Saturday, June 3, 2017: Singles champion Solomon reaches final again

   Leading off today: Defending champion Yuval Solomon has reached the NYSPHSAA boys tennis finals for the third straight spring.

   The top-seeded Plainview JFK senior, a Wake Forest recruit, advanced by defeating freshman Ryan Fishback of Geneva 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals Friday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He'll take on second-seeded Sean Wei of Yorktown on Saturday in a bid to become the seventh Section 8 player to win two New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.

   "I would like to join that list, but we'll see how it goes (Saturday)," Solomon told Newsday. "I'll play my match, play the same way I've played my whole life, stay aggressive, go after every ball and fight to the end."

   He could become the third two-time singles champ in seven years, following Matt Gamble of Webster Schroeder (2014-15) and Josh Levine (2011-12).

   The doubles championship match is a guaranteed win for Horace Greeley as both of the schools entrants reached the final. James Wei and Dylan Glickman will take on Spencer Lowitz and Kenta Togo. Saturday's contest will be a rematch of the Section 1 tournament final won by Wei and Glickman, 6-4, 6-3.

   Top hurdler injured: Colonie senior Jeremiah House's status for the state track and field championships looks uncertain after he crossed the finish line limping in the 110-meter hurdles Friday in the Section 2 qualifier at Shenendehowa.

   House is the state indoor champion in the 55-meter hurdles and qualified Thursday for the 400 hurdles at the state meet next weekend at Union-Endicott.

   He was helped off the track with an apparent hamstring issue and treated after Friday's race.

   "Coming on the last hurdle, I was pushing and I felt it go," House told The Times Union. "It's way too soon to tell, but I know I'll be better. You've just got to hope for the best."

   Said coach Tom Greene: "He's ranked way up there in both hurdle races and now we'll see if he can run. He's been hurt a couple of times and he's rebounded quickly. Hopefully, he'll be able to run. He grabbed it with about a step to go and my heart just sank."

   Champion eliminated: Sandy Creek scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning and beat defending champion Elmira Notre Dame 6-3 win in the quarterfinals of the NYSPHSAA Class C softball tournament.

   Savanah Brown drove home the first run in the 10th and Jasmyn Williams' hard drive to left field was dropped, allowing two more runs to score.

   Carley Stoker, who led off the game with her 12th home run of the season, struck out 12 Notre Dame batters.

   Dominant pitching: Lauren Nichols struck out 11 of the first 12 hitters she faced and finished with 14 K's as Solvay blanked Susquehanna 1-0 in the Class B quarterfinals.

   Nichols did not walk a batter and finished with a two-hitter.

   Solvay scored in the bottom of the first on a Caitlin McCann RBI single that drove in Maya Martineau. The singles by McCann and Martineau were the Bearcats' only hits.

   "Scoring in the first inning was huge for us just because it takes a huge weight off of my shoulders and it makes me more motivated too," Nichols told Syracuse.com.

   Class AA quarterfinals: Gianna Azzato slammed a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to spark East Meadow past East Islip 5-3.

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   "I kind of just went up there thinking base hit, there's runners in front of me, move them over," Azzato told Newsday. "Wasn't thinking home run. Not even in the slightest. Just get on."

    • Shaker scored four runs in the top of the first and cruised to an 8-1 win over Cicero-North Syracuse.

   Bella Spadinger singled for a 1-0 lead, followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Kelsey Wells and Shannon Bloodgood with two outs to make the lead 3-0. A Lexi Ratigan single to bring home another run completed the big inning.

    • Victor defeated Williamsville North 5-1 with the help of junior center fielder Reagan Gensiejewski's fourth-inning solo home run.

   Gensiejewski's fence-clearing blast came on the second pitch.

   "I was just thinking please go over so I don't have to sprint to second base," she joked.

   More softball: Williamsville East crushed Our Lady of Mercy in the Class A quarterfinals by pounding out 21 hits.

   Bri Bucello finished 4-for-6 with five runs batted in. Samantha Crane had three hits, four RBIs and three runs scored out of the No. 7 spot in the batting order.

    • Fort Ann sophomore Kayla Bailey threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks to down Crown Point 4-1 and help the Cardinals advance to the Class D semifinals.

   Fort Ann, which has won 13 of its last 14 games, will be appearing in the final four for the sixth straight season.

   PSAL baseball: Tottenville scored all of its runs in the fifth inning and defeated Gregorio Luperon 8-3 in Game 1 of the PSAL Class AA semifinals series. A win Saturday would advance the Pirates to their fourth straight trip to Yankee Stadium for the championship.

   Matt Bass hit a bases-loaded single for the first two runs. Antonio Gaudino's liner just over shortstop headed toward the gap, where the ball was mis-played, allowing Gaudino to come all the way around and put the Pirates up to stay, 5-3.