Medina will host a very familiar foe in the Section VI Class B2 baseball semifinals on Tuesday as the No. 4 seed Mustangs will entertain Niagara-Orleans League foe No. 8 Wilson at 5 p.m. at Vets Park.

Wilson advanced by defeating top seeded Olmsted 8-1 this afternoon in the quarterfinals.

Jackson Rotella went the distance on the mound for Wilson hurling a 2 hitter with 11 strikeouts.

John Bender had three hits and Rotella, Ian Evans and Tanney Feeley 2 each to lead the Lakemen at the plate.  Bender’s hits included a two-run double which keyed a three-run second inning uprising.

Medina and Wilson split a pair of regular season meetings with each team winning on the road.  The Mustangs won the first 7-3 and the Lakemen the second 8-2.

Medina advanced by nipping another N-O foe, Akron, 2-1 on Saturday.

Tuesday’s other B2 semifinal will have N-O champion Roy-Hart, which is the No. 2 seed, hosting No. 3 Southwestern at 5 p.m.

In the quarterfinals Roy-Hart trimmed No. 7 Gowanda 5-2 while Southwestern bested JFK 14-10.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Niagara-Orleans League rivals Roy-Hart and Medina will meet in the Class B2 semifinals on Monday at Akron. Here Roy-Hart’s Maddy Glena starts to slide into home as Medina catcher Ashlee Howell awaits the throw during a regular season meeting between the teams.

The Niagara-Orleans League is assured of having at least one team in the Section VI Class B2 softball playoff championship game as top seeded Roy-Hart and No. 4 Medina will meet in the semifinals at 4:45 p.m. Monday at Akron.

In fact, it could be an all N-O final as No. 6 Akron visits No. 2 Eden in the other semi on Monday.

Roy-Hart downed Medina twice during the N-O season by scores of 4-0 and 10-6.

The Lady Rams compiled a 12-0 N-O title campaign while the Mustangs finished in the runner-up spot at 10-2.

Both teams advanced to the semis with lopsided quarterfinal wins, Roy-Hart 26-1 over Gowanda and Medina 20-2 over Olmsted.  Akron nipped Cleveland Hill 3-2 and Eden downed Wilson 16-3 in the other quarterfinal match ups.

The B2 final is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Williamsville North.

Medina is the defending B2 champion. In earning their first sectional title last spring, the Mustangs defeated Fredonia 1-0 in the semifinals and Eden 5-4 in the title contest.

Contributed Photos – Olivia Denny receives her award from University of Rochester Associate AD Terrence Gurnett.

ROCHESTER – Barker High graduate Olivia Denny, who played a major role in the success of the University of Rochester field hockey team over the last four seasons, was presented with the Terrence L. Gurnett Award as a female scholar-athlete in the senior class. The award was presented to her by Gurnett at the annual varsity awards banquet.

Denny in action for the U of R field hockey team.

There were co-winners of the award this year. The other winner is Haberly Kahn of the softball team.

The award was inaugurated in 1995. It honors a female member of the senior class who has shown excellence in the classroom and serves as a role model for fellow students. Gurnett is a member of the Class of 1977. He is a former UR student-athlete, head coach, and now serves as Associate Director of Athletics for advancement.

Denny earned four varsity letters as a starter for field hockey. The Yellowjackets had an overall record of 69 wins and 20 losses. Rochester made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs (2015-2017), reaching the Elite 8 in 2015 and 2017, the Sweet 16 in 2016. In 2017, she finished with a career high seven goals and 11 assists for 25 points. Rochester won the Liberty League championship with a perfect record: 7-0 in the regular season, then wins over William Smith (4-0) and Skidmore (3-2) in the playoffs. She earned All-Liberty League honors.

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association named Denny to its national academic squad in each of her four seasons. At Rochester, she was a Provost’s Circle Scholar as a junior and a Lysle “Spike” Garnish scholar as a senior. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the University’s Undergraduate Placement Program. She was a teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry and a workshop leader for Biochemistry. Denny also volunteered at the Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital on campus.

She has a cumulative grade point average of 3.87, majoring in microbiology with a minor in American Sign Language.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Matt Saj slides home with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning of this afternoon’s sectional game at Vets Park as Akron catcher Mason Schultz awaits the throw.

No. 4 seed Medina pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to nip No. 5 Niagara-Orleans League foe Akron 2-1 in a Section VI Class B2 quarterfinal game at Vets Park this afternoon.

A leadoff single by Matt Saj, Medina’s only hit on the day, ignited the Mustangs last ditch rally.

Saj stole second, and after a walk to Zack Fike, the runners advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by AJ Seefeldt.  An intentional walk to Brian Fry then loaded the bases with only one out.

Nate Sherman puts the ball in play to drive in the winning run for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs then plated the game winner as Nate Sherman hit an infield grounder and the Akron throw to home to try and get the lead runner was off target for an error allowing Saj to score the game winner.

Medina’s only other run came in the second inning as Brett Riemer walked, advanced on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Alex Allis and came home on a wild pitch.

Akron tied the game with a run in the fifth inning on a double by Mitchell Holtz. The Tigers though left two runners stranded in the frame.

Trevor Luthart picked up the win on the mound for the Mustangs allowing 4 its with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. He didn’t allow a baserunner in the final two innings as he retired the Tigers in order in the top of the seventh. Earlier, he registered a clutch strikeout to end the fourth inning with Akron runners on first and third.

Brandon Orr likewise went the distance for Akron giving up just the 1 hit with 9 strikeouts and 6 walks.

The teams had split a pair of meetings during the N-O season by the identical score of 3-0.

Medina will next face the winner of the No. 8 Wilson vs. No. 1 Olmsted game in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Class B1

Fredonia 8, Albion 0

No. 3 seed Fredonia shutout visiting No. 6 Albion 8-0 in a Class B1 quarterfinal game.

Albion managed only 3 hits off Fredonia pitcher Derrick Walters who struck out 9.

Leading 2-0, Fredonia pulled away with three run scoring bursts in both the fourth and sixth innings.

Class C

Portville 9, Barker 2

No. 6 Portville bested No. 11 Barker 9-2 in a Class C opener played at St. Bonaventure University, All of Portville’s runs were unearned.

Preston Harris had a pair of base raps for Barker which outhit Portville 8-5.

Medina’s Trevor Luthart and Akron’s Brandon Orr were locked in a tight pitchers dual.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Charlie Brigham dives back into first base during the Rams sectional win over visiting Gowanda this afternoon at Gasport.

Surviving a couple of late inning scares, No. 2 seed Roy-Hart defeated No. 7 Gowanda 5-2 this afternoon in a Section VI Class B2 quarterfinal playoff game at Gasport.

Trailing 5-2, Gowanda got the bases loaded in the sixth inning on two walks and an error but Roy-Hart got out of trouble as Charlie Bruning, who came on in relief of his brother Jake in the fifth frame, notched a clutch inning ending strikeout.

Andrew Srock hits a sacrifice fly to drive in what proved to be the winning run for Roy-Hart in the fourth inning.

Likewise in the seventh inning the Panthers loaded the bases on three walks but again the Rams escaped as Charlie Bruning again registered a clutch strikeout to end the threat and the game.

On the afternoon the Bruning brothers combined on an unusual no hitter as Jake walked 6 and struck out 8 in five and two-thirds innings and Charlie walked 3 and struck out 2 in an inning and one third.

At the plate, Roy-Hart jumped out to an early lead by scoring twice in the second inning on a single by Noah Hardy and a triple by Al Xapsos. A single by Charlie Brigham and an error set up the threat.

Gowanda capitalized on two errors to knot the contest at 2-2 in the top of the third as a pair of walks set up the opportunity.

Roy-Hart regained the lead for good at 3-2 by scoring a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Srock. Singles by Brigham and Walker Samanka and a fielders choice play loaded the bases to set up the threat.

The Rams then added two big insurance runs in the fifth inning on RBI singles by Brigham and Hardy. A triple by Gavyn Boyle ignited that uprising which was also aided by a single by Samanka.

Niagara-Orleans League champion Roy-Hart will next host the No. 3 Southwestern in the Class B2 semifinals on Tuesday. Southwestern downed No. 6 JFK 14-10.

The Bruning brothers, Jake, at left, and Charlie, combined to hurl an unusual no hitter for the Rams in the win over the Panthers.

Contributed Photo – Connor Barleben

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Albion High graduate and Ashland University senior outfielder Connor Barleben has been selected to the D2CCA All-Midwest Region second team the organization announced on Friday .

Barleben is the GLIAC leader in runs batted in (55) and slugging percentage (.659). He also ranks second in the league with 11 home runs and is third in doubles with 18. The left-handed hitter is ninth in the conference in batting average (.357).

Against West Liberty on April 5, Barleben hit three home runs and drove in seven runs, winning GLIAC Player of the Week honors the following Monday. He also hit a walk-off home run against Tiffin on May 5, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 win.

Barleben has been red-hot in the last 11 games, batting .426 (20-for-47) with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI. He has seven multi-RBI games in that stretch.

The Eagles (33-20) are the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional and knocked off No. 3-seed Northwood on Thursday, 10-5.

Track and Field
In the NCAA Division III All Atlantic Region, Albion High graduate and SUNY Brockport freshman Chanyce Powell placed fourth in the Triple Jump and eighth in the Long Jump.

Purple Eagles grad and SUNY Brockport senior Marqise Riddick was on the 400 Relay team that placed second. He was also fifth in the Long Jump.

Albion grad and SUNY Fredonia senior Justyn Haines placed second in the Pole Vault.

Closing out the regular season on a high note, Holley blanked visiting Alexander 10-0 this afternoon in a Genesee Region League game.

Sammy Lammes hurled a one hitter with 6 strikeouts to lead the way for Holley which finishes the regular season at 9-7.

Patrick Bower had three hits, including a double, and Nick Schutz two, including a double, to lead the Hawks offense.

Holley broke the game open early by erupting for seven runs in the second inning as Bower drove in a pair of runs.

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 15, Kendall 12

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba pushed across three runs in the top of the seventh inning to snap a 12-12 tie and claim a 15-12 G-R win over host Kendall.

OAE had rallied to knot the contest at 12-12 by scoring four times in the fifth frame.

Both teams got off to a lightning fast start as OAE scored seven runs in the top of the first inning and Kendall answered right back with 11 in the home half of the frame.

Noah Rath had 3 hits and Brian Shaw 2 for Kendall.

Section VI Class B2 playoffs
Wilson 12, Maritime 1
Ian Evans hurled a 2 hitter with 12 strikeouts in 6 innings of work on the mound to lead No. 8 Wilson to a 12-1 victory over visiting No. 8 Maritime this afternoon in the pre quarterfinals of the Section VI Class B2 playoffs.

Evans also helped himself at the plate belting a three-run triple.

John Bender and Tanner Feeley both had 3 hits and Jackson Rotella 2 to spark the Wilson attack.  Bender and Rotella both banged out doubles.

Wilson next visits top seeded Olmsted in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Avenging an earlier loss (4 1/2-1), Medina handed champion Akron its first Niagara-Orleans League tennis loss of the season this afternoon by a margin of 3-2 1/2 at Akron.

A come-from-behind three set win by the second doubles team of Haylee Seefeldt and Andrew Houseman, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 over Maggie Leeds and Harry Fitzgerald, provided the margin of victory for Medina.

The Mustangs also got wins by Ray Paull at second singles, 6-1, 6-4 over Brendan Meek, and by the first doubles team of Toby Kiebala and Kody Leno, 6-3, 6-4 over Morgan Wdowska and Skyler Earle.

Akron got wins from Nate Chubb at first singles, 6-0, 6-2 over Andrew Fuller, by Will Chubb at third singles, 6-0, 6-0 over Mark Barcena, and by the third doubles team of Shannon Miller and Sara Hoefler 6-1, 6-1 over Jacob Houseman and Sophia Cardone.

Medina improves to 7-4 with one match remaining while Akron finishes the season at 11-1.

Albion duo wins N-O Doubles Tourney

The Albion High duo of Matthew Kovaleski and Victor Benjovsky captured top honors at the annual N-O Doubles Tournament held on Thursday at Medina.

Kovaleski and Benjovsky came-from-behind to defeat the Wilson team of Joey Moote and Kyle Lyon 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the finals.

In the semifinals, Kovaleski and Benjovsky defeated the Roy-Hart duo of Patrick Sheelar and Evan Birkemeier 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 while Moote and Lyon downed the Medina duo of Andrew Fuller and Ray Paull 6-4, 7-5.

Both the Albion and Wilson duos advance to next week’s Section VI Tournament.

Notre Dame 3, Kendall 2

Notre Dame evened its Genesee Region League record at 3-3 by edging past Kendall 3-2.

Wins at the second and third singles positions by Zach Babcock and Stone Watkins led the way for Notre Dame while Nate Warters won at first singles for Kendall.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Austin Dugan slides into third base ahead of the throw to Newfane’s Tyler Oudette during the host Purple Eagles sectional win over the Panthers this afternoon.

Putting together a clutch late inning scoring burst, No. 6 seed Albion rallied to edge past visiting No. 11 Newfane this afternoon in the pre quarterfinals of the Section VI Class B1 baseball playoffs.

Trailing 7-5, Albion rallied into the lead for good by erupting for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Thomas Furmanski tied the contest with a two-run single and Isaiah Callicutt followed up with a double to drive in what proved to be the game winner for an 8-7 Albion lead.

A single by Michael DiCureia and a fielders choice play off the bat of Addison Christ then plated a pair of insurance runs and a 10-7 lead for the Purple Eagles. A walk and an error to open the inning set up the threat.

Albion’s Harrison Brown is tagged out at home by Newfane catcher Trevor Heschke.

Christ, who came on in relief of starter Liam Ward in the fifth inning, then locked up the victory for the Purple Eagles by retiring the Panthers in order in the top of the seventh on a pair of groundouts to Nate Fearby at third base sandwiched around a strikeout. In earning the win he allowed 3 hits and struck out 4 in two and two-thirds innings of work on the mound.

Newfane had grabbed the 7-5 lead by scoring five times in the fifth inning on two errors, a double by Cade Littman and a single by Matt Ditullio. The Panthers though left the bases loaded after also stranding a pair of runners in both the third and fourth frames.

The Panthers had jumped out to an early lead by scoring twice in the top of the first on an error and a single by Lukas Koller.

Albion though quickly knotted the score by tallying twice in the home half of the first on an RBI single by DiCureia and an error.

The Purple Eagles built the lead to 5-2 by scoring twice in the second on an RBI single by Harrison Brown and an error and once in the third on an RBI double by Christ.

Albion then left runners stranded at second and third in the fourth after a double by Brown and single by Austin Dugan, and also left a pair of runners stranded in the fifth.

Newfane took advantage of that drought by scoring five times in the fifth for what proved to be a brief 7-5 lead.

However, the last rally and the victory belonged to the Purple Eagles on key run producing hits in the home half of the sixth by Furmanski, Callicutt, and DiCureia.

Albion, which also downed Newfane twice during the Niagara-Orleans League season by scores of 13-2 and 14-3, has little time to celebrate the win as the Purple Eagles are scheduled to visit No. 3 Fredonia in the B1 quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Albion’s Addison Christ dives back to first as Newfane’s Cade Littman awaits the throw.

Indians 4, Marlins 1
The Champs Mini Mart Indians downed the Roy-Hart Marlins 4-1 as the defense came up big.

The  Indians offense was led by Aidan Papaj and Lukin Szatkowski with 2 singles each. Dylan Johnston, Treyden Rhim, Clayton Wagner and Zach Graham all contributed with singles. Also reaching base was Jacob Duffina.

Cubs 8, Braves 2
The Woodroe Realty Cubs defeated the Somerset Braves 8-2, after hammering out 14 hits.

Leading the way was birthday boy Ethan Page.  He had three hits, a triple, double, and a single. He also had three RBIs and scored three runs. Brennan Allen also hit a triple and two singles with three RBIs.  Briley Allen contributed three hits as well.  Vinny Gray and Camden Fike had two hits apiece.  Fike scored three runs.  Jude Lacy added a single.  Gray, Fike, and Page all pitched well.