The New York Outkast and the Lady Bombers 16-and-under teams were eliminated from play in the 2009 PONY National softball tournament in Akron, Ohio, but the 18-and-under Original Slik Chix, based in Mechanicville, are still alive.

Here is a list of the scores from their games.

18U

Original Slik Chix
Round One
Original Slik Chix 13 Ohio Invasion 1 (7/29/09)

Round Two
Slimans Gold (OH) 6 Original Slik Chix 3 (7/30/09)
Original Slik Chix 3 Mustangs (NY) 1 (7/30/09)

Round Three
Original Slik Chix 5 Ohio Invasion 0 (7/30/09, Elimination Game)

The Slik Chix are one of 32 (of 48) 18U teams that made it to Friday.

16U

New York Outkast
Round One
New Jersey Sparks 2 NY Outkast 1 (7/30/09, a game that was postponed due to rain in the top of the sixth on Wednesday and finished up Thursday morning)

Round Two
Washington Senators 3 NY Outkast 0 (7/30/09)

Round Three
Mid-Ohio Lady Bullets 5 NY Outkast 2 (7/30/09, Elimination Game)

Lady Bombers
Round One
Ohio Hurricanes 1 Lady Bombers 0 (7/29/09)

Round Two
Lady Bombers 10 Mid-Michigan FireStix 4 (7/30/09)

Round Three
Lady Bombers 11 Twisters Fastpitch (OH) 3 (7/30/09, Elimination Game)

Round Four
Connecticut Eliminators Black 3 Lady Bombers 0 (7/30/09, Elimination Game)

Only 24 of 56 16U teams advanced to Friday's play.

--
Thanks to Mark Cooper, one of the coaches for the Outkast, for providing updates from the tournament.

A pair of former Section II standouts are making a name for themselves on the professional level, so let's take a timeout to check into their accomplishments.

Former Troy High star Shawn Miller (right) posing with older brother Shannon, will make his professional boxing debut Friday night at the Saratoga Springs City Center. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Shawn Miller was 23-0 as an amateur and will be taking on Zaid Malik (0-2) of Cleveland, Ohio in a light heavyweight clash.

An accomplished football (Hudson Valley Community College and Albany Conquest) and baseball (University of West Virginia) player, Miller is finally settling into the family business - pro boxing.

Shannon, in his 17th year of practicing the sweet science, is 16-4 and will also fight on Friday night - the first time, obviously, the two have appeared on the same card.

For more on how they'll spend Friday morning preparing for the big fight, check out Friday's edition of The Record.

Night of Future Champions

Saratoga Springs City Center
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Fights begin at 7:30 p.m.
General admission tickets - $40 at the door

Ringside tickets - $ 75

Red Corner Blue Corner

Four Rounds - Senior Featherweights

Alex Cooper (0-1) vs. Wazell Ellison (Pro debut)

Four Rounds - Light Heavyweights

Shawn Miller (Pro debut) vs. Zaid Malik (0-2)

Six Rounds – Light Welterweights

Brian Miller (3-0-3, 1 KO) vs. Manny Cotrich (1-3, 1 KO)

Six Rounds – Heavyweights

Shannon Miller (16-4, 9 KOs) vs. Terell Nelson (8-8, 5 KOs)

Six Rounds – Lightweights

Mike Faragon (6-0, 2 KOs) vs. Alberto Amaro(5-3, 2 KOs)

10 Rounds – Heavyweights
For the New York State Heavyweight Championship

Darrell Madison (13-1, 3 KOs) vs. Nagy Aguilera (13-1, 8 KOs)

--

Former South Troy Dodgers pitcher and Saratoga Central Catholic High School alum Tim Stauffer won his first game in the major leagues since 2006 by posting a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon. His first major league victory was a 7-2 triumph at Cincinnati on May 11, 2005. (Associated Press photo)

"It's a good win," said the right-handed Stauffer to the Associated Press, who missed the entire 2008 season after having shoulder surgery. "We battled. It made it a lot easier to pitch when they put those runs on the board. I was feeling a lot more confident

The fourth overall pick in the 2003 Major League draft, Stauffer has been beset by injuries since making his debut in 2005. But it all started for him in the Capital Region.
Stauffer pitched on the high school level for the Spa Catholic Saints and in the summers, pitched for the South Troy Dodgers. He took them to the 2000 Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico and a second-place finish overall.
The Dodgers are headed back to the World Series in 2009 - their fourth trip this decade.

Here are Stauffer's stats from his time with the Dodgers:
App. W L S IP H R ER BB K ERA
28 13 2 2 100 71 45 28 45 120 1.96

You can read Tim's professional baseball card by clicking here.

The Lansingburgh Lady Royals softball teams are heading to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the World Fastpitch Connection Class A World Series from Aug. 3 to the 9.

The Royals have two 16-and-under teams, a Blue team and a Silver team. The Blues, composed of second-year players, won six straight games at the Mountain Madness tournament in Pennsylvania, which was a PONY National qualifier. They have, however, declined the invitation to the PONY National championship in Ohio to travel to Myrtle Beach instead.

Blue team roster (with High Schools in parentheses)

The Coaches (left to right in the photo) are Frank Macarilla, Gene Freemantle, Jim Volz, John Cipperly and Tony Case.
The players in the photo are (L to R) as follows:
Standing: Meg Volz (Lansingburgh), Danielle Amyot (Shenendehowa), Sarah Cipperly (Lansingburgh), Jill Venezia (Bethlehem), Rachel Heath (Bethlehem)
Kneeling: Lauren Hagerty (Averill Park), Alex Rogers (Shaker), Jessica Freemantle (Columbia), Jamie Guerin (Shaker)
Laying on ground: Amanda Case (Catholic Central), Taylor Guerin (Shaker)
Missing: Kasey Ochs (Columbia), Sierra Travis (Bethlehem)
(Photo by Elaine Amyot)

The Halfmoon Mariners 18-and-under team defeated the Columbia County Cardinals 4-3 on Friday July 24 to win the Eastern New York State Senior Babe Ruth 16-18 Championship.

The Mariners fought back from a 3-0 deficit thanks to three RBI from Bobby Culkin of Clifton Park, including a walkoff RBI double in the bottom of the 7th.

Cooper McGowan of Ballston Spa pitched a complete game for the win. McGowan earned two wins and a save as the Mariners went 4-0 in the tournament.

Brian Scholl of Clifton Park and Brian Guilder of Ballston Spa also notched wins on the mound for the Mariners.

Sam Mason and catcher Mike Hipwell of Mechanicville bolstered a strong defensive showing by the Mariners. Hipwell threw out two runners from behind the plate in one inning.

L to R: Coach Jeff Kaier, Mike Hipwell, Tyler Chewens, Keenan Shannon, Bryce Shrake, Sam Mason, Bobby Culkin, Brian Scholl, Brian Guilder, Joe Szepessy, Brendan Shannon, Cooper McGowan and Andrew Remington (missing: Chris Bonaparte).

The Mariners move on to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Chester Pennsylvania, July 30 - Aug. 3.

The Mariners qualified for the Senior Babe Ruth Tournament based on their finish in the ENY 18-and-under Connie Mack Wood Bat League.

Three teams packed with local high school softball players are competing in the PONY National softball tournament this week in Akron, Ohio.
Read more about the tournament by clicking here.

In the 18-and-under bracket, the Original Slik Chix of Mechanicville (featuring varsity players from Mechanicville, including Anna Arceneaux, Alysa Russell, Shannon McBride, and Rachel Quackenbush from Hoosick Falls, Giuliana Figliomini from Shenendehowa, coached by Mechanicville High coach Don Arceneaux) won a game, lost a game and tied another in the opening seeding round.

Original Slik Chix 8 PA Alley Cats North 2 (7/27/09)
Original Slik Chix 2 Richmond (VA) Rampage 2 (7/27/09)
Road Runner Elite (OH) 8 Original Slik Chix 3 (7/28/09)

In the 16-and-under bracket, a pair of local teams are competing.

The New York Outkast features Cohoes' Shana Cooper, Catholic Central's Kylie Benoit and Averill Park's Denaya Tremont.

Tigerlillies (OH) 5 NY Outkast 1 (7/27/09)
Mid-Michigan FireStix 7 NY Outkast 2 (7/28/09)
Maryland Heartbreakers 7 NY Outkast 4 (7/28/09)

The Lady Bombers feature Shaker's Sammy Kawola and Julia Casale, as well as plenty of players from Colonie.

Maryland Stars 5 Lady Bombers 0 (7/27/09)
Lady Bombers 1 Connecticut Hornets 0 (7/27/09)
Philly Flash (PA) 7 Lady Bombers 4 (7/28/09)

We'll try top keep you posted on their progress as the tournament wraps up this weekend.

Troy High's football team is hosting its first annual golf tournament at Frear Park on August 30 to benefit its 'Play it Smart' program.

Click here for a story from last June about how the program began.

Click here to read about a visit the Flying Horses had with New York Giants defensive lineman Jay Alford at UAlbany last summer.

TROY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
1st Annual "Play It Smart" Golf Tournament

August, 30 2009
at
Frear Park Golf Course
Troy, NY 12180

COST:

$90 PER PERSON (You can sign up individually or as a team)
$20 PER PERSON FOR DINNER ONLY

PRICE INCLUDES:

18 HOLES OF GOLF, CART, BEVERAGES ON THE COURSE, LUNCH & DINNER

FORMAT:

SCRAMBLE

REGISTRATION/LUNCH:

11:00 A.M.

TEE OFF:

SHOTGUN START AT 12:30 P.M.

PRIZES, RAFFLES and 50/50

YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CHECK MADE OUT TO:(Capital Region Sponsor A Scholar) and SEND THEM TO: Troy High School, c/o Harry Peterson, 1950 Burdett Ave., Troy, NY 12180 or dropped off in the Guidance or Main Office of the High School. If you have any questions please call 328-5462 (M-F) or 273-0248. Deadline to register is August 16th. Space is limited so don’t miss out.

William Montgomery
The Record

TROY - Mark Uhmann knows exactly how far it is to Owasso, Okla. right off the top of his head – 1,471 miles.
Thanks to an outstanding pitching performance from Zeb Gaston, Uhmann, the head coach of the Lansingburgh Royals’ 15-and-under Mickey Mantle team, will finally be taking his team there for the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series.
Gaston twirled a complete game and struck out seven while not allowing an earned run, lifting the Royals to a 3-1 victory over Niskayuna in the championship game of the Upper New York State 15-and-under Mickey Mantle tournament at Knickerbacker Park.
"We’ve been talking about it ever since last year when we got to the championship and we didn’t win," Gaston said.
A 5-foot-2, Gaston, who enters his sophomore year at Troy High this fall, does not strike the most intimidating presence on the mound. But with an impressive mix of off-speed pitches and a knack for the strike zone, Gaston gave the Royals the innings they needed two days after throwing 120 pitches in an early-round game.
"As an 11-year-old, I tried to get him," Uhmann said. "As a 12-year-old, I tried to get him to come over, but not until he was 13 was I able to coax him to come to my team. Once I got him on my side, I knew it was going to lead to good things."
Gaston pumped first pitch strikes past the Niskayuna batters and did not walk a single one. Niskayuna stranded six runners on base, including a pair of runners in scoring position in the first inning.
"They always play good defense behind me when I’m pitching," said Gaston, who also mans second base and shortstop for the Royals.
Mackenzie Carpenter paced the Royals offense, but when he singled in the first inning, Gaston was thrown out at the plate to end the frame. Carpenter doubled and scored as part of Lansingburgh’s two-run fourth inning.
Catcher Anthony Rogusto put the first run on the board after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and shortstop Mike Sunkes drove in the game-winning run on an RBI groundout.
Lansingburgh ran itself out of rallies in the first, second and third innings. Gaston was nailed at the plate in the first, and runners were caught stealing second in each of the next two innings. Gaston walked and scored an insurance run on a throwing error in the fifth inning.
The Royals qualified for the New York State tournament two years ago and lost in the championship round in 2008. Lansingburgh is 27-8 in 2009 and they attribute much of that success to the special bond that the players on this team have.
"We’re a team that keeps our guys together," Uhmann said. "Most of these guys have been with me since they were 10. We’re a home-based team, we’re from Troy. We made a couple of additions from outside the city and that’s it."
The World Series begins on Aug. 4. and the Royals organization has plenty of logistical work to do in the meantime. Transportation, lodging and chaperones all need to be arranged and they also need to figure out a way to pay their way.
"It’s 22 hours and it’s going to be an enjoyable ride," Uhmann laughed. "We’re going to drive and probably take a couple of vans. We’re not a high-budget team. We’re a small-budget team, we’ve always been. We’ll be making a lot of phone calls looking for people to donate to us and work on the transportation angle."

Lansingburgh 3, Niskayuna 1

Niskayuna Lansingburgh
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Callahan ss 4 0 1 0 Gaston p 1 1 0 0
McGonigle cf 3 0 1 0 Maldonado 3b 3 0 1 0
Helenek 3b 2 0 1 0 Uhmann 2b 3 0 0 0
Clock 1b 3 0 0 0 Carpenter lf 3 1 2 0
Brown 2b 3 0 0 0 Jordan cf 3 1 1 0
Houghtaling p 3 1 1 0 Grayson 1b 2 0 0 0
Hoffman c 3 0 2 0 Rogusto c 1 0 0 1
Scisci rf 3 0 0 0 Sunkes ss 2 0 0 1
Kozakiewicz lf 2 0 0 0 Yaeger rf 2 0 1 0
a-Marvell ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 27 1 6 0 Totals 19 3 5 2
Niskayuna ........................................000 100 0 - 1 6 2
Lansingburgh ..................................000 210 x - 3 5 1
a-flied out for Kozakiewicz in seventh.
E-Houghtaling, Callahan, Yaeger. LOB-Niskayuna 6, Lansingburgh 8. DP-Niskayuna 1 (Callahan, Brown and Clock). GIDP-Gaston. 2B-Hoffman, Carpenter. SB-Gaston. CS-Jordan, Maldonado. Sac.-Helenek, Maldonado.
Niskayuna ip h R erBB SO
Houghtaling, L 6 5 3 2 6 7
Lansingburgh ip h R er BB SO
Gaston, W 7 6 1 0 0 7
HBP-Rogusto, Gaston (by Houghtaling).

South Troy Dodgers center fielder Jim Brennan tried to call time just before this pitch was thrown, but the home plate umpire did not grant it. Brennan crushed the pitch over the straightaway center field fence for a two-run home run in the first inning and the rout was on. The Dodgers won the North Atlantic regional over the Brooklyn Bonnies Cougars 13-1 and will head to the AABC Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

In the next at-bat, catcher Tom Murphy hit a home run to left center, giving the Dodgers a quick 3-0 advantage. It took the wind out of the sails of the Bonnies and paved the way for a pitching gem from Michael Hughes.

"I tried to call time and he didn’t give it to me and I kind of reacted, made good contact and got it over," Brennan said. "We knew they were going to come in and they were going to be loud and they were motivated," he continued. "They really wanted to beat us. To get those two home runs early on and take the wind out of them really helped us out and let us cruise through the rest of the game."

Hughes (above) allowed his first earned run of the season, but stymied the Brooklyn bats for six solid innings, earning the win.

It seems like just yesterday Hughes was tugging on his Albany High cap at the Big 10 Conference media day at Christian Brothers Academy. In the meantime, he led the Falcons on an inspired regular season run to a share of the Big 10 title, announced he will attend Coastal Carolina University on scholarship and guided the Dodgers to the World Series.

"It’s been quick," Hughes said. "It’s been the blink of an eye, really. I didn’t think it would go this fast. I’ve had a lot of fun this year with these guys."

Third baseman Willie Carmona, who along with Brennan, was a Dodgers pick-up for the regional, brought the Dodgers offense to a new level and has them thinking big heading into the World Series.

"We picked Jimmy up with the hopes that he could do what he did," South Troy 18s manager Kevin Rogers said. "He’s a big boost to the offense. It’s something we needed on this team and I think he and Willie have upped the offensive ante on this team."

The Dodgers will make their fourth appearance in the Connie Mack World Series, having also made trips in 2000, 2004 and 2006. The 2000 squad, led by current San Diego Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer, placed second overall, the organization’s best finish in the World Series.

The 10-team tournament begins on Aug. 7.

"It’s what we work for," Rogers said. "We’ve been dying to get back there. We haven’t been there since 2006, although I did coach a few of these guys in the Mickey Mantle World Series in 2007. It’s going to be a lot different. The Farmington Connie Mack World Series is a once in a lifetime feat and thankfully we’ve been there more than once."

"For all of us, this was our dream to get there and we got it," Hughes said. "We’re all a little speechless right now."

--
Check out the full scoop in Monday's edition of The Record.

South Troy 13 , Brooklyn 1

Brooklyn South Troy
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Martinez ss 3 0 0 0 Charron lf 3 3 0 0
Simmons lf 3 0 0 0 Cogswell ss 3 2 1 1
Mateo rf 3 0 0 0 Brennan cf 4 2 2 4
Rios c 3 0 1 0 Murphy c 5 1 3 4
Turbi 1b 3 0 0 0 Anderson 1b 4 0 1 0
Graham dh 2 1 1 0 Carmona 3b-p 2 1 1 1
-Torres 3b 0 0 0 0 Sand dh-3b 4 0 1 0
-Perez ph 1 0 0 0 Fish rf 4 1 1 1
Pupa 3b-p 2 0 0 0 Sportman 2b 3 3 2 0
-Morales p 0 0 0 0
Vidal 2b 2 0 0 0
Mendez cf 2 0 0 0
Totals 24 1 2 0 Totals 32 13 12 11
Brooklyn ........................................000 010 0 - 1 2 5
South Troy ..................................300 253 x - 13 12 1
E-Sportman, Pupa, Turbi, Torres 2, Rios. LOB-Brooklyn 2, South Troy 10. DP-Brooklyn 1 (Pupa, Vidal and Turbi). GIDP-Fish. 2B-Graham. 3B-Brennan. HR-Brennan, Murphy. SB-Sportman 2.
Brooklyn ip h R erBB SO
Bove, L 4 1/3 9 8 7 4 1
Pupa 1/3 2 1 1 2 0
Morales 1 1/3 1 3 2 3 0
South Troy ip h R er BB SO
Hughes, W 6 2 1 1 0 3
Carmona 1 0 0 0 0 2
Inherited runners-scored: Pupa 2-2, Morales 3-0.
WP-Hughes. PB-Rios. HBP-Cogswell (by Bove).

The South Troy Dodgers 17 and 18-year-0ld teams combined for four complete games on Saturday in the American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack World Series North Atlantic Regional tournament on Saturday at Geer Field, but only the 18-year-old team advanced to the championship round.

Robert Tedesco fired a complete game, one-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Connecticut Bombers for the 17s, while Kyle LaValley tossed a gutsy six-inning complete game effort in a 4-2 loss to the Brooklyn Bonnies Cougars later in the afternoon.

"We didn’t execute when we had to and that’s what it came down to," said South Troy 17s manager Doug LaValley. "It was a great game. I couldn’t be prouder of these guys."

"At the beginning of the year, we really couldn’t hit the ball and at the end, we were stroking it," said pitcher Kyle LaValley. "We just have hitters. Matt Roth was great in the last tournament, Tyler Young stepped up in this one and Tedesco was throwing perfect. He was untouchable. Everyone else molded together and we worked together and tried our hardest and today was just one of those days when it slipped away."

The 17s came a long way from some early season struggles to win the Upper New York State tournament and earn a berth in the regional. Their showing did not disappoint and in fact, helped some of the Dodgers players make a name for themselves as players to watch in the future.

Tedesco was lights-out for the Dodgers and was amazing the first time I saw him pitch this season for Mohonasen High School in a victory over the No. 1 seed Lansingburgh Knights in the Section II Class A opening round, an upset for the No. 8 Mighty Warriors.

He pitched eight scoreless innings to lead the Dodgers to an epic 16-inning victory over the Lansingburgh Royals in the Connie Mack open qualifier earlier in the month and defeated South Colonie twice in the Upper New York tournament - allowing only one earned run - to lift them to the regional. He'll be quite the pickup for the Siena College Saints next season.

Roth and Young were certainly impressive in the lineup, but middle infielder Sean Geisel swung a great bat for the Dodgers this summer, too. He'll be a senior next year at Guilderland and as he continues to improve by leaps and bounds, will be a tough out this fall and next spring for the Dutchmen.

--
The 18s did not disappoint for fans of do-it-yourself pitching performances.

Kevin Scrobola (right) and catcher Tom Murphy combined yet again for a great game Saturday against the Connecticut Bombers.

Scrobola pitched a complete game shutout in a 5-0 victory, mirroring Dave Roseboom's effort in a 2-0 victory over the Long Island Titans earlier in the day.

"The pitchers pitched great," said South Troy 18s manager Kevin Rogers. "Kevin pitched a great game and Dave pitched great earlier. This team is hungry. They’re ready to play baseball. We came here with a mission and we’re going to try to knock this down tomorrow."

After the games, Roseboom and Scrobola had nothing but high praise for University at Buffalo-bound catcher Tom Murphy, who did the dirty work behind the plate in both games.

"Having somebody behind the plate like that, like Murph, he’s a big mentor to me," Roseboom said. "He always tries to get inside your mind and say things he knows will calm you down."

"It’s something special," Roseboom continued. "A catcher like that, he’s a pitcher’s dream. He has such an arm behind the plate, you don’t feel like you have to rush it. He throws guys out."

"He has a good bat too," Scrobola said, "so we’d be at a loss without him. We need him. He’s a good ballplayer.

South Troy, undefeated in the tournament, faces one-loss Brooklyn Bonnies Cougars at 10 a.m. at Geer Field. A victory punches the Dodgers’ ticket to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. A defeat in the first game sets up a do-or-die championship tilt against Brooklyn at 1 p.m.

Check out the full scoop on the games in Sunday's edition of The Record. We'll have full coverage of the finals in the Monday edition.

"It’s right there for the taking for us," said Chris Sand, a four-year player in the Dodgers organization. "As a team we’re handling it well, because we have a lot of mature guys and they know how to win. Any time you know how to win, you have a shot."

The Dodgers had one mantra early in the day on Saturday: "We're on a mission."
After the last game, it turned into: "One win away."

Sunday’s Schedule
2009 AABC Connie Mack North Atlantic Regional
Championship Round at Geer Field

South Troy Dodgers 18s vs. Brooklyn Bonnies Cougars, 10 a.m.
Game 2 (if necessary), 1 p.m.

Saturday agate

SOUTH TROY (17s) 2, CONNECTICUT BOMBERS 0

South Troy 000 002 0 – 2 6 0
Connecticut 000 000 0 – 0 1 2

SOUTH TROY (18s) 2, LONG ISLAND TITANS 0

Long Island 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
South Troy 000 200 x – 2 7 2

BROOKLYN BONNIES COUGARS 4, SOUTH TROY (17s) 2

South Troy 110 000 0 – 2 5 1
Brooklyn 000 103 x – 4 3 2

South Troy (18s) 5 , Connecticut 0

SOUTH TROY 18s CONNECTICUT
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Charron lf 3 0 0 0 Guarnieri cf 3 0 0 0
Cogswell ss 2 1 1 0 Rodriguez ss 3 0 1 0
Brennan cf 3 1 1 1 Moss c 3 0 1 0
Murphy c 3 1 1 1 Bickford 1b 3 0 0 0
Anderson 1b 4 0 1 2 Van Zant 2b 2 0 1 0
Carmona 3b 4 0 2 1 Judge 3b 3 0 0 0
Sand dh 3 0 0 0 Manke lf 3 0 0 0
Fish rf 3 1 1 0 Texeira dh 2 0 1 0
Sportman 2b 2 1 1 0 Schierholtz rf 2 0 1 0
Totals 27 5 8 5 Totals 24 0 5 0
South Troy 18s ...................................003 100 1 - 5 8 0
Connecticut ..................................000 000 0 - 0 5 1
E-Moss. LOB-South Troy 18s 7, Connecticut 6. DP-South Troy 18s 2 (Cogswell and Anderson Scrobola, Cogswell and Anderson). GIDP-Guarnieri, Van Zant. 2B-Cogswell, Carmona, Murphy, Schierholtz. SB-Cogswell, Murphy. Sac.-Charron, Sportman.
South Troy 18s ip h R erBB SO
Scrobola, W 7 5 0 0 2 5
Connecticut ip h R er BB SO
Blanc, L 4 7 4 4 2 3
Soulier 3 1 1 1 1 3
WP-Blanc 2, Soulier. HBP-Cogswell (by Blanc), Van Zant (by Scrobola).

Enter Sandman. South Troy Dodgers 18-year-old's third base,an Chris Sand connects on a double to lead off the second inning of Friday's game against the Dodgers' 17-year-old team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack North Atlantic Regional. The 18s, who put together a five-run second inning, defeated the 17s 7-2. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Please do not adjust your monitor - those are two teams wearing the same uniform playing each other. That's Branden Cogswell (11) of the South Troy 18s sliding into third base in front of 17s third baseman Matt Roth (24) safely with a stolen base in the first inning. Cogswell finished the game with two hits and four runs batted in.

South Troy 17s second baseman Sean Geisel makes a throw to first during Friday's game. Geisel guided the Dodgers to the Upper New York State Amateur Baseball Association title last week at the Boght Area Baseball Complex and he added a single, a walk and a run scored for the 17s on Friday.

South Troy 18s starting pitcher Jim Brennan deals early in Friday's game against the South Troy 17s. He lasted only two innings, walking three, but allowing no runs. Reliever Sean Whitty recorded the next nine outs on 26 pitches, inducing a pair of double plays to work out of trouble and make the Dodgers' early lead hold up.

"It’s great knowing you have a team behind you to back me up like they did today," said Whitty, an Amsterdam native. "I hadn’t really thrown in a while so it’s good to get out there and throw a few innings. I’ll be ready the next time they need me."

The Dodgers v. Dodgers pairing was a bit unusual - Whitty admitted he pitched a complete game for the 17s earlier this season - but the players seemed to be able to buckle down and compete in spite of the kinship they feel for each other.

"It was weird and we knew it going in," said South Troy 18s manager Kevin Rogers. "Last night I tossed and turned about it all night. Coach LaValley (the 17s manager), I’ve known him for a million years. I mean, he’s our coach. I’ve helped him coach his team and he’s helped coach my team and I’ve coached all the kids in that dugout."
"We were trying to not think about that and just go out and play," he continued, "and we did that. I think we might have put it in neutral after the five-run inning, we sort of coasted, but we’re looking to pick it up tomorrow."

Saturday’s Schedule
AABC Connie Mack North Atlantic Regionals
All games at Geer Field, Troy

South Troy 17s vs. Connecticut Bombers, 9 a.m.
South Troy 18s vs. Long Island Titans, Noon
Remaining teams redraw after noon game
Games TBD 3 p.m.

--
Spring Renegades continue their rampage in the 14-and-under NABF World Series

LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Spring Renegades continued to dominate the opposition in the second day of pool play in the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series.
Spring posted a 17-0 victory over New Jersey in the morning, as Ryan McGrath and Kris Mueller led the way with two-run home runs. Jason Gallacchi added a solo home run and Joe Foran chipped in with two doubles for the Renegades.
In their next game, played at Lynchburg City Stadium - home of the Lynchburg Hillcats, Single-A affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates – Spring defeated an Allegheny, Va. squad 13-1. McGrath followed through with a triple and three singles, Foran added two triples and a single and Gallacchi also tripled.
Spring, which outscored opponents 55-5 through four pool play games, will face the second-place team from Pool B in the semifinals today at 10 a.m. Should the Renegades win that game, they will compete in the championship game at 5:30 p.m.
Many of the players on this team won the 13-and-under World Series in 2008.

The Albany City Rocks 17u Black Team will be showcased by ESPNU on Monday, July 27th at 5:30 p.m.

The City Rocks finished third overall at the Peach Jam event in South Carolina earlier this month, a tournament open to some of the top AAU teams in the nation. Basically, it's an all-star extravaganza for the best high school basketball players in the country.

While the City Rocks are based in Albany, some of their best players come from out of the area.

Will Regan (pictured above, from Williamsville, New York), who has made a verbal commitment to the University of Virginia, joins

Tobias Harris (above, Half Hollow Hills, Long Island) as the City Rocks' two most visible prospects. Harris has been labeled as one of the biggest high school standouts in the New York Metro area by downstate media outlets and is being chased by some of the biggest Division I programs in the country.

Local basketball fans may be familiar with two of the members of the City Rocks backcourt, which includes Jamel Fields (above), who will enter Fairfield University in the fall of 2010 and

Taran Buie, who led Bishop Maginn High School to a state championship in 2007-08. Buie, a rising senior in high school, has decided to join brother Talor Battle at Penn State in the fall of 2010.

Nolan Hart (Albany Academy), Derrick Millinghaus (Schenectady), Mike Murray (La Salle Institute) and Kameron Ritter (Christian Brothers Academy) are among the other local players on the team. Ritter in particular is drawing the interest of Division I coaches and all four of the players in this last group lead a talented group of returnees to local high school teams for the 2009-10 season.

TROY — The Connie Mack North Atlantic Regional begins today in Troy with eight teams vying for a spot in the World Series in Farmington, N.M.

The tournament kicks off at 2:30 p.m. with the South Troy Dodgers 17-year-old team taking on the Long Island Titans at Geer Field, while the Connecticut Bombers take on the Northeast Mudhens at Knickbacker Park in Lansingburgh.

The second round of games kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with the South Troy Dodgers hosting the Brooklyn Youth Service at Geer Field and the Ontario Blue Jays playing against the Bonnie Cougars at Knickerbacker Park.

2009 CONNIE MACK NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL

at Geer Field

South Troy Dodgers 17’s vs. Long Island Titans 2:30 p.m.

South Troy Dodgers vs. Brooklyn Youth Service 5:30 p.m.

at Knickerbacker Park

Connecticut Bombers vs. Northeast Mudhens 2:30 p.m.

Ontario Blue Jays vs. Bonnie Cougars 5:30 p.m.



--
In other baseball news, Spring's 9-year-old American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series winning team returned to Troy on Monday and had a celebration Tuesday night.
Their season is far from over, however.

Read Andrew Santillo's story here.

Spring's 11-year-old team defeated Clifton Park in the New York State Cal Ripken semifinals and Stan Hudy from The Saratogian was there. Read his story about the game here.

Spring Youth Baseball's nine-and-under team won the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series in Tulsa, Okla. on Sunday, defeating New Jersey team 7-5 for the title.

Anthony Germinerio was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

Zach Ziter entered to record the final out and David Judge drove in Germinerio with a double for an insurance run in the sixth inning.

"We were kind of the Bad News Bears down there compared to some of the other teams," said Spring head coach Dave Judge, "but these kids from Troy, they were just phenomenal."

Our colleague at The Saratogian, Stan Hudy, covered Spring's 11-year-old team in a come-from-behind victory over Clifton Park. He was kind enough to send us his story and here it is:

Stan Hudy
For The Record

WILTON – Spring Baseball coach Mark Ruddy joked after his 11-year-old Cal Ripken Baseball team earned a 4-2 come from behind win over Clifton Park Green Sunday afternoon to advance to the semifinals of the Eastern New York State tournament Sunday that he didn’t know how much more he could take.

It wasn’t the baseball, the kids or the parents; it was the winning or more importantly how his Spring squad continues to make so many contests nail bitters.

“They never stop coming,” Ruddy said. “For two years they’ve been coming back in games. They just never give up.”

Spring earned the number one spot in the semifinals with a perfect 3-0 record, looking to face tournament host, Wilton 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gavin Park in Wilton. But the squad kept Ruddy and their parents in suspense throughout its Sunday finale, courtesy of a sharp Clifton Park defense.

“I thought we were playing against Willie Mays in the outfield, Brooks Robinson at third and Derek Jeter at short,” Ruddy said. “We just couldn’t get past them.”

Spring was limited to only two hits through the first four innings against Clifton Park starter Greg Waldek before taking advantage of hard-throwing reliever Matt Alverson in their final at-bats.

Ryan Ruddy, Spring’s number nine hitter, started the rally, leading off with a single to short right field. He moved over on a passed ball and stole third. Justin Luther singled through the left side and Bayley Haskin drove in Ruddy with an RBI single and Luther scored on Brian Seabury’s RBI single, knotting the game at two runs apiece. Mel Swartz drove in Haskin with his single for the eventual game-winner and Nolan Porcelli plated Seabury on his groundout to third in the top of the sixth and final inning.

“(Justin) Luther pitched lights out to keep us in it,” Ruddy said. “My number nine hitter, he got the rally going for us.”

Luther went the distance, six innings, allowing only one hit and two unearned runs on the afternoon, sending Clifton Park down in order in his final three innings, including striking out the side in the fourth.

“I felt good,” Luther said. “It’s the best I’ve thrown in my life. I have a two-seam fastball and a change-up, they both worked today.”

For Luther the loss, which didn’t eliminate Clifton Park from the tournament, but moved them down in the standings, was sweet revenge.

“We faced them last week and they hit me OK,” Luther said. “They won in the bottom of the sixth and I was determined not to let that happen again.”

While Luther won’t be eligible to pitch in Tuesday’s semifinal against Wilton due to Cal Ripken Baseball league pitching rules, he is ready for Wednesday’s championship game.

“I have two stars, Luther and Nick Porcelli,” Ruddy said. “Porcelli goes in the next game and Luther will pitch in the championship game. Let them know what’s coming at them, that’s how ready we are.”

Spring will face Wilton 6 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinal. A win would place them in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. title game against the winner of the Clifton Park Green/Queensbury contest with a bid to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Indian Mills, New Jersey.

SPRING 4, CLIFTON PARK 2

Clifton Park Green 110 000 – 2 1 1

Spring 000 04X – 4 7 3

Clifton Park – Waldek, Alverson (5) and Drum. Spring – Luther and Houser. 2B – (S) Haskin. SB – (CP) Drum, Gregory, Collins. (S) Luther, Seabury 2, Houser 2, Swartz, Barnes, Ruddy.

Robert Tedesco takes a big hack during Friday's game against the North Colonie Padres. He won two starts against the South Colonie Padres in the tournament, including an 8-3 triumph in Sunday's championship game. He was named tournament MVP and earned the South Troy Dodgers' 17-year-old team a berth in the North Atlantic Regionals, which begin Wednesday in Troy. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record)

"After I threw against South Colonie the first time, I said, ‘Alright coach, 109 pitches today, I’ll see you Sunday," said Tedesco. "I just went home and iced and did everything I could to get back to Sunday because Sunday was the championship. Sunday came along and (coach Doug LaValley) said, ‘here’s the ball. Go to work’."

Tedesco ran out of gas, finally, in the sixth, walking the first three batters he faced. John Kellogg came in and put out the fire, striking out four in the final two innings to slam the door on the Raiders, who were the defending champions of the New York State tournament.

"I was just trying to throw strikes," said Kellogg, a Bethlehem High graduate. "I only threw one or two curveballs the whole two innings. I was just pounding them with fastballs. I was trying to get outs and make them hit it and they just turned into strikeouts and we were able to work out of it."

Sean Geisel drove in three runs and has done a great job out of the No. 5 hole in the lineup - a big RBI spot.

"I just try to make contact," Geisel said. "I can’t drive in runs if the guys in front of me aren’t getting on base. It’s really up to them to get on base, which they’ve been doing a lot and helping me out."

South Colonie's Liam Keegan lays down a sacrifice squeeze bunt in the second inning of Sunday's game against the Lansingburgh Royals. One run scored on the play and the Raiders added two more in the inning. It was all starter Chris Kalica would need, as he pitched a complete game, three-hit gem in a 3-0 victory, vaulting the Raiders into the title game against South Troy. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

South Colonie's Eric Birdsall makes an attempt at a play on a ball off the bat of Lansingburgh's Ray Carmel. Carmel was stranded on third base and was the only Royals runner to advance that far against Kalica.

Check out full coverage of the game in Monday's edition of The Record.

SOUTH COLONIE 3, LANSINGBURGH 0

South Colonie 030 000 0 – 3 3 2
Lansingburgh 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Kalica and Harris; McLaughlin, Carle (4) and Russo.

SOUTH Troy 8, South Colonie 3
Championship game

SOUTH COLONIE SOUTH TROY

ab r h bi ab r h bi
Birdsall rf-p 2 1 0 0 Rebhun ss 1 1 0 1
Weinman 2b 2 1 1 0 Tedesco p 3 1 0 0
Harris c 3 1 0 0 DePietro lf 3 1 2 1
Notar 1b-3b 3 0 1 1 b-Sobiecki lf 1 0 0 0
Fitzgerald cf 3 0 0 0 Roth 3b 3 2 1 0
Smith dh-p 2 0 0 0 Geisel 2b 2 2 2 3
Gaffney 3b 2 0 0 0 Young rf 2 0 1 0
a-Gerard ph-lf 0 0 0 0 Dugan 1b 4 0 1 1
Jeffers ss 3 0 0 0 Sherwood c 3 0 1 0
Keegan lf-1b 3 0 0 0 Morrissey cf 2 1 0 1
Totals 23 3 2 1 Totals 24 8 8 7
South Colonie .........................................................000 003 0 - 3 2 1
South Troy ................................................................310 031 x - 8 8 1
a-walked for Gaffney in sixth. b-entered defensively for DePietro in sixth.
E-Harris, Roth. LOB-South Colonie 7, South Troy 8. 2B-Geisel, Young, Dugan. SB-Rebhun, Tedesco. CS-DePietro. DP-South Troy 1 (Geisel & Dugan). GIDP-Harris.
SOUTH Colonie ip h R er BB SO
Quinlan, L 4+ 5 5 5 6 4
Herman ª 0 2 2 4 1
Birdsall 1¤ 3 1 1 0 0
South Troy ip h R er BB SO
Tedesco, W 5+ 1 3 2 6 5
Kellogg 2 1 0 0 1 4
Quinlan pitched to one batter in fifth. Tedesco pitched to three batters in sixth. Inherited runners-scored: Herman 1-1, Birdsall 3-0, Kellogg 3-3.
WP-Tedesco, Quinlan, Birdsall. HBP-by Kellogg (Weinman).

--
Many people deserve credit for making the five-day event a success at the Boght Area Baseball Complex.
The North Colonie Padres hosted the tournament and their grounds crew and concessions stand volunteers were tireless in their dedication to making sure the fields were playable and the fans were fed.
Joe Henkel did an admirable job as the public address announcer.
And let's not forget all the players and coaches who sacrificed five full days of their time trying to earn a berth in the North Atlantic Regionals.

Jordan Zareski pitched four scoreless innings on 48 pitches (just under his pitch count of 50) and the Lansingburgh Royals bullpen kept the team in the game, allowing Zareski to hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 4-3 victory over the South Troy Dodgers 17s Saturday afternoon.
The Royals, the Dodgers and the South Colonie Raiders advanced to the final round of the UNYSABA Connie Mack Tournament, which wraps up today at 3 p.m. at the Boght Complex.

Make sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record for the full scoop.

Lansingburgh 4, South Troy 3

SOUTH TROY LANSINGBURGH
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Rebhun p 4 0 0 0 Carmel ss 4 0 2 1
Henchey p 0 0 0 0 Russo rf-c 3 1 1 1
Tedesco 2b 4 0 0 0 Teta cf 2 0 0 0
DePietro c 3 1 1 0 Hastings c 3 0 1 0
Roth 3b 3 1 2 0 a-Gareau pr-rf 1 0 0 0
Geisel ss 4 0 0 0 Zareski p-3b 4 0 1 1
Young rf 3 1 1 0 Lozano 2b 1 1 1 0
Sobiecki lf 3 0 0 0 Legault 3b-p 1 1 0 0
Dugan 1b 2 0 1 1 McLaughlin p 0 0 0 0
Morrissey cf 3 0 1 0 Brisson lf 2 1 1 0
Yattaw 1b 3 0 0 0
Totals 29 3 6 1 Totals 24 4 7 3
South Troy ..................................................000 003 0 - 3 6 1
Lansingburgh .............................................000 030 1 - 4 7 3
One out when winning run scored. a-ran for Hastings in sixth.
E-Dugan, Legault, Carmel, Teta. LOB-South Troy 8, Lansingburgh 6. 2B-Roth 2, Carmel. CS-Young. SF-Russo. Sac.-McLaughlin. DP-South Troy 1 (Roth, Tedesco & Dugan). GIDP-Hastings.
SOUTH TROY ip h R er BB SO
Rebhun 6 4 3 1 5 5
Henchey, L ¤ 3 1 1 1 0
LANSINGBURGH ip h R er BB SO
Zareski 4 2 0 0 1 1
Legault 1+ 1 2 0 2 1
McLaughlin, W 2 3 1 0 0 3
Legault pitched to two batters in sixth. Inherited runners-scored: McLaughlin 2-2.
PB-Hastings.

2009 Upper New York State Amateur Baseball Association Connie Mack Tournament
Saturday’s scores
Round Four

South Troy 15, North Colonie 4 (resumption of postponed game)
North Colonie 5, Lansingburgh 3
South Troy 6, Clifton Park 2

Round Five

South Colonie 7, North Colonie 2
Lansingburgh 4, South Troy 3

Sunday’s schedule

At Boght Area Baseball Complex

Elimination game

South Colonie vs Lansingburgh, Noon

Championship game

South Troy vs South Colonie-Lansingburgh winner, 3 p.m.

---
Don't forget, the Eastern New York Connie Mack home run derby and All-Star game are coming up Monday night at Sorensco Field on Gilligan Road in East Greenbush.

The derby is slated to start at 6 p.m. with an All-Star game to follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The North Atlantic Regional - in which the winner of the UNYSABA tournament will earn a berth - begins Wednesday in Troy. The regional winner advances to the 2009 Connie Mack World Series in Farmintgon, New Mexico.

Rain washed out much of the anticipated action in the Upper New York State Amateur Baseball Association Connie Mack tournament at the Boght Area Baseball Complex on Friday afternoon.
South Colonie eliminated Sorensco in the morning, but the game between South Troy and North Colonie was postponed in the fourth inning, with the Dodgers holding a 13-4 lead.

That game will resume Saturday at 10 a.m. and a game between the Lansingburgh Royals and North Colonie is scheduled to immediately follow.

Friday’s scores

South Colonie 7, Sorensco 3
South Troy 13, North Colonie 4 (suspended in fourth inning)

Saturday’s Schedule

South Troy vs North Colonie (resumption of suspended game), 10 a.m. Boght Complex
Lansingburgh vs North Colonie, Noon
Clifton Park vs South Troy at Geer Field, Noon

Remaining teams (Lansingburgh, South Troy, North Colonie, South Colonie, Clifton Park - if not eliminated in Round Four) will redraw for Round Five

Games TBD at 3 and 6 p.m. at Boght Complex

All of these times, of course, are weather permitting and approximate, depending on Friday night's weather and how quickly the field crews can make the diamonds playable on Saturday morning.

South Troy center fielder Scott Morrissey takes a pitch during Friday's game against North Colonie. Morrissey, a La Salle Institute graduate, is a Lansingburgh native and knows both sides of the Royals-Dodgers rivalry. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record)

If the Dodgers' big lead over the Padres holds up when the two resume play on Saturday, South Troy and Lansingburgh will be the only two undefeated teams remaining in the five-team pool.

Check out Saturday's edition of The Record for more about Morrissey's journey from Lansingburgh Little League to Liberty League baseball with Clarkson University and how he's looking forward to a rematch with the Royals in this tournament, should one happen.

"I’m looking forward to seeing them," Morrissey said. "I’m sure we’ll play them in the tournament at some point in a big game. I went to school with almost all of the guys on that team so it should be fun."

The Lansingburgh Royals may have given manager Ernie Ryan a lot more gray hair over the last few weeks - read all about that in The Record on Friday - but they've also provided local baseball fans with some very exciting games the past two weeks.
They took two days and three starting points and 16 innings to drop a game to the South Troy Dodgers 17s in the Connie Mack World Series qualifier a few weeks ago and erased a 7-0 deficit to post an 8-7 victory over the Sorensco Falcons on Monday, punching their ticket into the UNYSABA Tournament.

Another rain delay turned Thursday's rematch with the Falcons into a five-and-a-half hour eight inning marathon, but the Royals found a way to come out on top yet again.

Zak Hunt worked out of jams three times in the final three innings and Kyle Brisson, who entered the game as a pinch runner prior to the rain delay in the seventh, delivered the game-winning RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth.

"It was just great defense," Hunt said. "They stuck behind me pretty good and our hitting is solid. We’re hitting it pretty good and it’s coming along."

"He’s always in trouble, that’s how he pitches," Lansingburgh manager Ernie Ryan laughed. "He goes full count on a lot of people, but he has the stuff to get people out when he gets behind, too."

Lansingburgh won, 6-5, and earned a bye into the fourth round of the tournament, which will kick off Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Boght.

"We have the bye now, so that was a big win for us," Brisson said. "The intensity was real high. Actually, I’m still shaking from it."

Friday's Schedule

Sorensco will face South Colonie in an elimination game at 10 a.m.
The South Troy 17s face North Colonie in a winner's bracket game at 1 p.m.
Teams will redraw after that game and play a pair at 3:30 and two more at 6 p.m.
*The winner of this tournament earns a berth in the North Atlantic Regional, which begins next Wednesday in Troy.

"We were the last seed to enter, we weren’t supposed to beat Watertown and nobody ever expected us to beat this team Monday to get in and to beat them again in the tournament," Lansingburgh manager Ernie Ryan said. "Don’t take anything away from Sorensco – they have a lot of good pitching and they’re a good team. But that’s baseball and that’s why you play the game. You never know who gets a hit at the right time. They very well could have had a hit with the last kid up and won the game by a run against us, so you just never know."

"It would have been a lot more fun to be on the winning side of it, but I told the kids it was a great game to go back and forth and that they didn’t give up," said Sorensco manager Dan Renaud. "Even when they gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth, they could have folded pretty easily but we battled, got on base and we were one hit away from winning the game. That’s how close it was."

Lansingburgh Royals starter Zach Carle went the first five and 2/3 innings before handing the ball over to former Cambridge High teammate Zak Hunt in Thursday's 6-5, eight inning victory over the Sorensco Falcons in the UNYSABA Connie Mack Tournament at the Boght Area Baseball Complex. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Lansingburgh center fielder Ray Carmel connects with a pitch during Thursday's game. Carmel doubled and scored in the first inning and made a great catch for the second out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Sorensco's first baseman Nolan Gaige makes a nifty play on Zak Hunt's ground ball before firing to pitcher Matt Nash covering the bag for the final out of the third inning. Gaige walked three times, scored two runs and contributed an RBI single in the third inning of Thursday's game.

Lansingburgh shortstop Josh Lewyckyj readies for a throw to first as second baseman C.J. Lozano looks on. The shortstops have had many a tough bounce during the first two days of the tournament on field one at Boght - Lewyckyj got a bloody mouth at the end of Wednesday's game against Watertown - and we'll see how Thursday's rain impacts the fielders when the games resume Friday morning at 10 a.m.

The grounds crew at Boght deserves a lot of credit for making the resumption of this game possible. Soresnco manager Dan Renaud was out there raking forever, members of the North Colonie Padres organization were working hard on the infield dirt and tournament director Joe Henkel drove around in circles on the tractor about 8,000 times to help expedite the drying in the infield. If you're going to the games on Friday, give those folks a pat on the back because they saved the day for the kids.

Lansingburgh 6, Sorensco 5 (8)

LANSINGBURGH SORENSCO
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Carmel cf 4 1 1 0 Vooris rf 3 0 0 0
Russo lf-c 5 0 1 0 1-Doughtie 3b 2 0 1 1
Lewyckyj ss 5 2 1 1 Murdick ss-p 4 1 1 0
Gardner rf 3 1 0 0 Gaige 1b-lf 2 2 1 1
Zareski 3b 4 2 2 1 Papas cf 5 0 3 1
Hastings c 2 0 1 1 Schultz lf-p-rf 3 0 0 0
a-Brisson pr-lf 1 0 1 1 Tidd dh-1b 4 0 3 2
Hunt dh-p 4 0 1 1 Kasper c 2 0 0 0
Lozano 2b 4 0 2 1 2-Loughman ph1 0 0 0
Yattaw 1b 2 0 0 0 3-Jurcaynski c 1 0 0 0
Casavant 3b-ss4 1 1 0
Williams 2b 2 1 0 0
Totals 34 6 10 6 Totals 33 5 10 5
Lansingburgh ...........................200 030 01 - 6 10 2
Sorensco .....................003 011 00 - 5 10 2
a-ran for Hastings in seventh. 1-entered defensively for Vooris in fifth. 2-grounded out for Kasper in fifth. 3-entered defensively for Loughman in sixth.
E-Nash, Casavant, Zareski, Hunt. LOB-Lansingburgh 13, Sorensco 13. 2B-Carmel, Zareski, Lozano. SB-Brisson, Murdick, Gaige 2, Papas 2, Schultz 2. CS-Murdick. Sac-Hunt, Williams. DP-Lansingburgh 1 (Hunt, Lewyckyj & Yattaw). GIDP-Kasper.
Lansingburgh ip h R er BB SO
Carle 5ª 8 5 4 4 2
Hunt, W 2¤ 2 0 0 4 3
Sorensco ip h R er BB SO
Nash 4¤ 8 5 3 1 4
Schultz 2ª 0 0 0 2 6
Murdick, L 1 2 1 1 1 0
Inherited runners-scored: Schultz 2-0, Hunt 2-0.
PB-Hastings, Jurczynski. HBP-by Nash (Gardner, Hastings) by Schultz (Hastings, Carmel). Delay: Rain, 2:35.

--
In other news on Thursday, Metroland named The Record's sports coverage the best in the area in their annual Best Of the Capital Region edition. Thank you, Metroland.

Best Local Sports Coverage:

The Record

The Record gives a lot of real estate—in newspapers, “real estate” means pages—to sports. And a big share of this is in-depth coverage of local sports: high school, college, minor league baseball and hockey, you name it. Being able to devote your back page to a dynamic sports photo every day doesn’t hurt, either.

Thanks everyone for reading. We appreciate the feedback.

Lansingburgh Royals ace Jordan Zareksi was brilliant in Wednesday's opening round game of the New York State Connie Mack Tournament against the Watertown Athletics, hurling a one-hit, 11 strikeout performance in a complete game victory. He did it all after watching his uncle, Rick Zareski, throw out the honorary first pitch in thanks for his military service.
(All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

"The way he controlled their bats, I wasn’t about to go to anybody else," said Lansingburgh manager Ernie Ryan. "It was his game to win or lose."

Jordan Hastings connects on a first innings RBI single in Wednesday's game against the Watertown A's. Lansingburgh head coach Ernie Ryan lauded Hastings after the game for his clutch hitting all season long.

Lansingburgh shortstop Josh Lewcykyj slides in safe on a wild pitch under the tag of Watertown pitcher Josh Cox in the third inning of Wednesday's game. He singled, moved to second base on a dropped third strike, tagged and moved to third base and scored on the wild pitch, manufacturing a run all by himself. The Canisius-bound Lewcykyj went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, too. His only problem of the day? A ground ball hopped right up into his mouth in the late innings, giving him a bit of a bloody grin after the game.

"Zareski threw a great game and when he’s on, he’s on," said Lewyckyj. "We knew in the first inning he was on and that takes a lot of pressure off of you, knowing he’s a great pitcher. We knew scoring runs would be important, but we also knew their run total wouldn’t be too high either."

The winner of the Upper New York Amateur Baseball Association Connie Mack Tournament earns a berth in the 2009 North Atlantic Regional to be played in Troy beginning next Wednesday. The winner of the regional heads to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico.

10 teams were entered for the tournament, but the Brunswick Red team dropped out before playing a game, giving the South Troy Dodgers 17s a first round bye.

--
Sorensco, the 2009 Eastern New York Connie Mack regular season champions, beat the Brunswick Buckeyes Blue team 13-4 in a late game, setting up a rematch between Sorensco and Lansingburgh Thursday at 3 p.m at the Boght Complex.
Lansingburgh erased a 7-0 deficit in their game on Monday, earning an 8-7 win to qualify for the state tournament in Latham.

Check out the full story, as well as more on the Sorensco team, in Thursday's edition of The Record.
None of your other local media organizations (print or TV) were there, so you can only read about it in The Record. We'll be there again tomorrow and throughout the tournament, so make sure to check back in the coming days for more on the tournament.

Lansingburgh 4, Watertown 0
WATERTOWN LANSINGBURGH
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Fish c 3 0 0 0 Carmel 3b 4 0 1 1
Caldwell 2b 1 0 1 0 Russo lf 3 0 2 0
B.Magvney cf 3 0 0 0 Lewyckyj ss 4 3 3 1
Cox p 3 0 0 0 Gardner rf 3 0 1 0
VanHten lf-rf 3 0 0 0 Zareski p 2 0 0 0
Kellogg rf-1b 2 0 0 0 Hastings c 3 0 1 1
Wight 1b 1 0 0 0 Teta cf 2 0 0 0
a-Iles ph-lf 2 0 0 0 1-Brisson cf 0 0 0 0
Scordo ss 1 0 0 0 Hunt 2b 3 0 0 0
b-A.Mgvny ss 1 0 0 0 Yattaw 1b 3 1 1 0
c-Exford ph 1 0 0 0
Bodah 2b 2 0 0 0
Totals 23 0 1 0 Totals 35 4 12 4
Watertown...............................000 000 0 - 0 1 3
Lansingburgh .........................101 110 x - 4 9 2
a-struck out for Wight in fifth. b-struck out for Scordo in fifth. c-struck out for A.Magovney in sev¬enth. 1-entered defensively for Teta in fifth.
E-Caldwell, Scordo, Van Houten, Hunt, Lewyckyj.LOB-Watertown 5, Lansingburgh 8. 3B-Carmel. HR-Lewyckyj. CS-Russo 2.
Watertown ip h R er BB SO
Cox, L 6 9 4 2 3 7
Lansingburgh ip h R er BB SO
Zareski, W 7 1 0 0 3 11
WP-Cox. PB-Hastings 2, Fish 2.

SORENSCO 13, BRUNSWICK 4
SORENSCO BRUNSWICK
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Vorris rf 2 2 0 0 Budesheim 3b 3 0 1 0
Murdick ss 3 0 0 1 Sweeney lf-p 1 0 0 2
Gaige dh-p 4 1 3 2 1-O’Brien ph 1 0 0 0
Papas cf 3 1 0 1 Gravelle 2b 4 0 0 0
Schultz lf 4 3 3 3 Rogers p-lf 3 0 1 0
Tidd 1b 4 2 1 1 Keegan 1b 3 0 0 0
Jurczynski c 3 1 1 1 Sodorsky c 2 0 0 0
b-McDngh c 1 0 0 0 Rimkunas ss 1 2 0 0
d-Kasper ph-c 1 1 0 0 Houghtaling cf 2 2 1 0
Casvant 3b-2b 3 1 1 1 Bertrand rf 2 0 0 0
D.Williams 2b 1 0 0 0 2-Brinkman p 1 0 0 0
a-Lghman ph 1 0 0 0
c-Nash 3b 1 1 1 1
Totals 31 13 10 11 Totals 23 4 3 2
Sorensco .................................................010 050 7 - 13 10 2
Brunswick Blue ..........................................002 020 0 - 4 3 2
a-flied out for Williams in fifth. b-grounded out for Jurczynski in sixth. c-walked for Loughman in seventh. d-reached on error for McDonough in seventh. 1-struck out for Sweeney in seventh. 2-entered to pitch in sixth.
E-Gravelle, Houghtaling, Tidd, Papas.LOB-Sorensco 13, Brunswick 5. 2B-Schultz 2.SB-Schultz 2, Casavant 2. CS-Rogers. SF-Sweeney. Sac-Murdick.
Sorensco ip h R er BB SO
Doughtie, W 4+ 3 4 2 3 5
Gaige 2 0 0 0 3 5
Hilton 1 0 0 0 0 2
Brunswick ip h R er BB SO
Rogers, L 4¤ 4 3 3 7 2
Sweeney ª 3 3 3 3 1
Brinkman 1¤ 0 4 4 3 0
Paris ª 3 3 1 0 0
Doughtie pitched to two batters in fifth.
Inherited runners-scored: Gaige 2-2, Sweeney 2-2, Paris 3-3.
WP-Rogers. PB-Sodorsky. HBP-by Rogers (Vooris), by Brinkman (Papas).

Thursday’s Schedule
All games at Boght Area Baseball Complex
Loser’s bracket

West Genesee vs Watertown, Noon
Brunswick Blue vs Clifton Park, Noon

Winner’s bracket

South Troy Dodgers 17s vs South Colonie, 3 p.m.
Lansingburgh vs Sorensco, 3 p.m.

Loser’s bracket

West Genesee/Watertown winner vs Brunswick/Clifton Park winner, 6 p.m.
South Troy/South Colonie loser vs Sorensco/Lansingburgh loser, 6 p.m.

Winner’s bracket

South Troy/South Colonie winner vs. North Colonie, 8 p.m.