Wasaren League

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  We ran an article in April about  coach Marc Lambert making the switch from baseball to softball, as he began his maiden spring leading the Lady Horde.  Coach Lambert hoped to sharpen the team’s “decision making”, as well as “improve in the short game both offensively and defensively”.  The Granville mentor also talked about qualifying for sectional play.  Seven weeks later all of these goals and much more have come to fruition for the Wasaren Champion Golden Horde.

Granville’s championship march saw them lead wire to wire.  While not picked in the preseason to contend for a league crown, the Horde won early and often with a big 2-1 decision over Hoosick Falls on April 25th giving them a little breathing room.  A tough 5-4 loss to Greenwich two days later gave Granville their first Wasaren defeat as the league headed for the second half of the slate.

In that second half Granville won six of seven, taking care of business as Hoosick Falls and Greenwich fell back to finish at 9-5 and 7-7 respectively in league play.  Tamarac at 10-4 secured second place two games behind Granville’s mark of 12-2.

Granville, while having their way in some games, more importantly has shown the ability to win close.  Three one run victories this season, the latest a 3-2 come from behind W over Greenwich on Thursday, give the Horde confidence they can get it done in close contests.  Feeling comfortable in those situations is a key component for a long sectional run, something eagerly anticipated in Granville.

They’ve come to this point using a nice mix of solid pitching, good defense and timely hitting.  Emily Fuller pounds the strike zone, fields her position extremely well and allows her defense to make plays. In the infield Lauren Zovistoski, Hunter Bassett, Nicole Hunt and Kayla Daigle going third to first have been solid for the Horde as has sophomore Jordan Harrison behind the plate. Lambert’s comments about his infield being,”a strength of the team”, and”very athletic”, ringing true.

Offensively Fuller, Bassett, Zovistowski and Angela Vladyka lead this group that can score in a variety of ways.

They enter sectional play battle tested coming out of the Wasaren where they’ve seen quality teams and solid pitching throughout the campaign.  I’m sure back in April the thought of a sectional win, maybe two for this group would have been all anyone could have hoped for.  As the second season approaches expectations for the Horde have risen like the May temperatures.  Whether or not Granville can make a deep sectional run remains to be seen, but the potential is there.

What we do know is that the Golden Horde will be a tough out when Class B play commences, and that to date this squad has enjoyed an outstanding year.  Congratulations to Coach Lambert, his staff and most importantly to the players earning the title of Wasaren League Champions.

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.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer: With the final week of the baseball and softball season upon us, the Wasaren League races are all but decided. Two teams that haven’t won championships in a while will do just that and one of them has yet to taste defeat this year.
The Hoosic Valley baseball team clinched the crown this week and has an impressive 12-0,18-0 record this spring. The Indians have coupled a potent offense with quality pitching and defense to lead wire to wire in capturing their first league title since the early 80′s. Congrats to the boys from Schaghticoke on a remarkable regular season.

Almost in the same situation are the girls from Granville. The Horde set’s the pace with an 11-1 league mark and will face Hoosick Falls and Greenwich this week. They are assured a piece of the league title and would win it outright with another victory or a Hoosick Falls loss. They too have led all the way and would secure their first softball title in quite some time. Congratulations to Marc Lambert’s Golden Horde squad on a fine regular season campaign.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  I’m a Jeter fan.  Let’s put that out there right now.  Like everything about the guy.  His approach to the game, his production and longevity, and the ability to perform in the clutch are at the top of a very long list.  He’s not about numbers other than World Series rings, and he has five of those in his career.   Every year but one the Yankees have been in the play-offs since Jeter has been the starting shortstop.  Is that all about Derek?  Absolutely not.  Do they win five championships without number 2?  Absolutely not.

With all that said I was waiting for the accusations to start.  For those that don’t follow the Yankees and Jeter closely the Captain is hitting .397 entering tonight’s game against the Rays at the big ballpark in the Bronx.  He’ll turn 38 next month.  He was supposedly on a downward spiral hitting a career low .270 in 2010 and struggled mightily the first half of last season.  He comes out this year and has his best career start over the first 28 games.  His 48 hits lead all of  major league baseball and Jeter has shown some power as well with nine doubles and five home runs over the first five weeks.  The man’s turning 38  and playing like this,  must be on the juice.

You see that’s another negative to the whole performance enhancing drug era.  Any aging player in the post steroid era who’s production spikes must be juicing.  You know the names, Clemens, Bonds, Palmero among others.  Players that put up big numbers at an age when production usually is going the other way.  Their involvement with PED’s is well documented although the trio would deny having done anything wrong.  By all accounts major league baseball has greatly reduced the presence of PED’s in it’s game but the specter of juiced numbers remains.

A couple of things about Jeter’s situation that shed in my mind some light on his numbers this season.

Last year Derek was injured, and he tinkered with his swing.  Coming off a down year in 2010 he changed his approach specifically his stride and to me never looked comfortable with his new style.  Add to this injuries which are always a guessing game with Jeter as he never wants to talk about injuries regarding himself.  A stint on the disabled list in June allowed Jeter to heal and also go back to his old style of doing business at the plate, and when he returned to action we saw a different player for the second half of last year.  Hitting over .330 for the last three months of the campaign, Jeter finished at .297 for the season.  Not bad for a washed up 37 year old.

Secondly a tremendously proud man, Derek heard all the comments about his demise.  He went through a nasty contract negotiation with the Yankees when the club pointed to his diminished production.  After signing the three year deal many doubted he would finish the contract as the Pinstriper’s starting shortstop.  People were pouring gas on the competitive fire that burns in Jeter.  For a player who consistently has performed best when the lights were the brightest, the light was white hot and number 2 has responded.

This year Jeter is seeing the ball really well.  He’s not chasing balls out of the zone nor is he missing mistakes.  A ball to his liking isn’t fouled back, it’s hit and hit hard.  He also gets down the line just like he always has when healthy, and has a handful of infield hits to date.  About every fifth day manager Joe Girardi uses Jeter as the DH giving the 37 year old a half day off in an attempt to keep him fresh.

Is Derek Jeter going to hit .400 this year?  Not happening.  Is he using performance enhancing drugs?  Also not happening.  Do I know for sure?  Obviously not, but watching him handle his business for 17 seasons on and off the field under the bright lights of New York I’d be less surprised to see Elvis Presley play at SPAC this summer than to find out Jeter was on the juice.  Let’s just sit back and enjoy an incredible run to start the season from this first ballot hall of fame player.  He’ll probably have three hits tonight including the game-winner and in the post game interview say he was just happy to contribute.  Same old Jeter in more ways than one.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer:The Schuylerville Black Horses jumped out to a 6-0 lead after a period, and 9-4 at the half, before fighting off a Cambridge rally to defeat the Indians 13-10 in a key Wasaren League boys lacrosse match. The win for the Black Horses avenges an 8-4 loss earlier in the season. It was the first league loss for Cambridge.

Andrew Nevins led Schuylerville with five goals and an assist in the match. Morgan Cornell and Sean Flanders scored twice each, while Hunter Duval, Ben Mannix, Luke Pumiglia and Ethan Zwirin all found the back of the cage for the Indians. Duval and Flanders combined for five assists.

Thomas Hemmerling scored three goals for Cambridge. Paul Baker, Aaron Mulready, and Skyler Saunders chipped in two goals each for the Indians.

Tom Thompson recorded seven saves for Schuylerville. Charles Hayes stopped five shots for Cambridge.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Well, I  know this probably won’t come as a shock,  but our ADSN Softball Power Rankings #1 team from this past week lost.  The Greenwich Witches recovered from a slow start on the season to work their way all the way to the top of our rankings. However, this past week Greenwich dropped a 3-1 contest to Hoosick  Falls. How many weeks in a row is it that our most highly ranked  team has lost? I am not sure, but  it is at least three or  four weeks in a row. It just shows the parity that there is this year in high school softball.  Sitting on top of the softball power rankings is almost starting to seem like  being on the Sports Illustrated cover.  Noone seems to want the dubious honor.  So hold your breath…..and I apologize in advance. Here are the ADSN Softball Power Rankings for this week:

1. Granville (12-3)-The Golden Horde grab the top spot back this week. Granville got a very nice non-league win, 7-6 over Glens Falls with Lauryn Zovistoski and Emily Fuller leading the way. Granville leads Hoosick Falls by a game, but owns a win over the Panthers. Tamarac and Greenwich are two games back heading into the final stretch of Wasaren League play.

2. Hoosick Falls (11-3)-The Panthers got a very big win this week, taking care of Greenwich for the second time and ending the hot streak of the Witches. Rachel Quackenbush stuck out 10 against Greenwich while firing a three hitter. Sierra Bailey and Frankie Pearson had the key Hoosick Falls hits. The Panthers get another shot at Granville on May 15th.

3. Greenwich (9-4)-Greenwich had been on fire as of late, but Hoosick  Falls has been their nemisis in Wasaren League play this spring. Hoosick  Falls edged Greenwich 3-1 this week. The Witches can still  get a share of the Wasaren title, but must take care of their own business and then get help. Greenwich will meet Granville  May 17th.

4.-5. Argyle (10-2), Fot Ann (10-2), Whitehall (8-2), Lake  George (10-2)-These teams are so closely matched that you could  fit them under a blanket. I ranked them tied for the last two spots because you literally cannot seperate them. Fort Ann and Whitehall split the season. Argyle defeated Fort Ann the first time around. Whitehall beat Argyle in their first meeting, but Hartford upset Argyle 4-3 this week. Lake George lost their lone league game to the Scots. Get the picture? There are two weeks left for these ADK teams to get it sorted out.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer: Legendary Yankee closer Mariano Rivera was shagging flies last night during batting practice prior to the game between the Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. Mo did this every day, pursuing fly balls with athleticism and youthful exuberance despite being an 18 year veteran and 42 years of age. He loved it getting his running in during the pregame tracking down fly balls off teammate’s bats. Last night as he has done thousands of times before he ran toward the warning track, measuring the flight of the baseball, anticipating the catch. Last night it didn’t happen. Last night the greatest closer of all time crumpled at the edge of the track, going down tearing the ACL in his right leg and potentially ending the career of the most dominant athlete we’ll ever lay eyes on.

Today a sadness hangs over baseball and the fans of the game. Not only Yankee fans but people that follow the sport in every city share the pain. This country likes individuals who can deliver the goods, do it consistently and in a way that doesn’t shout “Look at me”. We like things we can count on like the calm of a Sunday morning, the beauty of a sunset, or the ability to call on a loyal friend. Mariano Rivera for 18 major league seasons and the way he’s handled his business has been as reliable as the day is long.

His consistency of excellence is unparalleled. Not only the end result of his work in becoming the all time saves leader in Major League Baseball, but in the way he went about it. His ability to repeat his pitching motion, exactly the same way for almost two decades seems impossible. The fact that he used only one pitch, his fabled cutter is unthinkable. Batter after batter stepped to the plate knowing exactly where Mariano’s release point would be and what type of pitch he would throw. It didn’t matter. Cutter in, broken bat pop-up, cutter away, swing and a miss strike three. Game after game, year after year Mo delivered.

His demeanor was unchanging whether it was a Wednesday night in April, or game seven of the World Series. Class, grace, a cool elegance on the mound and in the post game interviews to follow. He answered all the questions after losing to the Diamondbacks in 2001 as graciously as when celebrating in the spray of champagne after another Yankee championship. Mo was the same after the rare defeat as he was after the so many victories. “Humble in victory, gracious in defeat”, always reminds me of Mariano.

Surgery and rehab lie ahead for the Great One, and speculating about whether or not he’ll play again seems on everyone’s mind. Father Time, the torn ACL and hinting in spring training about the possibility of retirement at season’s end, are reasons to think we may have seen the last of the great Yankee closer. Mariano would be at peace with that, feeling I’m sure it was God’s will.

He said his cutter was a gift from God. Baseball fans would say the same about Mariano. Let’s hope we see both back in action someday after number 42 jogs in from the bullpen to save it one more time for the Yankees. If not, let’s appreciate we had 18 years, of watching simply the best.

Rick Lyons  Staff Writer:  I decided to travel to Greenwich Thursday to see the Panthers of Hoosick Falls meet the Witches of Greenwich in a Wasaren softball contest.  I had seen both teams play this season and felt it would be a good game between the two clubs.  I wasn’t disappointed.

Hoosick Falls who at times this year has had trouble scoring, got down to business quickly in this one.  Lead-off hitter Frankie Pearson lined the first pitch into centerfield for a single , and Carsen Williams followed with a bunt single setting the Panthers up with runners at first and second and no outs.

Greenwich pitcher Rachel Albrecht retired the next two batters and the Witches were poised to escape the inning unscathed, but Sierra Bailey had other ideas.  Bailey didn’t hit it hard but placed a bloop single to short left scoring Pearson and Williams and the Panthers took the early 2-0 lead.

Hoosick Falls’ Rachel Quackenbush set down the first six Greenwich batters she faced before running into trouble in the third frame.

A lead-off walk to Sam Whitehouse was followed by a sharp single to center from Kali Nolan putting runners at first and second as the number nine hitter Carolyn Strasswimmer came to the plate. A passed ball moved the runners up a bag and Strasswimmer grounded to second and was called out on a bang bang play at first as Whitehouse scored and Nolan moved to third.

Greenwich looked to do more damage with their line-up turned over but Quackenbush shut the door retiring the next two batters on strikes, ending the inning with a beautiful change-up for a called strike three.

In the top of the fifth Hoosick Falls plated an insurance run. Pearson and Williams with one out stroked back to back singles and Quackenbush followed with an RBI single to left giving the Panthers a 3-1 advantage.

Greenwich threatened in the sixth putting runners on second and third with one out, but Quackenbush pitched out of trouble inducing a comebacker and an infield pop-up to escape the jam.

The hard throwing righthander finished in style striking out the side in the final frame on 10 pitches giving the Falls the victory and sole possession of second place in the league.  Quackenbush scattered three hits and struck out 10 on the afternoon.

With the win Hoosick Falls goes to 6-2 in league play while Greenwich falls to 5-3 in the Wasaren, both trailing front running Granville who leads the pack with a 9-1 mark.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  The softball and baseball teams from Tamarac made the long bus ride from Clums Corners to Granville Wednesday to take on the Golden Horde in a pair of Wasaren League contests.  The Bengals hoped for a win on each diamond making the return trip if not short, at least enjoyable.  The Horde had other ideas.

The Granville baseball club was looking for their second league win of the season and Kyle Rathbun delivered in the final frame.  With the bases full in the bottom of the seventh, Rathbun rifled a shot over the right fielder’s head scoring Travis Gebo and giving Granville the 3-2 win over Tamarac.

On the softball field Granville trailed  3-1 after three innings of play but scored four times in the fourth, added three more runs in the fifth on their way to an 8-4 victory.

Emily Fuller picked up the win from the circle and plated three runs with her 3-4 day at the plate, for the 9-1, 11-3 Horde.

Brianna Matazinsky had a home run for Tamarac, but took the pitching loss for the Bengals who drop to 6-3, 6-5  on the season.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  Tuesday the calender says May, weather this week felt like March and the league standings tell us it’s mid-season.  Most teams have worked their way through Wasaren opponents one time establishing contenders and pretenders for the league title.  It was a busy week on the softball and baseball diamonds setting us up for what should be a great second half.

Softball:

On Monday Hoosick Falls and Hoosic Valley needed 10 innings to decide the outcome and a four run 1oth for the Falls gave the Panthers the win running their record to 5-1.

Tuesday the Granville Golden Horde traveled to Tamarac for a key contest between two clubs with only one league loss combined.  The Horde broke open a tie game with three runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh to claim the victory.  Kayla Daigle and Lauren Zovistoski both going deep in this one.

Also on Tuesday Schuylerville shutout Cambridge 10-0 giving the Black Horses something Cambridge is still looking for, a league win.

Wednesday saw a full slate of action on another cold and blustery day.  Stillwater blanked Cambridge 6-0 improving their mark to 3-4 and with Mikayla Moore in the circle the Warriors can be a handful for any of the league teams.

Tamarac got by Schuylerville 9-1 improving to 5-2 in league play with the W.

Greenwich scored two runs in the top of the 6th to best Hoosic Valley 9-7.

Granville hooked up with Hoosick Falls for the second 10 inning affair of the week for the Panthers .  This game looked like it might continue ’til nightfall but the Horde scratched for a run in the 1oth keeping their record a perfect 7-0.

A single game on Thursday was a tight one as Greenwich squeaked past Stillwater 4-3 giving the Witches victories on back to back days.

Friday saw Hoosic Valley take care of business beating Cambridge 12-4 giving the Valley a 3-4 mark at the mid-way point.

Granville visited Greenwich and the fans that braved the elements saw a great game between these two clubs.  The Witches posted a four-spot in the fifth inning and weathered a Horde comeback hanging on for the 5-4 decision.  Greenwich, with their third win in as many days improved to 5-2 while Granville took their first Wasaren loss and dropped to 7-1 on the year.

At the turn the standings look this way:

Granville          7-1                               Hoosic Valley    3-4

Greenwich        5-2                               Stillwater             3-5

Hoosick Falls   5-2                              Schuylerville      1-6

Tamarac            5-2                              Cambridge          0-6

Baseball:

In baseball action on Tuesday Schuylerville got a complete game 14 K performance from Seth Berry as the Black Horses defeated Cambridge 5-1.

Tamarac banged out 14 hits to beat Granville 13-6 running the Bengals mark to 3-2.

Hoosic Valley’s Joe Rooney hit a two-run shot in the 6th bringing the Indians all the way back from a 5-2 deficit to ease past the Panthers 7-6.

On Wednesday Hoosick Falls bounced right back dropping Granville 5-2 as Tanner Williams picked up his first win of the year .

Tamarac used a two-run 7th to best Schuylerville 5-3 and Stillwater topped Cambridge 10-2 picking up their second win of the year against four losses.

In the game of the day Greenwich hung a three spot on the board in the top of the 2nd only to see Hoosic Valley respond with seven runs in the bottom of the inning, and the Indians hung on for an 8-5 victory.  With the win the Valley keeps their league record a clean 6-0.

Thursday Greenwich was back at it taking on Stillwater and getting a complete game, eight strikeout performance from Greg Scott turning back the Warriors 4-3.

On Friday the Witches got another well pitched game, this time a combined effort from John Barnes and Cori Winch.  The tandem fanned 16 Horde batters on the day as Greenwich blanked Granville 10-0, running their record to 5-2 with the win.

Hoosic Valley was all over Cambridge 9-2, and Hoosick Falls handed Tamarac a surprising 14-3 shelling in a battle of 4-2 clubs going into the contest.

Standings at the turn:

Hoosic Valley      7-0                                        Schuylerville     3-3

Greenwich             5-2                                        Stillwater             2-5

Hoosick Falls        5-2                                        Cambridge          1-6

Tamarac                 4-3                                         Granville             1-7