Albany Twilight League News

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Text Box: June 11, 2010 - Athletics Shutout Dutchmen 3-0 to Win 2nd Annual Mayors Game The defending league and state champion Albany Athletics won the second annual Mayors Trophy Game with a 3-0 victory over the Albany Dutchmen of the New York Collegiate League tonight at Bleecker Stadium.
     Athletics righthander Jim Shook struck out 13 batters and yielded just 3 hits in a complete game win. Dan Barbero hit a 2-run home run in the 1st inning to get the A's out to a 2-0 lead early on. Jason Martin add an RBI double for an insurance run in the 3rd inning. May 18, 2010 - Athletics Open 2-0, Including Shook’s Opening Night No-Hitter The defending League and State champion Albany Athletics (1-0) opened the 2010 season with its ace and 2009 League Most Valuable Pitcher Jim Shook striking out 13 batters enroute to a complete game no-hitter. Shook didn't walk any batters on the night, and if it weren't for a 2nd inning error that allowed the only Waterford baserunner to reach, the right-hander would've thrown a perfect game. On Monday the A’s scored in every inning to defeat Haack Division foe, Dreyer Boyajian by a 7-2 score. The league’s 2009 MVP Justin Meagher was responsible for the A’s two-run second inning when he blasted a two-run home run to give the A’s a 3-0 lead. Albany built a 6-0 lead before Dreyer plated two runs in the 6th thanks to a two-run double by Bruce Barkevich. Albany, who notched 10 hits on the night, also got a pair of singles from Al Barbato, one was an RBI hit in the 5th, while Dan Barbero chipped in a single and double. The Athletics used four pitchers (Matt Montross, Josh Willimont, Shawn Ryan, Bill Lawton) to shut down Dreyer to help move them into sole possession of first place in the Haack Division in the early stages of the season. In other action All-Stars Academy spoiled the Blue Slate Bluehawks league debut with a 3-1 victory. Andrew Mondo surrendered only two hits for the Bluehawks while Ryan Ensel only gave up four earning the win for All-Stars. May 14, 2010 - ATL Opens 80th Season on Saturday May 15th at Bleecker Stadium On Saturday, May 15th, the Albany Twilight League will open its 80th season with the defending League champion and State champion Albany Athletics playing host to 2009 Runner Up Waterford Nolan Propane in the nightcap of an Opening Day doubleheader at Edsall E. Walker Field in Bleecker Stadium. The Troy Haymakers and Dreyer Boyajian will match up in the first game at 5 pm, with the A’s and Waterford game following at approximately 7:30 pm. The Athletics swept Nolan Propane in the league championship series last year. The teams also faced off twice in the State tournament with the Athletics prevailing in both games including the championship game. Seven of eight franchises from 2009 will return for the upcoming season including the Athletics, Haymakers, Dreyer Boyajian, Albany Senators, Lansingburgh Royals, Waterford Nolan Propane, and All-Stars Academy. Davies AC folded its franchise in November 2009 and the league, through an application process, accepted the Blue Slate Bluehawks as its eighth franchise. The franchise, which is comprised of 11 former Davies AC players, is run by Gary Pollard (GM) and Bill Behrle (Head Coach) While Blue Slate enters its first season in the Twilight League, by contrast the Troy Haymakers are the longest tenured team in the League, preparing for their 20th season. “Our teams have worked hard and the League is the most competitive it has ever been,” said League President Bill Miles. "We are again looking forward to partnering with the City of Albany as well as the AlbanyDutchmen this summer to continue our great tradition of baseball in the Albany Twilight League.” Despite the League sharing field time with the NYCBL’s Albany Dutchmen for the second straight season, the Twilight League will still play the majority of its schedule at Bleecker Stadium. Several games will, however, be conducted at alternate sites including Kelts Field in Waterford, Colonie High School, Central Park, and Knickerbacker Field (see attached schedule). The League plays a 107-game schedule starting May 15th, with the regular season scheduled to conclude on July 28th. The League playoffs will follow immediately thereafter. Then for the sixth time since 2000, the Twilight League will host the AABC Upper New York State tournament on July 30 thru August 1. In the last 12 years, the league has captured the State title 11 times. This year the tournament will have a six-team field with teams from the Twilight League, Central-New York League, and the Eastern New York Collegiate League. The tournament winner will advance to the North Atlantic Regional which also returns to Albany for the fourth time since 2004. The Regional tournament venues have not been but it will once again be a 6-8 team tournament with the winner advancing to the AABC National World Series in Houston, Texas. The last Twilight League team to go on to the World Series was the 1989 Apex Printing team. Highlighting season-long activities celebrating its 80th anniversary, the league will host an Old Timers Game and a League All-Star Game at the conclusion of the season. The Albany Twilight League Veterans Association , developed during the 75th anniversary season, is in the planning process for the events and gatherings. Led by ATL Hall of Famers Tim Lane and Ed Delehanty, the ATLVA has over 100 members, primarily former players and coaches. The Association assists in the promotion of the Twilight League as well as hosts alumni events throughout the course of the year and is a key part of helping conduct AABC postseason tournaments when the league hosts them. Over the years, the Twilight League has seen dozens of players go on to play professional baseball, most recently Chris Salamida (Senators), Josh Colafamina (Senators), Dan Sausville (Athletics), and Matt Rusch (All Stars). More recent pros who have returned to the league for the upcoming season include Tim Christman (Dreyer), Ryan Christ (Dreyer), Adam Neubart (Dreyer), Dave Perry (Dreyer), Virgil Chevalier (All Stars), Steve Checksfield (All Stars), Bill Lawton (Athletics), Justin Meagher (Athletics), Mike Zgorzelski (Athletics), Dan Barbero (Athletics), Matt Dahlin (Waterford), and Mike Serbalik (All Stars). Opening Day Schedule – Saturday, May 15th @ Edsall E. Walker Field at Bleecker Stadium 5:00 pm – Troy Haymakers vs Dreyer Boyajian 7:20 pm - Ceremonial First Pitch thrown out by 2009 Hall of Fame inductees 7:30 pm - Albany Athletics vs Nolan Propane November 29, 2009 - ATL Hall of Fame Banquet Set for December 19 To celebrate the conclusion of the 2009 season, our annual awards and Hall of Fame banquet will be held at the Polish American Citizens’ Club on Commerce Avenue in West Albany on Saturday, December 19th at 6:30 pm. The ATL Veteran’s Association is pleased to announce the selection of the following three Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored on the evening of the 19th: John VanDeerVeer - Player/Manager of Finkle’s Jeweler who captured 3 league titles from 1964-1973 Alex (Sandy) Brousseau - 1st Basemen on 5 championship teams with Beverwycks and Mike’s Subs during the 1960’s Greg Zampier - Catcher with the Oppenheim Post and Murph’s Glove Repair from 1982-1990, capturing 2 league titles This year the ATL Veteran’s Association is proud to announce the establishment of an annual Special Team Recognition Award, given this year to the Schenectady Sons of Italy for their outstanding achievements over a 17 year period, winning 8 league championships, 6 UNYS AABC titles and 1 North American Regional title. Those former Sons of Italy players in attendance will receive a special commemorative book highlighting, in pictures and clippings, the entire 17 year run of the Sons in the Albany Twilight League. Members of the ATL Veteran’s Association and their guests wishing to attend are asked to send a check payable to the ATL Veteran’s Association ($25 for members, $30 for non-members) to Ed Delehanty, 36 Crestone Rd, Albany, NY 12205. Any questions should be directed to Dick Barrett at 482-4810, Tim Lane at 465-8617 or Ed Delehanty at 459-1785. In addition, all of the 2009 season award winners and All-Stars will be honored at the banquet. Please join us for a Baseball/Christmas celebration as we honor our award winners for 2009. August 21, 2009 - Tholl Division Defeats Haack in ‘09 ATL All Star Game
                               1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9       R H E
Tholl All Stars       0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1     3 5 3
Haack All Stars      0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0     1 9 1
   Tholl: Weber, Ensel (4), Dahlin (6), Zongol (7), Lasek (9) and Estes, Jobe (6)
   Haack: Lawton, Mondo (4), Henchey (6) and Barkevich, Pollard (5)
FOR FULL ALL STAR ROSTER AND 2009 STATS LEADERS CLICK HERE
Matt Dahlin (Nolan Propane) drove in the go ahead run in the 8th on a fielders choice and game MVP Ivan Plata (Nolan Propane) singled and later scored on an error in the 9th inning to give the Tholl division All Stars a 3-1 win. Matt June (Lansingburgh) doubled and scored on an error in the 5th for the Tholl All Stars to tie the game 1-1. Adam Lasek pitched the 9th to earn the save, working out of a one-out bases loaded jam.
   The Haack Division got its only run on an RBI single from Dan Barbero (Albany Athletics) in the 3rd inning. Barbero finished with two singles.

Before the game, Justin Meagher (Albany Athletics) won the league's first ever home run Derby by defeating Nolan Propane's Bill Kelts in a five-round (2 tie breaker rounds) Derby. August 16, 2009 - ATL All-Star Game to be Played on August 20th at Bleecker Stadium The Albany Twilight League will celebrate its 2009 season this Thursday, August 20th with an All-Star game between the best players from the Haack and Tholl Divisions. The night will begin with a Home-Run Derby starting at 6pm. First pitch of the All-Star game will be thrown at 7:30 at Bleecker Stadium. The Haack All-Stars will be managed by A’s skipper Joe Altieri while the Tholl crew will be managed by Waterford’s Bill Kelts. Rosters will be posted shortly. August 14, 2009 - A’s Continue ‘09 Dominance by Sweeping ATL Championship The nine-time State champion Albany Athletics (38-10 overall/21-3 league) capped off its 2009 campaign with a sweep of Waterford Nolan Propane in the best-of-five Twilight League Championship Series. The Athletics posted a 4-1 victory in game #3 of the series thanks to a 15-strikeout, two-hitter performance from Jim Shook.
Shook was named Harold Finkle Award winner (Playoff MVP) for going 2-0 with 26 strikeouts and yielding just 1 earned run and 6 hits in 14 innings of work in the Twilight playoffs. He allowed just one runner to reach second base the entire game #3 and struck out the first 8 out of 10 batters to start the game.
In game #3 of the championship series, Jason Martin went deep in the 2nd inning to give Albany a 1-0 lead. After a solo homer from Waterford in the 4th inning to tie the game, the Athletics got RBI singles from Craig Mastroianni and Justin Meagher to go up 3-1. Nick Paniccia added a sac fly to drive in the 4th run to make it 4-1.
The Athletics have now won 3 of the last 4 Twilight League titles and have gone 9-0 in the Championship Series' they have won three times. Last year Albany reached the Championship Series, but lost in three games. This year, the A's defeated Waterford 8 times in 8 games including three times in the championship series and two times in this year's State tournament. August 4, 2009 - A’s Take Down Waterford to Claim State Title After a challenging schedule due to rain, the 2009 state tournament ended tonight with 2 1/2 games being played at Bleecker Stadium tonight starting at 5 pm.
The Syracuse Mets, who went 3-0 heading into today, lost to Waterford 6-2 then dropped a 3-0 game to the Albany Athletics in the first of 2 championships, which set up the 7th matchup of the season between Waterford and Albany.
The Athletics won the 2009 tournament with a 6-0 victory over Waterford and will travel to Worcester, MA on Wednesday to play the Connecticut state champion on Thursday morning. Casey Walsh (2-0, 11 IP, 4 H, 10 K including a complete game shutout in the championship) and Jason Martin (8-for-16, 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR) were named co-MVPs of the tournament.
A special thanks to those who helped out this weekend, especially Bill Kelts who worked very hard on getting his field prepared for 6 1/2 tournament games. Also to Dick Barrett for capturing photographs, Bill Miles for keeping score and helping at games, Steve Heiser for assisting in the coaches luncheon, Bill Meyer for coordinating umpires, and other individuals involved in successfully conducting the state tournament. It was a real challenge with the weather but we got through it. Here are the final standings:

Albany Athletics 4-1
Waterford   3-2
Syracuse Mets 3-2
Davies AC 1-2
CNY Braves 0-2
CD Red Stars 0-2 July 27, 2009 - Athletics and Waterford Set for League Championship Series The Albany Athletics took the first two games of the best of three semi-final round against Dreyer Boyajian. Waterford swept Davies A.C. with a pair of wins at Kelts Field in Waterford. The two will meet in a matchup of division champs in a best of five series starting this week. July 23, 2009 - Dreyer Boyajian Rounds Out Playoff Teams Finishing 10-14, Dreyer Boyajian earned the #4 playoff seed by way of a head-to-head tie breaker with the Albany Senators. The Albany Athletics locked up the overall #1 seed with a final record of 21-3. Nolan Propane (Waterford) wrapped up the Tholl Division and the #2 spot with a 17-7 record. Davies A.C. will take on Waterford as the #3 seed after finishing 16-8. June 3, 2009 - Athletics Take on Dutchmen in Mayor’s Cup The Albany Athletics took on the Albany Dutchmen, the area’s new NYCBL franchise, in a scrimmage at Bleecker Stadium on Wednesday night. The game was well attended with an opening ceremony and a first pitch thrown out by Mayor Jerry Jennings. In the end the A’s could not pull out the victory but made an excellent showing for the existing talent in the ATL. The new Dutchmen promise to bring quality action to Bleecker including many improvements to the stadium which can only benefit the Twilight League. Keep your eye on the local media for coverage of this evening’s highlights. May 15, 2009 - A’s Defeat Reigning ATL Champion Davies in ‘09 Opener Casey Walsh, James Pacifico and Jim Shook combined to allow two hits and struck out 15 in a 3-0 victory for last year’s ATL Runners-Up the Albany Athletics. John Marcella chipped in with 3 singles including an RBI base hit in the first inning which proved to be all the A’s would need to start the 2009 season. November 11, 2008 Serbalik Highlights ‘08 HOF Class, Banquet and Awards Dinner Set September 14, 2008 - ATL Announces Post Season Awards August 15, 2008 - ATL Well Represented in Regional; Davies Wins ATL Championship August 4, 2008 - ATL Set to Host North Atlantic Regional The Albany Twilight League will host the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) North Atlantic Regional Tournament August 7-10 at Bleecker Stadium and Central Park where 10 teams will compete to advance to the AABC National World Series in Houston, Texas the following week. The North Atlantic Regional, Stan Musial division, returns to Albany for the third time since 2004 and will see 10 teams compete in a 20-game schedule starting the morning of Thursday, August 7th and running through Sunday, August 10th. Defending Regional champion Easton Huskies will return to the event following a 36-0 season in the Cranberry League in eastern Massachusetts and the New England state championships. Easton finished third in the World Series in 2007. Also returning to this year’s Regional is the 2006 National Champion Long Island Storm from the Long Island Stan Musial League who posted a gaudy 55-15 record in 2008. The Bergen Cardinals (NJ), a 2007 Regional third place finisher, returns following a 20-2 season. Other teams qualifying for the Regional in Albany include the North Haledon Reds (NJ), Verdero Collegians (Westchester, NY), Brass City Brew (Waterbury, CT), Worcester Black Sox (Massachusetts), and All Star Batting Center (Brookfield, CT). Locally, Davies AC (20-4) and the Albany Athletics (30-9) have clinched berths in the Regional. Davies edged out the Athletics by one game with the best Twilight League mark giving them the host spot while the Athletics earned a berth by winning their third straight Upper New York State championship last weekend in Syracuse. Davies and the Athletics open play on Thursday at 1 pm with Davies taking on the Storm on Central Park B diamond while the A’s take on the Collegians on the A diamond. The tournament kicks off on Thursday with 10 am games at Bleecker Stadium, and Central Park A and B Diamonds. A slate of 1 pm , 4 pm and 7 pm games follows at each site totaling nine games on the day. On Friday, games continue at 11 am, 4 pm and 7 pm at each site (not including the B diamond) before Saturday and Sunday’s games start the championship rounds. The Twilight League hosted the event as a 16-team tournament back in 2005 with teams competing in a pool play format. In 2004, the event was also held in Albany as an 8-team bracketed tournament prior to the World Series. For the complete tournament schedule and results, visit www.northatlanticregional.com. July 27, 2008 - A’s Take State Title; ATL Well Represented The Albany Athletics captured the Upper New York State Stan Musial title by defeating All-Stars Academy in the winner take all final. Bill Lawton earned the win in the 3-2 title clincher. The final three teams remaining in the tournament were all ATL teams, the Waterford Fordians, A’s and All-Stars. All-Stars defeated Waterford 5-2 in the first game of the day to make the championship. The Athletics finished 3-1 defeating the Utica Brewers (6-0), Waterford (4-2) and All-Stars (3-2). All-Stars finished 3-2 defeating the Syracuse Chiefs (8-0), the Athletics (5-4) and Waterford (5-2). Waterford finished 2-2 defeating the Syracuse Mets (9-0), and Utica (8-3). July 21, 2008 - A’s Defeat Davies in Extra Frames The Albany Athletics’ extra inning win over Davies A.C. was featured on last night’s CBS 6 11pm news. http://www.cbs6albany.com/video/?bcpid=1137806146&bclid=1143371794&bctid=1681848586 July 11, 2008 - Davies Expands on Haack and ATL Lead July 6, 2008 - Terry Hits Walk-Off Homer; Mason and Rogowski Toss Combined Shutout July, 5 2008 - Davies Wins in Matchup of Division Leaders June 25, 2008 - Mondo Tosses ATL’s Second Consecutive No-No June 24, 2008 - Duell Tosses No-Hitter June 21, 2008 - Division Leading Davies and All-Stars Pick Up Wins June 19, 2008 - Dan Murphy’s Yankee Pregame Show to Feature Story on ATL June 17, 2008 - Schoonmaker Provides Offense for All-Stars Dan Schoonmaker hit a three-run shot to left center to provide all the offense All-Stars Academy would need Tuesday night. Jason Martin hit a two-run double for the Athletics. Justin Brooks picked up the win and Ryan Ensel earned his first save of the season. Click here for highlights from CBS-6. http://www.cbs6albany.com/video/?bcpid=1137806146&bclid=1143371794&bctid=1614764242 June 9, 2008 - Davies’ Reardon Headed to Prestigious Cape Cod League Patrick Reardon, who started this season as Davies’ catcher got the call that he would be heading to the Cape Cod League for the Summer. Reardon was voted ATL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and made the ATL All-Star team as a utility player after playing several positions including first base and catcher for the South Troy Dodgers. He will be playing with the Brewster Whitecaps starting this weekend. Reardon is from Troy, NY where he attended LaSalle High School and recently finished his sophomore season at RPI. He had been off to a hot start in the ATL this summer including a 3 for 3, two double, one run, one RBI performance against All-Stars Academy. June 3, 2008 - Brooks Keeps A’s Bats in Check and Guides All-Stars to Victory June 2, 2008 - Davies Scores Twice in Seventh to Take Victory May 31, 2008 - Yarnold and Dahlin Combine to No-Hit Senators May 24, 2008 - A’s and All-Stars Improve to 2-0 May 22, 2008 - Wilkes and Bertinetti Homer for Davies May 17, 2008 - Opening Day Yields Two One-Run Contests May 9, 2008 - ATL Announces Tentative Schedule for 2008 and Realigns Haack and Tholl December 7, 2007 - ATL Announces 2007 HOF Inductees November 10, 2007 - ATL Announces Season Award Winners; Set for HOF & Awards Banquet July 6, 2007 - Matt Bertinetti Tells How Twilight Experience Helps St. Rose Squad This week’s feature in the Albany Times Union gives insight into how the Albany Senators have influenced the Saint Rose baseball program and visa versa. To read more about Matt Bertinetti and his squad, click here http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=603661 July 1, 2007 - Tholl Takes All-Star Win With Extra Inning Homer Fred Estes launched a fastball over the left-center field wall to give the Tholl division a 10-9 victory over the Haack division in nine innings. Bryan Frisbee tried his hand at being the hero with an eighth inning solo shot to take the lead 9-8. However, Pat Reardon was able to answer quickly with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half of the frame. Dan Barbero, Mike Dessingue, Ben Paniccia and Pete Lindner also homered in an offensive battle. Troy Conklin threw the final three innings for the Tholl surrendering just one hit to earn the victory. June 29, 2007 - Lansingburgh Still Working to Build Contender Ed Surprenant and his Lansingburgh Royals are still hard at work year round to build a team that can contend in the ATL. Check out the team’s story at the TU’s website, http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=601952 June 22, 2007 - Virgil Chevalier and Mike Serbalik Teach Young ATLers This week’s ATL feature in the TU focused on the teaching aspect of the game. The young players need someone to learn from and for the All-Stars Academy they get a lot of their instruction from two former pros Virgil Chevalier and Mike Serbalik. Read more at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=600025 June 15, 2007 - Paniccia and Chambers Share Thoughts On Pro-Ball It seems like every summer someone on a Twilight roster gets a call to come play with a professional organization. This year the Athletics’ Scott Chambers is trying to be that player. He, Nick Paniccia and Joe Altieri share their thoughts on what it takes to make the jump in this week’s TU ATL feature story. Read more at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=598067 June 7, 2007 - Bill Bowles and the Troy Haymakers, This Week’s Feature Twilight ‘Legend’ Bill Bowles was the focus of the most recent ATL feature in the Times Union. Bowles, who has been in the league for nearly 20 seasons, spoke of how his years of service have made him appreciate the league and the presence of the Troy Haymakers in it. Manager, Steve Heiser, echoed Bowles sentiments and weighed in on the future of the Haymakers franchise. Read more at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=596198 June 1, 2007 - Rogers and Valente Talk Dodgers George Rogers and South Troy’s first year head coach Steve Valente talked about the history of the South Troy Dodgers and how they’ve made a successful transition into the Albany Twilight league in this week’s Times Union feature story by Jon Winslow. The article can be viewed on the TU’s website by clicking this link, http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=594163&category=SPORTS&newsdate=6/1/2007. Keep a heads up this week when the Lansingburgh Royals get their turn in the lime light. May, 25 2007 - Times Union to Run Weekly ATL Feature The past two Friday’s (5/18, 5/25) the Times Union has written a feature story on a team in the Albany Twilight League. Week one featured Bruce Barkevich and his Dreyer teammates and week two highlighted the Davies A.C. crew with a focus on their “table setter” Fausto Franco. Jon Winslow, a free lance writer for the TU and ATL photographer, will be doing the weekly pieces from now until the middle of July. Each week a different ATL team will be featured. To see this week’s article pick up today’s TU or click on this link http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=592354&category=SPORTS&newsdate=5/25/2007 April 16, 2007 - Two Twilight Alums Enjoy Success at the Next Level Chris Salamida (Albany Senators) and Matt Rusch (Mama’s/All-Stars Academy) have recently been promoted by their respective professional clubs. Salamida, the Houston Astros 13th round pick in 2006, received the Most Spectacular Pitcher Award from the New York-Penn League after his first professional season. He led the NYPL in wins (10) and all of Minor League Baseball starters in ERA (1.06). Salamida is now with the Salem Avalanche, the Astros advanced A squad in the Carolina League. Rusch, who was signed as free agent out of the Albany Twilight League halfway through the 2005 season by the Detroit Tigers, was 9-3 with the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2006 and had an ERA of 1.79. Rusch recently got the call up to the Erie Seawolves, the Tigers AA affiliate, and earned his first victory on Monday night. Keep checking back as the website continues to add new information and features