This week in sports (7/14/21)

Legion baseball tournament

Cantine Field in Saugerties will host the New York State American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament later this month, with the host team, the Kingston-Saugerties Posts Nos. 150 and Lamouree-Hackett 72, earning an automatic bid. 

The double-elimination tournament is planned for July 24-28, with four games planned on Saturday, July 24 leading up to a one or two-game schedule to determine the champion on Wednesday, July 28. In addition to the host team, the tournament will also include champions from districts 3-9. 

Kingston and Saugerties merged their programs last year. 

Saugerties Stallions

Over a month into the summer season, the Saugerties Stallions’ status as one of the hottest teams in the entire Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League remains. But while they have the third-best record of the 15 teams in the league, the Stallions have been unable to surpass the Amsterdam Mohawks, who they trail in the East Division by four games as of press time. 

The two teams battled at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam on Saturday, July 10, with the Mohawks winning 6-0. All three Stallions hits came from the middle of the order, with Kip Fougerousse and Tyler Kelder doubling and Cade Verdusco singling. Stallions starter Ben Johnson absorbed the loss, allowing four hits and two earned runs in four innings of work. Relievers Kai Janowicz and Rey Rodriguez each allowed a pair of earned runs in the loss. 

The recent wet weather has otherwise wreaked havoc on the Stallions’ schedule, postponing most scheduled games last week. The only other game Saugerties managed to play last week was a visit to East Field in Glens Falls; the Stallions took a late lead to beat the Dragons 4-3 in a game called due to weather after seven innings. 

Saugerties made the most of six hits — all singles — and seven walks against the Dragons, trading runs throughout until they added a pair in the crucial seventh. Kelder, Colin Mackle and Josh Stevenson each drove in a run for the Stallions. Richie Cimpric picked up the win on the mound, striking out three and allowing two hits in one inning of relief. 

The Stallions are 18-8 on the season, four games behind Amsterdam for the top of the East Division. Their remaining regular season schedule, which runs through Thursday, July 29, is riddled with double-headers to make up weather washouts. They host a double-header against the Albany Dutchmen on Tuesday, July 12, and after a trio of road games return to Cantine on Saturday, July 17 when they host Glens Falls. 

Kingston Stockade FC

Kingston Stockade FC’s season-long unbeaten streak came to an end at the worst possible time on Saturday with a late 2-0 defeat to New York Shockers at Afrim’s Sports Park in Colonie.  With the loss, Kingston fell out of the top spot in the National Premier Soccer League’s North Atlantic Conference Division and will open the playoffs back in Colonie rather than hosting a match in the friendly confines of Dietz Stadium. 

In a match mostly defined by aggressive play and yellow cards, Stockade FC goalkeeper Dylan McDermott again made his mark as the top stopper in the conference, making a diving save to his right to turn away a penalty kick in the 58th minute. But McDermott was unable to stop the next penalty shot, which came on a hotly debated call in the 82nd minute. Shockers would double their lead three minutes later, effectively putting the game away. 

All Kingston needed from the match was a draw and a single point and they’d at least have opened the playoffs at home. Instead, they’ll head back to Colonie on Wednesday, July 14 as the third seed in the hopes of upending the home pitch advantage they’ve shared with New York in their pair of battles this season: Both sides won their respective home matches by a 2-0 margin. 

In Wednesday’s other divisional matchup, top seeded Hartford City FC will host Valeo FC. Stockade FC still has a mathematical chance of hosting the North Atlantic Conference Final on Saturday, July 17. They’ll first have to beat New York Shockers on Wednesday, and then hope Valeo FC advances past Hartford City. Win the conference, and then the East Region playoffs loom, and beyond that the national playoffs. But as Stockade FC club officials and Head Coach Jamal Lis-Simmons have said all season long, their focus is always on the game immediately in front of them.