SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore’s new Ferrari Field was home to the Thoroughbreds baseball team as they competed against Vassar’s Brewers last Saturday in a double-header.

The field is located in a wide, open lot on Daniels Road where both the players and fans were bathed in the warm sun of a spring afternoon. The cheers were loud from both the stands and the dugout, the energy contagious. Children and dogs played around in the open green near the bleachers, and their laughs, mixed in with the enthusiastic cheers of the spectators, created a great environment for the players.

The bleachers were situated in the center of the field, giving the audience a wide view of the game, as well as shielding them from the chill of the wind. The Skidmore families operated a concession tent where fans could find food and relief from the sun between innings.

While the environment was electric, the Thoroughbreds fell to the Brewers, 4-5 in the first game and 5-6 in the second. The players kept the game close, pushing the first game into extra innings, which had the spectators on the edge of their seats as they cheered on Skidmore.

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA — Ari Berliner (27) from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) in Glenville turned in a terrific performance to win a 66kg bronze medal at the Pan Am Championships in Panama on April 18. 

Berliner finished off the day with a victory in the bronze medal match with submission (choke) in an overtime thriller against longtime rival Julien Frascadore (Canada). The result catapulted Berliner up 23 spots to #39 on the world ranking list. 

Melissa Myers (30), also representing the JMJC, placed a career-best 5th at 70kg. As a result, Myers rose 13 slots in the world rankings to a career-high #47.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Phil Waring Memorial Tournament was a blessed one for the Saints, who obliterated both Fonda-Fultonville (16 to 1) and Duanesburg (11 to 1) to be crowned tournament champions for the third straight year.

Spa Catholic baseball star Carson Moser, who will play for Duke University when he graduates, was crowned tournament MVP after hitting a combined 6-6 in both games, racking up 2 homers, 5 runs, and 9 RBI. Other standout showings at the plate included Max Britten (a combined 4-5 with 4 RBI) and Jason Pescetti (4-7 with 4 RBI). 

Starter Luke Dejnozka was credited with the win on the mound against Fonda, allowing just 2 hits and 0 runs. He also struck out 7 batters and forfeited no walks.

Spa Catholic won the same annual tournament last year, dispatching Duanesburg 7 to 3 in the first game and besting Fonda 10 to 0 in the second contest. In 2024, they beat Lake George 13 to 1 and edged out Schuylerville 1 to 0 to again take the tournament.

Saints Sweep Stillwater

In Wasaren League play, the Saints faced Stillwater in a double-header on Monday, defeating the Warriors in both contests.

In game one, they shut out Stillwater 11 to 0. On the mound, Saints freshman Cole Cefalu earned his first career win, allowing no runs and whiffing 6 hitters. At the plate, Moser impressed, per usual, going 3-3 with 3 RBI. Joey Lindner also helped pile on the hits, going 2-3 with a double.

In game two, Spa Catholic bested the Warriors 11 to 1. Four Saints smacked at least 2 hits apiece: Moser (2-3, 2 doubles), Pierce Byrne (3-4, double), Britten (2-3), and Sandy McDonald (2-3, double).

After the double-header, the Saints’ record stood at 6-1 on the season.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — All was quiet on the East Avenue front Monday morning, when the Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma Training Track officially opened for the season.

Until the start of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on June 3, the public can witness the training action from the Whitney Viewing Stand, which will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Pedestrians can access the viewing stand by entering the Oklahoma track through Gate 21 off East Avenue. Vehicular traffic is not allowed.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — About 30 girls sat reverentially in a circle, awaiting instruction from one of the most talented softball players on the planet.

The scene unfolded at D-BAT Saratoga Springs, a baseball and softball training facility that opened in 2024. The academy’s guest of honor last Saturday, Kinzie Hansen, spent the day leading young softball players in catching and hitting clinics.

Hansen’s accolades are plentiful and include capturing a gold medal at the 2022 World Games, winning four-straight Women’s College World Series titles (her team was the first in college softball history to achieve this), catching for Team USA, and playing for the AUSL’s Oklahoma City Spark. Hyping her appearance, D-BAT owner Adam Britten called Hansen “one of the most successful softball players of our generation.”

Somewhere in her packed schedule (Hansen had to be in Chicago and then Oklahoma shortly after visiting the Spa City), the 24-year-old found time to train and mentor the next generation of softball players. Assisting her in this task were, among others, high schoolers Grace Schaefer from Spa Catholic and Kelsey Compositor from Saratoga Springs.

“There are only two things you can control: your attitude and your effort,” Hansen said in her opening remarks to the girls. In this clinic, Hansen focused on her specialty: catching. The position can be both physically and psychologically demanding. The entire team looks at the catcher throughout the game, and it’s the catcher’s job, Hansen said, to lead by example.

Another of Hansen’s commandments surely pleased the parents in the room. The softball star reminded the kids at her feet that “without [your parents], you probably wouldn’t be able to play the game that you love.” The circle of girls then turned towards the adults nearby and said “thank you, parents” in unison.

“It’s been really fun,” Hansen told Saratoga TODAY about her clinics at D-BAT. “A lot of the girls have been very engaged. I know that sometimes in the past clinics that I’ve done, some of the girls seem a little bit bored, but I think that today, almost every single girl that’s been here has been completely invested in what’s been going on. So that makes me very proud. We’ve had a lot of fun. I mean, I was sweating my butt off too while I was coaching them, so it’s been a really good time.”

Hansen continued, “Coming to these under-saturated areas where there’s not as many good softball training coaches, seeing the passion and the amount of girls that can show up is tremendous… The love for the game, it makes these young girls have confidence and find a purpose. I find it so interesting that a lot of young girls nowadays with social media, they can struggle sometimes with confidence and identity and things like that. But playing softball and having your sisters on your team, or a sisterhood of teammates, it can be tremendous for their development.”

As a former Oklahoma Sooner and current Oklahoma City Spark, Hansen said she was excited for the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will include softball games played in Oklahoma City. Hansen’s sport will return to Olympic competition after being snubbed at the 2024 games in Paris.

“Oklahoma is like the mecca of softball,” Hansen declared. “We can fit almost 20,000 people in that stadium. So, I’m really excited for that to be packed out for Team USA. I don’t know another site in the country that can hold that many people for a softball field. Oklahoma is like my second family, so I’m excited to see the turnout for that.”

Perhaps one day, a girl from one of Hansen’s clinics will find themselves playing at softball’s mecca, too.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mechanicville native Chad Brown notched his 3,000th career victory last Friday when his horse Zulu Kingdom won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland.

“It was really special. I’ll always remember it,” Brown told the New York Racing Association (NYRA). “It was great to do it in a prestigious race like the Maker’s Mark and with a great horse that has been so consistent.”

According to Equibase, Brown’s career earnings total more than $334 million. He’s won five Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer and has been NYRA’s top trainer nine different years (2015-2022, 2024).

“It’s an achievement shared by so many team members past and present as well as our clients, jockeys, and horses,” Brown said. “It takes a lot over 18 1/2-years now of training horses and there’s so many important people in those groups I’ve mentioned and I’m very appreciative for that.”

Brown’s interest in horse racing was sparked by childhood visits to the Saratoga Race Course, and he accrued early experience in the industry at the local harness track. While studying animal science at Cornell University, Brown spent summers in Saratoga working under Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Brown later struck out on his own in 2007. 

As of April 13, Brown’s lifetime stats included 12,117 starts; 3,001 wins; and a Win, Place, Show (WPS) percentage of 58.

Brown’s horse Emerging Market is currently ranked 8th on the 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Local weightlifter Lucille Murphy defended her Masters National Champion title on April 11 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Murphy took second in the snatch lifting 75 kg and first in the clean and jerk lifting 96 kg. Her 171 kg total earned Murphy the gold overall and secured the second national title in her race for the Triple Crown. 

Murphy will compete at the New York State Championships in Binghamton in September and will compete for the final national title in December in Pleasanton, California.

Murphy currently serves as treasurer for the Saratoga Springs City School District.