Tannersville News

By Tom Wanamaker

ALBANY — Depending upon the county in question, area home sales in May were either up dramatically or markedly lower than sales recorded in April. Or else they remained constant.

“Sales gains were reported in 47 New York counties this month, with a collective sales increase of 11.8 percent compared to April,” said Duncan R. MacKenzie, the association's chief executive officer. “When compared to the national numbers, New York State's housing market is faring better, which is encouraging to see as we head into the summer months.”

In Greene County, 24 existing single-family homes were sold in May, up slightly from the 20 sold in April, but behind the 27 in May 2007. This May's total represents a 52 percent decrease from the 50 homes sold in the county in May 2006.

Statewide, 6,623 homes changed hands in May. This represents both an 11.8-percent increase from April's 5,926 and a 26.4-percent decline from the 8,994 sold in May 2006.

Nationally, the association reported that existing home sales rose 1.6 percent in May over April, but dropped 14.5 percent compared to May 2007.

Median sale prices in the region were also a mixed bag.

Greene County's median sale price fell 10.4 percent, to $172,000, in May from $192,000 in April. This May's total also represents a 3.1-percent increase over the $166,775 median of May 2007. Greene's median for May 2006 was $179,335.

Statewide, the median sale price for an existing home was $210,000, identical to April's price, but down from $230,000 in May 2007 and from $235,000 in May 2006.

The realtors' association reported May's national median sale price to be $206,700, up 3.6 percent from April's median of $199,600, but down 6.8 percent from the $221,900 median in May 2007.

By Raymond Pignone

HUNTER — “I have so many rules,” the actress Debra Winger quipped to the crowd packing the second-floor hall of the Catskill Mountain Foundation Bookstore Saturday as she prepared to read passages from her first book “Undiscovered.”

One of those rules — no photographs — was fitting because Winger is one of Hollywood’s most reclusive figures, having walked away from big, important features more than a decade ago. “Undiscovered” is about that journey.

Winger is also one of the most gifted actresses of her generation. In the 1980s — at the peak of her artistry — she was nominated for three Academy Awards. Topping her credits are “Urban Cowboy,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Black Widow,” “Legal Eagles,” “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Leap of Faith,” “The Sheltering Sky” and “Shadowlands.”

“Debra is one of the reasons we tip our hats to acting,” said Patricia Charbonneau, a friend of Winger’s and the star of such films as the groundbreaking “Desert Hearts” and the crisp action thriller “Shakedown.”

Thresholds are important in “Undiscovered.” The image of a door opening to another room — or another opportunity yet to be found — is a key theme. Although technically not a memoir, the book offers readers a glimpse of a life on the screen and away from the spotlight.

Winger lives with her husband, the actor Arliss Howard (”Full Metal Jacket,” “Tequila Sunrise”) on a farm in the Catskills. Asked during a question-and-answer session how she made her way to the area, Winger replied, “I was struck by the beauty of a place I know very well.”

“Undiscovered” is not an autobiography and it is not a tell-all book — “You won’t find out what it was like kissing Richard Gere,” Winger joked. Instead, in essays presented in non-linear order, Winger reflects on her career in movies, her mother, her own experience with motherhood and the craft of writing.

“I didn’t want any chronology,” Winger said. “I wanted the book to signify different transformations.”

By Jim Planck

TANNERSVILLE — Beautiful blue Mountaintop skies and warm, sunny weather cooperated to make Saturday morning’s 77th Commencement exercises at the Hunter-Tannersville Central School District high school a day that will last in memory a lifetime for the 36 graduates of HTC’s Class of 2008.

Superintendent of Schools Patrick Darfler-Sweeney told graduates of the educational resource differences they have enjoyed, and the benefit, as well as the challenge, it offers to them for the future.

“This is the start of the generation that does not remember ‘B.I.’,” Darfler-Sweeney said, “... before Internet.”

Darfler-Sweeney said that access to global information also increases competition, however, because it is now available to all, and added that the way graduates can compensate for that equal global access is to always stay creative.

He also noted that, in another way, because the collaboration of information is available to all, it also flattens or levels the competition, despite making the intensity of competition greater.

Darfler-Sweeney encouraged graduates to “use the tools given you” to succeed, and noted the diversity of lifetime choices ahead of them.

Referencing the tale of the “Little Engine That Could” and a work composed on it, Darfler-Sweeney told graduates of the importance of taking on a goal and dedicating the energy to achieving it.

“Do not surrender the power to choose,” he said, “or the doors of opportunity close around you.”

“Challenge yourself and those around you to be better,” he said.

Tannersville High School principal Simon Williams told graduates that throughout life he has always tried to remember his parents’ words.

“Just take each day at a time, keep your goals and dreams alive, and always keep a sense of humor,” Williams said.

“Learn from your experiences,” he said, “and go one day at a time, with one foot in front of the other.”

On a contemplative note, Williams added, “The burdens of this world are in need of your vibrant energy to bring about positive change.”

By Tom Wanamaker

ALBANY — State test scores for elementary and middle school students, while generally up across New York as a whole, were a mixed bag locally.

On Monday, state Education Department officials released the third annual round of test results for students in grades 3 through 8 on state-mandated tests in mathematics and English Language Arts.

Locally, Greene County students outperformed their Columbia counterparts across the Hudson River. In Greene County, 82.54 percent of 3,289 students taking the math test either “met” or “exceeded” learning standards, while 67.20 of 3,288 students tested did the same in the English test.

In Columbia County, 75.28 percent of 3,724 students tested topped or beat the math standards, as did 66 percent of the 3,707 students who took the English test.

Statewide, 81 percent of students tested met or exceeded the mathematics standards, compared to 73 percent in 2007, while 69 percent of students did the same in English, versus 63 percent in 2007. Greene County’s students topped the state averages in both subjects while Columbia County’s students did not.

In average mean scores, Greene County’s students beat Columbia's in the mathematics test, 673.42 to 669.92, respectively. In English, the two counties came in virtually identical, with an average mean of 660.48 for Greene and 660.44 for Columbia.

Nonetheless, the results leave administrators hopeful.

“These are encouraging and exciting results across the board,” said Robert M. Bennett, chancellor of the state Board of Regents. “Closing the achievement gap is our constant target. The news today confirms that our reforms are striking closer. We cannot rest until achievement is up everywhere and the gap is closed for all children in New York state.”

Complete test results for all counties, districts and schools are available online at: www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/press-release/20080623/home.htm.</p>

By Tom Wanamaker

ALBANY — New York’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped half a point to 5.2 percent in May, up from 4.7 percent in April, according to figures released Thursday by the state Labor Department. The rate was 4.5 percent in May 2007.

“New York State experienced a lower private sector job count and higher unemployment in May,” said Peter A. Neenan, director of the Labor Department’s Division of Research and Statistics. “These developments reflect, in large part, deteriorating labor market conditions in the nation as a whole, which has seen six consecutive months of private sector job declines and an upward trend in the U.S. unemployment rate.”

According to the seasonally unadjusted numbers for individual counties, local unemployment also rose in May.

Columbia County posted an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent for May, up from 4.1 percent in April and 3.7 percent in May 2007.

Greene County registered an unemployment rate of at 5.7 percent, up from 5.4 percent in April and up from 4.5 percent in May 2007.

When comparing months, seasonally adjusted data offers the most valid basis for comparison. When comparing year-over-year data for the same month, non-seasonally adjusted numbers prove most valuable.

The state’s educational and health services sector led yearly job gains with an increase of 34,700, while government added 16,000 jobs and the leisure and hospitality sector added 7,800 jobs between May 2007 and this May. The manufacturing industry led job declines with 17,500 lost during the same period.

Nationally, the rate was 5.5 percent in May, up from 5.0 percent in April and up from 4.5 percent in May 2007.

Excluding New York City, the rest of the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in May, up from 4.7 percent in April and from 4.2 percent in April 2007.

Complete New York State unemployment data for April is available online at: www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/Pressreleases/.

By Colin DeVries

CATSKILL — In the battle against big government’s deep pockets, the little guys may now have an edge.

The New York State Legislature has given final approval of a bill that may level the playing field for private recreational facility owners who compete with state-funded attractions, according to State Senator James L. Seward.

Senate bill 6835B is intended to establish a state commission to examine unfair competition in the outdoor recreation industry, evaluating whether publicly funded recreational facilities constitute unfair competition to golf, ski, camping and other recreation businesses operated privately.

“Public facilities like state ski areas or golf courses don’t have to turn a profit, pay workers compensation or unemployment insurance,” Seward said in a statement. “They are funded with tax dollars, buy equipment using state contracts, pay no sales taxes and are often exempt from state health or environmental regulations that raise costs for private entities. In essence, taxpayers subsidize lower costs for public facilities, and they then compete with private operations.”

While the bill still needs to be signed by Gov. David Paterson, both the state senate and assembly have approved the legislation in effort to promote fair competition.

“The bill is one of the best things that has ever happened in the recreational industry in New York State,” said Walt Birmann, owner of the Rainbow Golf Club in Greenville. “This is a pretty popular issue not only in New York State, but throughout the whole country. If we don’t get some relief in this, it’s going to reduce the quality of life throughout New York State because we can’t compete against the public sector.”

Greene County legislators have been embattled over the unfair treatment of local ski resorts, Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain, compared to that of Ulster County-based Belleayre Mountain, which is state-funded.

“This is a major step to level the playing field between private enterprise and public entities,” said Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh. “I’m a firm believer that government shouldn’t compete against private industry. In some cases, such as with public parks, it works very well but it hurts the private sector.”

By Jim Planck

HUNTER — For those who instantly make a mental jump to “Terms of Endearment” or “Black Widow” when the name Debra Winger is spoken or read, or for those who may prefer that jump to go to “Urban Cowboy” or “An Officer and a Gentleman,” an opportunity to see what Winger is up to these days will be available in Hunter very soon.

Winger will be at the Doctorow Center for the Performing Arts, on Main Street, Route 23A, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28 for a presentation and booksigning of her first and recent entry into the world of authorship, “Undiscovered.”

The book is not intended as a full biography, nor is it. It is a solid assemblage of biographical vignettes that are absorbing and revealing on the surface, but which talk even more directly to both Winger’s heart and the reader’s.

They stories are often questioning, but just as often rhetorically provide their own answers, often in subtle, gentle drops of philosophical reflection, and sometimes in straightforward, direct statements of observation.

It is a pleasant, enjoyable read, wrapped around biographical anecdotes and introspective contemplations, and anyone who wants to accompany Winger on a look back over her shoulder will not be disappointed.

“Undiscovered” is more than a biographical collection, however.

It is a book of thoughts ... about thoughts.

“Occasionally,” states Winger, “there is a feeling that the whole of your life has brought you to a certain moment.”

“As if it were a series of vehicles that you transferred between, and all at once, you were dropped off at a certain place, and the car sped away and left you staring into void,” she writes.

Winger, in the preface, describes the winnowing process of what to include in the book as “just a sort of pruning of a dozen years,” and she has shaped selections of value.

Among the topics Winger shares revealingly with the reader are her birth, her coma when 17-years old, her entry into the movies, its affect upon her life, her mother, her own motherhood, and more.

The Doctorow Center is part of the Catskill Mountain Foundation complex at the west end of the village of Hunter, and will seat about 200 people, so although the event is free, reservations at (518) 263-2050 are strongly recommended, as seating will be on a first-come, first served basis.

By Tom Wanamaker, The Daily Mail OnLine

ALBANY— Upstate New Yorkers are crying for tax relief.

In a poll released Monday, three-quarters of upstate residents said they support capping property taxes, while 64 percent favor a temporary suspension of 32 cents of the state’s 41 cents of fuel taxes.

“Voters overwhelmingly believe that the cap is necessary to help struggling taxpayers and help school districts spend more carefully,” said Steven Greenberg, spokesman for the Siena Research Institute, which conducted the survey. “They strongly disagree that the cap is unnecessary because voters approve school budgets, and nearly two-thirds of voters reject the argument that the cap will hurt education in New York.”

Gov. David A. Paterson, following a commission’s recommendation, has proposed a 4-percent annual cap on property tax increases, which in recent years has been driven largely by school budget increases.

The Democrat-dominated Assembly has not acted on the idea, while the Senate Republican majority on Monday offered a plan, “Stop Taxing Our Property,” that would lower school property taxes by 20 percent annually until they are completely eliminated after five years.

Senate Democrats have proposed a 2-percent cap on property taxes.

Assembly Minority Leader James N. Tedisco, R-Schenectady, launched a statewide petition drive in May advocating a suspension of the eight-cent sales tax, eight-cent motor fuel tax and the 16-cent petroleum business tax from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Through Monday, thousands of people had signed copies of the petition, mostly on Long Island and western New York - the areas most heavily represented by the Assembly Republican Minority, a Tedisco spokesman said.

Almost 80 percent of upstate residents polled voiced agreement that “the property tax cap is necessary to help people who have seen average property tax bills in New York increase by seven percent a year over the past five years.”

The poll was conducted via phone calls to 624 registered voters in New York from June 9-11. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.9 percentage points. “Upstate” is defined as the region of the state north of Putnam and Dutchess counties. Complete poll data is available online at: www.siena.edu/sri

By T.J. GREANEY of the Tribune’s staff Published Sunday, June 15, 2008

A Columbia man hiking in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York was found dead Thursday by three female hikers after he suffered an apparent heart attack.

Terry Finger, 59, who was retired from working as the environmental policy analyst for the Missouri House of Representatives, was visiting the area and his mother, Shirley, 84, who had fallen ill.

His wife of 29 years, Susan Finger, said he had a history of heart trouble but had been clear of any problems for five years. She said he had hiked the strenuous trail on Hunter Mountain near Tannersville, N.Y., "a million times."

"He was - if it had to happen - where he wanted to be," Susan Finger said. "It’s a beautiful place, and he certainly loved the area."

According to a news report from the region, Finger was found near a wooded area in rough terrain off the trail, about three miles from the main road, where he had parked his car. The report said the Pecoy Notch Trail where he was found is among the most difficult in the region.

New York state forest rangers, Greene County sheriff’s deputies, local police and a rescue squad tried to recover the body but had trouble in the rough terrain.

They called in a New York State Police Department helicopter to remove Finger’s body. It is believed he was on the trail overnight because his name appears in a hiker registry book with the previous day’s date. Susan Finger said there are no indications of foul play.

Terry Finger came to Columbia in 1980. He had previously taught in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department at the University of Missouri and at Westminster College.

David Galat, a fisheries and wildlife colleague who also went to school with Finger at Oregon State University, called him the consummate naturalist. "He knew fishes and flowers and birds and everything else," Galat said. "He was interested in anything that was alive, and he was a very good observer of nature."

From The Daily Mail

By Dollie Gull

HUNTER — Lynn and Frank O’Connell said that the First Relay for Life, a fight against cancer and support for the American Cancer Society, was “a huge success.”

It was the first Mountaintop Relay for Life and the first ever for Greene County, according to the O’Connells. It was held at a local park.

The 16-hour event, which began at 6 p.m., Saturday and continued until 6 a.m. the following day, was “quite a night,” according to Lynn O’Connell who with her husband, Frank, and Carol Bishop-Panepinto from the Albany American Cancer Society coordinated the event.

“Our goal was 25 teams and to raise $20,000 and we had well more than 30 teams and at 6 a.m., Sunday, we were at $28,000!” said Lynn, happy with the event’s impact.

“We had an awesome night,” she said.

There were numerous events and activities planned throughout the period of the relay, including hot food served to cancer survivors, ice cream from the local Stewart’s, along with entertainment and other events, including a lemonade stand at which children raised money for the ACS.

Funds raised will go to support cancer research, while most of the money will remain in Greene County in support of cancer victims and an educational outreach program, she reports.

Among the volunteers who worked to make the event a success were Stephanie Marino from the Racing for A Cure Team; May Angle and Kay Byrne, who recruited people, gathered donations and helped with the event’s logistics. Among others who worked to make it a success were Dave Hartman and the volunteers of the Hunter Fire Company, Charlie Sweet and the guys at the Village of Hunter.

“Thanks too,” says Lynn, “to Brandywine, Michael’s, Tadero’s Vesuvio’s, Selena’s, WRIP Radio Station, and MacGregor’s.” She also praised her sister, Kate, who spoke during the “Survivor Ceremony,” saying that they had really hoped that their mother could have been present for this event. She also praised the barber and hair dressers who participated in the “Crew Cuts for a Cure,” the folks who created the luminaria bags, did face painting for the children and those who did fundraising.

From The Daily Mail

By Colin DeVries

TANNERSVILLE — A daylong hiking trip turned into a daytime horror for a group of hikers on Thursday, after discovering the body of a man in rough terrain off the trail.

On the Pecoy Trail in the Catskill Mountain State Park, approximately 3 miles off Roaringkill Road, a deceased 59-year-old male subject was found by area hikers, New York State Police said.

State police have not yet released the name of the man, pending notification of family members.

An investigation by state police revealed that the man’s vehicle had been parked at the trailhead on Roaringkill Road and that he signed a hiker registry dated June 11.

Investigators believe that the man may have fallen victim to an undisclosed medical illness while hiking on the trail and collapsed into a wooded area.

Bethany Wardle, one of the hikers who found the body, affirmed that the hike may be strenuous at times.

She said that the trail is uphill for the most part, and sufficient supplies of water and food are a must.

New York State Forest Rangers, Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies, Hunter Police and the Tannersville Rescue Squad attempted to recover the body but had trouble negotiating the rough terrain.

The assistance of the New York State Police Aviation Unit was necessary to winch the man’s body out of the wooded area.

Greene County Coroner Hassan Basagic said that no definite cause of death has been determined at this point.

An autopsy is scheduled to be performed today at St. Peter’s Hospital by pathologist Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard.

By Jim Planck

HUNTER — The subject of nuisance bears, which typically surfaces every warm weather season on the Mountaintop, came up Monday evening at the Village of Hunter’s June board meeting.

Rusk Hollow Road resident Donald “J.D.” Kritzer told board members that bears have become a problem again up in that area, which is behind the village on the residential slopes of Hunter Mountain — the topographical feature, not the commercial entity.

Kritzer said that state Department of Environmental Conservation personnel have already had to remove one bear from that area, adding, “and they’ll probably need to come get another one.”

Kritzer indicated the remaining bear is vandalizing property to get at food, and that the problem is not the result of anyone leaving trash outside.

Division Street resident Richard Harty agreed, and cautioned the public not to take the bear problem overly lightly as a matter of annual repetition, or to assume that they don’t come down into the central village areas.

Harty said that only a few days earlier he had a 250-300 pound bear pass right through his back yard, and that one has also been a problem for a contractor up on Mountain Avenue.

Harty said the bear had broken into the contractor’s truck, even though it was closed up, to get at his lunch and eat it.

Officials have indicated that the more a bear gets used to humans, the less regard it has for them, and that it will soon lose its fear to raid garbage, break through screen doors into cottage kitchens, or, as in the case above, raid vehicles.

Board members also received a letter of concern from Jennifer Van Loan regarding geese on some of the area’s public waters, including the village’s Dolans Lake.

Mayor William Maley said that Van Loan was apparently at the village’s facility, as well as the Village of Tannersville’s Rip Van Winkle Lake, and a beaver pond on Route 214 in Stony Clove, and saw Canada geese on the waters.

CATSKILL - Fifty-three people were arrested on drug-related charges this past weekend at the Mountain Jam Music Festival at Hunter Mountain, according to state police and the Greene County Sheriff's Office. The two agencies, with help from Hunter Mountain security, made arrests on charges involving simple possession of marijuana up to large quantities of dangerous narcotics. The state police and Sheriff's Office seized large quantities of marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, LSD, ecstasy, hashish, hydrocodone and illegally possessed prescription drugs.

"It is not just the amount of drugs these individuals attempt to smuggle into the event, but the type of drugs as well," said Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley. "While marijuana is certainly the most prevalent, prescription narcotics and hard-core street drugs are also very common in the event."

In addition to the drug offenses, a 22-year-old man was arrested on assault charges following an altercation with event security. Christopher L. Hiltz, of New London, Vt., was charged by the state police with two counts of assault and two counts of possession of drugs, all felonies, and numerous misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest, menacing and possession of a weapon.

Hiltz was arraigned in Hunter Town Court and sent to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. Besides Hiltz, the Greene County Sheriff's Department lodged more than 30 people in the Greene County Jail on arrests from the concert.

Seeley said Mountain Jam is the largest music festival in the Northeast and attracted nearly 40,000 people this year.

"It is a great opportunity for visitors from across the county to see all that the mountaintop has to offer," said Seeley. "The vast majority of those in attendance are law-abiding, and come to enjoy the music and festivities. Unfortunately there are those who choose to abuse the event as a venue to use and distribute illegal drugs. These individuals are not welcome on Greene County and they will be arrested."

By P.J. Harmer

Staff Writer

ONEONTA _ Edmeston's Jordan Williams seemed to have fire coming out of his eyes Tuesday against Hunter-Tannersville.

Turns out it was just a pair of contact lenses.

That didn't seem to matter much for H-T, which had problems catching up with Williams much of the day as the junior struck out 13 and walked two in a six-hitter to lead the second-seeded Panthers to a 7-2 victory in a Section Four Class D semifinal at Oneonta High.

Edmeston (19-2) will meet No. 12 Hancock (8-11) in the Section Four championship at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Damaschke Field. It's the fifth straight year the Panthers will play for the sectional title. Edmeston, which fell, 12-5, to Odessa-Montour last season, is seeking its first sectional crown since its state-championship season in 2005.

Hancock beat top-seeded Deposit, 2-1, in Tuesday's other sectional semifinal. "It's exciting," Williams said of reaching the sectional final. "Really, we didn't think about it until that last pitch when I threw that strike and it just hits you that it's a reality we're going to the championship again. We want to bring the bacon home."

Since getting new orange contacts, Williams has been showing himself to be the Williams of old. Besides a dominant pitching performance against H-T, he also had two hits, including a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

"I noticed that his fastball seemed to be slowing down a little bit there in the mid to late innings, then all of a sudden when he needed it, he reached back for a little extra and he popped the mitt harder," H-T coach Jeff Friedman said. "He's a good pitcher. He stays around the plate and keeps the ball down for the most part and his fastball is alive. We just didn't read it well."

Staff Report

Hunter-Tannersville bunched together four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday to rally from a three-run deficit and earn a 4-3 win over No. 11 Roxbury in a Section Four Class D baseball semifinal.

Before the sixth, Roxbury starter Steven Hubbard had been virtually unhittable.

After giving up a leadoff single to Robby Huetter in the first, Hubbard retired 15 of the next 17 batters he faced. He struck out six, walked one and allowed four runs on five hits.

"Hubbard's for real," H-T coach Jeff Friedman said. "He had a heck of a day with the bat and on the mound. It was quite a display for him. As a senior, that's quite a game to have for your last game."

Third-seeded H-T (14-3) trailed, 3-0, going into the bottom of the sixth.

After Mike Rowlings grounded back to Hubbard to lead off the sixth, Huetter singled to left. Ryan Martin followed with a single to center, putting runners on first and third. Winning pitcher Greg Mudge then singled to center, scoring Huetter and moving Martin to third.

With runners at the corners again, Hubbard picked off Mudge at first. Mudge broke for second and got into a rundown, allowing Martin enough time to score from third. Mudge reached second safely as Martin drew a throw home and beat it with a slide to cut H-T's deficit to 3-2.

Donald Pesciotta then blooped a single to right field just out of the reach of second baseman Adam Arvante. Mudge slid in safely to beat a late throw home by Arvante, then got tangled up with Roxbury catcher Andrew Camillone.

Pesciotta never stopped running and headed to third, drawing a throw from Camillone that ended up in left field. Pesciotta then scored for the final margin.

Mudge (8-1) struck out Ryan Skipper to start the seventh and got David Clark to ground back to Mudge. He then got Hubbard to ground to Pesciotta at short, but a throwing error allowed Hubbard to reach safely. With Camillone at the plate, Hubbard attempted to steal second but was thrown out at second by Derek Legg to end the game.

"It was an incredible pitchers' duel," Friedman said. "The whole game took about an hour and 40 minutes once we dodged the rain showers. ... It was a very-well pitched and played game. It could have gone either way for sure.

TANNERSVILLE — No. 3 Hunter-Tannersville dominated No. 14 Morris 18-7 to open up the Section IV, Class D Baseball Tournament at HTC Thursday.

Wildcats’ Don Pesciotta (5-1) gave up five hits, six runs (four earned) with two walks and four Ks over six innings for the win and Josh Knoth gave up two hits and one unearned run in an inning of relief.

Morris threw four pitchers at the Wildcats, with starter Sean Babbitt (3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 K) taking the loss. Eric Smith (1 1-3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, BB, 3 K), Claire Tompkins (2-3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB) and Steve Hansen (IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, BB) pitched in relief.

HTC’s Greg Mudge went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a three-run home run in the fifth to blow the game open; Mudge finished with three runs scored and five RBIs total. Robby Huetter went 3-for-3 with five runs and a solo homer, Pesciotta went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI, and Ryan Megnin was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Offensively, the Wildcats finished with eight doubles and two home runs out of 16 hits in the game.

“We pounded the ball,” HTC coach Jeff Friedman said. “We just really hit the ball hard.”

Mustangs’ Babbitt went 2-for-4 with two runs in the losing effort.

“Donald pitched well, he pitched a real nice game, kept us in it until we broke out in the fifth,” Friedman explained, highlighting his team’s eight-run fifth inning to build on a 6-5 lead. “I wish we played a little better defense behind (Pesciotta), we made six errors and it kinda let them hang around a little longer than they should’ve.”

Hunter-Tannersville improves to 13-3 and will host a Delaware League rival in the next round, either No. 6 Margaretville or No. 11 Roxbury on Saturday at 12 p.m.

From staff reports

In a game that featured 38 runs, 28 hits and 11 errors, Hunter-Tannersville clinched the Delaware League Upper Division title with a 20-18 baseball victory over visiting Margaretville on Tuesday.

"We missed the extra point," said H-T coach Jeff Friedman, whose team will compete in the crossover final for the first time since winning the Delaware League title with an 8-6 victory over South Kortright in 2005.

The teams combined for 15 extra-base hits, including two triples and a double by H-T's Donald Pesciotta.

"We kept pulling away and they kept coming back," said Friedman, whose team is 11-3 overall and 7-2 in league play. "The umpire's strike zone was so tiny that everybody was teeing off. It was ugly."

Margaretville can tie H-T atop the Upper Division with a victory over Roxbury today, but the Wildcats still earn the right to play in the DL crossover based on their head-to-head victory.

The Wildcats took a 9-0 lead after two innings, but the Blue Devils scored 18 times over the next five innings.

Margaretville pulled to 20-18 after plating three runs in the seventh, but with runners on first and second and two out, winning pitcher Greg Mudge (6-1) struck out Patrick O'Connell for the final out.

"It was extremely shocking for me," Friedman said of the final score. "This is the most runs Greg has ever given up in his career. He was cruising through two innings with no hits and no runs and suddenly the strike zone got really tight. After that, it was a battle of attrition."

The Wildcats scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 20-15 lead. Pesciotta doubled and scored on Joe Morabito's single. Morabito came around on Derek Legg's double.

Pesciotta and Morabito finished with three hits apiece.

Jon Fairbairn and Brian Faulkner each had three hits for Margaretville, which would have clinched the Upper Division with a victory.

H-T is off until a week from Thursday, when it will play in the crossover final at Oneonta State against the Mountain Division winner.

Adam Arvanete and Tim Douglas each had two-run singles in a four-run fourth inning as host Roxbury won in Delaware League action.

Arvanete and Douglas finished with two hits apiece for the Rockets (6-4, 4-1).

Steven Hubbard struck out seven and walked none for Roxbury.

"This was a big one," Roxbury coach Josh Burroughs said. "We played clean, finally. We didn't commit errors and Hubbard had control of his pitches. ... It's coming together."

Greg Mudge and Ryan Martin had two hits apiece to lead the Wildcats (8-3, 5-2).

Roxbury 5, H-T 2

H-T001 010 0 _ 2 8 3

Roxbury100 400 x _ 5 11 3

Donald Pesciotta (L) and Derek Legg. Steven Hubbard (W,3-1) and Andrew Camillone. 2B _ Ryan Martin (H), Steven Hubbard (R).

Winning pitcher Amy VanEtten scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch, helping Hunter-Tannersville to a Delaware League road victory. H-TC won 8-6.

Following the international tiebreaker rule, VanEtten started at second base in the 10th inning. After Heather Davie retired the next two batters, she walked the next two to load the bases. VanEtten then scored on a wild pitch.

Catherine Romito had two of H-T's four hits.

Briana George, Jessica Martin, Karly Bolger and Jessica Utsler had two hits apiece for Roxbury (0-8), which lost its third game in extra innings this season.

H-T 8, Roxbury 6

H-T101 101 200 2 _ 8 4 2

Roxbury201 010 200 0 _ 6 11 3

Amy VanEtten (W) and Catherine Romito. Heather Davie (L) and Rachel Meckes. 2B _ Heather Davie (R), Briana George (R), Jessica Martin (R). 3B _ Danyelle Greene (R).

In a matchup of Delaware League unbeatens, freshman Krista Baxter struck out 11 in a four-hitter to lead Downsville to a 9-6 softball victory at Hunter-Tannersville on Tuesday.

She's very good," H-T coach Julia France said of Baxter. "She has speed and she's in the strike zone.

Allison Townsend went 3-for-4, including an RBI triple during the Eagles' three-run sixth inning that snapped a 6-all tie. Macy Davis and Jennifer Seiferth each went 2-for-4 for Downsville (5-0).

Amy VanEtten had seven strikeouts for H-T (4-1), which plays at Gilboa on Friday.

Downsville 9, H-T 6

Downsville 004 113 0 _ 9 10 2

H-T 003 030 0 _ 6 4 1