Welcome to our website! You are visiting the home of the Niagara Metros of the Central
Ontario "AAA" Major Baseball League. Since 1985, we've been the home for Elite Senior baseball in
the Niagara region.
The Milton Red Sox and St. Catharines
Metros were involved in a well-played, hard-fought and very entertaining game last night at Community Park. When the
dust had settled, the Red Sox had emerged with a 3-0 victory. Milton was full measure for their victory as they played
errorless ball, moved baserunners when they got them and got key hits to drive in the runs. The Metros, on the other
hand, had an uncharacteristically off night in the field, committing 4 errors, which led to 2 unearned Milton runs.
The story of the game was the pitching
of the two starters, Tyler Wilson for Milton and Jason Ermers for the Metros. Wilson went the complete game and allowed
7 hits and 2 walks in picking up the shutout. He struck out 7. Hard-luck loser, Jason Ermers, was victimized by
his run support, once again. After taking a complete game loss to Erindale (allowing 3 runs last week), he got no run
support at all, last night, to fall to 3-2 on the season. Ermers went 7 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on just
4 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 7. Jason Rabjohn (1 unearned run allowed) and Graham Bailey (1 hit allowed)
finished up on the mound for St. Catharines.
The Red Sox scored a run in the 2nd and
it stayed that way until the 7th when they scored another single run. They added one more insurance run in the 8th.
The Metros managed to get just one runner as far as third base in the game. Kevin Cooper homered and Reese Davies doubled
for Milton. Jonathan Paul had 3 singles for the Metros while Tim Collins added a pair of singles. Jono Marcheterre
with a double and Rocco Spano with a single rounded out the offence.
The Metros' loss drops them to 12-5
on the season, still good enough for 1st place in the Johnson Division, while Milton improved to 10-7, moving them into 2nd
in the Andrews. St. Catharines' next action is Wednesday, July 4 with a trip to Burlington, before
returning home on Thursday, as they host the Oakville A's. Game time at Community Park is 7:30.
Check out our photo album to see 7
new action shots we've added to the collage. Please click on the "Photo Album" link to the left of this page to enjoy...
The St. Catharines Metros scored a run
in the 8th inning, and hung on to defeat the pesky Dundas Chiefs 6-5 in Dundas, last night. The Chiefs got their leadoff
man on in the 9th, but left him at 3rd base when Metros reliever Ian Horner stuck out John Smith to end the game.
St. Catharines took an early 3-1 lead
and added 2 in the 5th to make it 5-1 before the Chiefs put up 3 in their half of the 5th, and 1 in the 6th to tie it up.
The winning run was scored when Jono Marcheterre led off the 8th with a double, before Tommi Paugh sacrificed him to
3rd and Tim Collins scored him on a groundout.
The winner was Ian Horner, who was superb
in relief of starter Jonathan Paul. Paul went 4 2/3 innings and, while he only gave up 5 singles, he stuggled with his
control, walking 8. He allowed 4 runs and struck out 2. Horner threw 4 1/3 innings of relief and allowed 1 unearned
run, 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 6. The loser was Tim Malloy, the Chiefs' 4th of 5 pitchers.
Offensively, the Metros were led by Jono
Marcheterre, who doubled and singled twice. Tim Collins singled twice, drove in 2 runs, scored 2 runs and added 3 stolen
bases. Justin Czorny doubled and singled, Brad Namtzu doubled, and Rocco Spano added a single and an RBI.
Andrew Sorochan had an RBI single and Joe Roach chipped in with a single. Neil Campbell had 2 hits and Tim Hayes, a
2-run single for Dundas.
The win improves St. Catharines' record
to 12-4 in C.O.B.A. play and puts them 3 points ahead of the Chiefs in the Johnson Division race with the Glanbrook Grizzlies
just 1 point back of Dundas. The Metros' busy schedule continues on Thursday as the always tough Milton Red Sox
come to town for the regular Thursday night extravaganza. Game time at Community Park is 7:30.
The Central Ontario Major Baseball League's
10-run mercy rule got a workout yesterday afternoon, as the St. Catharines Metros bashed the Mississauga North Tigers 10-0
and 10-0 in a doubleheader played at Community Park. Both games were played in the minimum 5 innings, as the Metros
piled up 17 hits in the 10 innings, while Mississauga responded with 3.
In game 1, starter Brian Essery won his
4th game of the season, as he went the distance on a 2-hitter. He walked 1 and struck out 4. The Metros backed
him with 3 runs in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th and then blew it open with 6 in the 5th.
Joe Roach homered, doubled, singled and
added 3 RBI's to lead the way with the bats. Rocco Spano doubled and singled and Tommi Paugh singled twice with 2 RBI's.
Brad Namtzu also singled twice and Jonathan Paul hit a 2-run triple. Klaus Gantner doubled and Jamie Robertson singled
to round out the offence. Daniel Tomotsugu doubled for the Tigers.
Game 2 proved to be more of the same,
as St. Catharines scored 1 in the 1st, 3 in the 3rd and put the game on ice in the 4th with 5 more. Starter Dustin Turner
picked up the win allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks. He struck out 7. Eric DeBoer finished up with a perfect inning.
Tim Collins was the big man in game 2,
singling twice and adding a pair of walks. He drove in 2 and scored 4 times. Joe Roach picked up 4 more RBI's
(giving him 7 on the day) with a single, Sac Fly and a groundout. Rocco Spano added a pair of RBI's, while Jonathan
Paul had a single and an RBI and Jamie Robertson singled. Ryan Villers walked 3 times. Jon Amondola had the lone
hit for the Tigers.
With the 2 wins, the Metros vault past
the Dundas Chiefs into 1st place in the Johnson Division with a record of 11-4. The Metros busy schedule contines this
week with a pair of games...Tuesday night versus the aforementioned division rival Chiefs, in Dundas and then Thursday night
back home at Community Park for a matchup with the always tough Milton Red Sox. Game time for that one is 7:30.
In a stark contrast to Monday
night's low-scoring, quick game at Erindale, the St. Catharines Metros and Burlington Brants decided they'd intoduce some
offence to Thursday night's game in St. Catharines. The result was a 12-9 victory for the Metros at Community Park.
The two teams combined for 27 hits in the game (14 for the home team), including 11 for extra bases. The Metros put
up 6 in the 1st and 6 in the 3rd to take a 12-1 lead...but the "never say die" Brants kept coming back and narrowed
the gap to 3 before Metros closer, Graham Bailey, slammed the door in the 9th.
The winning pitcher was starter
Ryan Villers,
making his first start of the year. He went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs on 9 hits. He walked 3 and struck out
2. Ian Horner pitched 3 innings of relief for the Metros, giving up 4 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits while striking out 3.
As mentioned, Bailey, in his first appearance of the season, pitched a scoreless 9th to earn the save, striking out the side.
Brants starter Ben McPhee took the loss.
The Metros were led offensively by veteran
Tommi Paugh, who hit a double and 2 singles, driving in 3. Jonathan Paul hit a pair of doubles and added 3 RBI's while
Brad Namtzu doubled and singled, also driving in 3. Jono Marcheterre doubled and singled as well...driving in a run
while Justin Czorny also doubled and singled. Rocco Spano had a single and an RBI Sac Fly, Joe Roach an RBI single,
and Tim Collins, a single to round out the offense for St. Catharines. J.R. Crosby homered and singled for Burlington.
With the win, the Metros improve to 9-4
on the season, and trail first-place Dundas by just 1 point in the tight Johnson Division race. The Metros have a rare
Saturday doubleheader this weekend, as the Mississauaga North Tigers come to town. The first game starts at 12:30.
Next week the Metros are back at home for their regular Thursday night home game...versus the Milton Red Sox. All games
are at Community Park.
The park known as Erindale Cardinals Field
has traditionally been a park where high scores and long games have been the norm. But, last night, the Cardinals' Chris
Currie and the Metros' Jason Ermers saw to it that it wasn't going to be a typical game in that park. In a game that featured just 11 hits, 5 walks and 3 errors, the
Cardinals emerged with a 3-2 victory...the full 9 innings completed in just 2 hours and 12 minutes.
The game was scoreless until the 6th,
when Geoff Cullen hit his first of 2 HR's to give Erindale the lead. St. Catharines tied it in the 7th before the Cards
re-took the lead in the bottom of the 7th with Cullen's 2nd HR (a 2-run shot) to make it 3-1. The Metros then got a
home run from Joe Roach in the 9th to narrow the gap to 3-2, but couldn't muster the tying run.
As mentioned the pitchers dominated in
this one. Currie went the distance for Erindale allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. Ermers was
sensational for the Metros, also throwing a complete game. He allowed 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 16!
In addition to Roach's home run, the Metros got a double from Andrew Sorochan, an RBI single from Jonathan Paul and another
single from Justin Czorny.
The loss drops the Metros' record to 8-4
on the season, leaving them 3 points behind Dundas in the race for the Johnson Divison title. And they continue a very
busy week with their regular Thursday home game...this week versus the Burlington Brants. Game time at Community Park
is 7:30.
The St. Catharines Metros and indeed all
of Niagara Baseball lost a good friend, last week. Bill Conners, grandfather of Metros player Ryan Villers, passed away
on June 13 after a long illness.
Bill was a fixture at Metros home games
over the past 10 or so years, as he operated the scoreboard, chased foul balls and did anything else that would "help the
ball club". He also travelled with the team to some of the road games and attended numerous Elimination Tourneys where
he was the Metros biggest supporter. Prior to his getting involved with Senior ball, Bill was a big backer of St. Catharines
Minor Baseball and rooted for the "Cobras" wherever they happened to be playing. He was also seen at many Brock Badgers
home games in recent years.
Bill, a very good Junior and
Senior player in his own right, during the 40's and 50's, leaves behind wife Joyce, daughter Laurie and son Bill Jr., 2 grandsons
(Ryan and Kyle) and a great grandchild (Nolan). In addition our friend, Bill, left behind hundreds of Niagara
Baseball people who will miss his dedication, his sense of humour and his smile. All the Metros, certainly, will miss
Bill, but never forget what a positive influence he was on us...
After winning 7 straight league games,
the St. Catharines Metros came crashing back to earth last night at Community Park, as the Glanbrook Grizzlies soundly defeated
them 8-3. The Grizzlies were full measure for the win, outhitting the Metros 13-6 and scoring against all 4 Metros pitchers.
St. Catharines actually held an early 2-0 lead, but the Grizzlies put up 2 in the 4th to tie and 3 more in the 6th to take
control of the game.
The big story from the Glanbrook side
was starting pitcher Andrew Page, who went the distance, limiting the Metros to 6 hits while striking out 14. Jason
Rabjohn started and took the loss for St. Catharines, allowing 3 runs and 8 hits in his 5 plus innings. He walked one
and struck out 2. Dan Estey followed Rabjohn, and went 1/3 of an inning, giving up 2 runs and 3 hits. Ian Horner
and Dustin Turner finished up and between them allowed 3 runs (1 earned), while walking 6 and striking out 6.
Offensively, the Metros were led by Andrew
Sorochan, who singled twice and drove in a run. Tim Collins added 2 hits and Jonathan Paul doubled. Jono Marcheterre
added a single. St. Catharines committed 2 errors on the night.
The loss drops the Metros 3 points back
of Johnson Division leading Dundas Chiefs with an 8-3 record, while Glanbrook improved to 5-4-1. St. Catharines travels
to Erindale on Monday evening, before returning home next Thursday for a date with the Burlington Brants. Game time
at Community Park is 7:30
The St. Catharines Metros had an outstanding
weekend spoiled by the host team, the Oshawa Royals on Sunday, as the Royals defeated them by the score of 6-5 in 10 innings.
The Metros had advanced to the Semi-Finals of the Oshawa Invitational Tourney on the strength of a perfect 3-0 record in the
round robin. Oshawa went on to win the Championship by a 6-1 count over Ajax.
In game 1 on Friday, the Metros got a
complete game 4-hit shutout from Brian Essery and backed him with 17 hits, as they defeated the Newmarket Hawks 12-0.
Essery walked 2 and struck out 8 in pitching his first CG shutout of the season. Tim Collins, with a double and 3 singles
led the way offensively, while Joe Roach doubled and singled twice, driving in 4 runs. Justin Czorny also had 3 hits
and an RBI while Jonathan Paul added a double and a single. Rocco Spano homered and Andrew Sorochan chipped in with
an RBI double.
In Game 2, the Metros had to come from
behind to defeat the pesky Ajax Spartans 8-7. Trailing 6-2 after 4, St. Catharines scored 1 in the 5th and 5 in the
6th, to take an 8-6 lead. Ajax then scored a run in the bottom of the 7th and left the tying run on 3rd base.
The winning pitcher was Ian Horner in relief of starter Jonathan Paul. Horner pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed 2 hits
and 1 unearned run, while walking 3 and striking out 3. Jason Rabjohn put out the fire in the 7th, earning the save.
Collins, once again, led the way with the bat, collecting 2 doubles and 2 singles. Rocco Spano collected a pair of RBI
singles while Andrew Sorochan had 2 hits and an RBI. Justin Czorny and Jamie Robertson had RBI doubles, and Tommi Paugh
singled.
Game 3, on Saturday afternoon featured
one of the best games played in the entire tournament and the Metros, once again, came from behind to win 3-2 over the Woodslee/St.
Clair Orioles. Trailing 2-1 going into the 7th, the Metros scratched out a pair of runs with Rocco Spano and Andrew
Sorochan providing the key RBI's. Brad Namtzu had the big game at the plate in this one, with a double and 2 singles.
Tim Collins, Justin Czorny and Jonathan Paul added singles. The Metros got another outstanding pitching performance
from starter Jason Ermers against Woodslee. Ermers went 6 1/3 innings and limited the hard-hitting Orioles to 6 hits
and 2 runs while striking out 6. Eric DeBoer struck out the final two batters of the game to preserve the win and pick
up the save.
That brings us to Sunday's semi-final
versus the Oshawa Royals. This was a see-saw affair that produced 4 lead-changes before the Metros came from behind
to tie, in the top of the 7th and force extra innings. The Royals finally won in the 10th, as they collected 3 straight
hits with 2 out, to score the winner. Eric DeBoer was the hard-luck loser as he pitched 4 innings of 4-hit relief, but
gave up the winner in the 10th. Dan Estey and Dustin Turner also pitched for St. Catharines with starter Estey going
4 1/3 innings and allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 2. Turner pitched 1 2/3 and allowed 2 unearned
runs on one hit while striking out 1. Jonathan Paul had a big day at the plate, hitting a pair of doubles and a single,
driving in a run. Andrew Sorochan tripled and singled, while Justin Czorny and Rocco Spano added RBI singles.
Jamie Robertson chipped in with a single while Joe Roach added an RBI groundout. The Metros committed just 1 error in
the game but it helped lead to 3 Oshawa runs.
In fact, the Metros played outstanding
defence, and only made 2 errors in the entire 4 game tourney. Next up for St. Catharines is their regular Thursday
night home game...at Community Park against the high-flying Glanbrook Grizzlies. Game time is 7:30.
The St. Catharines Metros will be taking
a break from the rigors of the C.O.B.A. Major League schedule, this weekend, as they attend the first ever Oshawa Royals Invitational
Tourney. This tournament features 12 of the top Senior teams in the province, representing 4 of the strongest leagues
anywhere.
Comprising the Metros' division are the
Newmarket Hawks (7:30 Friday - Iroquois Park) of the Greater Toronto Baseball League, the Ajax Spartans (10:00 Saturday -
Ajax Sportsplex) from the E.O.B.A., and the Woodslee-St. Clair Orioles (2:30 Saturday - Kinsman Stadium) of the Can-Am Baseball
League.
Other teams in the tourney consist of
the Etobicoke Rangers and Erindale Cardinals (C.O.B.A.), the Tecumseh Thunder (Can-Am), the Thornhill Reds, East York Bulldogs,
Leaside Leafs and host Oshawa Royals (G.T.B.L) and Kingston Ponies (E.O.B.A.). There should be some outstanding baseball
being played all weekend, with the Semi-Finals and Finals slated for Sunday. Best of luck, Metros.
By the way, the Metros regular Thursday
home game will not happen this week, due to the tourney the next night. Instead the team will have a 6:00 practice at
Community, to prepare. The Metros return to league action a week from Thursday...on June 14, as they host the Glanbrook
Grizzlies. Game time is 7:30.
There are two things you can count on
when the St. Catharines Metros and Oakville A's get together. It will be a well-played game, and it will rain.
Both of those occurances happened last night in Oakville, as the Metros stretched their winning streak to 7 games with a 7-3
victory. The 40 minute rain delay caused the game to reach the park curfew after only 7 innings, but they were 7 very
enteratining innings.
Once again, the Metros got some clutch
hitting, as they scored 5 runs with 2 out in the 5th, to back the strong start from Jason Ermers. The young lefthander
pitched 5 innings, allowing the 3 runs on 5 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 7. Dustin Turner and Eric DeBoer
threw an inning each of relief, with Turner allowing 1 hit and 2 walks, and DeBoer allowing no hits or walks. They both
struck out 2.
Justin Czorny and Tommi Paugh had the
big hits in the 5-run 5th for St. Catharines. Czorny's was a bases-clearing 3-run double while Paugh contributed a 2-run
single. Jonathan Paul doubled and singled while Joe Roach added an RBI double. Rocco Spano had the other RBI with
a groundout while Andrew Sorochan and Ryan Villers chipped in with singles. Matt Newton took the loss on the mound
and Tim Griffin hit a Home Run for the A's.
The Metros, with the win, improve to 8-2
on the season, 3 points ahead of the Dundas Chiefs in the Johnson Division. The team will now take a break from league
play to attend the Oshawa Royals Invitational this weekend. First up on Friday night are the Newmarket Hawks.
More on the tourney tomorrow...
The St. Catharines Metros continued an
impressive run and extended their winning streak to 6 games as they defeated the Brampton Battlecats by scores of 5-3 and
11-4 on Saturday. The Metros moved into first place in the Johnson Division with a record of 7-2, one point ahead of
the Dundas Chiefs.
In game one, Brian Essery bent, but didn't
break, as the Metros won 5-3. The veteran pitcher went 6 innings and allowed 10 hits, but didn't walk any, while allowing
3 runs (2 earned) for the win. Ian Horner, in his first outing since returning from U.S. college ball, picked up the
save, throwing a scoreless 7th. St. Catharines trailed 1-0 after the 1st, but scored 2 in the 2nd and 2 more in the
3rd before Brampton narrowed the gap to 4-3 in the 6th. The Metros added one in the 7th to close it out.
St. Catharines got a big 2-run homer from
Brad Namtzu in the 2nd inning to put them ahead to stay, while Rocco Spano added a pair of RBI's from his 3 singles.
Tim Collins and Joe Roach doubled while Justin Czorny and Jamie Robertson (1 RBI) added singles. Joe McLaughlin took
the loss.
The second game of the doubleheader was
a much different story, as the Metros scored 4 in the 1st, 3 in the 2nd and 4 more in the 3rd to take an 11-0 lead and coast
home 11-4. Jason Rabjohn threw 5 outstanding innings for St. Catharines, allowing 3 runs (all unearned) on 7 hits.
He walked 3 and struck out 3. Dan Estey pitched the final 2 innings and gave up one run on 0 hits while striking
out 2.
Rocco Spano continued his hot day at the
plate by getting 3 more hits (making 6 straight on the doubleheader) and 4 RBI's. Joe Roach doubled twice and singled
while Andrew Sorochan doubled and singled twice, for 2 RBI's. Tommi Paugh doubled and singled, Jonathan Paul singled
twice for 2 RBI's and Justin Czorny singled twice, as well. Tim Collins and Jamie Robertson added RBI singles for St.
Catharines. Joey Nonis took the loss for the Battlecats.
As mentioned, the 2 wins improved the
Metros' record to 7-2, good for first place ahead of the Dundas Chiefs in the Johnson Division. And the Metros'
busy schedule continues on Monday, as they travel to Oakville for a tilt with the 4-3-1 A's. Game time at
Oakville Park is 7:30.
The Dundas Chiefs brought their 6-0-1
record into Community Park, last night, but the St. Catharines Metros were the better team on this night, as they came up
with a convincing 6-0 victory over the Chiefs. The Metros got 4-hit pitching from their 2 hurlers and played another
perfect game in the field (their 5th in 7 games) to complete their first shutout of the year.
Jonathan Paul started on the hill for
St. Catharines and went 7 innings, allowing just 3 singles and 3 walks, while striking out 8. Ryan Villers pitched the
final 2 innings and gave up one hit and one walk while striking out 2. Tom Sidorkewicz took the loss for Dundas, despite
allowing only 2 earned runs in his 6 1/3 innings.
Offensively, the Metros collected 8 hits,
and were once again led by Andrew Sorochan. Sorochan hit a pair of doubles and a single while driving in one run and
scoring twice. Joe Roach added an RBI single and an RBI groundout while Rocco Spano added an RBI single. Other
hits were collected by Tim Collins, Mike Mannella, and Jono Marcheterre. The Chiefs committed 4 errors on the game,
contributing 3 unearned runs to the Metros' cause.
The Metros, with the win, improve to 5-2
and move to within 3 points of the first-place Chiefs in the Johnson Division. And there's no rest for St. Catharines,
as they have a big doubleheader in Brampton on Saturday and a game in Oakville on Monday night. Start time for game
1 at the Brampton Fairgrounds on Saturday is noon.
. The Niagara Metros are very pleased to have Cat's Caboose
Dining Coach and Bar Car as their
corporate partner in 2011.
Click on the logo to visit the Cat's Caboose website.
Located in the heart of Old Glenridge,
Cat's Caboose is one of
St.
Catharines' oldest and most established restaurants.
The place for LIVE ENTERTAINMENT and GREAT FOOD.
.
.
.
Check out ourShowcase Filmfor the period of February 13 to February 27.
Just scroll
to the bottom of this page and press "Play".
__________________________________
Click to visit the "St. Catharines Standard" Website.
Thank You:
To the St. Catharines Standard
for allowing us to use pictures and articles throughout this website.
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Niagara Metros website reaches 100,000 hits on April 18, 2010.
hits since December, 2004
Thanks for visiting
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Click the link for Bullett Proof Baseball Academy
The Bullett Proof Prospects and Niagara Metros are partners in providing elite baseball to Niagara.
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Niagara Metros Bi-Weekly "Baseball Film
Feature"
.
This
week, on our "Baseball Film Feature" section, we have found a little gem that will make any "true ballplayer"
chuckle. It's a hilarious "home-made" film by what looks like a group of U.S. College ballplayers with a great
idea about how we talk about the game we love, but in a language that only we can understand. Check out this video,
and count how many baseball euphamisms you're guilty of saying or doing when your "at the yard". It's a little
3 minute masterpiece entitled "Shit Ballplayers Say". And believe us when we say, "These guys can really
bring the chedd..."
Don't forget to check out the
Metros Archive Section!
You will see the history of
our team, as well as the past glories of St. Catharines Senior Baseball in words and pictures dating back to the 1940's.
Just click on the link near the top of this Main Home Page.
