SARATOGA SPRINGS — Around 70 kids participated in a three-day Double Dutch event last week that culminated in a competition on Thursday afternoon at the Chris Daley Gym in Gavin Park. Participants were judged on their speed and technique. Certificates and medals were awarded to the “hoppy” youngsters
The competition was run by nationally recognized trainers Ms. K and her Swagga Jumpers. Due to the success of this year’s event, the Saratoga County Department of Aging and Youth Services plans to hold another Double Dutch competition next year as part of its Youth Month activities.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Catholic varsity baseball team has returned from a trip to Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. The annual, week-long event allows ballplayers to participate in scrimmages and practices with teams from across the nation.
“Thank you to the parents who made this trip possible,” wrote baseball Coach Alphonse Lambert in an X post. “A great tradition.”
Disney’s spring training event for baseball and softball teams runs from March 16 to April 20. According to Disney’s website, the experience includes “high-impact performance clinics, professional-caliber facilities, and a proven training ground built for pros and aspiring pros alike to raise their game.”
GLENVILLE — Seven Athletes from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) in Glenville have qualified to compete for the USA Team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 26-27 at the Pan American Judo Championships.
The Pan Ams allow athletes to earn points on the world rankings toward qualifying for the Paris Olympics. JMJC also had seven athletes qualify for the event last year, with Hannah Martin and Nate Keeve winning bronze medals.
Martin will make her eighth appearance at the Pan Ams at 63kg, with her best results being bronze medals in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2023. Keeve will head to his fifth Pan Ams at 100kg, with his best results being bronzes in 2021 and 2023. Nicole Stout will also be competing in her fifth Pan Ams at 78kg. Ari Berliner will compete for the fourth time, having previously won a bronze at 66kg in 2022. Kell Berliner, Alex Knauf, and Melissa Myers will all make their second appearances.
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canadians, High-A minor league affiliates of the Toronto Blue Jays, announced last week that former Skidmore College baseball player Jackson Hornung has made their opening day roster. Last Season, Hornung, a catcher, played with the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays in Florida.
In 2023, Hornung had 62 plate appearances for Dunedin. He finished with a .442 OPS, hitting two doubles and one dinger. He also had a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Hornung was selected in the 16th round (484th pick) of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was the first Skidmore alum to be drafted by a professional team.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — DraftKings, one of the country’s most popular sports betting operators, will be an official betting partner of both the Saratoga Race Course and the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced last week. DraftKings will also be the presenting sponsor of the Travers Stakes.
DraftKings’ advance deposit wagering offering, DK Horse, will play a prominent role throughout the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Launched in 2023, DK Horse is a standalone app that allows eligible customers access to pari-mutuel wagering on domestic and international racing.
“DraftKings is a premier brand within the rapidly growing sports wagering marketplace, and this arrangement will help to introduce world class racing to a wider audience of fans and bettors,” said Tony Allevato, NYRA Chief Revenue Officer, in a statement.
The DraftKings and DK Horse brands will be displayed throughout the Saratoga property beginning in June, with a variety of on-site activations reminding fans of the availability of DraftKings products.
POUGHKEEPSIE — The Skidmore College baseball team won twice in a three-game series against Liberty League rivals Vassar College in Poughkeepsie last weekend. The final game went into extra innings.
GAME ONE
Skidmore – 4
Vassar – 3
In game one on April 5, sophomore infielder Nate Vandersea clinched a Thoroughbred victory with a sacrifice fly ball in the ninth inning. It was his second game-winning sac fly of the season.
Vandersea has been a major asset to Skidmore this year, improving his batting average from .087 last year to .286 this year. His slugging and on-base percentages have also made steep climbs. Designated hitter Zachary Leiderman had an impressive day at the plate as well, going 2 for 3 with one walk.
On the mound, Ameer Hasan allowed two runs in seven innings. His ERA stood at a career-best 1.77 on the season. Christian Giresi closed out the game, giving up one run in two innings, but earning the win.
GAME TWO
Skidmore – 14 Vassar – 5
In the first game of a doubleheader on April 7, Skidmore exploded offensively, racking up 14 runs. Outfielder Owen Roy led the effort, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. Leiderman had another impressive game, going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Seven Thoroughbreds had at least one hit in the contest.
Freshman starter Chase Siegel struggled, giving up 5 runs in a little over 5 innings, but still earned his third win of the season. Reliever Ethan Caiazza was credited with his first save, allowing no runs and striking out four batters in nearly four innings of work.
GAME THREE
Skidmore – 9 Vassar – 10
The second game of the doubleheader had a thrilling, albeit disappointing (for Skidmore) conclusion. The game went into extra innings; 11 to be exact. After five straight innings with neither team getting across a run, Vassar earned a walk-off victory with an RBI single by first baseman Ty Murray.
Skidmore was forced to use five pitchers, although three of them (Peter Martin, Grayden Harris, and Cal Champeau) gave up no runs. Offensively, Leiderman and Vandersea again impressed; both went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI apiece.
At the end of the series against Vassar, Skidmore had a 12-9 overall record for the season, and a 5-1 record in the Liberty League. Their .833 winning percentage placed them second among all league teams.
Skidmore’s next scheduled home game is a doubleheader against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on April 20.
Schuylerville Black Horses baseball team graphic via @BaseballHorses X account.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville Black Horses varsity baseball team won its first game of the season on Monday at Averill Park, 7 to 2. The victory could be a sign of what’s to come: a competitive, veteran team fighting for a successful postseason appearance.
“[Averill Park] has been a really strong team the last few years, and usually we go down there and kind of get introduced to what really solid ball clubs look like,” said Schuylerville Head Coach Darrin Renner.
The Black Horses’ veteran-led team includes senior Luke Sherman, a multi-sport athlete who broke his school’s all-time boys’ basketball scoring record earlier this year. “He’s a guy that we really lean on to get things done offensively,” Renner said.
Coach Renner also named senior Griffin Brophy (a former third baseman now playing shortstop), senior lefty pitcher Brenden Steinberg, junior Alex Renner (catcher), senior Trevor French (pitcher/outfielder), and senior Josh Merrill (infielder) as part of his core group of returning players.
Among newcomers, Renner spotlighted Jackson Dunbar, a freshman second baseman whose first varsity at-bat against Averill Park was a double that fell right into an outfield gap and drove in the team’s first run. Renner said he was “very excited about the possibilities of [Dunbar] going forward.”
On the mound, sophomore pitcher Jack Boden closed out the last two innings against Averill. “Bowden’s got really good stuff,” Renner said. “We’re excited to see how he grows and where he ends up in the rotation as we go forward.”
Renner said he runs a goal-oriented program, and one of his team’s primary objectives this year is to go far enough in the postseason to play at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, which is the home of the Tri-City ValleyCats minor league baseball team.
“Every kid wants to play at Joe Bruno,” Renner said. “To play out on that field I think is for most kids kind of like a dream come true.”
Schuylerville Black Horses Varsity Baseball2024 Roster:
Griffin Brophy – Senior INF, P #9 Luke Sherman – Senior P, OF, INF #13 Brenden Steinberg – Senior P, 1B, OF #1 Josh Merrill – Senior 3b, DH #24 Boston Reilly – Senior OF, 1B, 2B #11 Trevor French – Senior P, OF #4 Alex Renner – Junior C, OF, 2B #3 Lucas Reilly – Junior P, 2B, OF #14 Jameson Brownell – Junior 1B, 3B, OF #18 Aidan Wilber – Junior OF, INF, C #7 Matthew Waldinger – Junior OF #2 Ben Van Veghten – Sophomore 1B, OF #8 Jack Boden – Sophomore P, OF, 3B #6 Jackson Dunbar – Freshman 2B, OF, SS, P #10
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has added the Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman steeplechase event for older horses to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Saratoga Racecourse. The race will take place on Sunday, June 9.
The race is named for Beverly R. “Peggy” Steinman, the owner of Dark Equation, who captured the 2008 Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup, and Colstar, a multiple graded stakes-winning filly who won more than $1 million on the flat.
“Peggy Steinman has represented the National Steeplechase Association at the highest level for decades, particularly at Saratoga, where her presence alone, sitting in her prominent finish-line box, has reminded people in the industry and especially at the New York Racing Association, that the traditions of steeplechasing run deep,” said Bill Gallo, the National Steeplechase Association’s (NSA) Director of Racing, in a statement. “This is a fitting and wonderful tribute to a very special person on an historic weekend in Saratoga. She is thrilled with the honor and looking forward to the Belmont at Saratoga Festival.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — U.S. Rowing announced last week that Kristi Wagner, a rower based in Saratoga Springs, will be among the first 21 members of the 2024 Summer Olympics roster.
Wagner and her doubles partner Sophia Vitas won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in the women’s double sculls. They will compete in the same event at the Olympic Games in Paris.
This will be Wagner’s second appearance in the Olympics. She finished fifth at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
“After that race, I knew I wasn’t done,” Wagner said in a statement. “It’s not just that I want to go to the Olympics; I want to be the best rower I can be. There is something addictive about trying to get the most out of yourself.”
For the past year, Wagner has been hosting a podcast, “The Other 3 Years,” in which she discusses her journey to qualify for the Olympics.
THE BRONX — Kevin Smith, the East Greenbush native who competed for a spot on the New York Yankees’ roster this spring, has been sent down to the Yankees’ AAA minor league affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
With injuries to infielders DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza, Smith had been in consideration for a spot on the bench. But prior to opening day, New York acquired veteran infielder Jon Berti in a trade.
Smith may still see some plate appearances for the Bronx Bombers this season should he be called up from Scranton.
