The Buffalo News - Sports http://www.buffalonews.com Latest stories from The Buffalo News en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 05:50:13 -0400 Sat, 25 May 2013 05:50:13 -0400 <![CDATA[ Armstrong, Clarence shut down Orchard Park ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130525/SPORTS/130529431/1004
Armstrong struck out 11, yielded just one hit and hit one batter during a complete-game, 87-pitch effort against a Quakers crew that usually has no trouble stringing together hits.

OP scored seven runs in a quarterfinal win over Niagara Falls and in earlier meetings this season with Clarence dropped 4-3 and 8-5 decisions. Armstrong beat them in the first meeting, yielding just three hits.

“You know at some point if you’re going to make a sectional run you’ve got to beat Orchard Park,” Clarence coach Dave Smith said. “We knew it was going to be a tight game. Mark had some good stuff. ... The bottom line is they’re a good hitting team. We were fortunate to hold them down because they can score a lot of runs.”

Clarence scored its run in the fourth. Matt Nawrot led off with a double, took third on a sacrifice bunt by Alex McGlue and scored on Chris Ossa’s sacrifice fly. Nawrot finished 2 for 3 with two doubles.

Orchard Park’s Patrick Sheehan yielded just four hits, walked one and hit one batter in 5∏ innings of work.

Clarence will face Lancaster in Thursday’s final. The Redskins, who split the regular-season meetings with the Red Devils, earned a shot at defending their sectional title by blanking Lockport, 3-0, behind Joe Preziuso’s complete-game five-hitter. He struck out nine and scored what proved to be the winning run in the second. He scored from third on an errant pickoff throw to first base.

Lancaster scored twice in the fifth as Ryan Bonafede led off with a double and scored when the throw to third base during a steal attempt on a dropped third strike sailed into the outfield. Ted Wilson’s sacrifice fly plated Max Garby with the other run. Ben Haefner went 2 for 3.

Class A: Pat Stasiak put the finishing touches on a 3-for-4 day as his single in the bottom of the eighth plated Damion Powers with the winning run as Williamsville South reached the final with a 3-2 win over Starpoint.

Brett Ross drove in three runs and scored twice during a 3-for-4 day and Justin LaRosa went 3 for 4 with two RBIs as Hamburg beat defending champion Grand Island, 9-7.

Class B-1: Ben Stich stole home, while Jared Zellner struck out 10 and yielded one hit in five innings as Tonawanda beat East Aurora, 3-2. The Warriors will face upstart Springville in the final. Springville (8-12) earned a shot at the title by beating Albion, 13-7, as Tyler Conklin drove in three runs for the Griffins.

Class B-2: Fredonia moved to the final with a 9-0 rout of JFK behind a combined three-hitter by pitchers Trent Thompson and Weston Lee. Fredonia will face Akron, trying to win a sectional title for the first time since 1974, in the final. The Tigers beat Wilson, 4-2, as Austin Meitz had two hits and Tommy James struck out six in 5∑ innings.

Class C: Westfield won its 16th in a row and ended da Vinci’s playoff run with a 9-2 win. Westfield (17-1) finished with 14 hits led by Nolan Hunt’s 3-for-5 bat with four RBIsCam Wright’s homer sparked a four-run sixth for Westfield.Don’t be fooled by the final score. Defending state Class AA champion Clarence had to bounce back twice en route to a 7-3 quarterfinal win over Orchard Park.

OP took a 2-0 lead in the first inning but the Red Devils tied things in the bottom half via an RBI double from Moriah Harris and sacrifice fly by Jill Horvath. The Quakers took a 3-2 lead in the third but the hosts scored twice in their half of the inning to take the lead for good. Winning pitcher Katrina Buczkowski and Katie Maloney hit run-scoring singles in the inning. Maloney knocked in another run with a single in the fourth.

Morgan Ziemba went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer and two runs scored, and Bre Opera earned the win, helping her own cause with a two-run homer as Lancaster routed Williamsville North, 12-4.

Bre Krawczyk’s walk-off double carried Niagara-Wheatfield to a 5-4 win over Kenmore West.

Class B-1 semifinals: Jill Murray made sure Eden earned a shot at the title. She belted a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 3, she factored into the winning run scoring in the seventh as her single to right field was misplayed enabling the go-ahead run to score, then put down Newfane in order in the bottom of the seventh to earn the save in a 4-3 triumph.

Class A-1 semifinals: Bridget Hogan carried a perfect game into the seventh, finishing with a complete-game two-hitter with eight strikeouts and also went 1 for 2 as defending champion Hamburg advanced with a 3-1 win over Williamsville South. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 00:17:02 -0400 <![CDATA[ Indy hangs on to edge Bisons ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130525/SPORTS/130529432/1004
Then things started to get away from him.

And while the Buffalo Bisons rallied in the eighth, it wasn’t enough against a solid Indianapolis staff as the Indians hung on for a 6-5 win over the Herd before 6,090 at Coca-Cola Field Friday.

Vargas sat down the first 10 batters, then gave up a double off the centerfield wall to Alex Presley in the fourth. Then he surrendered a two-out, two-run home run to Matt Hague to break the scoreless tie.

The Herd responded in the bottom of the inning as starter Kris Johnson gave up a one-out single and then walked Mauro Gomez on four pitches. Andy LaRoche doubled to the gap in left center to cut the lead to 2-1. Gomez scored from third on a wild pitch from Johnson to tie the game.

In the sixth inning, Indianapolis surged ahead thanks to a lead-off walk and stolen base by Presley to work himself into scoring position. An RBI double from Hague gave the Indians a 3-2 lead. With the bases loaded, Vargas walked in a run to make it 4-2, ending Vargas’ outing.

Dustin McGowan didn’t fare much better in relief, giving up a bases-loaded single then an RBI groundout. By the end of the inning, the Indians had a 6-2 lead.

Vargas took the loss, his fourth in his last five starts, giving up all six runs on four hits with four walks in 5∑ innings.

“When we need a shutdown inning, we struggle with that,” Bisons manager Marty Brown said. “It’s a situation where you just want to go out there and be aggressive ... it is a little bit about focus and it’s about thinking about the pitch. You can’t get three outs with one pitch. So I think that’s the thing. The concentration has to get back to one pitch and make sure you execute a pitch at a time.”

In the eighth two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. Ryan Langerhans drew a pinch-hit walk to bring in a run and cut the lead to 6-3.

Josh Thole came off the bench to pinch hit next and delivered a single up the middle which scored two runs and brought the Herd within one. With runners on the corners, Mike McCoy struck out to end the rally.

“They’ve got good arms,” Brown said of the Indianapolis bullpen. “They’re not scared to tell you from their dugout either. Right now, they’re feeling real good about themselves and I was proud of the way our guys battled to get something going in that inning.”

...

In the seventh inning with no outs, a runner on second and a full count, Felix Pie stepped out of the batter’s box. He reacted to something said to him from the Bisons’ dugout and started to angrily walk over. That’s when the teams spilled out of their respective dugouts.

There was a lot of talking and holding back but at the end of the scrum only Pie was ejected.

...

The series continues this afternoon (1:05 p.m., 1520) with a potential future big league pitching matchup.

The scheduled starter for Indianapolis is Gerrit Cole, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011. He spent last year moving through the Pirates system, playing in Class-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona before making one start with Indianapolis. The 22-year-old top prospect is 3-2 with the Indians this season with an ERA of 3.75.

For the Herd, righty Josh Johnson will start as his Major League injury rehabilitation assignment continues.

The 29-year-old has been on the disabled list since April 29 with right triceps inflammation. In four starts with Toronto earlier this season, Johnson is 0-1 with an 8.86 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.

Johnson, a two-time National League All-Star, was part of the 12-player deal between Toronto and the Miami Marlins. He won 15 games with the Marlins in 2009 and 11 in 2010.

...

Today’s game is “Dog Day at the Ballpark” where fans may bring their dogs to Coca-Cola Field. Dogs will be allowed in the pavilion area, on the right-centerfield berm and in the last two sections of the first-base side seating (Sections 126 and 128). Dogs and their owners are invited to be part of the Dog Parade, which will begin at the right-centerfield gate and proceed around the entire warning track before the game.

Leading the parade will be Phoenix, the Jack Russell terrier who was burned and abused by teenagers last fall.



email: amoritz@buffnews.com ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 00:04:26 -0400 Amy Moritz
]]> <![CDATA[ Toledo ends UB’s baseball season ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130525/SPORTS/130529433/1004
Toledo beat the Bulls for the second time in three days on Friday night in Avon, Ohio, leading to UB’s elimination from the Mid-American Conference Tournament via 4-1 decision.

The loss caps a season in which the Bulls set a program record for wins in a season (33), while MAC Player of the Year Jason Kanzler set the school record for RBIs in a season.

Two days after losing a 12-10 slugfest to the Rockets, UB failed to get timely hits with runners in scoring position. The Bulls left the bases loaded in the first and left runners stranded in scoring position six times overall. UB left nine on base, including seven through the first five innings. Kanzler went 2 for 4 and drove in his 57th run of the season for UB (33-24).

Tyler Grogg went 3 for 5 and scored twice for Toledo (24-32).

Rain delayed the start of all games during the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in Trenton, N.J. Canisius’ game against Rider, which began close to 10 p.m., was suspended after four innings tied 5-5. The game will resume at 2 p.m. today with the winner advancing to Sunday’s championship round. The loser will face Siena at 6 p.m. tonight with the winner of this game advancing to Sunday’s title round.

The Golden Griffins opened the MAAC Tournament with a 2-1 win over Marist.

Niagara County Community College (37-16) opens the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament today against Montgomery, Md. (40-15) in Tyler, Texas.

NCCC was national runner-up last year.

TRACK AND FIELD: In men’s shot put, UB sophomore Jonathan Jones finished second at the NCAA East Regionals with a throw of 62 feet, 6½ inches to advance to the NCAA Championship meet.

UB’s Shant’e White also advanced to the NCAAs by placing eighth in the women’s hammer throw at 199-3. In the same event, Lancaster product Melissa Kurzdorfer of Penn State also advanced, placing seventh at 199-10.

At the NCAA Division III meet, Buffalo State’s Sasha Henry and Jazmin Durham set school records in reaching the finals of their events.

Henry was the top qualifier in the 100-meter dash (11.84 seconds), while Durham finished the 100 hurdles in a school-mark 14.05. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 00:22:00 -0400 <![CDATA[ Flash hit the road with victory ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130525/SPORTS/130529434/1004
After falling behind, 1-0, in the 52nd minute on a goal by Chicago’s Lori Chalupny, the Flash responded just two minutes later when Abby Wambach headed in a goal off a high centering pass from defender Brittany Taylor.

Flash captain McCall Zerboni scored her first goal of the season for the game-winner in the 66th minute, again with an assist from Taylor.

The Flash outshot the Red Stars, 18-7. Western New York now will play its next four games on the road, starting June 5 at Boston. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:39 -0400 <![CDATA[ Fredonia’s Bailen to play in Sweden ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529436/1004
The Fredonia native has signed with Tappara Tampere, the Finnish club announced. Bailen joined the Rochester Americans in March after completing his college career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He played 12 games with the Sabres’ minor-league affiate, including all three playoff outings.

The 23-year-old defenseman had no goals, three assists and a minus-5 rating during the regular season and no points with a minus-3 during the playoffs. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder had 12 goals and 31 points in 35 games at RPI this season to lead the Engineers. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 23:53:13 -0400 <![CDATA[ Sports Watch for May 25 ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529437/1004
Baseball

• Indianapolis at Buffalo, 1:05 p.m., Coca-Cola Field.

Horse Racing

• Buffalo Raceway, 6:40 p.m.

ON TELEVISION

Auto Racing

• Formula One, Monaco Grand Prix, 8 a.m., NBCSN.

• Nationwide History 300 qualifying, 11 a.m., ESPN2.

• Nationwide History 300, 2:45 p.m., Ch. 7.

• GP2 Series, midnight, NBCSN.

Boxing

• Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler, 6 p.m., HBO.

College Lacrosse

• Cornell vs. Duke, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2.

• Denver vs. Syracuse, 5 p.m., ESPN2.

College Softball NCAA Tournament

• Michigan vs. La.-Lafayette, Noon, ESPN.

• TBA, 3 p.m., ESPN.

• Tennessee vs. Alabama, 5 p.m., ESPN.

• TBA, 8 p.m., ESPN2.

• Kentucky vs. Arizona State, 10 p.m., ESPN2.

Golf

• European Tour, PGA Championship, 7:30 a.m., Golf.

• PGA Tour, Crowne Plaza Invitational, 1 p.m., Golf; 3 p.m. Ch. 4.

• Senior PGA Championship, 3 p.m., Ch. 2.

• LPGA Tour, Bahamas Classic, 3 p.m., Golf.

MLB

• N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m., YES.

• Atlanta at N.Y. Mets, 7 p.m., Ch. 29.

MMA

• UFC 160: Preliminary card, 8 p.m., FX.

NBA Playoffs

• San Antonio at Memphis, 9 p.m., ESPN.

NHL Playoffs

• N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 5:30 p.m., NBCSN.

• Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., Ch. 5, Ch. 2.

Soccer

• UEFA Champions League final, Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund 2 p.m., Ch. 29.

Tennis

• French Open, first round, 5 a.m., ESPN2.

Track and Field

• Adidas Grand Prix, 1 p.m., Ch. 2.

ON RADIO

Auto Racing

• Nationwide History Channel 300, 2 p.m., 1340.

Baseball

• Indianapolis at Buffalo, 1:05 p.m., 1520. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 23:49:00 -0400 <![CDATA[ Area Golf, Area Bowling and Amateur Baseball for May 25 ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529438/1004
WNYPGA Assistants Tournament

at Park Country Club

Alex Weir (Kahkwa) 69; Tim Falkner (Park) 70; Jeff Urzetta (Oak Hill) 71; Liam Friedman (Orchard Park) 72.



amateur baseball

New Era Muny AAA

Pignataro’s 10, Orchard Park 0

West Seneca 8, West Herr 3



area bowling

300 Games

Stephano Cirrito, in a 757 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament.

Kevin Donoaghue, in a 771 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament.

Steve Gane, in a 775 series in Summer No-Tap at Broadway.

Bill Gurowicz, in an 853 series in Summer No-Tap at Broadway.

Chuck Jagodzinski, in an 880 series in Summer No-Tap at Broadway.

Debby Janora, in an 841 series in Summer No-Tap at Broadway.

Pete Maduri, in a 770 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament.

Anna McIntyre, in a 739 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament.

Marion Singleton, in a 723 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament.

Pete Zmozynski, in a 741 series in the GBUSBC City Tournament. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 23:48:06 -0400 <![CDATA[ Video: 'Bucky & Sully Show' ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529542/1004 News Sports Columnists Bucky Gleason and Jerry Sullivan host a live weekly show at 10 a.m. on BuffaloNews.com. Here is a replay of this week's show:

Golf banter:

On Bills OTAs and EJ Manuel:

On Pettine's approach:

On Mario Williams' mental state:

On Bruins-Rangers:

On Tortorella/Richards:

On Pens surging:

On Blackhawks-Red Wings:

On King's Quick:

Math lesson:

On Lebron's winner:

Spurs the favorites?:

Athletes' generosity:

Recent firings:

Quick Hits:

Good Reads:

Bozos of the Week:

]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 14:13:25 -0400 Geoff Nason
]]> <![CDATA[ Jerry Jones: Fans should 'feel good' about lease ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529543/1004 By Tim Graham

Jerry Jones might be the most powerful kingpin of sport.

Regardless of what Buffalo Bills fans think of the polarizing Dallas Cowboys owner, his insight on the inner-workings of NFL business is substantial. His opinion carries profound weight.

As such, Jones has an educated and influential outlook on the Bills' long-term future in Western New York.

I asked Jones, fresh from owners meetings this week in Boston, if he thinks the Bills can remain viable here without a new stadium.

"Yes, I do, very much," Jones said this morning. "I not just approve of it, but I'm really excited for the league that we've got the recent improvements negotiated.

"That's going to be very important to the Bills and their fans. They have a great tradition, a great legacy, and that stadium will certainly have the capacity and will not be a handicap for the Bills to compete over the next several years."

Jones and the rest of the NFL's owners approved the Bills' new 10-year lease extension with Erie County in March. The agreement includes $130 million in renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium and offers the Bills a trifling $28.4 million buyout after the seventh year.

As long as Los Angeles doesn't have a franchise -- or two -- and home games continue to be sold off to Toronto every year, Bills fans will be concerned about the possibility their team will move away. Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson is 94 years old, and although the Bills are expected to be held in a trust after his death, they will be sold eventually.

"The thing that Bills fans ought to know," Jones said, "is there are a handful of other cities as well that look to Los Angeles and say, 'Should the fact the NFL doesn't have a team out there concern us?'

"I think that's an obvious thing to think about, but if I were a Bills fan I would feel good about the recent negotiation and remodeling of the stadium."

Jones didn't have to worry about the Cowboys leaving the Metroplex even before building a $1.15 billion stadium four years ago.

Forbes last year again named his Cowboys the NFL's most valuable franchise at an estimated $2.1 billion -- nearly three times the Bills' valuation.

Forbes also ranked the Cowboys the fourth-most-valuable team in the world, behind only Manchester United, Real Madrid and the New York Yankees.

Jones bought the Cowboys and their stadium lease in 1989 for the outrageous sum of $150 million.

"When I bought the Dallas Cowboys from Bum Bright, he was renowned as a great trader and I paid too much," Jones said. "He certainly, in a manner of speaking, won the negotiation.

"I really got screwed. I ended up with the Dallas Cowboys."

]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 13:58:13 -0400 <![CDATA[ Troll fans make lowlife characters ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529595/1004
He deleted his Twitter account.

Perez got into a verbal joust with fans last year over booing, and heard it again after giving up consecutive homers to blow a save Saturday followed by another ninth-inning bomb Monday. That’s when the otherwise fun feed at @ChrisPerez54 basically blew up with what’s become a sick, sad niche of sports fandom.

There was name-calling and profanity, much of it from anonymous lowlifes hiding behind cyber pseudonyms. But some came from people using their real names. Wow. By late Monday night, the Perez account was gone.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Indians released a statement from Perez that read in part:

“The decision to deactivate my Twitter account was a personal choice I made in order to maintain greater focus on the success of the team this season and our shared goals moving forward.

“We have an extremely positive and supportive group of players, coaches and staff members in our clubhouse and I want to participate in activities and routines that contribute positively to the culture we are building here. Out of respect for my teammates, I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distractions so this is the only time I will comment.”

Translation: Perez got fed up. I don’t blame him.

Many of you know I can be a seemingly obsessive tweeter at times at @BNHarrington. Part of that is because I’m closely following both the NHL and baseball. Part of that is because there’s a lot of solid, instant byplay with readers.

Twitter can be plain awesome and it can be plain infuriating, too. Reporters use it as a quick conduit for information but it subjects us to plenty of absurdity. If I were an athlete, I would run away. Far, far away.

Plenty of Sabres and young Bills tweet. Can’t imagine what the likes of an active and fun tweeter like Steve Ott sees at times. Good luck on that front, EJ Manuel.

People get so brave it’s ridiculous and there’s too much of a gotcha mob out there for my liking. Mets fans, still chafed by my criticism of their beloved organization the last four years, love to make that play, with the buzzards waiting for things to go their way before confronting you.

Last week, I questioned the Matt Harvey cover story in Sports Illustrated as New York City hype and they basically flipped. But funny how I didn’t hear from them Wednesday when Harvey pitched against his first top-10 offense of the season and gave up four runs and nine hits to the Reds.

I’ve had some Twitter ugliness recently with Mets fans and with a local website that’s anointed itself as some conscience of the city. I’m done with all of them. I changed my Twitter tune this week with a new policy that’s working great.

Profanity and name-calling get you blocked. No exceptions. All discourse and dissent otherwise welcome. Be civil.

Amazing what you can get. One example was an exchange with a woman Wednesday night over Vancouver GM Mike Gillis saying the media was out to get him from day one.

I thought that was absurd. She questioned my thought process. We agreed to disagree. No nasty names. Dissent but no disrespect. Too bad Chris Perez didn’t get more of that.

email: mharrington@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 09:39:29 -0400 Mike Harrington
]]> <![CDATA[ Germano’s struggles continue in Herd loss ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529591/1004
That’s when no one could figure out the right-hander who started the season with a 1.69 ERA on his way to being named to the International League All-Star Team. But on Thursday Germano dropped his third consecutive start as the Buffalo Bisons fell to the Indianapolis Indians, 7-3, at Cola-Cola Field.

Umpires were determined to finish this matchup between the Bisons, tied for first with Pawtucket coming into the game in the International League’s North Division, and the IL West Division-leading Indians. After a rain delay at the start that lasted nearly an hour, the teams played under a constant downpour.

The Indians (33-15) got to Germano early which has been a recurring theme since the start of the month. He suffered through his shortest outing of the season, giving up six earned runs on six hits in just three innings.

Germano, the club’s Opening Day starter, went 3-1 in April although his ERA was a not-so-flattering 6.65. That’s fine when the Bisons’ bats were producing runs as effortlessly as they did in April, but on nights like Thursday when the Herd couldn’t piece together any timely hits, he needs to pitch with more consistency.

He hasn’t won since April 22’s victory at Lehigh Valley, going 0-3 with a no-decision. After Thursday’s game, Germano’s ERA grew from 6.37 to 7.16.

“He pitched in better, I thought, the second time through but it was a matter of him locating all his pitches and allowing him to pitch ahead in the count,” Bisons manager Marty Brown said. “Anytime we’ve struggled with our rotation that’s been the problem.” ... Every pitch has to mean something.”

The Bisons found themselves in a hole early when Alex Presley parked an 0-2 offering from Germano into Bully Hill in left. Then with one on, Germano threw a belt-high fastball to Matt Hague and he crushed it over the fence in left-center to give Indy a 3-0 lead.

“When you’re not a hard thrower, there’s a small room for error,” Brown said. “Justin’s not a hard thrower. Dave Bush is not a hard thrower. Claudio Vargas isn’t a blower, but he pitches it 90 where those guys are pitching it 86. The mistakes that they make, they usually end up paying for them.”

“He was trying to get the balls inside to them and he couldn’t get them in there,” Herd catcher Josh Thole said.

The Herd sliced into the Indy’s lead quickly, pulling within 3-1 after one on Thole’s hit to center with runners at first and second.

Germano loaded the bases in the third and gave up a run when he plucked Brett Carroll with a fastball up and in. Then a pop up out of play summed up a frustrating night for the Bisons. Tony Sanchez’s shot went high in the air behind home plate and was caught in the lights. Jimenez appeared to have a beat on it at first then Germano ran toward the dish but the ball landed harmlessly behind Thole.

Sanchez hit a line drive to center that was caught by Sierra who had to jump to make the play. But he was charged with an error after his throw sailed wide of the plate and handcuffed Thole, allowing a run to score. Jerry Sands followed with a two-run single to center and the Bisons trailed, 7-1.

“I don’t think anyone saw it but it’s a play, you make that and nobody scores and you never know what’s going to happen after that,” Thole said.

The Tribe’s Gerrit Cole, one of baseball’s top prospects, is scheduled to pitch against the Herd at 1:05 p.m. Saturday. MLB.com ranked Cole the ninth best prospect in the minors.

Indianapolis 7, Bisons 3

The pitch: Germano loses his third consecutive game. ... Nanita homers in his Bisons debut. ... Thole hits solo homer.

Fast fact: The Bisons are 1-4 against the Indians this season.

Next game: 7:05 p.m. vs. Indianapolis at Coca-Cola Field (fridaynightbash!)

email: rmckissic@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 06:45:42 -0400 Rodney McKissic
]]> <![CDATA[ Strong fields leave Buffalo Marathon wide open ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529596/1004
That’s true of any race that goes over 26.2 miles of pavement. Anyone can have a good or bad day at a given race. In addition, quality runners can register at the last minute and add a bit of surprise to the race.

This year’s race looks to be particularly wide-open. On the men’s side, four elite runners are expected to be on the starting line. Two top women also will be ready to run at 7 a.m. Sunday.

As usual, the East African men figure to be among the leaders. Fikadu Lemma of Ethiopia broke 2 hours, 10 minutes at the distance about a year ago in Hamburg, Germany.

Zerihun Ambaye of Ethiopia ran a 2:21 in Pittsburgh just three weeks ago. Jason Lokwatom of Kenya won here in 2009 in 2:24 and should be fresh for this year’s run.

Another contender is from closer to home. Bryan Morseman is from Addison (near Corning), and ran a 2:23 marathon in Louisville last month.

All will be going after the course record of 2:17:55, set by Jacob Chamar in 2007.

On the women’s side, Muliye Gurmu of Ethiopia has a victory in a marathon, in 2012 at Manchester, N.H., to her credit. She is expected to be challenged by Masters runner Lori Kingsley of Wysox, Pa., who ran a 2:46 marathon in Boston in 2010.

Neither defending champion, Josephat Ongeri of Kenya and Elena Orlova of Russia, is expected to run here this year.

In the half-marathon, also set to start at 7 a.m., both 2012 champions are coming back. Kiplangat Tisia of Kenya won in 1:05:08. Fred Joslyn of East Syracuse already has broken 1:08 this year.

Andrew Foxenberg of Chittenango ran a 1:07:11 in New Orleans in February. Sam Morse of Camden, Chris Raulli of North Syracuse and Leo Kormanik of Peninsula, Pa., also could be among the leaders.

Among women, Natasha Yaremczuk of Paris, Ont., won last year in 1:21:30. She’ll be chased by Karen Blodgett of Fairport and Neely Spence Gracey of Lake Orion, Mich.

More than $10,000 in prize money will be at stake.

The marathon winners receive $2,000, and there are bonuses available for winners who break course records. Half-marathon victors earn $500 each.

The race weekend has several new touches this year. On Saturday, an open-air bus will tour the course and allow riders to learn about the city along the way. It will leave every two hours from the Hyatt, starting at 8 a.m., with the last tour beginning at 2 p.m.

Speakers will address runners at Buffalo Marathon Expo, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. One, Owen Anderson, has written four books on running. Also on the schedule are Gracey, Glenn Kaifas and Steve Gonser.

Food trucks will be present near the finish line for the first time.

Runners will hear some extra noise on the course as 500 cowbells have been distributed to volunteers.

Details are available at buffalomarathon.com.



email: bbailey@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:06:01 -0400 Budd Bailey
]]> <![CDATA[ Power 10 for May 24 / Keith McShea ranks the best of the spring ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529597/1004
2. Hamburg’s big four. We’ll keep this state-ranked quartet together: Both lacrosse teams earned finals berths Thursday; baseball, softball try to do so today.

3. Bishop Timon-St. Jude boys lacrosse. Junior Connor Fields set the state’s single-season goals record after the Tigers won impressively at last weekend’s North American Lacrosse Invitational in Michigan.

4. Orchard Park boys lacrosse. Earned Section VI final with a 15th straight win. Last week OP beat St. Joe’s, 12-3, days after Timon beat Joe’s, 15-2.

5. Clarence baseball. One of the best all-around athletes in this year’s class, Pittsburgh-bound pitcher Mark Armstrong, takes the mound today for No. 1 large school vs. OP in a classic confrontation.

6. Clarence softball. Speaking of No. 1 large schools on the diamond, these Red Devils earned coach Todd Banaszak his 300th career win last week.

7. Sacred Heart girls lacrosse. The Power 10 likes history-makers. Sharks stunned Mount St. Mary to become the first team other than the Thunder to win a Monsignor Martin title in the tournament’s nine-year history.

8. St. Mary’s baseball. Earned first regular season Monsignor Martin title in a quarter-century, which included a bye into Saturday’s loaded semifinals at Northtown Center. Lancers meet Canisius at 10 a.m.; St. Francis (14 straight wins) takes on St. Joe’s (8 of its last 10, win over Frannies on April 23) at 12:30.

9. Nichols softball. The Vikings, who struggled near the bottom of the league just a few years ago, won their first MMA title in school history by ending Sacred Heart’s 26-game league win streak.

10. Buffalo Public Schools baseball. City Honors won its first title in four years against Hutch-Tech, but then Tech made noise in the sectionals by beating Kenmore East – and da Vinci won its first two sectional games in school history to earn a Class C semifinal berth. Significant strides, as the city tends to struggle despite high seeds.

Honor roll: Lancaster, Depew, Hutch-Tech and South Park softball; Orchard Park, Lancaster, Williamsville South, Fredonia, Tonawanda and Middle Early College baseball; Silver Creek boys lacrosse; Lake Shore girls lacrosse; Lancaster, Sweet Home, Lake Shore, St. Joe’s, Immaculata, City Honors and Hutch-Tech track & field; Canisius and Sacred Heart tennis. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:05:06 -0400 <![CDATA[ Hull wins Ilio DiPaolo Award ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529598/1004
Drew Hull had the answer Thursday night after being named the winner of the 18th annual Ilio DiPaolo Award during a dinner at the famed wrestler’s restaurant in Blasdell. DiPaolo was a man who strongly believed and supported values of family, education, athletics and community. The award is presented to Western New York’s top wrestler as voted on by the Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship committee.

The Roy-Hart senior will use the $2,500 scholarship toward his education at the University of Virginia, a top-20 program which competes in the ACC.

Hull was one of five senior wrestlers recognized. “There’s a lot of talented wrestlers in this group and I’m just honored to be one of them,” he said. “I think it’s pretty cool it has an academic side to it, which is equally important, so I think it’s great to be seen with great wrestlers and great scholars.”

Hull had a remarkable senior year, not only going undefeated, but having only two points scored against him all season. He won the Division II New York State title at 145 pounds. A two-point takedown was just enough for him to earn a victory over Frank Garcia of Norwich in the final.

He ends his career as Roy-Hart’s record holder for most wins, eclipsing the previous record held by Lou Rosselli, who later wrestled in the Olympics. Hull finished his six-year career 176-26.

Two Fredonia wrestlers took home awards as Chris Saden accepted the Gary Castanza Award and Jude Gardner Jr. was tapped for the Bill Hein Dedicated Wrestler Award.

Saden will likely continue his career in the fall at Jamestown Community College. Academically, he’s ranked No. 3 in his class. He finished 46-4 this season, ending his career 148-44. He placed sixth in the state at 220 pounds this winter.

Gardner will wrestle this fall at Niagara County Community College. He placed third in the state at 145 pounds to cap a 47-4 season. He is a member of Fredonia’s 200 Win Club and 100 Pin Club.

Lancaster’s Eric Lewandowski, who took home the Destroyer Wrestling Award, has signed a partial athletic and academic scholarship with Division II Gannon University. He plans to study aviation with the goal of becoming a pilot. Lewandowski reached the state meet four times in his career, finishing second twice including this year at 145 pounds in Division I. He was 43-7 this year, ending 183-30 in five varsity seasons.

The Cauliflower Alley Club Award went to Anthony Liberatore of Williamsville South. He placed fifth at states at 182 and became the first wrestler at South to have 40 wins in one season. He had 88 pins among his 152 career victories. An all-around athlete, he’s been a four-year starter in football and lacrosse.

The dinner was sponsored by the Buffalo Bills, Sysco Foods, Polymer Conversions, the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation, Buffalo Spine Surgery and the McCollum-Christoferson Group.



email: mmonnin@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:04:32 -0400 Mary Jo Monnin
]]> <![CDATA[ Bulls roll to victory mark; Griffs advance ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529599/1004
UB’s 13-0 rout of No. 3 seed Northern Illinois enabled the second-seeded Bulls to set a program record for wins in a season (33).

Mike Burke (8-2) yielded just four hits and faced six batters over the minimum in earning his third shutout of the season, which ties the program record.

Jason Kanzler went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, setting the UB single-season record for RBIs in a season with 56. He hit a two-run double to highlight the Bulls’ five-run fifth and added a solo homer in the seventh.

UB faces the loser of today’s Toledo versus Bowling Green contest tonight. Rain washed out most of Thursday’s schedule, including the Toledo-Bowling Green clash.

In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in Trenton, N.J., rain delayed the start of Canisius’ showdown with Marist but once tourney officials decided to play ball, the third-seeded Golden Griffins earned a 2-1 triumph over the No. 2 Red Foxes behind starter Garrett Cortwright’s one-hit gem. He struck out seven, walked none and hit two batters.

Canisius (40-15) scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Jesse Kelso (St. Mary’s) walked with the bases loaded to drive in the tying run. Mike Krische’s fielder’s choice groundout drove in Brooklyn Foster (2 for 4) with the winning run. The Griffs Rider, a 7-1 winner over Siena, at 7 tonight. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:03:55 -0400 <![CDATA[ Sacred Heart lacrosse ends Mount’s title reign ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529600/1004
Sacred Heart’s rookie lacrosse coach was showered with bottled water Thursday after her team won the Monsignor Martin championship with an 8-6 win over Mount St. Mary at Nichols School.

The Thunder had reigned as the only champions in the eight-year history of the league and had not lost an MMA game since 2010.

“Every team has tried so hard for this and every team has worked just as hard as us,” said junior goaltender Erica Dombrowski. “It just happened that this year we had the right team, the right players and the right coach and it came together to this.

“We beat the Thunder in the rain.”

Mroz, a former Niagara hockey player who has never been a head varsity coach in any sport prior to this season, said she was so nervous she could not sleep Wednesday night, but that she tried to project calm to her team.

“We had nothing to lose,” she said. “I told the girls to go out and have fun. Have a blast. It’s our time. Take it to them and take it from them.”

With the Thunder focusing their defense to stop leading scorer Remmi Zaepfel, freshman midfielder Maura Tomm scored four goals, including three in a 2:35 span covering both halves that gave Sacred Heart a 7-3 lead.

“I knew they were going to shut Remmi down and I told the other girls to step up their games,” Mroz said. “Maura stepped up. She’s a strong player. And the best part is she’s just a freshman.”

Dombrowski made 26 saves, including four on free shots from close range in the second half.

“She did a phenomenal job,” Mroz said. “She is the star of the game. She stood on her head for the team.”

“Our defense was on fire,” Dombrowski said.

Allison Mancuso, Sarah Cilano, Ali Owczarzak and Zaepfel also had goals. Zaepfel tallied two assists.

Gabriela D’Aguiar and Olivia MacDonald each scored two goals for the Thunder. Shannon Pelitera, the school’s second all-time leading scorer and league MVP, faced double and triple teams all game and was unable to net a goal for the first time all season.

“As many people have told me over the past couple years, you can’t win forever,” Mount St. Mary coach Marissa Dauria said. “It has to end somewhere. I just kept saying it’s not going to be this year. I knew it would have to happen eventually but I’m just sad it had to happen to this group of seniors.

“They’ve had great careers and they just have to hang their hat on that, not today. This is just one game, a drop in the bucket for all of the success that they’ve had.”

When the final whistle sounded, the entire Sacred Heart team — Mroz included — raced on to the field and piled on top of Dombrowski.

“It was the story of the underdogs winning,” Tomm said. “It was awesome.” ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:34 -0400 By Jonah Bronstein

Special to the News

]]> <![CDATA[ Reid races to four wins on dominant day at NFL meet for Lockport ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130524/SPORTS/130529601/1004
Reid won both the 200- and 400-meter dashes and ran the second leg of the Lions’ winning 400 and 1,600 relays in front of an estimated 600 fans at Lewiston-Porter High School’s Harry Blakeslee Field. And Reid didn’t even compete in two of his better events — the 100 and long jump.

While the 200 (23.31) was expected, perhaps the 400 (52.38) was even more impressive as Reid had never run the event in competition. Yet it’s the relay wins that are most satisfying for the team-oriented Reid.

“The reason why I’ve always liked soccer better is because of the team aspect of it and that’s why my relays mean so much more to me than the individual races in track,” said Reid, who is headed to Daemen College to play both sports next year.

Reid, who suffered a pair of torn hamstrings during the indoor and outdoor postseason last year, was joined by Andy Reid, Nick Hamilton and Josh Beshaw in the 400 relay (43.96) and Andy Reid, Josiah Chandler and Dan Jones in the 1,600 relay (3:39.16).

“Alex is a very tough competitor,” Lockport coach Miles Patterson said. “He’s trained hard and him being healthy has been a key this year. Because of his health we now have two relays that have a real shot at,” winning sectionals.

Beside Alex Reid, junior Mitch Loiacano also stood out for the league champion Lions, winning the 3,200 (10:27.93) and 1,600 (4:40.41). In addition, he led off the winning 3,200 relay (8:41.42), which also included Jones, Adam Perilli and Conor Doran.

Other, Lockport boys winners were seniors Derek Dunlop (high jump, 5-8), Andy Reid (400 hurdles, 1:02.52), Dave Pollock (pentathlon, 2,893) and Brian Farfaglia (triple jump, 39-11½) along with Beshaw, a junior who won the 100 in 11.18 seconds.

The Lockport girls were equally as impressive, taking first in seven events on their way to the team title. Senior Jessica Monzyk was a double winner in the 3,000 (11:40.45) and steeplechase (7:49.75). Other Lockport winners were seniors Keeley Ralyea (discus, 101-2) and Megan Evans (pole vault, 10-0), juniors Kasey Johnston (100 high hurdles, 16.73) and Kailyn Szymanski (400, 1:00.40) and sophomore Hannah Kurbs (1,500, 5:05.65).

“I’m very, very pleased with all of our kids,” Patterson said. “They knew they had to go hard, work hard and they came through.”

Kenmore East also had a strong showing, particularly on the girls side with sophomore Austin Nagelhout nabbing both the long jump (17-7¾) and triple jump (34-8¾). Junior teammate Erin O’Brien was first in the 400 intermediate hurdles (1:10.36) and led off the winning 1,600 relay quartet that finished in 4:16.35 .

For the Ken East boys, seniors Gavin DiMaria (pole vault, 13-0) and Jared Dolan (discus, 140-5) took first.

Grand Island, meanwhile, won four boys titles (Ian Young, long jump, 19-10; Dom Petrilli, shot put, 52-7; Andy Masiello, steeplechase, 10:53.19 and Kevin Freedman, 110 HH, 14.63) and two on the girls side (Jesse Dhaliwall, shot put, 39-7½ and Jessica Brownschidle, pentathlon, 2,174).

Niagara-Wheatfield freshman Kyri Jackson was the youngest winner at the event, crossing the finish line first in both the 100 (12.54) and 200 (26.63). The spiritual speedster, who often recites Bible scriptures prior to races, hopes recent changes to her starts will help her improve on a third-place finish at sectionals a year ago.

Another youngster, Niagara Falls sophomore Anthony Hawthorne, took first in the 800 with a time of 2:01.29. For the Falls girls, Diamond Hamilton, Shawteona Spires, Cachae Smith and Tyshia Jackson teamed up to win the 400 relay (51.78).

North Tonawanda sophomore Kelly Nichols won the 800 (2:25.53) and ran a leg of the victorious 3,200 relay (10:28.56).

The host Lancers received a first-place finish in the high jump (4-10) from senior Julie Law. ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:27 -0400 By Nate Beutel

Special to the News

]]> <![CDATA[ Boston marathon bombings intensify security for Buffalo event ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/CITYANDREGION/130529611/1004
“That’s for sure,” said Kaminski, the traffic and police course coordinator of the Buffalo race. “I was 200 yards away in a VIP tent.”

“There wasn’t much question it was a bomb,” said Weber, the starting line/finish line coordinator for the local race. “I knew everything had changed. I stood there and watched how it was handled there.”

Planning for a marathon/half-marathon like the ones that will take place on the streets of Buffalo on Sunday morning is close to a year-round operation.

The Boston bombing occurred only 41 days before more than 4,000 runners will take to the streets here, and everyone associated with security for the Buffalo event had to figure out what was needed.

“It’s been a long six weeks,” Weber said. “Our preparations started an hour after it happened. We’ve been working diligently to see that the runners are safe, and the spectators are safe.”

From a security standpoint, marathons offer some large logistical challenges. The course goes for 26.2 miles throughout the city. That’s a lot of territory to watch.

Buffalo’s race officials spent a great deal of time thinking about such issues for past races, but preparations have increased this time.

The obvious spots to watch are the starting line and finishing area, because more people are congregated there. Still, crowds gather throughout the course.

“In the first 13 miles, really, everyone is jammed together,” Kaminski said. “People are by the arena, on South Park and Ohio Street, and along the waterfront. The runners are coming from both ways in some places.”

Naturally, race officials aren’t going to give complete details to the public about their security plans for the race, but some measures will be obvious.

Law enforcement officials will be watching the runners and spectators on foot, on horseback, from the air and from the water.

“There are increased security procedures that people will see,” Weber said. “What Boston will bring is that we’ll have stricter standards, and we’ll stick to those guidelines.”

Runners will not be allowed to bring anything to the starting area that they aren’t planning to carry in the race, and spectators will not be able to hop a barricade and give a runner a high-five for luck before the start.

“There will be more of a police presence on the street,” Kaminski said. “We’ve sent an email to all of the volunteers, telling them to be aware of suspicious packages. If they see something, they should notify the authorities.”

All of the police agencies again will be connected by one network, run by Erie County Emergency Services. That’s been done for the past few years. If there is an emergency anywhere on the course, someone can be dispatched to it quickly.

A couple of other security changes had been planned even before Boston. The growth of the race – perhaps as much as 15 to 20 percent this year – has caused some changes to the way runners will line up at the start of the event.

Runners will not be allowed to enter the chute from the front at Huron and Pearl; they must go through the back at Pearl and Chippewa. The starting line will be barricaded until just before the start.

At the end of the race, people should expect to have bags checked as they enter the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center for the postrace party.

Authorities will sweep the course to make sure all runners are safely finished by 2 p.m., seven hours after the start.

Race officials are working with representatives of the Buffalo Police Department, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Weber has come away impressed with the way everyone is working together.

“All of the law enforcement agencies, they are cooperating at a great level,” he said. “I sat at a table with them, and there was no political posturing. They all said, ‘What do we need to do, and how do we make this happen?’ ”

Several marathons have been staged since Boston around the country. There hasn’t been a formal exchange of information, although one Buffalo official did attend the event in Oklahoma City at the end of April. He reported that the event increased its police presence and handed out clear plastic bags for the runners to store their belongings.

The 2013 Boston Marathon will always be remembered as the moment when marathon running lost its innocence. That’s why the victims of that tragedy will be remembered in Buffalo on Sunday.

“We’ll have temporary tattoos for all the runners,” Weber said. “At the start and finish lines, we’ll play music by bands from Boston. People will run the race in honor of the people in Boston.

“It’s sad in today’s society that we have to take these precautions.”



email: bbailey@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 07:08:32 -0400 Budd Bailey
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills’ Chandler making quick comeback ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/SPORTS/130529613/1004
Chandler was running brisk pass routes and catching throws from rookie quarterback Jeff Tuel in the Bills’ fieldhouse after the team’s spring practice. If you looked closely maybe you could have seen that his cuts were not as sharp as normal. Maybe. He was running hard. He looked good, and he came off the field in a full sweat.

“The knee feels really good,” Chandler said. “I feel great. Running routes, you guys saw, I don’t know that it’s 100-percent but it’s better than most so I’m feeling good.”

Chandler’s full return by the time the Bills open the season in September is important to the team’s offense.

At 6-foot-7 and 263 pounds, he is a big target with a huge wingspan and a security blanket for Buffalo’s quarterbacks. That’s especially key given the Bills’ youth at the wide receiver position, where Stevie Johnson returns as the only sure-fire, proven commodity.

Chandler caught a career-high 43 passes last season, tied for second most on the team. His 571 receiving yards were second only to Johnson’s 1,046. He has 12 touchdown catches over the past two years, the most ever by a Bills tight end over a two-year stretch.

Chandler tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at Miami last Dec. 23. He had surgery on it Jan. 9. The rehabilitation time for the surgery normally is seven to 10 months. Chandler feels good about his chances of practicing when Bills training camp opens in late July.

“I feel it’s realistic,” he said. “The injury is different than it used to be. The doctors are better. And I have to attribute some of this to I’m a Christian guy. God is the ultimate healer. Just put your faith in him and see how it goes.”

“This is probably my third week,” Chandler said, referring to when he started running pass routes. “I’m just kind of ramping it up each week. I’ve just been running ’em without ball and I started to catch the ball now too. So I feel good.”

The Bills refrained from adding a prominent tight end in free agency. They didn’t get a chance to get a top tight-end candidate in the draft. By the time their third-round pick came up, the top five at the position had been taken. Buffalo did pick speedy University of Arkansas tight end Chris Gragg in the seventh round. They have a capable blocking tight end in Lee Smith.

The offense needs a healthy Chandler. He wants to be ready for training camp to start developing chemistry with the Bills’ QBs. Former Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a lot of faith in Chandler, who made stops in San Diego and Dallas before establishing himself with the Bills in 2011.

“I’ve made no bones about the relationship between the quarterback and the receiver needs to be there,” Chandler said. “You want to build a relationship with these guys. You want them to know that when it’s man to man, you’re the guy they want to go to. Yeah, I want to be there in training camp so they can see and so the new coaching staff can see what I can do.”

...

DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, was at practice Thursday as part of a tour of NFL teams and spoke to the players. Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly also watched practice.



email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:27:04 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ High School Class of ’13 impressive ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/SPORTS/130529614/1004
It’s an impressive list in both quantity – boys lacrosse has 45 players who will play in college, including 10 in Division I, for instance – and quality, as there are local athletes joining major college programs in almost every sport.

Many of those Division I athletes have been familiar faces for several seasons: Silver Creek lacrosse’s Zed Williams (Virginia), Clarence baseball’s Mark Armstrong (Pittsburgh), Hamburg softball’s Bridget Hogan (Niagara), Roy-Hart wrestling’s Drew Hull (Virginia), Grand Island basketball’s Cassie Oursler (Robert Morris), Sacred Heart basketball’s La’Trice Hall (Hartford) and Canisius College-bound basketball players Adam Weir (Canisius High) and Jermaine Crumpton (Niagara Falls).

But there are also impressive names – and destinations – from baseball to volleyball, with a little bit of everything in between – such as equestrian (yes, you read that right).

Our complete list is at the Prep Talk blog, and it is based on our reporting this year and what has been reported to us this year. But it is a work in progress, one in which your input is invaluable. If there’s a name not on the list that should be, email me at kmcshea@buffnews.com or tweet to @KeithMcSheaBN with the athlete, their high school and the college (please include the collegiate level: Division III, NAIA, etc.).

Here are some highlights:

• For the first time, Williamsville North has two baseball players going Division I: Tyler Green is headed to Vanderbilt and Kyle Zurak to Radford. It’s part of a high-quality list of major-college baseball players, many of whom will be playing either this evening in the Section VI semifinals or in Saturday’s tremendous Georgetown Cup semifinal doubleheader.

Armstrong will pitch against Orchard Park tonight in the semifinals, while Lancaster and Ben Haefner (University at Buffalo) head up to Lockport in the other half of the final four.

There are several Division I players who are staying in Western New York for college baseball who will be playing in the Georgetown Cup semifinals, which start with St. Mary’s (University at Buffalo signees Brian Dudek and Chris Kwitzer) taking on Canisius at 10 a.m. Canisius’ roster includes Canisius College signee Kyle Liszewski as well as Jack Trotman, who will play at a UMass-Lowell program which is ascending to Division I. St. Joe’s and its trio of Jared Baldinelli (St. Bonaventure), Donny Kilian (UB) and Matt Matre (Canisius College) will face red-hot St. Francis, winners of 14 straight.

• Year in, year out, there is a long list of girls volleyball players moving on; they almost exclusively come out of the highly successful Niagara Frontier Volleyball club. There are 18 on this year’s list, including Alexandra Brown of Grand Island (Maryland), Allyson Rung of Williamsville East (Boston University), Emily Hopkins of Williamsville North (Niagara), Rachel Moll of Immaculata (Hartford) and Breanna Opera of Lancaster (St. Francis, Pa.).

• While Crumpton has been set for Canisius for some time, he also has two Niagara Falls basketball teammates heading to college via scholarships: Ramir Burton (Division II St. Edwards in Texas) and J.J. Wilkins (Polk State Community College in Florida).

• On Tuesday, senior Jaylen Morris of St. Joe’s basketball signed a scholarship offer to Division II Molloy College of Queens.

• No, there are no state high school championships in equestrian, but Buffalo Seminary senior Charlotte Jacobs is an accomplished rider who will compete for Southern Methodist University.

• Rowing helps students attend some quality colleges and the list is always worth a look. This list will certainly get longer as we collect more information. The signees are: Canisius’ Reid Yankowski (California-Berkley), Mark Hirschbeck (Cornell) and Jack Sardinia (Georgetown) and Nardin’s Tessa Yurko (Michigan), Mary Bridge (North Carolina) and Alex Gunner (Miami).

• One of the area’s top perennial programs is Nichols girls hockey; its seniors include Maddie Elia, (Boston University), Haley Scamurra (Northeastern) and Kelly Seward (Penn State).

• Canisius’ Ryan Hunter (Bowling Green) may have been the only major Division I football signing, but Western New York always sends many players to high-quality Division III programs. Our list of students playing next year is at 30 and will certainly grow.

• Topping the girls lacrosse list are two players from Hamburg, who you can see play for the Class B title Wednesday: Megan Mikolajek (Albany) and Taylor Wolf (Niagara).There’s already a list to start for not just next year, but the year after that.

Among the juniors who have committed to Division I programs are some who will be playing in Tuesday’s boys lacrosse championships: Brennan Ferguson of Niagara-Wheatfield (Syracuse) and Adam Dimillo (Maryland) and Connor Fields (Albany) of Bishop Timon-St. Jude.

Moriah Harris of Clarence softball (which plays a quarterfinal today) has committed to Canisius College. In girls volleyball, there is Eden’s Lainy Pierce (Penn State) and Frontier’s Sydney Rojek (Marist).

There are also a pair of sophomores who have already committed: Leah Meyer of St. Mary’s girls volleyball has verbally committed to Duke while Randolph girls basketball standout Mckenna Maycock will play at St. Bonaventure.



email: kmcshea@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 00:15:00 -0400 <![CDATA[ High School Extra: Hutch-Tech wins softball title ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/SPORTS/130529602/1004
The triumph caps a season in which Hutch-Tech (15-4-1, 12-0) became the first city school to beat the Centaurs since 2001 back on April 17. Thursday’s win was Hutch’s third against Honors this season.

“The big deal for us was the first time we beat City Honors. The kids knew they could compete with them,” longtime Engineers coach Dave Rappl said. “This game, everybody was just ready to play. ... This is my 15th year coaching, this is the best the team has done in all those years. You’ve got to be happy about that.”

The city schools were aligned last year with the most competitive schools, such as Hutch-Tech and City Honors, placed in the same division. Last year, teams were divided based on size.

Four seniors came up huge for the Engineers on Thursday as Gabby Zarcone’s two-run single sparked a three-run fourth that erased Honors’ 2-0 lead. She finished 2 for 3. Jess Andulo’s two-out, RBI single in the fifth provided an insurance run. Katelyn Gary went 1 for 2 with two steals and two runs scored, while Kayla Hahn earned the win.Rachel Heidenreich and Allie Stewart each scored four goals in Lancaster’s 13-1 first half as the defending Section VI Class A girls lacrosse champions cruised into Wednesday’s final with a 16-6 win over Orchard Park.

The Redskins (16-1) have won seven of the last eight sectional titles. They’ll have to get through Frontier to add to that string. The Falcons (12-3) advanced with a 13-7 win over Clarence.

Lancaster has beaten Frontier twice this season, but the teams are 1-1 against each other in the past two Section VI championship games.

“It’s probably going to be another great Frontier-Lancaster battle,” Frontier coach Tim Myslinski said. “Lancaster is stocked full of talent, well-coached. It’s the type of game my girls look forward to.”

It’s a game the Falcons have looked forward to since losing last year’s final, 5-4.

Emily Pasternak made 13 saves for Frontier, which led 7-5 at halftime against the Red Devils. Hannah Reese led Frontier with four goals and three assists, while Jackie Dufrand added four goals.Akron avenged a regular-season loss to East Aurora by beating the Blue Devils, 15-11, in the Section VI Class C semifinals.

Hayden George had four goals and two assists, Steven Poobry three goals and three assists and seventh-grader Owen Hill had two goals and two assists in his first start as Akron earned a date in the title game against defending champion Silver Creek. Hill’s older brother, long-stick middie Chaunce Hill, added two goals and an assist for the Tigers.

Akron lost, 20-15, to Silver Creek during the regular season, a game in which Virginia-bound Black Knights star Zed Williams recorded 10 goals and five assists. The key in the rematch, according to Tigers coach Bryan Bellis: “Covering Zeddie, figuring out how we’re going to cover Zeddie and stop their offense.”

Silver Creek advanced with a 26-12 win over Lake Shore as Brennan White had eight goals and two assists.

In Class B, Ryan Coch’s goal with 50 seconds left lifted Niagara-Wheatfield to a 14-13 win over Williamsville East in a semifinal. Coch had three goals, while Rob McMicking had four goals and four assists, including a helper on the winner. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 23:59:14 -0400 <![CDATA[ Bulletin Board for May 24 ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/SPORTS/130529603/1004
BASKETBALL: Volunteers needed to help the Police Athletic League (PAL) on June 29 or 30 at the Buffalo Gus Macker 3-on-3 tournament. Event organizers are looking for scorekeepers and timekeepers to assist referees at each court. To volunteer, contact the PAL office at 851-4615 or email policeathleticleague@city-buffalo.com. For information on other PAL summer events, visit www.buffalopal.com.

KAN JAM: There is a tournament at River Fest Park the following days: Tuesday, Thursday, June 4 and 6. Tournament starts at noon each day and the price is $20 per team. Only those 16 years or older may participate. Contact Katie for information at 289-8998.

SOFTBALL: Teams needed for a coed, six guys and four girls, tournament on June 8 at Losson Park. Three games guaranted. The cost is $225 per team and there are cash prizes. Call Mike, 983-9408, for information. … The Woody Keyser Memorial Open for 10-man modified teams is slated for June 1-2, with an entry fee of $275. For information, call 680-0207 or visit www.leaguelineup.com/thekeyser.

TENNIS: The USTA Eastern Tennis Association will host a free family tennis festival June 1, 1-2:30 p.m. at Miller Tennis Center, 5959 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville. It will feature games and prizes for kids, an interactive parent presentation on the USTA’s 10-under tennis initiative, and information on summer programs in the area. Registration is required, and rackets will be available for anyone that does not have one. Visit www.eastern.usta.com/wnytennis for more information.

YACHT CLUB: The Inner Harbor Club will sponsor its annual boat blessing June 2 from 2 to 3 p.m. It will take place at the South Terminal wall of the Erie Barge Canal.



The Bulletin Board appears twice weekly, Tuesday and Friday. Information must be submitted by mail (c/o Buffalo News, Sports Dept., One News Plaza, Buffalo, NY 14240), fax (849-4587) or email (sports@buffnews.com). Items are limited to one appearance. There is no charge. ]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 23:58:21 -0400