Summer
• The Albany Dutchmen reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2013, but they had to work extra innings to do so.
Albany needed 16 innings to defeat Glens Falls 6-5 on the final day of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League season to earn the third and final playoff berth in the East Division. The next day, the Dutchmen edged Mohawk Valley 4-3 in 11 innings to win the opening round.
Albany met the Amsterdam Mohawks in the best-of-three divisional final series. Amsterdam took the first game 4-2 before the Dutchmen posted a wild 9-8 victory in 10 innings at Bellizzi Field to force a third game back in Amsterdam. There were five lead changes before Anthony Marks drove in Justin Brock with Albany’s winning run.
“I know as soon as we go into extra innings, the guys are up for it,” said Marks.
In the final game of the series, Albany grabbed a 4-3 lead on Matt Dacey’s three-run homer in the top of the third inning before Amsterdam rallied for a 9-4 victory. The Mohawks regained the lead on Jordan Sansone’s two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning, and they scored four times in the seventh to put the game out of Albany’s reach.
Amsterdam went on to win the PGCBL title for the second year in a row.
For his efforts in turning the Dutchmen into a playoff team, Nick Davey was named the PGCBL Manager of the Year. Davey has been Albany’s head coach every year since the franchise was formed in 2009.
• Delmar’s Victor Fox came within one hole of winning the New York State Men’s Amateur Golf Tournament at Loudonville’s Schuyler Meadows Country Club in July.
Fox had a two-stroke lead on Matt Stasiak entering the final hole of the three-day event, but the recent Bethlehem Central High School graduate double bogeyed it while Stasiak sank a birdie putt to claim the title.
“Going into the tournament, I knew I could compete with these guys,” said Fox, who is a freshman at the University of Maryland. “This course really set up well for me.”
Fox led through the first two rounds and only lost the lead twice on the third day – once after the first four holes, and then on the 18th hole.
• Pete Rose, the all-time Major League Baseball hits leader, stopped at Crossgates Mall to appear on a local sports talk radio show and sign autographs at The Stadium. While in town, Rose was asked about the latest steroids scandal to hit the sport he played and managed for three decades.
“If you break the rules and you cheat, that’s not good for the game,” said Rose.
The former Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies star knows what can happen when a player breaks the rules. Rose was banned for life from the game in 1989 after a report revealed that he bet on baseball games while managing the Reds. Rose publicly denied that he did bet on games before confessing to it in an autobiography he released in 2007.
• The Albany Athletics earned their second straight trip to the AABC Stan Musial World Series after claiming the North Atlantic Regional title, but they failed in their quest to repeat as world champions after losing their first two games of the tournament.
“This was a great season, despite a tough ending in the World Series,” said Athletics manager and Guilderland High School graduate Joe Altieri. “We made a great run through the regular season and postseason, and represented our league and region with class and pride in the World Series.”
The Athletics posted one of the best regular season records in Albany Twilight League history with a 22-2 mark and had an overall record of 38-11. They scored 198 runs during the league season, which was three runs off their record of 201 runs during the 2012 campaign.
“We lost six position starters from the 2012 national championship team, and our new players … came in and did an unbelievable job performing at a very high level every game this season,” said Altieri. “They kept this program going in the right direction and started their own legacy.”
Fall
• The Guilderland boys soccer team won its first Section II Class AA title in five years by beating upstart Albany 4-1 in the final. Then, the Dutchmen beat Baldwinsville 2-1 in overtime to advance to their first state semifinal game since 1989 before losing to Section V’s Fairport 3-1.
Guilderland’s success depended on the foot of Connor O’Brien. The senior defender set up several goals off corner kicks and free kicks throughout the season, including the game winner against Baldwinsville in the regional final at Colonie Central High School.
“I like to think about it as my specialty,” said O’Brien, whose service was knocked into the Baldwinsville goal by Chris Connolly.
Big 10 champion Albany pulled off a pair of upsets to reach the Sectional final. The Falcons edged Bethlehem 1-0 in the quarterfinals and then defeated top-seeded Shenendehowa 2-1 in the semifinals to become the first Big 10 team to reach the Class AA championship game.
• The Bethlehem boys and Voorheesville girls volleyball teams returned to Glens Falls for this year’s state tournament after winning their respective Sectional titles. Bethlehem knocked off Shenendehowa in the boys Division 1 final and then defeated Oswego and Suffern to claim the regional championship for the third year in a row, while Voorheesville garnered the Sectional and regional Class C titles for the fourth consecutive season.
Things didn’t go well for either team at the state tournament, though. Bethlehem was eliminated after losing three of its four pool play matches, while Voorheesville failed to reach the finals following a 2-4 finish in pool play. The result was especially bittersweet for Voorheesville’s four seniors – Caroline Bablin, Libby Bjork, Erin Gannon and Tori Hargrave.
“When we came here (to Glens Falls), we wanted to win,” said Bablin. “Obviously that isn’t going to happen, but we played well.”
• Bethlehem’s Stephen Booker made certain his final trip to the state cross country meet was a good one. The senior placed fifth in the Class A boys race after nipping Saratoga’s Aidan Tooker at the finish line.
“I was ranked seventh (in the state) going in, so I was hoping for a top-five finish,” said Booker.
Booker’s performance helped the Section II team finish second to Section III in the intersectional team standings. Bethlehem’s Alex Carlson also ran at states, as did Guilderland’s Emily Burns and Jenna Robinson.
• The Guilderland football team started the season with five straight wins, but it stumbled down the stretch and wound up being eliminated by eventual Sectional champion Christian Brothers Academy 28-7 in the Class AA semifinals.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk reached the Class B semifinals before losing to eventual Sectional champion and state finalist Schalmont 35-8. The Indians tied Cohoes for first place in the Reinfurt Division standings, but the Tigers earned the No. 1 seed by virtue of a season-opening 17-6 victory over Ravena.
Voorheesville made the Class C Sectionals on the final week of the regular season by beating Coxsackie-Athens 14-6, but the Blackbirds were dispatched by Corinth 39-19 in the quarterfinals.
• Guilderland won the Suburban Council South Division girls soccer title for the second year in a row, but the Lady Dutch couldn’t repeat as Sectional champions. Ellery Bianco’s second-half goal proved to be the difference in Saratoga’s 1-0 victory over Guilderland in the Class AA semifinals.
Bethlehem’s string of Sectional final appearances came to an end with a 1-0 semifinal loss to Niskayuna. The Lady Eagles had been to the last six Class AA finals, winning four in a row at one point before falling to Guilderland in last year’s championship game.
• Delmar resident Earl Winchester won the Super Senior division title and placed second overall at the New York State Men’s Senior Amateur Golf Championship on Winchester’s home course at Normanside Country Club. Winchester had a three-day score of 7-over par 217 and forced a sudden death playoff hole before losing the overall title to Frank Broderick from the Buffalo area.
On the high school end, Bethlehem’s Matt Mastrianni qualified for next June’s state golf tournament after tying for seventh place at the Section II championships at Orchard Creek Golf Club in Altamont.
• Guilderville’s Kelly Gao won the 50-yard freestyle title at the Section II Division I girls swimming and diving championships. Gao finished with a time of 24.86 seconds to glide past the field in the finals. Gao also qualified for states in the 100-yard freestyle, while teammate Caroline Conforti earned a berth in the 100-yard backstroke with a third-place finish at Sectionals.
