Genesee Sun

BASEBALL: Geneseo battles back

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils battled back from a 5-3 deficit in the sixth inning to pull out their 15th win of the season, defeating the Bath-Haverling Rams 6-5.

Sophomore starting pitcher Ryan LaGrou tossed a complete game and settled into his start, after allowing two runs in the first.

The three-run rally in the sixth capped off the Senior Night for Geneseo, where they honored seniors Riley Ellison, Devin Welch, Tony Belfiore, Trevor Mothersell, Ben Kelly, Sean Ledwith and Sean Bennett.

Geneseo plays tomorrow at Pavilion.

This game was broadcasted live and can be viewed at tv.geneseesun.com.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Geneseo falls to Perry

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils’ season came to an end tonight, in the Section V Class C2 quarter-final, as the team suffered a 62-49 loss at home to the Perry Yellowjackets.

The Blue Devils came into the matchup as the no.3 seed in Class C2, while the Yellowjackets were the no.6 seed. From the start, both teams went back-and-forth at each other, proving the game would be closely-contested. At half, both teams were deadlocked at 31, with the early portion of the game being an offensive battle between Geneseo’s shooting guard Bryan Rollins and Perry’s point guard Anthony Ricotta.

As the game progressed into the second half, the two teams continued to exchange baskets and momentum ,as Perry headed to the fourth quarter only up one, 48-47.

The fourth quarter proved to be the Blue Devils’ downfall. The team would only score two points in the quarter and became turnover happy, leading to Perry expanding out the lead and eventually picking up the win and moving on in the sectional tournament.

For Blue Devils head coach Brian Stout, it was a rough shooting night that cost his team the victory.

“We didn’t shoot very well,” Stout said. “We had some open looks that went in and out and in the fourth quarter we started finally going to the basket and had some layups going out and only had two points in the fourth quarter. We couldn’t put it in the basket, plain and simple.”

Stout said the bad night shooting also attributed to some of the Blue Devils’ turnovers.

“We weren’t knocking them down, so they can shoot the gaps a little more,” he said. “They got in out gaps a little bit and got some steals and forced some steals in the half court offense.”

Rollins agreed with the off shooting game for the Blue Devils

“They played a 3-2 zone that we just couldn’t beat,” Rollins said. “We lived and died by the 3-point line early and we couldn’t hit anything and when we got in we couldn’t finish the layups.

Rollins lead the Blue Devils with 20 points, who had a great season finishing at 16-3, a season Stout said won’t soon be forgotten.

“It was amazing season,” Stout said. “We had an undefeated home regular season, 16 wins, only two seniors that played all year, and put a number on the banner. I told them to keep their heads up, they worked hard this season and that number is going to be there forever, they have a lot to be proud of.”

On the Yellowjackets side, they were lead by Ricotta who finished with a game-high 21 points and center Tyler Elliot, who had 16 points.

"We knew it was do or die tonight," Ricotta said. "Obviously emotions were high with the chance of it being our last basketball game but we came out on top.”

Perry (15-5) will advance in the Class C2 tournament to face Lyons on Monday.

BASEBALL: Geneseo defeats York with 3-1 win

GENESEO -- Ben Kelly was dominant once again, throwing a complete game three-hitter, as the Geneseo Blue Devils defeated the York Golden Knights 3-1.

The Golden Knights jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the first, after Patrick Dishaw scored on a wild pitch from Kelly.

In the fourth, Blue Devils' shortstop Jake Vattimo delivered a two-run single to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Devils would add a run in the seventh and move on to their 14th win of the season.

This game can be viewed now at tv.geneseesun.com.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Geneseo wins league title

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils won their first league title since 2005, defeating the York Golden Knights at home, 47-46, earlier tonight.

The “Devils Domain” was rocking from well before the start of the game, all the way to the final seconds and crazy finish to the league title game.

Early on, both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm, as the first quarter elicited a score of 11-10, in favor of the Golden Knights. The Blue Devils would have the lead at half 31-22, but the Golden Knights had momentum going into the break, as the final points of the half came on a massive dunk from Golden Knights shooting guard Luke Logsdon.

The second half saw both teams go back-and-forth at each other in what would be expected in a league title game.

With 2:34 left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils were up 42-41 when Blue Devils center Sam Lofquist blocked Golden Knights forward Eli Laboy’s shot, leading to a fast break and-one for forward Jimmy Root, giving the Blue Devils a four point lead, swinging the game Geneseo’s way.

“I think that was definitely a morale booster,” said Lofquist, one of three seniors honored on Senior Night. “At halftime, York came up with Luke’s (Logsdon) dunk and then they came back and caught up with us and it just takes those really crucial points to change a game and I definitely think that was a big one for us.”

After exchanging fouls down the stretch, the Blue Devils would miss the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2.4 seconds left, but a full-court heave form Golden Knights forward Nick Curry would not have the distance, giving the Blue Devils the win and the league title.

Blue Devils head coach Brian Stout talked about how great having the league title felt.

“It’s amazing,” Stout said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time and it’s the first one I’ve gotten in basketball, so I’ve been waiting for that one. Guys played so hard tonight, down the stretch making stop after stop on defense and we might have only scored 15 points in the second half, but with a couple guys out we had some guys step it up big time for us tonight.”

The Blue Devils offense was paced by shooting guard Bryan Rollins, who scored 18 points, and Lofquist, who added 10 points. Both players expressed their joy with winning the league title.

“It means so much to have left my mark,” Lofquist said. “That hasn’t been done in a while and I’m thrilled to be one of those guys to put a date up on that banner.”

“Number one in the league is a something you have as a goal for the whole season and now we have it, it feels great,” Rollins said.

On the other side of the court, the Golden Knights took a devastating defeat but head coach Ed Orman isn't worried. The atmosphere of the game is only preparing the Golden Knights for sectionals.

"If it takes a game like this to find our hunger again, then so be it," Orman said. "The last 15 minutes was some of the best basketball we've played all year."

The Golden Knights offense was lead by Nick Curry with 13 points, Luke Logsdon with 8 points and Brett Curtis with 7 points.

"With Tyler (Shutts) down I thought Brett (Curtis) did a great job handling the pressure," Orman said. "We're a good team, we have a lot of depth."

The Knights fall to 14-4 and will be the #4 seed in the Class C2 bracket, earning a first round bye. They will play Alexander at home in the second round of the tournament on Feb. 22.

Geneseo (16-2) finished the regular season undefeated at home and will be the #3 seed in the Class C2 bracket in sectionals, earning a first round bye. They will play the winner of Perry and Red Creek in the second round at home on Feb. 22.

To watch a replay of this amazing game head over to http://www.tv.geneseesun.com/

BASEBALL: Geneseo defeats Cal-Mum in extras

GENESEO — Seven innings wasn't enough to decide a winner between the Geneseo Blue Devils and the Caledonia-Mumford Red Raiders, earlier this afternoon.

With the game deadlocked at 2 after seven innings, Blue Devils senior third baseman Ben Kelly came through with an RBI single to give the Blue Devils the 3-2 win.

With the win, the Blue Devils improve to 12-2. The Red Raiders drop to 12-3.

This game was streamed live at tv.geneseesun.com and can be viewed by clicking here and then going to the sports streamcast button.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Root paces Geneseo

MOUNT MORRIS — Playing their third game this week, the Geneseo Blue Devils once again picked up a victory, defeating the Mount Morris Blue Devils, 69-59.

The Blue Devils struggled early on defensively and showed signs of a team that had played three games in one week. The team had 13 first half turnovers and only found themselves up by four, 30-26, going to the half.

Coming out of the break, the Blue Devils got some of their rhythm back, receiving a strong second half from guard Bryan Rollins, who scored 13 points and a season-high in points from forward Jimmy Root, who scored 17.

Head coach Brian Stout said his team would need to improve on some of the fundamentals.

“We were definitely a little flat defensively,” Stout said. “We gave up 59 points, that might be the most or second most all season. They ran a triangle two at us on Bryan (Rollins) and Mo (Carlon) early. Jimmy (Root) hit some shots early and Elton (Johnson) hit some shots in the third quarter and we did a good job of finding the open man, but we had 13 first half turnovers and that’s too many, we were trying to force the break a little too much.”

Even amongst the turnovers, Root had his most dominant offense performance of the season, a game that didn’t surprise Stout.

“They left him open and I think that was their game plan,” Stout said. “He showed them he can knock some shots down, he’s actually are highest 3-point percentage shooter on the season and they were leaving him open on the arc.”

Root expressed that he was impressed with his performance.

“They left me open and I knocked down a couple of threes and I looked for the drive, but I didn’t have it, so I stepped back and knocked them down,” Root said.

Devin Milford shined for Mount Morris yet again, as he scored a game-high 29 points.

In picking up the win, the Blue Devils can focus all their attention on their Valentine’s Day showdown with the York Golden Knights, a game everyone, coaches and players alike, are looking forward to.

“We’re never excited to see York,” Stout said laughingly. “It’s going to be a different style of game, I believe they’re saying Shutts is out, but it’s going to be a different style with Curry, Logsdon and Short inside. They’ll be looking to go inside a little more than they did earlier in the year, but we’re definitely going to have to get refocused and have three good hard days of practice for Thursday.”

“We just have to focus on York now, but it’s a big game for the league and hopefully we can get it done,” Rollins said.

Geneseo (15-2) will battle York on Thursday and the game will be live on tv.geneseesun.com.

BASEBALL: Geneseo tops Alexander 10-5

GENESEO -- The Geneseo Blue Devils defeated the Alexander Trojans 10-5, this afternoon.

The game was all tied at 5, before the Blue Devils unleashed a five-run sixth inning, leading to their eleventh win of the season.

This game was the first baseball game of the season to be streamed live on tv.geneseesun.com.

You can watch the streamcast of the game by ciicking HERE.

We will be back in Geneseo tomorrow to streamcast their game vs Cal-Mum tomorrow.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Returning Kingston helps Geneseo

PERRY — Sectional playoffs do not start for another few weeks, but there was a playoff atmosphere between two of Class C2’s most elite teams. The Geneseo Blue Devils were able to pull out the 63-61 victory over the Perry Yellowjackets, but the game was a back-and-forth contest that could’ve went either team’s way.

Through the first half, the Blue Devils came out firing on offense and with high-intensity, due in part to the return of senior forward Will Kingston. Kingston saw his first game action since suffering a knee injury back in October.

At half after receiving offensive contributions from Mo Carlon, Sam Lofquist and Kingston, the Blue Devils carried a 37-25 lead into the locker room. Even with the 12-point advantage, head coach Brian Stout knew that Perry would make a run, in having talented point guard Anthony Ricotta leading the yellowjackets' offense.

“He’s a good player, he leads with his shoulder when he initiates, but he gets away with it because he’s so strong with the ball,” Stout said. “If we give him any daylight, something is going to happen.”

Something did happen as Ricotta, who had a game-high 25 points, brought his team back with strong shooting, cutting the Blue Devils lead down to six points, 49-43, going to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, both teams went at each other with everything they had. As the Yellowjackets battled back to be only down four 59-55, with two minutes left, as both teams began to head to the free throw line. Both teams exchanged late-second attempts at the line, until the returning Kingston sealed the victory, hitting two free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining, to ultimately give the Blue Devils the hard fought victory.

Stout said he couldn’t have thought of a better way for Kingston to make his return.

“That was a great return to action for Willy Kingston,” Stout said. “He’s had 3 ½ months of shooting around and in the last couple of weeks he got cleared and got to practice finally and he’s at game intensity at practice, because he doesn’t get to play. He gives us a nice addition, a good seventh man that can score.”

Kingston, who scored 7 points in his return, agreed that it felt to be good back on the court.

“It was pretty intense, my teammates were pretty pumped up, I was kind of nervous, haven’t even had a full practice yet, but it was fun and I was ready for it,” Kingston said.

In addition to Kingston’s 7 points, the Blue Devils had another balanced offensive game, getting 15 points out of guard  Mo Carlon and 13 points from guard Bryan Rollins, forward Elton Johnson and center Sam Lofquist.

Kingston said he still is working himself back into game shape and hopes to improve on that as the Blue Devils head towards sectionals.

Geneseo (14-2) will have their third contest of the week Friday, when they travel to take on Mount Morris.

BASEBALL: Pitching strong again for Geneseo

GENESEO — Through eleven games this season, the Geneseo Blue Devils have relied on their dominant starting rotation leading them to victory. Today’s hurler, right-hander Blake Phelps, kept the trend going, throwing a complete game, as the Blue Devils defeated the Keshequa Indians 8-1.

Allowing only three hits and one run through seven innings, Phelps kept hitters off balance and provided the Blue Devils with another quality outing.

“I was glad to see Blake (Phelps) get a complete game today,” head coach Chuck Nesbitt said. “He pitched well, certainly not as good enough as I’ve seen him pitch, but it’s a tough day to pitch. The heat I think affects some of these guys and the first day of really playing in it is kind of tough, but he pitched good enough to win.”

Phelps, who struck out seven, also felt he provided a good start for his team.

“I was throwing a pretty good fastball, my curveball wasn’t working the best, but made it work anyway,” Phelps said.

Phelps received plenty of run support, with the Blue Devils jumping out to a 6-1 lead by then end of the third inning. The team also received RBIs from five different players, getting the balance through the lineup Nesbitt is hoping for.

“The bottom half of the lineup hit the ball well again today,” Nesbitt said.

With the lineup beginning to come around, that can only mean more support for the strong four-man rotation of the Blue Devils. Nesbitt feels that Phelps, along with the other starters: Ben Kelly, Sean Ledwith and Ryan LaGrou are responsible for the team’s early success.

“That’s why we’re 10-1,” Nesbitt said. “We’ve never had a game where we don’t have a pitcher that can throw strikes and do what they want to do. When you’re in a situation where a guy is starting to get a little shaky and you look around and you see two or three other very quality pitchers who are rested and ready to go, it’s a pretty nice feeling.”

Geneseo (10-1) is in action Friday, when they travel to Warsaw. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.

Girls basketball: Perry edges Geneseo

GENESEO — The Lady Blue Devils fell to the Perry Yellowjackets in a tight battle, losing 44-41, in a Section V matchup Tuesday evening.

Geneseo had a chance to tie the game with 6 seconds left, but a 3-pointer was off the mark, and Perry held on to the ball to secure a close victory. Geneseo’s Aubrie Johnson pitched in 13 points and 4 rebounds in the loss, and Catalina Rodriguez added 5 points and 12 rebounds.

“We had some good looks and we just didn’t make them,”  Lady Blue Devils head coach Paul Hazard said. “And we struggled from the free throw line.”

Perry moves to 11-3, while the Lady Blue Devils (9-6) host Mount Morris Friday evening.

BASEBALL: Kelly strong once again

DANSVILLE — If Ben Kelly is on the mound for the Geneseo Blue Devils, chances are the team will receive a strong pitching performance.

That sentiment was true again today, as Kelly tossed a complete game shutout and helped pace a 4-0 win for the Blue Devils over the Dansville Mustangs.

While working through the seven innings, Kelly allowed four hits, three of which came in the final inning to load the bases, and only issued one free pass. He also notched 15 strikeouts. Head coach Chuck Nesbitt praised Kelly’s effort.

“Ben (Kelly) was good today,” Nesbitt said. “It wasn't as good as he’s ever been and he didn't have as much pop as he’s ever had, but still they got all their hits in the last inning. He had a ton of strikeouts and only one walk. They didn't threaten to the last inning, so we felt we were pretty much in control of this one, even when they got the bases loaded in the last inning.”

Kelly also believed he had a strong outing.

“I tried to keep everything rolling and keep the same mindset; definitely got some help out there with nice plays and Cory's (Valentine) doing a great job behind the plate,” Kelly said.

Even with his stretch of hitless innings, the Mustangs’ rally of loading the bases didn't faze the senior right-hander.

“They have some good hitters in their line-up for sure, I left a couple of pitches over the plate and those hitters in the middle of their line-up are going to put them in play and they found some holes, but I was able to battle back,” he said.

In addition to Kelly’s strong start, the Blue Devils’ offense relied heavily on the top of the order. Senior left-fielder Tony Belfiore went 2-4, scoring two runs and sophomore catcher Cory Valentine pitched in with a pair of RBI doubles. Nesbitt believes these two, along with Kelly, who hits third, get the offense rolling.

“They’ve been consistently hitting the ball in the right times,” Nesbitt said. “We need to get more production out of the other half of the line-up. We’ve got to get production 1-9 and we didn’t get that today.”

Geneseo (8-1) takes to the road tomorrow against Hornell. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Geneseo squeaks out win

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils didn’t have their greatest all-around game, but were able to come out with a 64-43 victory at home over the Letchworth Indians, earlier tonight.

From the outset, the Blue Devils seemed to be out of their offensive and defensive rhythm. Taking forced shots and struggling to get back on defense, which allowed the Indians to stay in the game throughout the first half.

At halftime, the Indians only trailed by four, 31-27. Luckily for the Blue Devils they got their rhythm going in the second half, largely to do with a strong second half performance from guard Bryan Rollins, who had a game-high 26 points.

Head coach Brian Stout liked the adjustments his team made at half to get back to their style of play.

“First half we came out a little flat defensively, jogging back on defense, second half, we came out working on defense,” Stout said. “We had a couple bad shots; we were forcing it a little bit in the first half. Second half, it was all assisted shots, assisted baskets and we were moving the ball much better.”

Rollins, who helped the team to victory in the second half, also felt the team was out of sync early.

“At the beginning we were real lazy, coach (Stout) even said it at halftime,” Rollins said. “In the second half, we swung the ball more on offense and on defense we got way up on them.”

Stout also talked about how having Rollins become more involved helped the team to victory.

“Bryan was one of the ones we talked to at halftime, his shot chart, in the first half he was shooting at a low percentage, second half he may have missed one or two,” Stout said. “It was just the difference of making the extra pass and finding the open seem and Elton (Johnson) and Mo (Carlon) made four or five nice passes to Bryan when he cut to the basket and got some easy layups.”

Rollins agreed that he felt more comfortable shooting in the second half.

“I had much more of a rhythm to my game second half,” Rollins said. “We swung it around better and on offense we got better shots.”

Geneseo (14-2) will be back in action on Wednesday, as they go on the road to battle Perry.

BASEBALL: LaGrou notches first varsity W

GENESEO — There’s a good chance this afternoon’s cold and windy conditions will never be forgotten by Geneseo Blue Devils starting pitcher Ryan LaGrou. The reason being, the sophomore picked up his first victory at the varsity level.

LaGrou tossed five innings, allowing three runs, as his strong effort helped the Blue Devils to a 5-4 win over the LeRoy Oatkan Knights.

Seeing LaGrou pick up his first win was a welcomed sight for head coach Chuck Nesbitt.

“I was really happy with the way he threw,” Nesbitt said. “He had five innings and was right around the plate in his first start. Good outing for him and picked up the win, so that was good.”

LaGrou was also pleased with his outing.

“My fastball was really working outside and my curveball was getting in there once in a while,” LaGrou said. “Cory (Valentine) moved it around a lot and came up with a couple strikeouts.”

The Blue Devils did not receive the offensive output they’d gotten over the last couple of games, but got timely hitting in the fourth inning, when catcher Cory Valentine picked up a 2-run single, his third hit of the day.

“Cory’s (Valentine) been huge,” Nesbitt said. “He just wants to hit. You can just tell when he goes up there that he’s anxious to hit and puts the bat on the ball. Cory’s (Valentine) come a long way and is really looking good.”

Pulling out the one-run victory gave Nesbitt added confidence in his group.

“It’s nice to be able to hold the lead when you have to,” Nesbitt said. “We were up 5-0 thinking this should be enough and then they come back, but it’s nice to be able to suck it up.”

Geneseo (6-1) will next be in action when they travel to York on Friday. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.

Boys Basketball: Geneseo keeps rolling

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils rolled to their thirteenth win of the season, defeating the Pavilion Golden Gophers, 73-52, earlier tonight.

In front of the home crowd, the Blue Devils got out to the quick advantage with solid offensive rhythm all-around, going up 26-7, after the first quarter and 39-20, once the game reached halftime.

By the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils had emptied their bench and were well on their way to a win, one head coach Brian Stout was very happy with.

“We knocked down our open shots tonight and took the ball to the basket and made the extra pass, it was a real good team effort,” Stout said. “We did what we had to do tonight, got the ball inside and played good defense, and we got the second string a lot of minutes and they held their own.”

Another storyline of tonight’s battle was a new aggressive side out of center Sam Lofquist. Lofquist finished with 12 points, but also three dunks, something Stout applauded after the game.

“He had two (dunks) in the half-court tonight, which is real good,” Stout said. “That’s as aggressive as he has to be, and tonight he was really aggressive in attacking the rim and the guys were making nice passes to find him, too.”

Lofquist agreed that he needed to be more aggressive around the basket.

“Starting in our previous game, against Cal-Mum, I’ve been trying to change my image a little bit and trying to be a little more aggressive and strong around the hoop,” Lofquist said.

With three games next week, including two road tests, Stout and Lofquist emphasized the importance of getting the home win.

“We have to show up to play against everybody,” Stout said. “There are no easy games and we did what we had to do tonight and took care of business.”

“It’s good to rally off it,” Lofquist said. “You start off with two good wins, Cal-Mum, this one and you go into next week with confidence and hopefully things go well.”

Geneseo (13-2) will play Monday at home against Letchworth at 7.

BASEBALL: Root, Welch homers lift Geneseo

ATTICA — With the wind blowing out this afternoon, the Geneseo Blue Devils used Mother Nature to their advantage, launching two home runs in a six-run second inning, leading to an 11-5 victory over Attica.

Before the second inning home run barrage, the game was tied at one. The first home run came off the bat of junior centerfielder Jimmy Root, a two-run blast to left-center, giving the Blue Devils a 3-1 lead. Later in the inning, the long ball would again help Geneseo, as senior first baseman Devin Welch sent a three-run homer over the wall in left, giving the Blue Devils a 7-1 lead.

The home runs, along with timely hitting over the next few innings had Geneseo head coach Chuck Nesbitt impressed with his group.

“Getting that 7-1 lead (after the six-run second) was huge and then it was an even game from there,” Nesbitt said. “It ended up 11-5, so each team scored four, and what I felt was key was how we kept scoring a run. We’d get one more here, one more there and got to a point where you’re up six going into the last inning.”

The add-on runs Nesbitt alluded to helped the Blue Devils keep a solid pace, adding two in the third, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth.

Along with the offensive cushion, Blue Devils starter Sean Ledwith was able to settle in.

“Certainly when you have a six-run lead you pitch a little bit more comfortably, but he throws the same way regardless,” Nesbitt said. “He doesn’t get flustered too much, and the knuckleball, he doesn’t try to locate it, he just tries to aim it high and let break over the plate and he has a good fastball, too, which he snuck by a couple times.”

Welch, who delivered the final blow of the six-run second, believed the lead relaxed the knuckleballer Ledwith , who threw five innings, allowing four runs, while striking out five and walking one.

“That was a huge inning, Jimmy (Root) had a nice home run that inning, too, so we got a lot of runs that inning and that helped us carry through,” Welch said.

Geneseo (3-1) sees action next Wednesday, as they’ll play their first home game of the season, taking on LeRoy. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Geneseo tops Cal-Mum

CALEDONIA — The Geneseo Blue Devils picked up an impressive road victory, defeating the Caledonia-Mumford Red Raiders, 47-17, earlier tonight.

Both teams had trouble finding their groove in the beginning of the game, with the Blue Devils up only 14-6 at the end of the half.

“Defense, defense, defense, defense,” was head coach Paul Hazard’s comment on tonight’s victory, holding the Red Raiders to 17 points. “Cal-Mum is an 8-5 team, we were a little shorthanded tonight and we knew we needed to play defense. Our kids played so hard and smart.”

Aubrie Johnson, a six foot center for Geneseo, had a strong game tonight with 14 points. Not far behind her was Catalina Rodriguez with 9 points and Anna Miskell with 7 points.

The Red Raiders top scorer tonight was Maddi Flint with 6 points.

The Red Raiders (8-6) will take on the Avon Braves next, in Avon on February 1^st at 7pm. The Blue Devils (8-6) will take on the Pavilion Golden Gophers in Pavilion on February 1^st at 7:30pm.

BASEBALL: Kelly throws no-no for Geneseo

PAVILION — The last time the Geneseo baseball team took the field, Ben Kelly was on the mound throwing a masterful five no-hit innings. After the team had back-to-back games rained out last week, Kelly was back on the mound today and seemingly picked up right where he left off in his last start against Avon. Only this time, he went the complete game, and threw his first no-hitter at the varsity level, as the Blue Devils topped Pavilion 10-0.

The senior pitcher had pinpoint control from the outset as he struck out 11, en route to the victory.

Kelly’s dominance was nothing new to Geneseo head coach Chuck Nesbitt.

“Ben (Kelly) is consistently around the plate,” Nesbitt said. “He had 11 strikeouts and only two walks, he came back from some 3-0 counts. Anytime you’re around the plate, with good command of your curveball, you can have a real good performance. They hit him hard a couple times, but right at people, we played good defense. When he’s on the mound there’s a lot of confidence in the field.”

Sporting 12 consecutive no-hit innings over his last two starts, Kelly was impressed and excited with his performance on the mound.

“I've felt really good on the mound all season,” Kelly said. “It’s been really nice to not have any foot problems or anything like that, but this whole season has felt really good everywhere and we definitely have a really good team surrounding me, so it has been nice.”

As far as when he believed the no-no could occur, Kelly said Jimmy Root’s twisting catch in centerfield in the 5^th inning had him beginning to believe he could attain the baseball feat.

“After Jimmy (Root) made that catch in centerfield, I felt like I had a chance after that, he said. “If we have defense like that, you’re always going to have a shot at getting one.”

While Kelly’s no-hitter was the main story, Geneseo’s bats once again sprung to life, scoring ten runs. The Blue Devils received strong hitting performances from junior Grainger Flint, 4-4 with two RBIs, senior Tony Belfiore 2-2 with two RBIs, and Kelly, 2-4 with two RBIs, an output Nesbitt hopes continues.

“Guys swung the bats pretty well today,” Nesbitt said. “I was really happy with the aggressiveness that they were showing swinging the bats, so that was a good sign. They were aggressive on the base paths, smart base running, guys were stealing, so I was happy with that.”

Geneseo (2-1) will be back in action tomorrow, on the road against Attica. Game is slated for a 4:30 start.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Geneseo topples Cal-Mum

GENESEO — After suffering a setback loss in Warsaw on Friday, the Geneseo boys’ basketball team came back with a decisive win at home over a 12-1 Caledonia-Mumford team, 70-61, earlier tonight.

The game was everything you’d expect from a 12-1 squad, the Red Raiders, battling an 11-2 team, the Blue Devils. Both teams traded blows through the first half with the Blue Devils having the nine-point advantage at half. The third quarter was the Red Raiders turn to shine, as they cut the deficit to two, trailing 48-46 going to the fourth. In the fourth, the Blue Devils proved to be too much and pulled away to a 70-61 victory, in front of their home crowd.

Blue Devils head coach Brian Stout felt the game was a solid return to form, after their game against Warsaw.

“We had a really good two days of practice after Friday night,” Stout said. "Friday night we shot 11-48, we struggled from the outside, played good defense, still. Tonight, the effort was there and the same defense was there, which is good.”

The Blue Devils won the game on their balanced offensive attack with featured point guard Mo Carlon with 16 points, shooting guard Bryan Rollins with 15 points, forward Elton Johnson with 15 points and center Sam Lofquist with 12 points.

Stout addressed how important multiple scores are.

“We know our top six guys can do it any night,” Stout said.

With the game only being a nine-point win, the Red Raiders received strong efforts from guard Madison Suhr, who scored 12 points, forward Kyle Kline, who scored 11 points and guard Steve Gaffney, who also scored 11 points.

Blue Devils point guard Mo Carlon also said it was good to come home and pick up a big win.

“It was a great feeling, coming off a week where we were really focused and guys were coming together as players,” Carlon said. “Last week, we were more focused on the individual and not on the team, but it was great coming out and regaining our confidence in this victory.”

Geneseo (12-2) will play again this Friday, at home against Pavilion. Caledonia-Mumford (12-2) will also see action Friday, at home against Avon.

BOYS BASEBALL: Geneseo shuts down Avon

AVON — Baseball returned to Livingston County today, with the Geneseo Blue Devils taking on the Avon Braves, in the Braves’ first game of the season. The Blue Devils backed by good pitching and good hitting defeated the Braves 11-0.

The scoring came early and often for the Blue Devils, as they posted a six-run first inning, grabbing control of the game.

From there, the story was Geneseo senior starting pitcher Ben Kelly, who missed all of Geneseo’s basketball season with an injury, posting five no-hit innings, pacing the Blue Devils.

For Kelly, he was just happy to be playing any sport again.

“Any time I’m playing a sport out there I’m having a great time, that’s the most important thing to me, being able to help my team out there.” Kelly said.

Kelly’s all-around performance was also applauded by Geneseo’s head coach Chuck Nesbitt.

“Whenever Ben’s on the mound you’ve got a good chance at winning,” Nesbitt said. “He hasn’t walked a guy in two games and had a no-hitter today in five.”

In addition to his five no-hit innings, Kelly went 4-5 at the plate.

“Ben hit .538 last year, the top batting average in all of Section V, he certainly has a good bat, so that helped,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt admitted that the strengths of the team are pitching and defense, but he hopes the offense can maintain after losing players from last year’s team.

Kelly expressed that he’s excited about what the baseball team can do this year.

“We have a lot back from last year, obviously we lost some key players, but I think some of the younger guys are ready to step into those bigger roles and I think we can win another Sectional Championship, that’s our goal.”

Geneseo (1-1) will travel to Keshequa on Wednesday. Game is scheduled for a 4:30 start.

—     Geneseo girls’ softball also picked up a victory 11-5, over Avon.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Warsaw upsets Geneseo

GENESEO — The Geneseo Blue Devils trekked it out to Warsaw tonight in the snow to face the Tigers resulting in Warsaw ending up on top 40-35 in the Blue Devil’s second loss of the season.

Little scoring was seen in the first half, as both teams were tied at 14 at halftime. While the Tigers doubled their score in the third quarter and played aggressive defense throughout the second half, Geneseo fell short in a game that saw one too many fouls and turnovers.

“Our key to winning has been rebounds and turnovers on D, and tonight they just beat us on the boards,” said Geneseo Blue Devil’s head coach Brian Stout after the game. “We just turned the ball over too many times tonight.”

The final quarter brought about a very close game with three minutes left, the game was tied at 32. Warsaw in the end solidified their win by scoring on free throws. The only score by the Blue Devils in the last three minutes was in the form of a three-pointer right before the buzzer shot by junior Mo Carlon.

“The whole week we haven’t been focused. I didn’t even start today because I missed some practices this week,” said Carlon. “It’s a hard loss for all of us.”

Carlon finished out the night with 6 points and plenty of takeaways on defense, while fellow junior Jimmy Root led the Blue Devils in scoring with 12 points for the night.

In what was a low scoring game from both sides, there was plenty of crowd excitement and enthusiasm from both the home and away team. Carlon and the rest of the Blue Devils are looking to get their heads in the game for their next matchup which should prove to be another thrilling game, as they face Cal-Mum at home this coming Tuesday at 7 p.m.