Salem

Keith Harrington/Staff Writer: This week is the final week of baseball and softball play in the Adirondack League, and then it is off to Section II tourney play. The boys championship game is all set. It will be the Fort Ann Cardinals vs. the Lake George Warriors. Lake George will also be playing in the softball championship game against a team that is yet to be determined because of the battle in the East. Argyle is in the driver’s seat, but still has not officially clinched. Both ADK title games are scheduled for Friday, May 18th at Castleton State College. With all of Tuesday’s games postponed, it remains to be seen if that schedule will have to be adjusted. Here is what’s happening “Across the ADK Diamond.”

1. Fort Ann baseball became the first ADK team to wrap up a division title and earn a spot in the championship game. The Cards defeated Hartford 3-1 on Friday to clinch. Some people might say, “So what, Fort Ann was expected to win again.” However, the Cardinals had to do things differently this year. Robert Sprague was not able to pitch due to an injury and George Lehoisky had to  become the ace of the staff. Plus, Fort Ann received a stiff challenge from a talented Salem team and couldn’t cruise to the East Division title like they normally do. A job well done by Coach Dane Clark  and his crew.

2. Speaking of Salem, kudos to the Generals baseball team on an outstanding season. They gave Fort Ann all they wanted and should be a serious threat in the sectionals. Nick Burch, Dan Jameson, Chris Payne, Marcus Blanck, Justin Capuano and company will be a very tough out for any opponent.

3. Lake George clinched both the baseball and softball West Division titles on Monday. I had mentioned in an earlier story that Castleton is perfect for fans of a team who has both their girls and boys teams playing in the title games because you can see both fields from one vantage point. I was at Spartan Field a couple of weeks ago, and you may have to search around a bit, but you can find just the right spot to watch both games with a little experimentation.

4. Yesterday the Adirondack League East softball race got a little bit clearer as Argyle beat Fort Ann for the second time this season, 2-0. Ashley Ellis of Argyle fired a two-hitter to outduel Fort Ann’s Molly Bailey who tossed a three-hitter herself. Christina Tucker had a pair of hits for the Scots. Argyle controls their own destiny with a two game lead over Fort Ann and Whitehall. They can grab the crown with a win over Bolton on Wednesday.

5. Hats off to the Hartford Tanagers softball team and coach Duane Flower. Hartford lost some key players to graduation, including ace pitcher Christina Petteys, who is now at SUNY Adirondack. After a slow start the Tanagers stand at 10-5 in league play and 13-5 overall. Junior pitcher Morgan Wicks(11-5) has come into her own this season, and Brittany Brayman has played as well as any player on any team. Hartford has wins late in the season over title contenders Argyle and Whitehall and recently won the Trapper Classic in Warrensburg. Watch out for the Red and Black in sectional play. Many of these girls played on a volleyball team that advanced to the state volleyball tournament.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  Another week of Adirondack SportNet’s top five and another shuffling of the deck. The Indians from Schaghticoke for the fifth straight week own the top spot but our other four teams all shifted places from just a week ago.

1. Hoosic Valley 12-0, 18-0:  The Indians had their biggest scare of the year against Granville needing nine innings to turn back the Horde 13-9.  Tamarac fell 7-4, and the Valley scored four times in the bottom of the 6th en route to a 7-2 victory over Hoosick Falls.  Hoosic Valley has secured our number one spot all year and continues to roll through a very special season in Schaghticoke.

 

2. Greenwich 9-3, 14-4:  Four games, four wins as the Witches gear up for sectional play.  Jason Flynn threw a four-hit complete game in a 5-1 win over Schuylerville.  Greg Scott followed with a one-hitter in a 7-1 victory over Cambridge, and Cori Winch struck out nine and scattered five hits in an 11-1 W over Stillwater. We know this team can score runs, and with their pitching depth look for the Witches to make a deep sectional run.

 

3. Fort Ann 14-0, 14-2:  The Cardinals mashed Ft. Edward 19-1, and North Warren 17-2 this week.  These are typical scores for many of Fort Ann’s league games as they simply manhandle the majority of the Adirondack squads.  They played a competitive contest against Hartford later in the week prevailing 3-1 over the Tanagers.  Two non-league losses or they would be another undefeated team in the area.

 

4. Salem 11-2, 13-3:  The Generals had victories over Ft. Edward 19-4, and Argyle 9-0.  Against the Scots Justin Capuano and Ryan Jameson combined for a one-hitter, while in the Fort Edward contest Nick Burch dominated from the hill fanning 19 batters on the afternoon.  Salem has simply been very solid all year and will present problems to opponents come playoff time.

 

5. Hoosick Falls 7-3, 10-5:  The Panthers drop to number five and some would say that’s too high, but I think they belong.  They have wins over Fort Ann and Greenwich and played the Valley tough this week before falling to the Indians.  They have some games to make up this week and it wouldn’t  surprise me if they put four more in the win column as the Falls tune’s up for the second season.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

In one of the most anticipated high school baseball games of the spring, the Fort Ann Cardinals rallied from a 3-1 defecit to roll past the Salem Generals 9-3 in the Adirondack  League. Fort Ann had defeated Salem 7-5 in the first meeting earlier in the season, and this game has been talked about and been hyped up ever since.

Fort Ann jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first, but Salem grabbed the lead in the topot the third 3-1. The big blow in the inning for the Generals was Chris Payne’s two run double. The lead would not last as Fort Ann responded in the bottom of the frame. The Cards plated four runs to take the lead for good at 5-3. George Lehoisky and Joe Foran blasted back to back triples to pace the attack. Fort Ann added a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to pull away for the win.

Foran led the Cardinals with a pair of hits and two RBIs. Lehoisky and Chris Jackson added two hits, while Jeff Johnson was 1 for 2 with an RBI. Robert Sprague doubled for Fort Ann.

Lehoisky got the win on the mound for Fort Ann, moving his record to 5-0 on the season. He scattered five hits, while striking out eight and walking none.

Fort Ann is now 11-o in the ADK, 11-1 overall. Salem drops to 9-2, 11-3.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Corinth 1 Lake George 0

On a day that was more fitting weather-wise for a high school football game, the Corinth Tomahawks edged  Lake George 1-0 to pull even with the Warriors in the west division race. Lake George has dominated play in the division for several years, but this win puts the Toms in position grab the title as both teams are now 6-2. The teams meet again on May 14 at Corinth. 

The only run of the game came in the top of the sixth. Greg Kelly tripled for Corinth, but was thrown out at the plate on an Andrew Jenkins fielders choice. Jenkins then advanved to third on a pair of wild pitches, and scored when a high swinging strike went all the way to the screen. Kelly shut down the Warriors the rest of the way and the Tomahawks had the huge win.

Kelly gave up just two hits, while striking out eight and walking two. Lake George pitcher Connor McCoy struck out 11,  while only yielding four hits and a pair of free passes.

Salem 9 Whitehall 2

The Salem Generals rolled to another Adirondack League win,  jumping on Whitehall early to defeat the Railroaders 9-2. Salem trailed 2-0 early, but scored seven runs in the first three innings to take control. Justin Capuano moved to 2-0 on the season on the hill, tossing a five hitter while striking out 10.

Dan Jameson led Salem at the plate,  going 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Sean Geraghty also double for the Generals. Marcus Blanck and Chris Payne were both 2 for 4.

Salem is 7-1, 9-2. Whitehall is 5-3, 5-3.

Fort Ann 32 Argyle 1

Fort Ann jumped to a 10-0 lead after three innings, then scored 12 in the fourth and 11 in the fifth to finish off Argyle 32-1. The Cards pounded out 22 hits in the six inning game.

Joe Foran homered, doubled and drove in four runs for Fort Ann. George Lehoisky hit a home run and drove in three runs. Colby Batchelder was 4 for 4 at the plate with a homer and a double, and also got the win on the mound. Kent Alexander added three hits.

Fort Ann is now 8-0, 8-1. Argyle is 0-7, 0-7.

Hartford 11 Fort Edward 6

Cody Palmer was the star of the game as Hartford slipped past Fort Edward 11-6 in Adirondack League baseball play. Palmer got the win on the mound and went 2 for 3 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in to pace the Tanagers.

Robert Petit added a triple and four RBIs while Pat Coppens was 3 for 4.

Mike Schiher was 3 for 4 for the Flying Forts.

Hartford is 5-3, 7-3. Fort Edward is 3-5, 3-5.

Warrensburg 12 North Warren 9

Shea Irish made his first varsity start on the mound a successful one, picking up the win and going 2 for 3 at the plate as  Warrensburg topped North Warren 12-9. Irish, a freshman went 5 2/3 innings.

The Burghers led 11-4 early on, and then held off a late Cougar rally.

Marcus Perrone was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for Warrensburg, 3-5, 3-6.

Robert Vaisey had a pair of doubles for the Cougars, 2-6, 2-8.

Hadley-Luzerne 13 Bolton 0

Cory Saheim got the win on the hill, going six innings while striking out 11 as Hadley-Luzerne shutout Bolton 13-0. The  HL Eagles jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second and blew the game open with a six run fifth.

Saheim also was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Devin Waite was 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

 Hadley-Luzerne is 3-5, 6-6. Bolton is 0-8, 0-9.

 

 

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Fort Ann 11 Corinth 1

The Fort Ann Cardinals ran their record to 4-0 in ADK baseball play, and handed Corinth their first league loss of the season, beating the Tomahawks 11-1. George Lehoisky was solid on the mound,  scattering five hits while fanning 13.

Joe Foran, Robert Sprague, Chris Jackson, Jeff Johnson, and Colby Batchelder all had two hits for the Cards.

Corinth falls to 3-1,  4-3.

Hartford 14 Warrensburg 11

The Hartford Tanagers won a wild one, pounding out 13 hits in slipping past Warrensburg 14-11. The Tanagers are now 2-2, 4-2 on the season. Delos Jackson moved to 2-0 on the season on the mound, Jackson went 2 for 3 at the plate and drove in four runs.

Larry Perras went for 2 for 3 for Hartford with three RBIs.

Jeff Bentham was 3 for 5 for 0-4, 0-5 Warrensburg.

Lake George 16 Argyle 1

The Lake George Warriors continued to sail along in ADK baseball play, easing past Argyle 16-1. The Scots are still looking for their first win. Lake George broke open a 1-1 game by plating seven runs in the fourth.

Peter Fisher led the Warriors with a pair of triples. Charles Barber had a single, a double and three RBIs.

Brandon Matthews got the win on the hill, tossing a two-hitter.

Bobby Doepper had two hits for Argyle.

Whitehall 13 Bolton 9

Whitehall moved to 3-1 in Adirondack League play as they knocked off Bolton 13-9. Carl Rehm pitched well for the Railroaders, firing a three-hitter while striking out eight.

Josh Hoagland led Whitehall at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double and four runs batted in. Cody Bascue was 2 for 3.

Mitchell Jordan had a pair of hits for 0-4 Bolton.

Fort Edward 15 North Warren 1

Fort Edward evened their record at 2-2 in ADK play with a 15-1 victory over the North Warren Cougars. Fort Edward jumped to a 8-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way. Sean Morency and Mike Schiher combined on a three-hittter.

Jonah Taylor had a big day at the plate for the Flying Forts, going 2 for 4 with a double, HR and two RBIs. Mike Taft had a triple,  two singles and four RBIs. Garrett Clark drove in three runs.

North Warren is 1-4 in league play.

Salem 8 Hadley-Luzerne 1

Salem bounced back from their tough loss to Fort Ann,  by defeating Hadley-Luzerne 8-1. Nick Burch was outstanding on the mound, firing a one-hitter while striking out 16.

Dan Jameson was 2 for 4 for the Generals, while Nick Gaudreau nailed a grand slam homer.

Salem is 3-1, 5-2. Hadley-Luzerne is 2-2, 5-3.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Argyle 14 Hartford 1

The Argyle Scots broke open a close game by exploding for 11 runs in the fourth inning and cruised to a 14-1 win over Hartford in Adirondack League softball. Both teams entered the contest unbeaten.

Argyle jumped to a 3-0 lead,  scoring a run in the second and two in the third. The Tanagers plated a run in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1, but the Argyle answered with a huge bottom half of the inning to put the game out of reach.

Shelby Graham, Christina Tucker and Megan McWhorter all once again had big games at the plate, each smacking a single and double. Andrea Richards added a pair of RBIs and Sam Rabine had a pair of hits.

Argyle is 3-0, 4-0. Hartford falls to 2-1, 3-1.

Whitehall 6 Fort Edward 2

This game was tied 2-2 in the seventh, but the Railroaders put up a four spot in the inning to beat Fort Edward 6-2. Brittany Putorti got the win once again in the circle for Whitehall.

Whitehall got doubles from Olivia Short and Emily Harker.

Whitehall is 2-1, 2-1. Fort Edward is 0-3, 1-3.

Lake George 21 Warrensburg 6

Amy Sander tossed a two hitter,  picking up her second win on the year as Lake George eased past Warrensburg 21-6. Lake George only managed seven hits, but took advantage of nine Warrensburg errors and 15 walks.

Chelsea Sipowicz smacked a double for the Warriors.

Lake George is 3-0, 3-0. Warrensburg is 0-3, 0-4.

Fort Ann 15 Salem 0

Fort Ann remained undefeated on the season by defeating Salem 15-0 in a five inning mercy rule game. The Cardinals jumped to a 6-0 lead after two innings,  then scored four in the fourth and five in the fifth to end the game. Fort Ann pounded out 17 hits in the game.

Kayla Bancroft went 4 for 4 with a homer and a triple. Kimmie Ostrander went 3 for 4 a the plate. Molly Bailey fired a three hitter while striking out 10 to get the win in the circle.

Fort Ann goes to 3-0, 3-0. Salem is 1-2, 1-2.

Corinth 16 Hadley-Luzerne 1

Corinth scored seven runs in the second, and then added three more in the fourth to go ahead 10-0 and cruised to a 16-1 win over Hadley-Luzerne.

Marissa Sweet led Corinth with a double, two singles, and four RBIs. Taylor Fedor had a double and a single and drove in two runs. Alicia Nicholson pitched a two hitter with 8 Ks.

Corinth is now 2-1, 2-1. Hadley-Luzerne is 1-2, 1-2.

 

 

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  Monday’s weather was spectacular, mid- eighties and sunny about as good as it gets for the 16th of April.  The baseball game between Salem and visiting Fort Ann wasn’t bad either.  A game that saw three lead changes gave the fans an exciting contest, one that ultimately was decided in the final frame.  The Cardinals trailing by one, scored three times in the top of the seventh to claim the  7-5 win.

The game was scoreless through the first two innings and showed signs that it might settle into a pitchers duel.  Fort Ann’s Robert Sprague set down the first nine Salem batters he faced, four on strikes.  Salem’s Dan Jameson gave up a pair of singles and fanned three over the first two frames but ran into trouble in the third.

Sprague started the inning with a drive to center that was dropped.  He advanced to second on a wild pick-off attempt, and scored on George Lehoisky’s RBI single to right center.  Lehoisky took second when his ball was bobbled in the outfield and he scored on Joe Foran’s RBI single to right.  Jeff Johnson reached on an error, and the next batter Jeremy Rojcewicz laid down a perfect sac bunt moving the runners to second and third with one out.

Here Jameson stopped the bleeding,  reaching back to fan the next two batters and get out of the jam.

The Cardinals would plate two more in the fourth.  Fort Ann used consecutive singles by Chris Jackson, Sprague and Lehoisky combined with a walk and a wild pitch to take a 4-0 advantage into the bottom of the inning.

Jameson started the Salem half with an infield hit off Sprague’s glove.  A strikeout and a fielders choice left Salem with a runner on first and two out.  A walk to Nick Burch and a double steal put runners in scoring position and Justin Capuano picked them up with a two run single to right.  Marcus Blanck followed with a ringing double over the left fielder’s head to bring home Capuano drawing the Generals to within one at 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth Salem took it’s first lead of the day.  A walk to Chris Payne followed by a one out single from Capuano set it up for Blanck.  Coach Dane Clark brought in Lehoisky to face Blanck, who delivered his second run scoring hit of the afternoon, a single to right scoring Payne and things were knotted at 5.  Later in the inning Matt Fry ripped a two out run scoring single and the Generals had the 6-5 lead going to the seventh.

A base on balls to Rojcewicz and a wind blown double from Colby Batchelder put runners on second and third for Fort Ann.  The Generals brought Burch in to relieve Jameson and he was greeted with an RBI single from Jon Willette scoring Rojcewicz and tying this one at 6.

A walk to Devon Heydrick loaded the bases with no outs for the Cardinals.   Salem however refused to roll over getting  back to back outs on force plays at the plate and were poised to escape with no further damage.  The next batter Lehoisky worked the count full and when he looked at the next ball sail high it forced in the go ahead and eventual winning run.  Fort Ann added one more score on an infield error and took a 7-5 advantage to the bottom of the inning.

With the top of Salem’s order coming to the plate, and the back and forth nature of the game a General rally you almost expected.  Lehoisky would have none of it, recording all three outs on strikes giving the Cardinals the hard fought W.

Salem goes to 4-2 with the loss and Fort Ann improves to 3-0 on the young season.  A nice high school baseball game between two good clubs on a June afternoon in April.