Tri-City ValleyCats

Carmen Benedetti’s personal fan section, an unlikely crew

TROY, NY — Cats and dogs may seem to never get along, but Sunday night at ‘The Joe” they were united for the same cause.

To understand how this story came to be, let’s rewind to a cluster of games played by the University of Michigan  and Siena College back in 2015.  Four games so dismal, nothing short of divine intervention might have saved the Saints. They lost all of the battles by a combined score of 29 to 6, and yes we are talking about baseball.  One of the players on that Michigan team was Carmen Benedetti. Fast forward to 2016 and that same Carmen Benedetti is now a starter on the Tri-City ValleyCats.

Aware of the connection or not, the Siena Dog Pound (as they’re known at the Saints men’s basketball games) instantly fell in love with the ValleyCats right fielder.  Perhaps it could’ve been that Benedetti’s right field post was close to their section 320 seats,  who really knows for sure.

In any case, whenever Benedetti stepped up to the plate, Section 320 erupted, cheering number 43 on. “If I moved any way or another, they were all about it,” Benedetti said. “I had no idea who they were, It was a treat, I loved it,” Benedetti went on to say.

Unfortunately the fanfare wasn’t enough, as the ‘Cats fell 9-6, and suffered a sweep from the Spinners.

Dylan Rossiter

Dylan is the Founder and Editor-at-Large of The Upstate Courier. In the past, he has been a beat reporter covering Section II Athletics, Siena College men's basketball, the Tri-City ValleyCats, and breaking news. In Dylan's current role, he oversees newsroom operations and long-term planning. Dylan is a native of Castleton-on-Hudson and a graduate of Maple Hill High School.

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