Page Sponsor
Local Sports
Medina’s Melanie Green captures state golf championship
Contributed Photo – Medina High sophomore Melanie Green meets here with her father, Ron Green, after capturing the state high school girls golf championship today at Bethpage, N.Y.
A third place finisher a year ago, Medina High sophomore Melanie Green claimed top honors this time around at the girls state high school golf championships held Saturday and today at Bethpage.
“I was really close last year so I really wanted to get this one,” said Green in a post match interview with state tourney officials. “It feels great, absolutely great. I played fine. I really like this course.”
Green went 2 under for today’s second round and finished the two day event with a total of 138 to win by two strokes.
“She was driven after finishing third last year so it’s not surprising she came back and won it,” said Medina golf Coach PJ Bell. “She just loves the game of golf and she just works so hard at it. She is 100 percent committed.”
Green was 4 under after Saturday’s opening round with a 68 and tied for first place with Kaitlyn Lee (Section 1). Today she was even after 15 holes but birdies 16 and 17 to go 2 under finishing with a round of 70. Lee finished at 3 over today and wound up five shots off the pace at 143.
Green, who advanced to the states by capturing a second straight Section VI title, finished ahead of Bailey Shoemaker (Section 4) who had a two day total of 140. She was 7 under today after being 3 over at the end of the opening round.
Indians, Cubs win 1-0 youth diamond thrillers
Indians 1, Pirates 0
The Champs Mini Mart Indians handed the Medina Pirates their first loss of the season with a 1-0 win Saturday.
The Indian’s pitching by Luke Duffina and Aidan Papaj quieted the hot bats of the Pirates only allowing 5 hits with no runs.
Lex Gray added 2 outstanding plays to help lead the defensive effort.
Papaj lead the offense going 3-3 with a triple, single, and a walk off long ball into the outfield with 2 runners on which allowed the game winning score in the bottom of the sixth. Gray went 2-3 with 2 singles, Jackson McGrath had a single. Also reaching base was Trey Rhim, Jacob Duffina, and Lukin Szatkowski.
Cubs 1, Orioles 0
The Woodroe Realty Cubs edged the Brushstrokes Orioles 1-0, in a real pitchers duel. Vinny Gray and Briley Allen pitched strong, allowing only one hit.
The only score of the game was delivered by Jude Lacy. Lacy hit a rbi double that scored Briley Allen after he led the inning off with a double as well. Gray contributed a double. Ethan Page and Brennan Allen added singles.
For the Orioles, Kolton Fletcher and Steven Gobeli pitched a great game, scattering five hits and only allowing the one run. William Tagg hit a single for the Orioles.
Mets 18, Red Sox 4
Liam Castricone lead the Mets attack with 2 doubles and a single. Alex Benz and Conner Crandell both had a double and a single. Trey Skinner had a double as well as Justin Pitts, Hunter Stephens, Lukas Grimes and Henrio Winters all had singles.
On the mound, Pitts had 8 strikeouts, Benz 6 strikeouts and Castricone 3 strike outs.
Local athletes place at Section VI track meet
Several local athletes placed this afternoon’s second and final day of competition at the Section VI Division 2 (small schools) Track and Field championships held at Niagara Falls High School.
Roy-Hart’s Kali Scharping placed third and Medina’s Devin Griffin fourth in the high jump.
Also for Medina, Mason Pecoraro placed fifth in the Pentathlon, Dan Heil sixth in the 1600 and Jack Hill seventh in the Steeplechase.
For Albion, Tre Yaskulski took fourth in the Triple Jump and Preston Flugel fifth in the Pole Vault.
Green shares lead at state golf tourney
Contributed Photo – Melanie Green
Medina High sophomore Melanie Green shares the lead after today’s first round of the state high school girls golf championships at Bethpage.
Green went four under par on the day to share the lead with Kaitlin Lee from Section I. The two are five shots ahead of their nearest challenger. Her round included 7 Birdies and an Eagle.
Green, who qualified by capturing a second straight Section VI championship, placed third at the state tournament last year.
The tournament concludes with another 18 hole round on Sunday.
Rams capture Far West Regional diamond title
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s first baseman Charlie Bruning celebrates after getting the final out of today’s 10-1 Far West Regional victory over Midlakes at Frontier Field in Rochester. The Midlakes runner is Connor Young.
A huge relief pitching effort by senior Jake Bruning combined with a 13 hit attack sparked Roy-Hart to a 10-1 victory over Midlakes in the Class B Far West Regional this afternoon at Frontier Field in Rochester.
The victory propels the history making Rams into their first state semifinals against Seton Catholic next Friday at 5 p.m. at Maine-Endwell High School near Binghamton. Seton Catholic trimmed Adirondack 3-2 in the Central Regional.
Jake Bruning, who came on to turn in a sparkling relief effort for the Rams, here delivers a pitch.
Roy-Hart jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-run double by Gavyn Boyle and a fielders choice play off the bat of Charlie Brigham. Three walks loaded the bases to set up the opportunity.
However, Midlakes answered right back with a run in the home half of the frame on a single by Jordan Maher and an RBI double by Devin Kelly and then quickly loaded the bases with no outs on a pair of walks.
That set the stage for Jake Bruning to enter the pressure cooker situation in relief of his brother Charlie and he wasted no time in quickly getting the Rams out of the jam on two clutch strikeouts and a fly-out to Walker Samanka in left field.
“Charlie was having some trouble and I was able to come in and hit my spots and get the job done,” said Jake Bruning. “After that I knew we would win. I’m just so very proud of this team. They just work so hard.”
Gavyn Boyle bangs out a third inning double to drive in Roy-Hart’s first two runs.
Getting out of that bases loaded jam started a strong five inning relief stint for Jake Bruning who allowed only one hit, a seventh inning single, and struck out eight over that stretch.
“That was huge. Jake really stepped up,” said Roy-Hart Coach Mike Tarnowski. “He wants the ball when it’s crunch time like that.”
Sparked by that big mound effort, the Rams quickly boosted their lead to 5-1 by scoring twice in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Charlie Bruning and an RBI single by Jake Bruning. A leadoff single by Noah Hardy and a sacrifice bunt by Karson Grover set up that threat.
Midlakes did get two runners aboard in the home half of the frame via a pair of walks but Jake Bruning quickly got out of trouble on a pop out to Charlie Bruning at first base.
The Roy-Hart advantage increased to 7-1 after a pair of sixth inning tallies on a fielders choice play off the bat of Samanka and an error. Leadoff singles by Schwab and Boyle sparked that uprising.
Jake Bruning faced only four batters in the fifth, striking out two, and retired the side in order in the sixth notching a strikeout for the third out.
The Rams put a firm lock on the victory by scoring three times in the top of the seventh on a two-run single by Boyle and an RBI single by Jake Bruning.
Boyle and Charlie Bruning both finished with 3 hits as Jake Bruning, Schwab and Hardy each had 2.
Jake Bruning then closed out the win with two strikeouts and a groundout to shortstop Al Xapsos in the bottom of the seventh after yielding a leadoff single.
Charlie Bruning also had a clutch strikeout to end the first inning after Midlakes got runners to second and third. He also ended the second frame with a strikeout stranding a Midlakes runner at second base.
Improving to 19-2, the Rams now look to continue their history making postseason run at the state semis. In going 5-0 to date in playoff action, the Rams have already made plenty of history by capturing their first sectional title, a 4-2 win over Medina in the Section VI Class B2 finals, their first berth in the state playoffs, with a 12-9 win over Olean in the Section VI Class B final, and then today earning a first ever Regional victory.
Roy-Hart’s Ben Schwab slides into third base ahead of the throw to Ezra Maslyn of Midlakes.
Roy-Hart rolls and advances to state semis
Photo by Cheryl Wertman
ROCHESTER – The Roy-Hart varsity baseball team is pictured after defeating Midlakes 10-1 this afternoon to advance to the state semi-finals at Maine-Endwell High School near Binghamton on Friday at 5 p.m.
Roy-Hart improved its record to 19-2 on the season in winning the Far West Regional today at Frontier Field in Rochester.
Check local sports later for game highlights.
Section VI track championships get underway
Photo by Tom Rivers – Heading to the finish line, Medina’s Jack Hill placed third in the 3200 in Division 2 (Small Schools) of the Section VI Track and Field championships which began today at Niagara Falls High School. Albion’s Nate Moore also placed third in the long jump. The competition concludes on Saturday.
Rams set for state baseball playoff debut
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart catcher Noah Hardy, shown here waiting from a throw at home plate during this past Saturday’s Section VI Class B title win over Olean, and his Ram teammates will face Midlakes in the Far West Regional Saturday at Frontier Field in Rochester.
Having successfully cleared four hurdles at the sectional level, Roy-Hart is now set to begin a history making first trip to the state baseball playoffs as the Rams face Midlakes in the Class B Far West Regional at 2 p.m. Saturday at Frontier Field in Rochester.
Roy-Hart advanced by first capturing its first ever sectional title by edging Medina 4-2 for the Class B2 crown and then outlasting B1 champ Olean 12-9 for the overall Section VI Class B championship.
Roy-Hart’s Mike Huntington makes a catch in right field.
Midlakes gained its berth by defeating Newark 15-1 for the Section V Class B title.
Roy-Hart brings an 18-2 record into the regionals while Midlakes is 18-5.
“A big key is we’re playing as a team. They just love to play baseball,” said Rams Coach Mike Tarnowski. “Our goal is to win every pitch, every at bat, every inning and they embrace that. It’s pretty special to have a team like this.”
It’s been a steady climb up the ladder of success over the past three years for Roy-Hart beginning in 2016 when the Rams captured their first Niagara-Orleans League title since 1953. The Rams repeated as N-O champs and advanced to the Section VI Class B2 finals in 2017 and now have three-peated as N-O champs and captured their first sectional diamond crown this spring.
Roy-Hart’s lineup includes senior shortstop Al Xapsos who is hitting .443 with 20 RBIs, senior pitcher/outfielder Jake Bruning (.438, 18 RBI), junior first baseman/pitcher Charlie Bruning (.432, 14 RBI), senior third baseman/pitcher Ben Schwab (.414 28 RBI), eighth grader outfielder Gavyn Boyle (.403, 20 RBI), junior second baseman Charlie Brigham (.338, 17 RBI). junior third baseman/outfielder/pitcher Walker Samanka (.325, 13 RBI), freshman catcher Noah Hardy, sophomore outfielder Mike Huntington, senior designated hitter/outfielder Andrew Srock and junior designated hitter/infielder Karson Grover.
“It’s a great mix between our vets and our younger guys,” said Tarnowski. “We’ve been tested and we know we’ll see the other team’s best.”
The victor of Saturday’s game advances to the state semifinals in Binghamton on June 8.
Local athletes earn G-R All-Star track honors
Ten local athletes have earned spots on the Genesee Region League All-Star track team.
They include Dylan Spellan (Discus), Ethan Kuhn (Pentathlon), Brianna Wakefield (1500) and Lyndsay Wright (Hurdles) from Kendall; Matt Hahn (Discus), Matt DeSimone (Long Jump, 200), Angie Weaver (Shotput), Abrianna Kruger (Pentathlon), Lindsey Allen (Shotput) and Hanna Waterman (High Jump) from Holley and Jon Slingerland (1600) from Lyndonville.
In addition, six local athletes also received Honorable Mention including Alan Tonas (Shotput) and Madison Jacob (400 Hurdles) from Kendall, Jacob Downey (400 Hurdles) and Julia Smith (200, 400) from Holley and Evan Horn (100, Long Jump) and Savannah Poler (1500) from Lyndonville.
Yanks, Indians, Cubs post youth diamond wins
MTA Yankees 10, Mark’s Blue Jays 3
The MTA Yankees downed the Mark’s Blue Jays 10-3 in local youth baseball action this week.
Brody Fry’s pitching did not allow one hit for the first 3 innings as he struck out 9.
Fry also led batting as he went 3 for 3 with 3 Doubles and 7 RBI’s. Michael Chisler added a Triple. Henry Rigerman had a single and 2 RBI’s, and Cameron Kenward had a single a 1 RBI. Cole Callard, Tyler Kroening, Jackson Schultz, and Tyler Allen each added a hit.
The Yankees defense played strong last 2 innings getting good defensive plays from their infield players helping Callard and Kroening who pitched strong innings.
Champs Mini Mart Indians 6, Medina Athletics 1
The Chaps Mini Mart Indians bested the Medina Athletics 6-1 on a solid pitching performance by Lex Gray, Luke Duffina, and Dylan Johnston along with a good defensive play by Duffina and Gray .
Big hits came from Aidan Papaj going 3-3 with a home run and 2 singles and Gray 2-3 with a home run and a triple, along with timely singles from Duffina, Johnston, and Mason Berry accounted for the Indians offense. Also reaching base was Lukin Szatkowski.
Cubs 7, Grasshoppers 0
The Woodroe Realty Cubs slugged 17 hits in their 7-0 win over the Lyndonville Grasshoppers.
Ethan Page led the attack with three hits. Brennan Allen, Camden Fike, Briley Allen, River Jones, Bradley Goyette, and Levon Fuller all added two hits a piece. Vinny Gray and Amelia Rodden each had a hit.
Briley Allen, Brennan Allen and Ethan Page each pitched two strong innings.
