The Woodroe Realty Medina Yankees edged past the Roy-Hart Yankees 3-1 Wednesday in a hard fought first round playoff game to advance to next round of the Major Division playoffs on Friday at Butts Park.

The Medina Yankees had great pitching from Brody Fry who hurled 8 strikeouts over the first 3 innings, Tyler Kroening pitched the last 3 innings striking out 9 batters and allowing no runs to secure the win.

At the plate, Tyler Allen had a hit and scored a run, Colton Smith scored what was the winning run off of several stolen bases, Timmy Vasquez had a single and scored the final run, Kroening had a double, and Kolton Fletcher, Joseph Reese and Cole Callard each added a hit.

The Somerset Blue Jays blanked the Lyndonville Tigers 4-0 Tuesday evening in the pre-quarterfinal round of the Minor Division baseball playoffs.

The No. 6 seed Blue Jay will next visit the No. 3 Medina Indians in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The other quarterfinals will have No. 8 Medina Pirates at No. 1 Lyndonville Twins, No. 7 Somerset Yankees at No. 2 Medina Orioles and No. 5 Roy-Hart Yankees at No. 4 Medina Athletics.

The Blue Jays attack included two hits each by Cayvon Heigl, Drew LaGreca and Rory Harvey.

The Jays scored two quick runs in the first inning on RBI singles by LaGreca and Harvey as a triple by Heigl  ignited the threat.

A double by LaGreca and a single by Harvey plated two insurance runs in the fourth inning which also included singles by Heigl and Grayson Prynn.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s Genesee Region League All-Star squad honorees include, standing are first team selections Nathan Dillenbeck, Zach Johnson and Kane Flynn. In front are Honorable Mention selections Rolland Balcerzak and Casey Winiecki.

Division II champion Lyndonville has a trio of Genesee Region League baseball All-Stars in seniors Zach Johnson (pitcher/first base) and Kane Flynn (infield/pitcher) and sophomore Nathan Dillenbeck (shortstop/pitcher).

The Tigers also had junior Casey Winiecki (outfield) and sophomore Rolland Balcerzak (catcher/pitcher) receive Honorable Mention.

Kendall’s All-Star Mason Kuhn

In addition, Tigers Coach Shane Price was honored as G-R Coach of the Year.

On the mound Johnson registered 108 strikeouts and had an earned run average of 0.69 in 50 and 2/3 innings of work. At the plate, he hit .431 with 5 doubles, 4 triples and 2 home runs.

Flynn went 4-0 on the mound and at he plate hit .400 with 19 RBI and 29 runs scored.

Dillenbeck hit .463 with 17 RBIs and posted a 3-0 record on the mound.

Kendall is represented on the All-Star team by junior catcher Mason Kuhn.

The G-R All-Star lineup also includes Andrew Hare from Elba, Adam Hess, Tyrone Woods and Ryan Davis from Alexander, Brad Waggoner from Pembroke, Seth Doktor, Joey Burdick and Aiden Johnston from Oakkfield-Alabama, Zach Cocking from Notre Dame, Zach Strzelec, Mitch Cook, Parker Widley and Mike Peresan from Attica and Peyton Armison from Byron-Bergen.

The Somerset Blue Jays capped off the Minor Division regular season with a 4-1 win over the Lyndonville Giants Monday. in Somerset.

The Blue Jays scored three quick runs in the first inning as  Cayvon Heigl singled,  Grayson Prynn doubled, Drew LaGreca banged out a two run triple and Kian Lawson drove in the final tally on a groundout.

The Jays final run came in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Brad Maines following hits by Prynn and Lawson.

The Blue Jays, which finished the regular season at 4-3-1, will host a pre-quarterfinal playoff game against the Lyndonville Tigers at 6 this evening.

Contributed Photo – Jenna Castricone

Press Release

HAMBURG, N.Y. – Megan Valentine, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Hilbert College, is pleased to introduce Jenna Castricone as the Hawks’ Women’s Soccer Head Coach.  Castricone is excited to hit the ground running in preparation for her first opportunity leading an NCAA Division III program.

Castricone, a 2018 Hilbert graduate, returns to her roots after spending last fall as a graduate assistant women’s soccer coach at Canisius College.  She assisted in on-field training and skill development as well as helping to manage film breakdown and opponent scouting, team travel and on-campus recruiting events.

She has already taken the first step of leadership at Hilbert as Castricone served as an assistant softball coach for the Hawks during the 2019 spring season as well as assisting with event management operations during the 2018-19 basketball season.

“I am very humbled and excited to be given this opportunity to return as a head coach at Hilbert and I am looking forward to getting this program back on the radar in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference,” said Castricone.

The Medina native was a four-year student-athlete for the Hawks’ soccer and softball programs.  She was named her team’s Most Valuable Player several times (2014-15 both in soccer and softball and again in 2017-18 for the soccer team) while also garnering softball’s Most Improved Player (2017) and Coaches Award (2018) as well as an AMCC All-Sportsmanship recognition (2015) as voted by her soccer teammates.

“In my first year with Hilbert athletics, Jenna landed on my radar and set herself apart due to her strong work ethic, attention to detail and quality, and a recognition of and an appreciation for process,” Valentine said.  “She has an insatiable appetite to learn, and I am looking forward to working with her further as we build Hilbert’s women’s soccer program into an AMCC contender.”

Castricone was a field player in 2014 before she transitioned into the starting goalie her final three years on the pitch.  She  was named a Second Team AMCC All-Conference goalie in 2016 after posting six shutout wins with a 1.75 goals against average for the 9-7-1 Hawks.  Castricone closed her 65-game career (49 in net) with a .800 save percentage and a 2.11 goals against average while earning six shutout victories and a 16-29-4 record.

As a four-year softball starter, Castricone shared time covering the infield and outfield defensively for the Hawks.  She started in all 125 games played, was just shy of 100 hits (94), scored 51 runs and earned 63 RBIs.

Castricone was a multi-year AMCC Academic All-Conference selection and she contributed to the Hilbert women’s soccer program’s dominance in winning the AMCC Team Peak Performer honor three of her four years.  She was a member of Hilbert College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and participated in the 2018 NCAA Convention via an AMCC grant.

Castricone earned a bachelor’s degree in sport industry management along with a minor in digital media and communications.   She secured her master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius in 2019.

Photo by  Cheryl Wertman – Representing Medina on the first team of the Niagara-Orleans All-League team are, from left, Brian Fry, Trevor Luthart, Nate Sherman and AJ Seefeldt.

Four players from champion Medina head the first team of the annual Niagara-Orleans All-League baseball team.

That underclassmen quartet includes junior pitcher Trevor Luthart and junior center fielder Nate Sherman along with the sophomore middle infield combination of shortstop Brian Fry and second baseman AJ Seefeldt.

Overall on the season Luthart posted a 10-1 record on the mound with 100 strikeouts in 73 innings of work and an earned run average of 0.96. At the plate he hit .262 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home ru and 19 RBI.

Fry led the Mustangs at the plate hitting .514 with 13 doubles, 6 triples,4 home runs and 31 RBI.

Seefeldt, who hit .481 with 12 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run led the Mustangs in runs batted in with 42.

Sherman hit .333 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 28 RBI.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion is represented by Thomas Furmanski, left, and Liam Ward.

Albion placed the junior battery of pitcher Thomas Furmanski and catcher Liam Ward. Both are repeat first team honorees.

On the mound, Furmanski had 5 wins and 2 saves in N-O action with a 0.88 era. At the plate he hit .303 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run and 15 RBI.

Ward hit .375 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run and 15 RBI.

Roy-Hart has placed senior first baseman Charlie Bruning and freshman outfielder Gavyn Boyle.

Bruning, who was named N-O Player of the Year, hit .421 with 4 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs and 6 RBI. On the mound, he had 5 wins and 2 saves with 54 strikeouts in 39 innings and  1.79 era.

Boyle hit .333 with 6 RBI.

Contributed Photos – Roy-Hart’s first team honorees are Charlie Bruning, left, and Gavyn Boyle.

Akron is represented by senior infielder Brandon Orr, who is a repeat honoree, and sophomore utility player/DH Mitchell Holtz.

Orr hit .438 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 18 RBI.

Holtz hit .321 with 6 doubles and 13 RBI. On the mound he went 4-0 with a 1.24 era.

Rounding out the first team is Newfane junior outfielder David Bunn.

Medina is represented on the second team by junior infielder/pitcher Chris Goyettte; Albion by senior first baseman Isaiah Callicutt and senior infielder Bryce Pritchard and Roy-Hart by sophomore catcher Noah Hardy.

Completing the second team are senior pitcher Ian Evans and senior utility player/DH Steven Frerichs from Wilson, junior pitcher Garrett Srock and senior outfielder Matt DiTullio from Newfane, senior infielder Preston Harris from Barker and sophomore outfielder Jacob Mazza and senior outfielder Jake Siska from Akron.

The Honorable Menton selections, listed by school, are as follows:

Akron – Adam Mietz (soph.) and Dylan Krzykowski (sr.)

Albion – Vincent Zona (sr.)

Newfane – Hunter Jurek (soph. and Tyler Oudette (soph.)

Medina – Joe Cecchini (fr.), Austin Mosher (soph.) and Zach Fike (fr.)

Roy-Hart – Charlie Brigham (sr.) and Walker Samanka (sr.)

Wilson – Thomas Baia Jr. (jr.) and Patrick Seeley (jr.)

Contributed Photos – Rounding out the first team are Brandon Orr and Mitchell Holtz from Akron and David Bunn from Newfane.

Contributed Photos – Roy-Hart’s first team honorees Jamie Bower, Maddie Fry and Mallory Steiner.

Three players from undefeated (12-0) champion Roy-Hart head the first team of the annual Niagara-Orleans All-League softball squad.

That trio includes senior catcher Maddie Fry, who is a four time first team selection, senior third baseman Jamie Bower and sophomore pitcher Mallory Steiner. Fry has also been named N-O Player of the Year.

Fry hit .615 with 6 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs and 31 RBI; Bower .508 with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers and 27 RBI and Steiner .493 with 7 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs and 34 RBI. In the circle, she had 45 strikeouts in 38 innings and allowed a total of only 9 runs.

Runnerup Akron (9-3) is represented by the senior duo of first baseman Helena Hill and shortstop Darion Jonathan. Hill hit .488 with 2 doubles, 4 triples and 5 RBI and Jonathan .551 with 5 doubles, 5 triples and 17 RBI.

Medina’s Ashlee Howell and Brandi Guild

Third place Medina (8-4) also has two senior honorees in catcher Ashlee Howell and shortstop Brandi Guild. Howell hit .600 and had a fielding average of .972 and Guild hit .433 with a fielding average of ..955.

Rounding out the first team are Albion senior center fielder Brylie Hapeman who hit .364, Barker sophomore shortstop Sydnie Lucklamn who hit .435 and drove in 17 runs, Wilson junior shortstop Emilee Muoio who hit .435 and had 12 RBI and Newfane freshman third baseman Julia Dumais.

The second team includes senior outfielder Lexie Lovewell and junior second baseman Sam Choate from Roy-Hart; freshman pitcher Jenelle Kieffer and sophomore center fielder Jessee Jonathan from Akron; senior pitcher Cora Payne and junior pitcher Lacey Kenward from Medina; sophomore catcher Julie Faery and sophomore outfielder Tori Pawlak from Wilson along with Albion senior shortstop Lexi Wolck, Newfane senior pitcher Jess Shoemaker and Barker sophomore pitcher Jessaylnn Coen.

The Honorable Mention selections, listed by school, are as follows:

Akron – sophomore second baseman Madison Henning.

Albion – junior outfielder Kendall Derisley and junior second baseman Paige Derisley.

Barker – junior pitcher Emily Wagner .

Medina – junior outfielders Camri King and Abi Neuman.

Newfane – senior outfielder Natalie Wagner.

Roy-Hart – senior outfielders Jayden Townsend and Ashley Hlll and freshman Reanna Perkins.

Wilson – sophomore first baseman Alycia Thompson.

Albion’s Brylie Hapeman along with Akron’s Darion Jonathan and Helena Hill.

Sydnie Luckman (Barker), Emilee Muoio (Wilson) and Julia Dumais (Newfane)

Sandstone edged past Rotary 2-1 this past week to improve to 1-1 in Albion Midget League baseball action.

Snapping a 1-1 tie, Sandstone scored the game winner in the sixth inning on a hit by Elliott Trapiss as two walks set up the opportunity.

A double by Noah Harrison helped Rotary score a run in the third inning to knot the contest at 1-1.

Rotary is now 2-1.

The Albion Raptors went 1-2 on the weekend at the Wilson U17 soccer tournament.

The Raptors opened the tourney with a 2-1 win over the Hilton Heat avenging a league loss this past week. Aly Knaak scored the game winner.

The Raptors were then blanked 2-0 by the Niagara Pioneer.

Neeeding a win to earn a berth in the finals, the Raptors saw the Lockport Lightning come from behind twice to claim a 4-2 victory.

The Raptors held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 on goals by Abby Scanlan.

The Raptors return to Rochester District Youth Soccer League Wednesday at Chili.

Kendall 0, Avon 0
Goals proved hard to come by as Kendall played to a 0-0 tie with host Avon this evening in a Rochester District U18 Division game.

Kendall, which is now 2-1-1, will host Medina/Lyndonville next Sunday at 6:30 p.m.