This week in sports (6/30/21)

Kingston High School Class of 2013 alum Zack Short’s baseball odyssey with the Detroit Tigers hit another milestone last Saturday as he blasted his first home run in the majors, untying a 1-1 fifth inning tie and upending the Houston Astros’ 11-game winning streak. Short also doubled in the Tigers’ 3-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader. 

Short made his MLB debut with the Tigers in April, playing both third and second base over his first two games and earning his first ever hit. Short played shortstop with the Tigers over the weekend, with the Astros winning the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. Short walked once in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Houston, contributing defensively by connecting with first-baseman Jonathan Schoop to close out the top of the tenth inning; the Tigers won that game when Akil Baddoo scored on a Robbie Grossman sacrifice bunt. 

Short impressed the Tigers in spring training this year, earning a spot on the team’s taxi squad in Toledo, Ohio, a setup devised by MLB last year when COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season. While the minors are back in action in 2021, the taxi squad remains, with major league teams allowed to keep up to five players on an alternate training site for road games. Short has been brought up to the majors a few times this season, where after Sunday, he has a .263 batting average with five hits, three runs, two RBI and a stolen base. He’s also proven himself to be a versatile, reliable infielder for a Detroit team struggling to find its identity. 

Section 9 boys’ lacrosse all-stars

Section 9 coaches named eight players from Kingston High School to Large School (Class A/B) All-Star teams for the Spring 2021 season, including senior defender Elijah Timbrouck and junior midfielder Tyler Longo to the first team. 

Kingston senior close defender Zander Vogy and junior midfielder Owen Niles were named to the second team, while seniors Mason DeLisio (attacker), Jake Keller (face-off midfielder) and Johnny Moot (long stick midfielder), and junior goalkeeper Griffin Klan earned honorable mentions. 

New Paltz High saw eight players selected to the Small School (Class C/D) All-Stars, led by junior Brady Saunders (defensive midfielder) and seniors Jack Hyland (attacker), Damion Fielding (defender) and Jake Schwarz (long stick midfielder), all making the second team. Huguenot seniors Hector Diaz (attacker) and Bas Keessen (face-off midfielder), junior Ander Pierson (close defender) and sophomore Cole Cuppett (midfielder) all earned honorable mentions. 

Saugerties goalkeeper James Bucci, a junior, was a second-team Small School All-Star.

Kingston Stockade

Two years to the day after Kingston Stockade FC came back late in a game for one of the most iconic moments in club history, they’ve done it again. Kingston earned a crucial point at Valeo FC with a 2-2 draw on Saturday, scoring twice late in the second half after falling behind 0-2 within the first nine minutes of the game. 

Two points separated first place Stockade FC and second place Valeo FC ahead of Saturday’s battle between the National Premier Soccer League North Atlantic Conference Division foes, and after a deftly played header in the sixth minute and a left-footed strike sailed past virtually impenetrable goalkeeper Dylan McDermott three minutes later, the home side had quickly earned the momentum. 

But Stockade FC tightened up the defense and began making concentrated offensive pushes late in the first half, with near-scores by Scott Zobre, Hugo Guerra and Vinny Colantuono. The surge continued into the second half with an energy boost from the bench, and in the 80th minute Kingston got one back as Kevin Doorley and Nick Fernandes set up Petro Klishch for a goal from within the box. Just five minutes later Klishch sent a cross to Richard Morris, who punched in the equalizer. 

For the second time in Stockade FC history, a late comeback for a draw felt like a huge win. On Wednesday, June 26, 2019, Kingston fell behind 2-1 to the Brooklyn Italians at Dietz Stadium, then went down to nine men around ten minutes into the second half. Before a crowd of 1,057 after a lengthy weather delay, Brady Van Epps scored an equalizer in the 93rd minute. That draw helped preserve a season-long eleven-game unbeaten streak, and Saturday’s late heroics at Valeo FC did the same for a season-long eight-game unbeaten streak. 

With two games remaining in the regular season, Stockade FC is 4-0-4 and all but a lock to make the postseason. On Saturday, July 3 they return to Dietz Stadium where they’ll welcome Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds, a team they beat 5-1 on Saturday, June 5 at the Tyngsboro Sports Center in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Kingston will close out the regular season one week later with a visit to Afrim’s Sports Park in Colonie where they’ll battle the New York Shockers. 

Ulster County Men’s Amateur Golf Championship

Jared Miller turned a final round double-eagle on the second hole at Wiltwyck Golf Club into a victory at this weekend’s Ulster County Men’s Amateur Golf Tournament. The double-eagle on the par-five two gave him the lead for the first time in the three-day tourney and he never looked back, winning the 70th Herdegen by two strokes. 

Miller made his Herdegen debut in 2018 and placed second just one stroke off winner Justin Lane the following year. He completed a 7-over 69-77-74—220 on Sunday to take the trophy. 

Nick Puleo, a Class of 2020 New Paltz High School alum, placed second overall thanks to a 3-under 33 on the back nine on Sunday, finishing with a 71-78-73—222. Oliver Watson (72-78-73—224), a standout at New Paltz High during his freshman year this season, tied for third with Scott Kleeschulte (71-74-79—224), a 2018 Kingston High School grad who just wrapped his junior year at Binghamton University; Kleeschulte led by a stroke heading into Sunday’s action. 

Miller, 35, also won the Mid-Amateur (age 25 and over) Award, while fourth place finisher Tom Sanford (74-76-80—230) won the Leon Randall Senior Award (age 50 and over). 

The cut for this year’s tournament was 239 overall, with 21 competitors earning exemptions for the 2022 Ulster County Men’s Amateur Golf Championship, the 71st Herdegen. Others making the cut included Brandon Kraft (76-74-82—232), Ryan LaConture (76-78-79—233), TJ Mayone (80-73-80—233), Andre Manginelli (76-81-77—234), John Hornbeck (76-78-80—234), John Paulsen (77-83-75—235), David Gil (76-81-78—235), Donte Groppuso (75-77-83—235), Charles Mataraza III (74-79-83—236), Chris Grady (75-77-84—236), Johnny Garcia (71-81-84—236), Dylan Galm (75-76-86—237), Jake Hommel (85-74-79—238), Kevin Mackey (80-78-80—238), Kyle Petramale (79-79-81—239) and Rob Every (78-76-85—239).