DELHI — The Skidmore College softball team walloped SUNY Delhi last week, taking both games of a two-game series on the road. The contests ended after only five innings, thanks to the mercy rule, which occurs when a team is ahead by eight or more runs after five innings of play. The dominant victories may provide a spark for the struggling Thoroughbreds.

Game One

Skidmore – 16
SUNY Delhi – 3

In the first game, four Thoroughbreds had triples and five had stolen bases. Three players had three hits: Grace O’Connell (3 RBI), Hailey Clarke (3 RBI), and Franchesca Casillas (2 RBI). Clarke, a freshman, was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate and pitched all five innings, striking out four and allowing two runs. She earned her first win of the season.

Game Two

Skidmore – 12
SUNY Delhi – 0

In a shutout victory, O’Connell went 3 for 4 with a double and a triple, driving in two runs. Outfielder Bernie Berner and catcher Jessica Nachamie also went 3 for 4. On the whole, the team had 15 hits, scoring multiple runs in three of their five innings. On the mound, freshman Mallory Allen earned the victory, giving up only one hit. Allen’s ERA for the season is now an impressive 1.43.

After the pair of wins, Skidmore improved to 5-18 on the season.

Last week, O’Connell was also named to the Liberty League’s Honor Roll thanks to an eight-game hitting streak. During the previous week, she was 9 for 16 with 3 RBI, 4 stolen bases, and one dinger.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Hang on to your hats (or helmets), some buckin’ broncos (or bikes) are headed to town. 

On May 9, at the East Side Recreation Park, the Saratoga Springs City School District is hosting a Bike Rodeo event that will include mechanics on site for minor repairs, a helmet fitting station, a bike safety station, games, a bike obstacle course, and a physical education teacher race. The district will also have its bike fleet available for those who don’t own their own bike.

Last year, said Lake Avenue Elementary physical education teacher Jake Zanetti, about 200 kids attended the rodeo. But he and the district are hoping even more will come galloping in this year.

“This has been a very big year as far as the Saratoga School District and bikes go,” Zanetti said. “We’re actually the first school district in the entire country to have a comprehensive, K-12 bike program in our schools.”

The Bikes in Schools program, launched earlier this month by Saratoga Shredders, is designed to enhance the physical education curriculum by integrating cycling into the daily activities of students across the district’s six elementary schools. 

The program is one of several recent bike-related happenings in Saratoga. Last weekend, Biketoga had its first monthly Slow Roll in Congress Park.

“We have a great biking community here,” Zanetti said. “It’s really becoming a more and more bike-friendly community as far as adding bike lanes around the city.”

Zanetti cited the new Graphite Range Community Forest in Wilton as one of several recent examples of the area offering more trails for bikers. 

“Saratoga the city is just a great place to get from point A to point B on a bike,” Zanetti said.

This year’s Bike Rodeo will take place on Thursday, May 9, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the East Side Recreation Park’s track and in-field off Caroline Street. The rodeo will be followed by Bike-to-School Day on Friday, May 17.

GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder, an ECHL ice hockey team affiliated with the New Jersey Devils, faced off against the Maine Mariners in the first two games of the Kelly Cup Playoff North Division Semifinals last weekend. The games were held at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.

Game One

Thunder – 1
Mariners – 2

The Mariners took game one in front of a sellout crowd in Glens Falls. The Thunder’s lone goal came courtesy of Tristan Ashbrook, with assists from Shane Harper and Connor Blake. The Thunder held the Mariners to only one shot in the third period but couldn’t manage a second goal to tie the game. 

Game Two

Thunder – 2
Mariners – 0

The Thunder came back with a vengeance in game two, claiming a shutout victory. Goalie Isaac Poulter blocked 21 shots, while Shane Harper scored both of Adirondack’s goals. The Thunder evened the series at home, 1-1, in front of a near-capacity crowd.

If the Thunder are able to win at least one of the next three games in Maine, the series will return to Glens Falls on Tuesday, April 30 for game six of the seven-game series.

• Game 3 – Friday, April 26 at 7:15 p.m. – Adirondack at Maine

• Game 4 – Saturday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. – Adirondack at Maine

• Game 5 – Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m. – Adirondack at Maine

• Game 6 (if necessary) – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. – Maine at Adirondack

• Game 7 (if necessary) – Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. – Maine at Adirondack

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced last week that the Whitney Viewing Stand at the Oklahoma Training Track will open to the public beginning Thursday, April 25.

Prior to the start of the summer meet at the Saratoga Race Course on July 11, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open free of charge Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The Oklahoma Training Track is accessible to pedestrians through Gate 21 on East Avenue. Parking is not currently available within the Oklahoma Training Track grounds.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Blue Streak Hall of Fame Committee is currently accepting new nominations for the 2024 Blue Streak Hall of Fame. All nominees must be submitted by May 13.

Each year, the Blue Streak Hall of Fame honors individuals and teams for their extraordinary contributions to athletics.  The program was established to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding athletes, coaches, administrators, and supporters.

Past inductees include Dottie Pepper (winner of 17 championships on the LPGA Tour), Anthony Weaver (former NFL player and current defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins), and Megan Mangano (former Los Angeles Clippers team nutritionist).

Nominations can be submitted online: www.saratogaschools.org/athletics/blue-streak-hall-of-fame/

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic Saints varsity baseball team won both games of the Phil Waring Memorial Tournament last weekend to remain undefeated on the season with a 9-0 record. 

Game One

Saints – 13

Lake George – 1

The Saints dominated the Lake George Lakers in the first game of the tournament on Saturday morning at Veterans Memorial Park, scoring four runs in the first inning and never looking back. Carson Moser had two hits, including a double. Nine Saints players racked up at least one RBI apiece. On the mound, Tyler Weygand pitched five innings, allowing no runs and striking out five Lakers.

Game Two

Saints – 1

Schuylerville – 0

The Schuylerville Black Horses couldn’t push across a run in a close contest to determine the tournament champions on Saturday afternoon. For the Saints, pitcher Pierce Byrne went 2 for 3 at the plate, driving in Saratoga’s lone run. Max Britten also went 2 for 3, and Ronan Rowe smacked a double. Byrne might’ve been even more impressive on the mound, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out a whopping 11 batters. 

SCHUYLERVILLE — At an April 15 Board of Education meeting, the Schuylerville Central School District formally recognized and celebrated the high school career of star basketball player Luke Sherman, who set the school’s all-time boys scoring record earlier this year.

At the meeting, Varsity Basketball Coach Matthew Steinfort discussed Sherman’s accomplishments as both a player and a person. Sherman, a multi-sport athlete, stood by wearing his baseball uniform. 

“Luke made his first appearance on varsity as an eighth grader,” Steinfort said. “We had a handful of injuries that season and so we decided to bring him up. From that point on, he never looked back.”

In his final season with the Black Horses, Sherman averaged 24.5 points per game. In 20 games, he scored more than 20 points, and in four games he scored more than 30. In a home victory against Queensbury, he netted 38 points.

“Teams are scheming for him,” Steinfort said. “They’re planning for him. He’s the number one variable that they’re trying to take away. Despite that, he’s still able to put up numbers like that.”

Among his many accolades, Sherman was named to both the Foothills Council First Team, and the Section 2 All-Tournament Team for Class B. In his career at Schuylerville, he scored 1,536 total points, making him the school’s all-time boys scoring leader. In a game against Hudson Falls in January, he surpassed Eric Stover’s 1,317-point record set in 1978.

“As impressive as those statistics are, at least for me, it doesn’t define him,” Steinfort said. “He’s a talented young man, a talented student-athlete. But he put the work in. He worked on his body. He worked on his mind. He worked on his game. That came to fruition with the success that he’s had.”

“There’s such a unique balance with Luke,” Steinfort continued. “There’s a real confidence there, and he exudes it, but at the same time, there’s a real humility, which is rare.”

Sherman is still deciding which college he will attend, with SUNY New Paltz and Utica being two options. He plans to continue playing basketball in college and hopes to one day become a special education teacher.