 Guilderland High School graduate, who currently attends prep school at Northfield-Mount Hermon in North Hermon, Mass., has made a verbal committment to play college baseball at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Zanotta hit a Section II record 18 home runs at Guilderland in the spring and followed that with another powerful summer season with the South Troy Dodgers.

High school '10: 88 AB, 47 R, 42 H, 5 2B, 4 3B, 18 HR, 56 RBI, .477 BA, 8 SB
Summer '10: 32 G, .340 BA, 26 RBI, 7 HR
Fall '10: 9 G, .348 BA, 5 RBI, MVP of Battle of the Border Tournament

A first team all-state first baseman this spring, Zanotta was also named the Suburban Council's Player of the Year.

Bryant, a member of the  Northeast Conference, announced it would make the jump to Division I in 2007. Bryant begins its third season at the D-I level in the spring and looks to defend its regular season NEC title.


Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

SCOTIA — Matt Gallup pulled a hamstring near the end of his varsity baseball season at Christian Brothers Academy this spring, which nearly derailed his dream of securing a Division I college scholarship.

A strong fall season with the South Troy Dodgers, however, put him back on the radar of college coaches and a visit to the Stony Brook University campus clinched his decision.

Gallup, a Scotia native and a senior at CBA, has made a verbal commitment to pitch for Stony Brook beginning in 2012.

A right-handed pitcher who features a curveball and a changeup and whose fastball tops out at 89 miles per hour, Gallup posted a 3-0-1 record and 26 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched this fall for the Dodgers.

Gallup had previously committed to Liberty University prior to his hamstring injury and picked Stony Brook over Monmouth and a number of Northeast Conference schools.

Trevor LaCosse, a left-handed pitcher, who like Gallup is a senior at CBA, recently made a verbal commitment to pitch for Bryant University. 

LaCosse, a Watervliet native, appeared in 10 games for the Dodgers this fall, collecting two wins and posting 30 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. He appeared in the 2010 Don Mattingly 17-and-under American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series with the Dodgers in the summer.

Steve Basile, another member of the class of 2011 at CBA, made his verbal commitment to Iona College two weeks ago.

Gallup, who previously attended Schenectady Christian School, believes Mike Urbanski, the fourth member of the Brothers’ pitching staff, is also close to making his college decision.

CBA, which finished in second place in the Big 10 Conference behind La Salle Institute in 2010, advanced to the Section II Class AA quarterfinals before losing to South Colonie, 5-0.

“This year is going to be a big year, too,” Gallup said. “We only lost two guys from last year.”

Three other South Troy Dodgers players have also recently made verbal commitments. 

Nick Cioffi, a right-handed pitcher and Averill Park native, chose Towson University in Maryland. 

Patrick Zilberman, a left-handed pitcher at Niskayuna High School senior, picked Central Connecticut State.

Branden Cogswell, a senior shortstop at Shenendehowa, will play for the University of Virginia.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

WATERVLIET — Steve Basile, a senior at Christian Brothers Academy and a member of the South Troy Dodgers' baseball program, has made his verbal commitment to pitch at Iona College, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Basile, a righthanded pitcher, chose Iona over MAAC rivals Fairfield and Siena and Central Connecticut, a member of the Northeast Conference.

“I took an official visit to Iona and I liked everything about it,” Basile said. “I really liked the coaches. I know their record hasn’t been great lately, but I think the program is improving and is about to turn it around. Coach (Pat) Carey (head coach) is very loyal to his players and that is important to me.”

Steve Basile pitches for Christian Brothers Academy in a game against La Salle Institute on May 13, 2010 at Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

A native of Watervliet, Basile led the Brothers to the quarterfinal round in the Section II Class AA tournament this spring and was a first team Big 10 Conference All-Star and a fifth-team All-State Class AA selection. Later in the summer, he appeared in the 17-and-under Don Mattingly World Series with the South Troy Dodgers.

Iona finished the 2010 season with a 9-40 record. Since 2002, the Gaels have posted an overall record of 120-322-1.

Basile improved his scholarship positioning in 2010 by improving from spring to summer to fall, figuring out the mental side of the game on the mound.

“I’ve always had good velocity, but I really learned how to pitch,” said Basile. “I learned how to get ahead and I learned what to do when I have a 0-2 count.”

Basile credited former CBA head coach Dave Doemel, South Troy Dodgers pitching coach Wayne Jones and Nick Davey, an assistant with the Albany Dutchmen of the New York Collegiate Baseball League with which he took lessons in improving his pitching technique.

Former CBA teammate Chris Sand and former La Salle Institute product Kyle Charron are both sophomores on the Iona team. Charron, a Schaghticoke native, and Sand, from Altamont, both played on South Troy Dodgers teams in the summer and fall as well.

“I’ve been a good friends of Chris’ for a long time. We played together when I was a sophomore at CBA,” Basile said. “It can only be a good thing for me and it can only help to already know some people when I get there.”

Basile plans on majoring in business at Iona.

Once the fall baseball season wraps up in a few weeks, it’s time for Basile to hit the ice. He is a center on the CBA hockey team.

“It was a really long process and it was starting to get old,” laughed Basile of his college search. “It’s a big weight off my shoulders.

“I have hockey season coming up at my school and I’m going to take a break from baseball for a couple of months, but I’ll get back into it later in the winter.”

Steve Basile's 2010 stat sheet:

High school, Christian Brothers Academy

3-3, 1.70 ERA, 41.0 IP, 42 SO, 10 BB

Summer, South Troy Dodgers

5-1, 1.11 ERA, 38.0 IP, 44 SO, 13 BB, 28 H

Fall, South Troy Dodgers

2-1-1, 1.65 ERA, 17.0 IP, 27 SO, 6 BB, 6 H

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

PORT CHESTER -- The South Troy Dodgers fall ball team won the Battle at the Border Tournament last weekend.

First place - South Troy Dodgers
Second place - NY Gothams

Matt Zanotta of the South Troy Dodgers, a Guilderland High School product, watches a home run he hit this summer at Geer Field in Troy. He was named  MVP of the Battle at the Border Tournament. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

MVP - Matt Zanotta - South Troy Dodgers
Sportsmanship - Tom Savage - NY Gothams
Top Pitcher - Peyton Houghtaling - South Troy Dodgers

All Tournament team
Erik Roman - NY Gothams

Josh Jacobvitz - NY Gothams
Zach Remillard - South Troy Dodgers
Jared Bronley -  College Select
Mike Presley - WYC
Mike Nelson - Team NY
John Brucker - NJ Twins
Brendan Dalcol -  South Troy
Aaron Fossas - NE Baseball

For more information, click here.

There were plenty of college coaches in attendance, so you can expect to hear about some of these players making verbal commitments in the near future.

For more pictures from the tournament, click here.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

 Troy native Joe Mahoney, right, accepts the Brooks Robinson award on Fri., Sept. 17 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Mahoney was named the Orioes' top minor league position player in 2010. (Photos provided by Todd Olszewski, Team Photographer, Baltimore Orioles).

TROY -- Joe Mahoney was in the Collar City Wednesday, making a brief pit stop at Geer Field to visit some of his former South Troy Dodgers coaches and teammates. He was on his way back from Baltimore, where he accepted the Brooks Robinson Award as the best position player in the Orioles' minor league system in 2010.

The Record will publish a story on Mahoney's journey through the minor leagues on Sunday, Sept. 26, so keep your eyes open for that.
 

Mahoney, who grew up playing for Catholic Central High School and the Lansingburgh Royals, played dozens of games at beautiful Knickerbacker Park in the 'Burgh. I was curious if Mahoney had used the Major League Baseball monument in the park, located just beyond the right field foul pole, as motivation during his career. It lists all of the Collar City natives who have gone on to play in the Major Leagues.

Mahoney said he never knew it was there.

The Major League Baseball Monument in Lansingburgh's Knickerbacker Park. (Record file photo).

The monument sits on a historic slice of real estate for Troy's baseball history. The city played host to a professional team in the 1860s and '70s known as the Troy Haymakers, who gave way to the Troy Trojans, a National League team that called the Collar City home from 1879 to 1882. The Trojans are widely considered the origin of today's San Francisco Giants. As professional baseball expanded into larger markets, the Trojans were disbanded following the 1882 season. About half of the members of the New York Gothams, later the New York Giants, were former Trojans players.

Anyway...

Mahoney is hoping to catch on either with Baltimore's AAA affiliate in Norfolk or the big club coming out of spring training in 2011. Of course, the Knickerbacker Park monument would have to be updated should Mahoney ever appear in a big league uniform.

Again, for more on that story, be sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

Joe Mahoney’s baseball card

South Troy Dodgers (2003-05)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.411, 113, 380, 87, 156, 43, 4, 17, 138
University of Richmond (2005-07)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.310, 171, 672, 121, 208, 35, 2, 31, 152
Minor leagues
2007 – Aberdeen (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.269, 65, 242, 31, 65, 10, 2, 9, 44
2008 – Delmarva (long season Class A, South Atlantic League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.222, 95, 352, 37, 78, 22, 1, 7, 61
2009 – Delmarva (108 games) & Frederick (seven games, High Class A, Carolina League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.278, 115, 425, 63, 118, 20, 7, 8, 58
2010 – Frederick (72 games) & Bowie (52 games, Class AA Eastern League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.307, 124, 462, 67, 142, 30, 2, 18, 78

For video clips from the Mahoney interview, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Mahoney, left, poses with Zach Britton, who earned the minor league Pitcher of the Year Award, which is named after Jim Palmer.

Local baseball players in the pros – 2010 report card

Pitchers

Eric Beaulac, SP (Troy High School)
2010 – St. Lucie (21 games, Class A, Florida State League) and Binghamton (two games, Class AA Eastern League)
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
23, 21, 5-7, 3.98, 108.2, 79, 62

Greg Holle, RP (Christian Brothers Academy/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Arizona Brewers (Rookie Arizona Leauge)
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
8, 1, 3-1, 0.79, 22.2, 16, 9

Tommy Kahnle, RP (Shaker High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Staten Island Yankees (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Games, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
11, 0-0, 0.56, 16.0, 25, 5

John Lannan, SP (Siena College)
2010 – Washington Nationals
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
24, 24, 8-7, 4.58, 137.2, 68, 48

Mike Ness, CL (South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Tri-City ValleyCats (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Games, Saves, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
24, 7, 2-2, 3.23, 30.2, 28, 9

Tim Stauffer, RP/SP (Saratoga Central Catholic High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – San Diego Padres
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
30, 5, 5-4, 1.95, 69.1, 52, 20

Position players

Anthony Giansanti, OF (Siena College)
2010 – Arizona Cubs (27 games, rookie Arizona League) & Peoria Cubs (30 games, Class A Midwest League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.317, 57, 199, 26, 63, 12, 3, 2, 32

Brendan Harris, INF (Queensbury High School)
2010 – Minnesota Twins (43 games) & Rochester Red Wings (62 games, Class AAA International League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.209, 105, 340, 42, 71, 17, 1, 5, 33

Casper Wells, OF (Schenectady High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Detroit Tigers (28 games) & Toledo Mud Hens (103 games, Class AAA, International League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.250, 131, 456, 65, 114, 27, 6, 24, 60

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Former Catholic Central High School, Lansingburgh Royals and South Troy Dodgers player Joe Mahoney has won the Brooks Robinson Award, which goes to the best minor league position player in the Baltimore Orioles’ system. Mahoney, a 23-year-old first baseman, hit a .307 with 18 home runs, 78 RBI in 124 combined games with Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie.

Mahoney played his college ball at the University of Richmond. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 198th pick in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, making him the highest-drafted player out of Richmond since Tim Stauffer, a Saratoga Springs native and a former South Troy Dodger himself, went fourth overall to the San Diego Padres in 2003.

(Photos courtsey www.minorleaguebaseball.com)

Click here to see a digital version of Mahoney's minor league baseball card. 

Mahoney is getting married this fall before heading off to the Venezuelan league in the winter. Time will tell how he figures into Baltimore's plans for 2011.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

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.

----
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.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR

Branden Cogswell fields a ground ball at shortstop for the South Troy Dodgers during the summer of 2009. Cogswell, who is a rising senior at Shenendehowa High School, recently made a verbal committment to play baseball at the University of Virginia. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).



BALLSTON LAKE — Branden Cogswell has had a lifelong dream of being a commercial airline pilot, but he’s putting that goal on hold, deciding to take a flight to Charlottesville, Va. and Atlantic Coast Conference baseball.


Monday, Cogswell, a Ballston Lake native, made a verbal commitment to play baseball for the University of Virginia.

Cogswell, who is entering his senior year at Shenendehowa High School, has played on the South Troy Dodgers’ 18-and-under Connie Mack team for the past two summers. A lefthanded hitter, he was the Dodgers’ starting shortstop and No. 2 hitter as a 16-year-old, which was a rarity for South Troy’s elite team to feature a player that young, sometime against pitchers who had just finished their freshman year of college.

He started getting looked at by colleges last fall, but his final decision was between Purdue University, which features aviation as a major, and Virginia, which finished the 2010 season ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Division I poll.

“It all started in the fall of last year and it’s a long process,” Cogswell said. “First it started with the local schools and then it kind of went nationwide. We just tried to take the best fit and what I feel I can do at Virginia seems like the best fit for me.”

Cogswell, a second-team Class AA All-State player as a junior at Shenendehowa, batted .424 for the Plainsmen this spring with three home runs and 27 RBI in 66 at-bats. He was also walked 22 times as Suburban Council hurlers often pitched around him.

ACC, Big East and Colonial Athletic Association coaches haven’t been the only people tracking Cogswell over the past year. Major League scouts are also on the trail and some made the trek to Geer Field in Troy this summer to see him play for the Dodgers in their American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack World Series qualifying tournaments.

Cogswell, however, will wait to cross the bridge in June 2011 in case his name is called in the first year player draft.

“You don’t have control of whether you get drafted or not,” he said. “I would love to see it happen, but I would have to go in an early round and get a lot of money to take me away from college. If the offer is there money-wise, fine, but I’ll face that decision if it comes.”

While he’s played exclusively at shortstop in recent years, Cogswell isn’t afraid of making a position switch if that leads to playing time at Virginia.

“I would love to stay in the middle infield, but at college it’s just about getting an opportunity and they tell me that the opportunity will be there,” he said. “I have to take their word on that. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to play at that level and excel and succeed and I want to challenge to win a job.”

Cogswell is putting his aviation plan on hold for now, but that’s fine with him since his baseball career is just beginning to take flight.

“It turned out that my final two were Purdue and Virginia, and Purdue does offer aviation, but I knew my true love and passion is for baseball,” he said.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR

If you're hoping to keep track of the East Greenbush-Castleton Little League team in the New York State tournament, the West Nyack Little League homepage is a site to bookmark.

The champions of District 14 and Section 3 lost their first game in the New York State Little League tournament Thursday night, dropping a 6-0 decision to Stony Point at the West Nyack Little League complex.

East Greenbush-Castleton plays again Friday night against Sunrise.

Pool play continues through Saturday, with the semifinal scheduled for Sunday. The championship game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Monday night.

You can view a photo gallery of some of the East Greenbush-Castleton players at a pre-tournament barbecue by clicking to this website.

--
If you're looking to keep track of the Spring Renegades 10-and-under team in the Willie Mays North Atlantic Regionals in Hackensack, N.J., well, you're in luck. Click here to see a tournament bracket.

The bad news for the Renegades? They've already been eliminated from the tournament and will not repeat as AABC World Champions.

--
Next week, the Troy Renegades 15-and-under team begins play in the AABC's Ken Griffey Jr. World Series in Owasso, Okla. Owasso High School, the tournament host, has done a great job in years past of providing updates on its web site. Here is a tournament information sheet.

--
The South Troy Dodgers 17-and-under Connie Mack team lost on its third day in the American Amateur Baseball Congress Don Mattingly World Series this past week in Albuquerque, N.M. For a tournament bracket, click to this page and scroll down.

--
If I receive a UNYS Stan Musial update tonight, I will post that news here.

--
Is there anything we're missing? Please let us know.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

Tommy Kahnle throws a pitch for the South Troy Dodgers during the summer of 2008. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

LATHAM — Tommy Kahnle’s travels on the road to professional baseball made a brief pit stop in the Capital Region Thursday.

Kahnle, a right handed pitcher who was drafted in the fifth round of the Major League First Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees in early June, spent most of this summer on Cape Cod. He pitched for the Brewster Whitecaps and the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League, hoping to improve his case for signing a professional contract.

This week, he did just that, reaching an agreement with the Yankees. Kahnle, who spoke with The Record Thursday via telephone, chose not to disclose the terms of the deal.

Kahnle stopped home on his way back from Cape Cod Thursday and will head to Staten Island Friday to report to the Yankees’ short season Class A team in the New York-Penn League. He will take a physical Monday and plans to be in uniform in the Staten Island bullpen that night.

Kahnle’s first professional homecoming will happen in two weeks when the Staten Island Yankees come to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy for a three-game set against the Tri-City ValleyCats on August 13-15.

“It’s going to be cool playing in my hometown,” said Kahnle. “I grew up watching the ValleyCats.”

Kahnle made 13 appearances on the Cape this summer with Brewster and Bourne, striking out 14 and walking nine in nine innings. He made three saves for Brewster.

A former three-sport star at Shaker High School, Kahnle spent his summers playing for the South Troy Dodgers, whose home field is just a hop, skip and a jump from Bruno Stadium.

He then attended Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., where as a freshman, he served as the team’s closer during its playoff run and threw the pitch for the final out in the NCAA Division II championship game victory over Emporia State.

Growing up as an only child, Kahnle started playing baseball when he was five years old and always dreamed of making it as a professional baseball player. Still, he had to thrive at Lynn to really believe he had a chance at the professional level.

“It was when I was a freshman in college when I realized it was possible,” he said.

Kahnle finished his freshman year with a 7-4 record, five saves and a 4.54 ERA in 20 appearances, 13 of which were starts.

A 6-foot, 225-pound flamethrower, Kahnle’s fastball has been clocked consistently in the mid 90 miles-per-hour range and has maxed out at 98.

Lynn used him as a starter during his sophomore season this spring, in which he finished with a 2-7 record and a 5.06 ERA in 74 and two thirds innings pitched.

Scouts, however, like his fastball in short-term bursts, feeling his inconsistency with the changeup and curveball limits his effectiveness as a starter.

“All the scouts have profiled me as a reliever,” Kahnle said. “I expect to be in the bullpen. That’s what I’m told.”

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

An unidentified Ontario Blue Jays player wears the North Atlantic Connie Mack regional trophy on his forehead (the glass piece fell off when the team rounded second base) after Ontario defeated the South Troy Dodgers, 6-3, Monday afternoon at Geer Field. (Video captures by Will Montgomery).

TROY — The South Troy Dodgers were three outs away from clinching a second straight trip to the Connie Mack World Series.

And then the rally happened.

In the top of the seventh inning in the Connie Mack North Atlantic regional championship game, the Ontario Blue Jays, trailing by two runs, drew a pair of bases-loaded walks and hit three infield singles to score five runs.

Ontario Blue Jays players celebrate during their seventh inning rally Monday afternoon against the South Troy Dodgers. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Rob Good relieved Ontario starter Eric Wood with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning. Good induced a pop-up to third base off the bat of South Troy’s Steve Anderson to cap a thrilling, 6-3, come-from-behind victory for the Blue Jays at Geer Field.

For the first time since 2001, when Ontario won the North Central region, the Blue Jays are headed to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M.

“It’s the best moment of my life,” said Good. “This is the biggest thing we’ll ever do probably as ballplayers. It’s a great moment for us.”

Dave Roseboom throws a pitch during Monday's game against the Ontario Blue Jays. He gave the Dodgers 9.2 innings of one-run baseball. (McMahon photo).

Wood allowed 10 hits in his six and two thirds innings of work, but walked just one and struck out six while holding the Dodgers to three runs.

"I was on planet Mars the entire game," said Wood. "There was so much intensity. This team is the best. I love every single one of these kids on this team. And this guy (nods to Good) comes in here and shuts the door. I don’t even have the words to explain it."

Wilcox led the way for Ontario with two hits and two RBI. The Blue Jays are based in Mississauga, Ontario, which is just south of downtown Toronto. Ontario's 16-and-under Mickey Mantle team is also headed to an American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series.

"We are together a little bit longer and I think that helps," said Ontario head coach Dan Bleiwas. "I've had this group together since they were 16 with very few changes. A core. I think it helps just the belief they have in one another when we get in situations like this, trailing into the last inning. I’m at a loss for words."

South Troy’s Dave Roseboom started the first game of the day, an 11-1, five-inning mercy-rule victory for the Dodgers in which Matt Zanotta hit a three-run home run for the second straight day. Roseboom threw just 41 pitches in that game and returned to start game two. Roseboom pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts.

For video highlights from Monday's games, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Dodgers closer Brian Tatelman relieved Roseboom with two out in the sixth and struck out Ontario’s Jim Martin on three pitches to end the inning. Tatelman returned in the seventh and struck out the first batter he faced but quickly unraveled from there. Six of the next seven batters to the plate reached base either by being hit by a pitch, drawing a walk or hitting an infield single.

"We play every time…like all our wins are by one runs or two runs," said Wood. "We never give up. It’s just the way we are. We never give up.

"It’s so typical us," Wood continued. "We’re always in the game. It doesn’t matter what the score is or who we’re playing."

Scott Wilcox plated Jevon Jacobs with the go-ahead run on an infield single before Martin drove in two more runs on a double to left field. Wilcox, trying to score on Martin's double, was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

South Troy second baseman J.P. Sportman makes a throw during Monday's game. Sportman, the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, was 5-for-10 with four RBI in South Troy's final three games in the tournament.

“He’s our closer and it is what it is,” South Troy Dodgers head coach Kevin Rogers said of Tatelman’s seventh inning performance. “We can’t blame one person. We should have probably put some more runs on the board in certain situations.

“He actually did his job, the ball was just bouncing the wrong way,” Rogers continued. “There’s not much I can say about that. The kids battled all year. We put ourselves in the position we wanted to be in and we came up short.”

Roseboom, who threw 121 pitches in two games and finished the day with nine and two thirds innings pitched, having allowed one run, five hits, one walk while striking out 11. The University of South Carolina Upstate-bound lefty, who was also drafted in the 47th round by the Boston Red Sox this spring, proved to be the Dodgers’ ace Monday, despite what happened in the seventh inning.

“Dave did everything he could,” Rogers said. “He gave us 10 innings. We had ourselves in the right spot. Dave has been a bulldog for us since he was 13 years old. I tip my cap to the Canada team. They kept battling.”

South Troy was blocked from making a return trip to the Connie Mack World Series, a major disappointment for an organization that hosted a pair of World Series-berth tournaments this month.

“This program is built to go to World Series,” said Rogers. “Our 18-and-under team is one of the elite in the country, so we put ourselves up with the best teams in the country. We’re supposed to win games like this and get to New Mexico. That’s what we’re built for, but we’ll take a couple of weeks off and try it again next year.”

Notes: I didn't have room to fit this in the story for the paper, but Ontario head coach Dan Bleiwas was adamant about the following point:

"First, I want to extend my thank-yous to the people of Troy and Albany and specifically to George and Kevin Rogers, who run the South Troy Dodgers," Bleiwas said. "They are a class act. I can’t say enough about how gracious they’ve been. This year we came out on top. Often enough they’ve had the opportunity to do it. They're gracious in victory and gracious in defeat. They’re just classy people."

"This is our ultimate goal to get there and win the Connie Mack World Series in New Mexico," said Bleiwas. "We intend to go out there and compete to our best and represent this region well and by extension, all teams in this region, including the South Troy Dodgers."

The Ontario Blue Jays storm the field after recording the final out in the championship game of the North Atlantic Connie Mack regional tournament Monday afternoon at Geer Field.

--
The recap from the first game of the day is below:
--
The South Troy Dodgers exploded for seven runs in the third inning of Monday's game against the Ontario Blue Jays in the Connie Mack North Atlantic regional finals, capped by Matt Zanotta's three-run home run to right center field. The Dodgers posted an 11-1, five inning mercy rule victory, forcing a final championship game for all the marbles - a trip to Farmington, N.M. and the Connie Mack World Series - today at 1 p.m. at Geer Field.

South Troy starting pitcher Dave Roseboom kept the Blue Jays off the board for four innings, throwing just 41 pitches. The Dodgers brought in Kyle LaValley in the fifth, who got three outs and kicked the mercy rule into effect. Roseboom will certainly be available for another 50 pitches or so in Game Two.

Matt Zanotta watches the f light of his three-run home run in the third innings of Monday's game against the Ontario Blue Jays. He also hit a three-run home run in Sunday's victory over the Richmond County Baseball Club. (McMahon photo).

South Troy chased Ontario starting pitcher Jordan Romano before he had even allowed one hit. Romano plunked Josh Ingham with a pitch to start the third inning and followed that with three straight walks. Braden Cogswell drove in a run on a single and Carson Helms scored on an error prior to Zanotta's home run.

Matt Zanotta greets South Troy head coach Kevin Rogers at third base following his three-run home run Monday morning. (McMahon photo).

South Troy Dodgers designated hitter Matt Zanotta connects on a three-run home run in the third inning of Monday's game against the Ontario Blue Jays. It was his second three-run homer in as many days.

Matt Zanotta greets his teammates at home plate after hitting a crushing three-run home run Monday against the Ontario Blue Jays at Geer Field.

J.P. Sportman slides into home plate on a wild pitch during the third inning of Monday's first game against the Ontario Blue Jays. He finished the game with one hit, two runs scored and three RBI.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

The South Troy Dodgers used a three-run home run from Matt Zanotta and a complete game performance on the mound from Josh Ingham Sunday evening to defeat the Richmond County Baseball Club, 5-1. South Troy plays host to the Ontario Blue Jays in Monday's championship showdown in the North Atlantic Connie Mack regionals. Ontario needs one win to move on to the World Series. South Troy would have to win at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. to punch a second straight ticket to Farmington, N.M.

Matt Zanotta hit a big three-run home run for the South Troy Dodgers in Sunday evening's victory over the Richmond County Baseball Club.

TROY — The year of the home run continued for Matt Zanotta Sunday night and it couldn’t have happened at a better time for the South Troy Dodgers’ Connie Mack team.

After Will Remillard gave the Dodgers a one-run lead on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning of an elimination game against the Richmond County Baseball Club, Zanotta poked a three-run home run over the fence in dead center field. Behind Josh Ingham, who pitched a complete game, the Dodgers posted a 5-1 victory at Geer Field and lived to play another day in the 18-and-under Connie Mack North Atlantic Regional.

Monday, South Troy hosts the Ontario Blue Jays at 10 a.m. at Geer Field. Ontario, undefeated in the tournament, can clinch a title and a trip to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. with one victory over the Dodgers. South Troy needs to win two straight games against the Blue Jays to make a return trip to the World Series.

Should the Dodgers win the 10 a.m. game, a second game would be played at 1 p.m.

“Matt’s been slumping for us, but I’ll tell you what, he stepped up today,” said South Troy head coach Kevin Rogers. “He is one of the ones that keeps us in the game. Whether he’s playing bad or good, he’s always in the game, always rooting other guys on. He’s a motivator, that kid, and we love to have him.”

Zanotta, who hit a Section II record 18 home runs for Guilderland High School this spring, admitted that making adjustments to a wood bat and the talent-level of the pitching he sees with the Dodgers was tough, but hard work has helped him get back his swing.

“You always have to be prepared,” said Zanotta. “I knew if I didn’t do it, the kid after me was going to do it. We pass the torch pretty well. When someone ignites the spark, we’re ready to go.”

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

Ontario handed the Dodgers a 6-0 defeat Sunday afternoon, South Troy’s only loss in the tournament. Dave Roseboom, the University of South Carolina-Upstate bound lefthander, will take the mound for the Dodgers at 10 a.m.

"I had a great year for high school and when I came to the wood and all the better pitching and stuff like that, I struggled a little bit," Zanotta said. "But I’ve worked with all the coaches and got my swing back to where it was during the high school season."

Josh Ingham pitched a complete game, holding the Richmond County Baseball Club without an earned run in a 5-1 victory for the South Troy Dodgers Sunday evening at Geer Field.

South Troy starter Josh Ingham was great on the mound, only let down a bit by his defense in the fifth inning. Ingham threw a five-hitter, striking out two and walking just one in the 89-pitch complete game victory.

Unlike in the Connie Mack qualifier a few weeks ago where he was pressed into duty when the Dodgers' starter coughed up some early runs, Ingham was confident on the mound Sunday because he had a feeling he would be pitching in this elimination situation.

"I had a pretty good idea that it was going to be me or Wendell (Wright) today," Ingham said. "I was pretty focused. I sat up in the air conditioning before the game, kind of realized what I was doing a little bit and mellowed out. I knew it was going to be a big game. We knew we could beat these guys. We’ve beat them before. The last time was kind of a fluke. We were all really spent."

The Dodgers lost to Ontario 6-0 Sunday afternoon, but the Dodgers are confident to get right back at their neighbors to the north.

“They’re definitely beatable,” said Ingham. “We just left a lot of guys on base and didn’t capitalize in certain areas. We have the Boom (Dave Roseboom) going tomorrow, so we’re definitely getting a win out of him. We can piece something together. We have Wendell, too.

"We’re ready to go. We have pitching left and we don’t know what they have," Ingham continued. "It’s going ot be a good game."

Sunday's game against Richmond County certainly was a thrilling game, but it may never go down among the Dodgers' greats. It featured eight errors, an unusual 2-1-5-6 double play, and three Richmond County runners thrown out on the basepaths. The Richmond County coaches weren't too thrilled with some of the calls (the Dodgers also had their complaints) but everyone walked away from the game without incident.

Notes: John Franco, the former All-Star closer for the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets, was in attendance at Sunday's game. His son, J.J., plays shortstop for the Richmond County team.

The South Troy Dodgers' 16-and-under Mickey Mantle team is also running into the Ontario Blue Jays in the North Atlantic Regionals in Waterbury, Conn. The Blue Jays defeated the 16u Dodgers Sunday, but South Troy can earn a championship game rematch with a victory over the New Jersey Sharks Monday morning at 10 a.m.

The 17-and-under Dodgers are headed to the AABC World Series in Albuquerque, N.M. The 15-and-under Dodgers and the 14-and-under Dodgers played in their respective regional championship games, but lost. All in all, it's been a very successful summer for the South Troy program.

--
Aaaaand the rest of Sunday's local roundup:
North Atlantic 16-and-under Mickey Mantle regionals
South Troy splits: The South Troy Dodgers 16-and-under Mickey Mantle team defeated the Diamondbuddies (Pelham, N.Y.), 21-3, Sunday in the North Atlantic regional in Waterbury, Conn.
Colin Grande went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, Nolan Driscoll went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored and Matt Sand hit a home run and a double.
Later, the Dodgers dropped an 8-2 decision to the Ontario Blue Jays, their first loss in the tournament.
South Troy plays the New Jersey Sharks today at 10 a.m. The winner of that game plays the Blue Jays in the regional championship at 1 p.m.
New York State Section 3 11-12-year-old All-Stars
East Greenbush-Castleton 7, Rotterdam 1: Jarrett Fortin was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run in the victory for East Greenbush.
Brendan Gurain pitched five innings of one-hit ball in relief to earn the victory.
Cody Seeberger and Tucker McKeown each had two hits and Seeberger had a home run for East Greenbush.
East Greenbush plays Saugerties tonight in the Section 3 semifinals at 6 p.m.
The winner will play on Tuesday night in the championship game in Chatham.
District 14 9-and-10-year-old ‘A’ Round Robin
Twin Town 18, Cohoes 0: Zach Price went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and Ryan Gutheil also went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored in a victory for Twin Town.
Issiah Piazza and Jakobi Cutler reached base two times apiece for Cohoes.
New York State 8-and-under Cal Ripken tournament
Spring Renegades win three games: The host Spring Renegades won three games in the Cal Ripken Tournament.
Avery Pascucci and Eli Gregware collected two singles apiece to lead the Renegades in an 8-5 victory over Beekmantown.
In a 7-6 victory over the North Colonie Padres, Mike Ragone tripled and drove in four runs and Cody Gunthner and Nick Yash combined on a nifty fielding play to end the game.
In a 6-4 upset victory over the previously unbeaten Clifton Park Mustangs, Gunthner, Marquese Holmes and Jonah Lozada teamed together on the pitching duties and Ronnie Devernoe added a tough catch.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

The Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team won the Upper New York State Mickey Mantle title this afternoon, defeating the South Troy Dodgers, 4-0. The Renegades clinched a berth in the AABC World Series, which begins August 3 in Owasso, Oklahoma.

The Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team poses for a team picture after winning the Upper New York State Mickey Mantle tournament Sunday at Knickerbacker Park. (Video capture by Will Montgomery - The Record).

TROY — The members of the Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team will soon be adding another out-of-state sticker to their suitcases.

Kris Muller laced two triples and Ryan McGrath pitched a complete game two-hitter against the South Troy Dodgers in Sunday’s 4-0 victory in the Upper New York State 15-and-under Mickey Mantle championship game at Knickerbacker Park. With the win, the Renegades clinched a berth in the American Amateur Baseball Congress’ Ken Griffey Jr. World Series, a national tournament for 15-and-under teams to be played in Owasso, Oklahoma beginning August 3.

Ryan McGrath (left) congratulates Greg Ruddy (right) as he scores a run in the seventh inning of Sunday's championship game. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Renegades head coach Kevin McGrath asked the team after Saturday evening’s victory over the North Country Athletics who they thought should pitch Sunday morning. Without reservation, Ryan McGrath’s teammates said they wanted him on the mound.

Ryan McGrath throws a pitch during Sunday's championship game against the South Troy Dodgers at Knickerbacker Park.

McGrath allowed two hits, struck out two and walked four on 88 pitches over seven innings and never threw more than 16 pitches in a single inning. He threw first pitch strikes to 16 of the 27 batters he faced and relied on his infield defense, inducing 12 ground ball outs.“I was definitely hoping to pitch against them (the Dodgers),” he said. “It’s always a big game when we play against them.”

South Troy starter Mike Carryk went toe-to-toe with McGrath through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. McGrath reached on an infield single – the first hit of the game for either team – and the next batter, Jason Gallacchi, reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error. Muller, a Saratoga Springs native, followed with his first triple of the day, a two-run blast that gave McGrath and the Renegades a bit of breathing room.

“It felt like it was going to come down to the bottom of the seventh,” Muller said. “We thought it was going to be a close game and it was a close game, but we still scored four.”

Muller scored Troy’s third run on a wild pitch and Greg Hotaling’s seventh inning double drove in Greg Ruddy for the Renegades’ fourth tally.

For video from Sunday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

The Renegades were flawless in the field on Sunday, sparked by right fielder Muller’s diving catch in the first inning that robbed South Troy’s Nico Church of a leadoff base hit.

Third baseman Riley Laustrup, a Lansingburgh native who played on the Knickerbacker Park field for the first time Saturday, connects with the baseball during Sunday's championship game.

“If it went by me I knew it was going to be a double,” Muller said. “I looked at my glove and saw it in my glove. There is a bumpy hill out there and I didn’t know if I caught it.”

The last five winners of the 15-and-under Upper New York State title have all come from the Collar City. The Lansingburgh Royals won the tournament in 2009 and 2007. South Troy captured the title in 2008 and 2006.

Traveling around the nation for tournaments is nothing new for the Renegades. They won the 13-and-under AABC tournament in Michigan and finished third in a National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament in Lynchburg, Virginia last summer. A few weeks ago, Troy won the NABF 15-and-under Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.

“It’s really fun to get together and go away,” Ryan McGrath said. “This is our second trip this year and hopefully we’ll have a good tournament again.”

Kris Muller makes a catch in right field as Greg Hotaling looks on during Sunday's championship game.

A few years ago, this group of players joined together in Little League at Spring Youth Baseball. Rather than spread out to the established baseball programs in the area as they grew older, the players chose to stick together. Win by win, that decision is looking better every day.

“It’s another accomplishment for this team,” said Kevin McGrath. “I got together with a group of kids and they wanted to stay together. Anything is possible if you’re willing to put the effort in and it showed.”

Joe Foran, a Fort Ann native, makes a throw at shortstop for the Renegades in Sunday's championship game.

--
Notes: A number of people deserve thanks for the hard work they put in to make these summer baseball tournaments possible. Kevin McGrath said he met up with volunteers from Spring Youth Baseball at 6:15 a.m. Sunday to go borrow equipment from Brunswick. With the help of Joe Henkel from the Lansingburgh Royals, they worked on the field for hours prior to the start of the game to make it the most playable surface possible. Many of the parents and coaches sacrifice a great deal of their time (and vacation at work) to be a part of the teams...and that certainly showed this weekend with all the work that needed to go into this tournament with the rain we received. There are a lot of parents and volunteers doing a lot of hard work in concession stands and with field maintenance behind the scenes every summer and Henkel did a very nice thing by making sure they were recognized during Sunday's game.

Renegades raising funds: Troy Renegades head coach Kevin McGrath admits it is hard asking for money at this point in time, but he is looking for fundraising ideas and/or donations to support his team’s trip to Oklahoma. He may be reached via phone at: 728-7948. Checks made payable to ‘Spring Youth Baseball’ may be sent to McGrath at: 17 Red Rock Road, Troy, NY, 12182.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

The South Troy Dodgers received a second straight day off in the North Atlantic Connie Mack regional thanks to noon-hour rainshowers in Troy.

Update (10:45 p.m.): OK, here is the new plan for Sunday.

The Clifton Park Yankees will play the Connecticut Bombers at 9 a.m. at Geer Field. (This is an elimination game)
The South Troy Dodgers will play the Ontario Blue Jays at Noon at Geer Field. (Both teams are undefeated).
The Richmond County Baseball Club drew a bye for this round.

Following the Noon game, four teams will remain and the brackets will be redrawn. Those four teams will play in games at Geer Field at 3 and 6 p.m., with the matchups to be determined.

Action will continue Monday, with the schedule dependent on what happens Sunday evening.

The tournament winner earns a berth in the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published