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2006 ARCHIVES
Lloyd Mows Down 17 Laurel Batters in Huge Victory
The Beaver Falls Tigers baseball team was in as close to a must win game as can be imagined at this point in the season. Leading Laurel by 1/2 game in the standings, with two tough section games remaining, the Tigers needed a victory on the road in a hostile environment to help their playoff chances.
The Tigers answered with a superb pitching performance by Vince Lloyd and timely situational hitting by the offense to claim an 8-5 victory on Wednesday. Lloyd struck out 17 hitters, 16 of them by blowing fastballs by them. On four occasions, Lloyd struck out a batter to end an inning with runners in scoring position. On those occasions, six runners were stranded on second or third base. The Spartans managed only three singles, none scoring runs.
Offensively, Lance Jeter had three hits and an RBI and Justin Sobona had a very impressive day at the plate with two hits and two RBI. In the fourth inning, with Darren Weister at second base, Sobona fell behind in the count 0-2. He battled the pitcher to a full count by fouling off numerous pitches before singling to right center field to score Weister. To Tigers also took advantage of a strong bunting game, executing four successful bunts, including a safety squeeze in the first inning by Ryan Chiapetta. Chiapetta ended with two hits and two RBI. The Tigers improved to 7-3 in section play face Mohawk on Saturday at 7:00 at Tiger Field.
Playoff Possibilities
Magic Number: 1 If Beaver Falls defeats Mohawk, they clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. If Laurel loses another game, the Tigers are in.
Beaver Falls Completes Impressive Sweep on Saturday
The Beaver Falls Tigers dropped an important section game on Friday to Shenango by a 7-1 score and dropped to 5-3 in section play. Despite this minor bump in the row, the Tigers showed great character by sweeping a double header of Langley and West Allegheny. In the afternoon game, the Tigers defeated the Langley Knights, the top team in the City League by an 8-4 score. The Tigers won the game in the last inning on a walk off grand slam by Lance Jeter. Jeter's blast to left field was preceded by a leadoff double off the bat of Dan Holman, who had three hits in the opener. Beaver Falls was buoyed by a great pitching effort by Ryan Chiapetta who pitched three scoreless innings in relief.
In the nightcap, Chiapetta started against West Allegheny and held the Indians to no runs through four innings. In the meantime, the Tigers scored three runs to open the game. Holman, Brandon Rue, Vince Lloyd, and Lance Jeter opened the first inning with hits. The Indians claimed a 7-5 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but the Tigers fought back again and Torian Cyrus's walk off single scored Jeter from third base to secure the sweep for the Tigers. The Tigers are now 8-6 overall.
Tigers Battle Back, Claim Victory Over Neshannock
The Beaver Falls Tigers looked down and out in their section game versus Neshannock on Wednesday night. Facing Maryland recruit Tim Kearney, who had limited the Tigers to two hits through five innings things looked bleak for the black and orange. One chink in the armour of the Neshannock Lancers, however, was Tim Kearney's control problems throughout the evening. Kearney, holding on to a 6-2 lead walked or hit six batters through five innings.
The Tigers would take advantage of his control problems in the bottom of the sixth. The Tigers took advantage of six free passes by three different Lancer pitchers in the frame. After Ryan Weister reached base on a dropped third strike and moved to second on a passed ball, Lance Jeter singled him in to cut the lead to 6-3. Nick Holewski walked to put runners at first and third. Torian Cyrus would tie the game with a three run homer to left field. After the home run, the Tigers took advantage of three Lancer errors and a combination of passed balls and wild pitches to score six more times in the inning. Brandon Rue's two run double was the big hit in the back half of the inning and gave the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish. Nick Holewski pitched the seventh inning to pick up the victory on the mound.
Elms, Riverside Emphatically Claim First Place
The Riverside Panthers have owned first place in Section 5-AA everyday for the past two seasons. They were not about to give it on on Monday night. From the first pitch of the game, (a double off the bat of Jon Jurinko), the Panthers established themselves as a hungry team. Riverside went on to score five runs in the first inning, which was more than enough to seal the deal. Senior pitcher Jon Elms allowed only two infield singles to the Tigers en route to a 13-0 victory.
Holewski, Rue Two Hit Freedom Bulldogs
Nick Holewski and Brandon Rue combined to pitch a gem of a baseball game to defeat Freedom (5-3) on Wednesday in an exhibition game. Holewski pitched five innings and allowed one hit and no earned runs. Rue finished the game with two scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Rue struck out the side in the seventh inning. Offensively, Justin Sobona had two hits and recorded the game winning RBI in the top of the seventh inning. Vince Lloyd had two hits and Rue reached base three times.
Lloyd, Rue Pound Laurel Spartans to Improve to 3-0
The Tigers, on the other hand, had the services of staff ace Vince Lloyd who is now 9-1 in his varsity career. Lloyd struck out four of the first six batters, but was hampered by a cut that appeared on his right index finger. The cut caused him to lose command of his pitches, but he continued to battle.
In the Tiger third inning, Brandon Rue hit a two out three run homer that gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead that they would never relinquish. Laurel countered with a solo home run to left field in the top of the fourth inning off the bat of Austin Taylor. That would be the only Spartan to cross the plate.
The Tigers ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a barrage of extra base hits that resulted in eight runs crossing the plate. The signature moment in the inning was a mammoth grand slam off the bat of Lloyd. After the grand slam, the Tigers hit for the cycle in four consecutive at bats. Ryan Weister singled, Lance Jeter homered, Bryan Strehl tripled, and Nick Holewski doubled. All players scored as did Dan Holman on Brandon Rue's single. Holman's run put the ten run rule in affect.
Tigers Win Section Opener
The Beaver Falls Varsity baseball team won its section opener on Tuesday at Neshannock behind the brilliant pitching of Vince Lloyd. Lloyd pitched a three hitter and struck out ten batters, including the final six batters in succession. Ryan Chiapetta's two run home run in the fourth inning was the game breaker. The home run came off of a 3-1 pitch from Tim Kearney, a Maryland Terrapin recruit. Kearney struck out 12 batters and allowed four hits before being lifted in the seventh inning. Lloyd's single in the sixth inning scored Chiapetta with an insurance run. Chiapetta reached base with his second hit in the game with two outs and was moved to second base on Ryan Weister's hit and run single. Lloyd, after granting free passes to the first two Lancer batters in the sixth inning, but went on to strike out six consecutive batters.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Tigers Off to a Slow Start
The Beaver Falls Varsity baseball team is off to a very rocky start to the 2006 campaign. Poor defense, baserunning mistakes, and strikeouts at the plate have hampered the Tigers ability to win a game in the exhibition season. Beaver Falls fell to 0-3 with Thursday's 4-3 loss to Rochester. The Tigers are looking to replace seven starters from last year's playoff team.Despite the inexperience defensively, the Tiger baseball team returns a talented core group of pitchers that include seniors Vince Lloyd, Ryan Weister, and Nick Holewski as well as upstart junior pitcher Brandon Rue. The pitching has not been bad. The staff has not yielded more than 3 earned runs in a game and allowed only six hits in the past two outings, both losses. Walks have been an issue, but as a whole, the pitching has been above average for this early stage of the season.
Offensively, Ryan Weister has enjoyed a quick start, batting .400 with four runs batted in. Torian Cyrus has also had a nice start at the plate, batting .417 with three runs batted in. Newcomer Lance Jeter has two hits and has been on base five of his seven plate appearances.
The Tigers open section play on Monday when they travel to Neshannock. The home section opener is on Wednesday against Shenango.
JV Team Wins First Two Games
The junior varsity baseball team has started the season with two consecutive victories. The Tigers beat Western Beaver by ten runs on Wednesday with Jalil Carl getting the win. The Tigers then beat Rochester by an 11-10 score on Thursday.
Youth Camp Comes to a Close
The end of February brought the conclusion of another successful youth baseball camp in Beaver Falls. Over 40 players attended at least one session, and players that attended more than one session received a t-shirt. The last day of camp was a skills competition that the players thoroughly enjoyed. Skills like hitting, running, throwing, and fielding were measured in the competition.The Tigers will host a summer camp at Tiger Field in June.
Ironman Competition
The annual Ironman Competition for the Varsity Baseball program was won by Junior Dan Holman, who recorded a record 82 points and won by 18 points. Freshman Nick Agostinelli had a strong showing with 64 points and claimed a freshman record with 64. Sophomore Torian Cyrus finished the competition strong enough to claim third place.
The varsity baseball team made up Tuesday's scrimmage with Center on Thursday, playing to a 4-4 draw in eight innings. Vince Lloyd pitched seven solid innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight.
Tiger Pitching Strong in Scrimmage
Despite losing 4-2 to Ambridge in the team's first scrimmage, the Tigers showed some positive things to build on. Vince Lloyd, Ryan Weister, and Nick Holewski combined to pitch six scoreless innings to open the baseball game. Lloyd was 3 for 3 at the plate. Numerous base running blunders cost the Tigers opportunities to score runs.
