Yankees romp Red Sox for regular season series victory
On paper, Sunday’s matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox is only one out of 162 regular season games. But this contest felt like it was worth double, maybe even triple, its typical worth. Not only did New York enter the game up just three games for the top Wild Card spot, the season series was knotted up at six wins for each team. That meant the winner would secure the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker, the first tiebreaker for regular season standings.
The Yankees know all too well how crucial winning a season series against a divisional opponent can be. You only have to look as far back as last season, where they tied with the Blue Jays at 94-68 but went 5-8 against them in the regular season. That meant Toronto had home-field advantage for their American League Division Series showdown, and we all know how that ended for the Yankees: not well.
It was crystal clear that the Yankees learned from that experience, and they took care of business against Boston in stunning style.
In what could have been a series where the Red Sox past them in the standings, the Yankees took three out of four games in the Bronx, capping things off with a 16-1 drubbing where seemingly everything went their way. Yes, that includes Ceddanne Rafaela’s non-catch in the fifth inning while it was still a scoreless game. While the ball was clearly in his glove, there are multiple angles that show the ball was also touching the grass and not completely secured, so it ultimately was the correct call.
While Rafaela and manager Chad Tracy cried foul after the game, the Red Sox pitching staff still had the opportunity to limit the damage to keep their rivals off the board. But the Yankees picked the right day for the bats to get hot, scoring their most runs this season and posting double-digit runs for only the second time since the All-Star break. Granted, five of those runs came off of a position player pitching in shortstop Andruw Monasterio, but they all count.
That offensive onslaught summed up another inconsistent week at the plate. Things started off strong with 16 runs in their first two games against the Astros. But in the following three games, they could only muster two runs, though that included a 1-0 win over the Red Sox on Friday night courtesy of a Paul Goldschmidt solo shot. But they kicked back into high gear on Saturday by scoring nine runs off 13 hits, all of which were singles. Maybe the Yankees aren’t too reliant on the long ball, after all.
Sunday also saw Will Warren pick the right day to have his best performance of the season. For the first time all year, Warren pitched into the eighth inning, allowing just one run on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Heading into this game, Yankees fans probably would have preferred to see someone like Cam Schlittler or Gerrit Cole take the mound. But Warren more than delivered. If he’s the so-called “weak link” of their rotation, that’s a pretty good sign that you’ve got the best rotation in baseball.
It can be so easy to overreact over one game. After all, there’s still a month and a week left in the regular season, and a four-game lead the Yankees currently hold in the Wild Card can easily be erased in that timespan. There’s also the fact that the Rays somehow keep winning, including Sunday’s wild win over the Padres where, down to their final strike, San Diego outfielder Samad Taylor dropped a ball over the fence for the game-tying home run, and Tampa would go on to win in 11 innings to stay 4.5 games ahead for the AL East lead.
It’s those types of breaks the Yankees haven’t gotten as much this year. That’s especially the case on the injury front. Even with a positive week of play, the only news that put a bit of a damper on things was George Lombard Jr twisting his right knee in Saturday’s second game of the doubleheader. Luckily, there was no structural damage, meaning the rookie shortstop will be out day-to-day instead of landing on the injured list.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone praised the team for the energy they brought into such a massive matchup and “felt like we had a pep in our step.” They’ll need to have that same mindset the rest of the way, including their next series against the lowly Angels. Every game counts, even if Sunday’s victory felt like it counted in many more ways than one.
Cornell soccer kicks off college fall sports
Whenever a new school year comes around, much attention is put on the first few games of the fall season before all the fall sports fully get underway. That meant plenty of eyeballs were set on both Cornell soccer teams over the past week. Even when volleyball, field hockey and football get going, it’s worthwhile to keep tabs on both the men’s and women’s teams all autumn long.
The men’s team has big expectations this year. After falling in the Ivy League championship to Princeton and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last time out, the Big Red is hungry to make amends in the Ancient Eight and win its first conference title since 2012 as well as advancing deeper into the tourney. Those ambitions were reflected in the Ivy League preseason poll, where the Big Red was picked to finish second behind the Tigers while receiving two first-place votes.
Cornell got its promising campaign underway on Saturday night in Marist with a 3-0 victory. Adam Schaban broke the deadlock in the first half with a perfectly-placed strike into the bottom corner. Fellow senior Liam May doubled the lead in the second half and freshman Andrew Miles sealed the deal in a bit of bizarre fashion for the third goal. As the Red Foxes’ goalkeeper caught a ball, he routinely rolled it a few yards in front of him ready to boot it away. That’s when Miles simply ran up to the ball and booted it into the net. Sergio Zapata provided assists on the first two goals.
While it was nice to see the attack flowing and the defense keep a shutout, the midfield is also set to shine this season with senior Connor Miller leading the way. Miller earned some well-deserved preseason hype by being named to the United Soccer Coaches’ Hermann Trophy Watch List for the nation’s player of the year. Head coach John Smith called him the “best center midfielder in the country.” It’s high praise for the two-time All-American, one that will give him even more confidence than he already has.
The Big Red’s next game is its first home game of the year, which will be this Friday night against UC Santa Barbara.
Speaking of Berman Field, Cornell women’s soccer has opened up its season with four straight home contests, the longest such streak to begin a campaign in program history. It’s been mixed results so far with two wins and two losses.
In the first game against St. Bonaventure, the Big Red scored the first three goals of the game. While the Bonnies hit back with two goals, Cornell managed to hang on for a 3-2 win. A tougher test came against Boston College, but it was Cornell who struck first thanks to senior Emily Gibbons. That wouldn’t be enough as the Eagles netted three second half goals to soar away with a 3-1 victory.
The Big Red’s first night game came this past Thursday against Lafayette. After a tightly-contested first half, sophomore defender Raya Leikin converted a pair of penalty kicks to ensure a 2-0 win. It was also a boost for the Big Red’s back line to keep its first clean sheet of the season.
Then on Sunday, another ACC opponent rolled into town with Pittsburgh providing the latest challenge. Once again, the Big Red took the lead through Gibbons, who’s already up to three goals on the year. But the second half was troubling once more as the Panthers pounced ahead and ultimately won 2-1. All seven goals Cornell has conceded so far have come after the halftime break, something that will certainly be a point of emphasis for head coach Rob Ferguson.
The Big Red will counter its four-game homestand to begin the season with a four-game road trip, beginning Thursday at Colgate. They’ll also head to Kent State, Army and Binghamton before returning to East Hill for its Ivy League opener against Yale on September 26.
Previewing the 2026 Section IV football season
While the local high schools begin classes next week, fall sports are in full swings this week, including on the gridiron. The first week of the Section IV football season is finally upon us, and it’s the perfect time to dive into each of the 10 local teams as they gear up for action.
In Class AA, Ithaca is looking to improve upon its 2-7 record last time out. It was a year of transition under new head coach Johnnie Akins, but that provided a foundation for this current team to build upon in Year 2. While the Little Red graduated Jack Barton and lost most of their line, they retain plenty of talented skill position players, including Leo Fiorello, Shy’von Williams, Naasir Hakim-El Cardona, and running back Eddie Peck.
Class D is where we find five of our local teams, all of whom are in the same division. The bad news? The only other team in that division is Tioga, the defending state champions. That being said, the Tigers are in a year of transition with head coach Nick Aiello stepping down and his assistant Jake Howland taking over. They’ll still be the favorites to win another sectional title, but they’ll have a big target on their back from their other division opponents.
Groton arguably has the best chance to unseat Tioga from the top of the division. The Red Hawks came into the preseason with plenty of optimism after an incredibly successful offseason with seven-on-seven tournaments. That included one held at SUNY Cortland, where they finished runner-up to the reigning Class B state champions Monroe. While 11-on-11 football is a different beast, it does give some insight into what could be a very promising season. What also helps is that they return many key players, including back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Lane Darling, quarterback Kam McClain, and tight end-turned-lineman Colson Slade.
Another team that retained a lot of its roster is Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour. The Schuyler Storm is the newest team in Class D after going 4-5 last year in Class C. They boast one of the most experienced rosters in the division with 11 seniors, the most they’ve had as a program in years. Quarterback Hunter Mowry, running backs Jared Watson, Noah Wright, and Mason Dupay, and wide receiver/defensive back Caydin Lagramada are all back to aid in the Storm’s quest for glory.
The other three teams in the division graduated a significant amount of talent. Last year’s runner-up Trumansburg lost All-State selections Aidan Clarke-Cabezas, Connor Sherwood and Trayvon Forest, among many others. Spencer-Van Etten/Candor graduated one of the best running backs in the state in Logan Aman as well as quarterback Jakobe Foster and their second-leading rusher Charlie Hilbert. Newark Valley also lost their starting quarterback in Nate Hinckley as well as a lot of their backfield production with Zion King, Logan Rhodes, Jackson Hoover, and Cooper Davis. Those three teams will be a lot younger but are well within their right to make some noise in the postseason.
Speaking of the playoffs, the biggest change in Class D is that the tournament is expanding from four teams to eight. Instead of the top two teams in the two divisions making the playoffs, the four best remaining teams (determined and seeded by the Bradley-Terry Model) will also make the cut. That could make things much more interesting with an extra game to play and win in order to come out on top.
The remaining four local teams are in 8-man football. Moravia has been the cream of the crop in this regard having made four straight championship games as well as regional championship appearances in 2023 and 2024. The Blue Devils aim for vengeance after falling to Unatego/Franklin in last year’s final. While they graduate All-State quarterback Eli Landis, Brennan Carr is expected to step up under center. He has a pair of potent weapons in reigning All-State selection Dillon Palmer as well as Carson Andrews, while most of their line returns.
Moravia, Unatego/Franklin and Thomas A. Edison will likely be back in the postseason, but that fourth and final playoff spot is up for grabs. Dryden secured that place last year in their first-ever season of 8-man football. The road to get back there will be more challenging after graduating all-time leading rusher Jay Miles and his ultra-talented brother Melo. That means Gavin Valenti is primed to step up in the backfield, while Wyatt Minarski returns under center. Lansing‘s first year back in 8-man was filled with struggles with a small roster, going 1-5. But the Bobcats boast a bigger squad that includes the return of Logan Mayo at quarterback after not playing last year. Newfield saw the most losses with 11 of their 19 players from last year graduating. That doesn’t mean they’re bereft of talent, namely Gavin Jenney and Fred Rivera.
It’s set to be another exciting fall of high school football, which kicks off on Thursday when Groton heads to Sidney. The three Friday night matchups are Ithaca at Spencer-Van Etten/Candor, Moravia at Dryden, and Trumansburg vs. Deposit-Hancock. Then on Saturday, Newark Valley ventures to Harpursville/Afton and the Schuyler Storm hosts Susquehanna Valley.
Other things that caught my eye
- The 53-man rosters were finalized throughout the NFL last night. While there wasn’t anything too noteworthy regarding roster cuts for the Bills and Jets, there were quite a few interesting decisions made by the Giants. For one, Odell Beckham Jr. has earned himself a spot on the roster. OBJ impressed throughout the season and did not miss a practice, making the most of his homecoming to New York. The same can’t be said for Evan Neal, as the former seventh overall pick was part of the cuts. What a fall from grace as the hyped-up tackle out of Alabama to someone that played so poorly that he had to be moved to guard. Jalin Hyatt was also part of the cuts. The former third round pick struggled to make an impact in his three years on Big Blue, tallying 36 receptions on 470 yards (most of which came in his rookie season) and caught zero touchdowns.
- While Cornell soccer is already in action, all other local college fall sports get underway this week. Beginning on Tuesday at Ithaca College, women’s soccer ventures to Utica, volleyball takes a trip to St. John Fisher and field hockey heads to Houghton. Men’s soccer kicks off on Wednesday at Elmira and football has a massive test at #4 Johns Hopkins on Saturday. Over at SUNY Cortland, men’s soccer hosts Rochester and women’s soccer hosts St. Lawrence, while field hockey travels to Montclair State. Volleyball plays Kean on Friday while football opens up its season on Saturday at Grove City. Cornell volleyball hosts the Cornell Invitational this weekend where they’ll battle Howard on Friday and Albany and Syracuse on Saturday. Field hockey begins play on Friday at home against La Salle. It will be a while until we see Big Red football, however, as its season opener is on September 19 at Colgate.
- Today is officially the first gameday for the new Section IV school year. The very first game is this morning between Newfield and Spencer-Van Etten/Candor boys soccer. The first girls soccer games are on Tuesday, which you can check out here. The first field hockey game is also on Tuesday as Spencer-Van Etten/Candor heads to Maine-Endwell. The first local high school volleyball match is on Thursday between Groton and Waverly.
