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of the Niagara Metros of the Central Ontario Major Baseball League. Since 1985, we've been the home for
Elite Senior baseball in the Niagara region.
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A tired and beat up St. Catharines Metros
team limped into Oakville, last night, and although they kept it close for awhile, the powerful A's were full value for an
8-1 victory. The Metros had played 5 games over the previous 2 days to win the London tourney and gave all they had
left in the tank, but Oakville wore their hitting shoes and piled up 12 hits to win going away. The Metros opened
the scoring with a run in the 1st, but the A's scored 3 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd and 2 in the 5th to build a comfortable lead.
Starter Julian Richards earned the win
for Oakville, going 8 innings and allowing a run on 7 hits. The Metros' Dustin Turner took the loss, pitching 6 innings
and giving up 7 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 7. Justin Czorny did a nice job in relief,
pitching the final 2 innings and allowing a run on 2 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 5.
Offensively, St. Catharines got 2 hits
and an RBI from Jonathan Paul while Andrew Sorochan added a pair of singles. Rocco Spano added a double while Tim
Collins and Jono Marcheterre chipped in with singles. The Metros' 47 year old field manager, Kerry Hedden even
got in on the act, as he played left field and had 3 groundouts and a HBP in his 4 at bats.
The win gets Oakville back to the .500
level in the Andrews Division, while the loss leaves the Metros' lead in the Johnson Division at 2 points over Dundas and
Glanbrook. All 3 teams have 4 games remaining in the schedule. The 1st of those games for St. Catharines,
will be Thursday night...as they play their final home game of the regular schedule against the Erindale Cardinals.
Prior to the game there will be a special ceremony honouring two former St. Catharines Metros legends...Frank Keltos and Lou
Gazzola. The festivities at Community Park get underway at 7:30.
PITCHERS LEAD METROS TO LONDON TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
The St. Catharines Metros pitching staff,
consisting of Eric DeBoer, Brian Essery, Jason Ermers, Ian Horner, and Jason Rabjohn led the way, as the Metros won the London
Invitational Tourney for 2007. The Metros lost their first game to Barrie, but came roaring back with 4 consecutive
victories, including the Championship final against COBA rivals, the Burlington Brants, to win the title. The pitchers
were the story, as they combined to allow just 4 earned runs in the 5 games...as well as helping out in the field and at the
plate.
Game 1 was an all too familiar story...Jason
Ermers pitches great, but the Metros can't support him with runs. The Barrie Red Sox won the game by a 4-2 count.
Ermers went the distance and allowed 4 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits. He struck out 6 and didn't walk a batter. Unfortunately,
the Metros could only muster 2 hits to back him, with Andrew Sorochan and Joe Roach providing the offense. St.
Catharines' only error led to 3 of the Barrie runs.
In game 2, however, the Metros bats came
alive, as they collected 15 hits in an 8-1 victory over the Woodslee Orioles. Joe Roach had a double and 2 singles,
while Jason Rabjohn added three singles to lead the way for the Metros. Andrew Sorochan doubled twice and Brad Namtzu
doubled and singled, adding 2 RBI's. Jason Ermers collected 2 hits while Justin Czorny chipped in with a double.
Ian Horner was the beneficiary of all the offense, but didn't need it, as he tossed his best game of the season.
Carrying a no-hitter into the 5th, he finished up allowing a run on 3 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 8 in going
the distance.
The win over Woodslee meant a quarter-final
matchup with Simcoe County and it was one of the best games of the season. The Metros used the suicide squeeze in extra
innings, to pull out a 1-0 victory. St. Catharines were limited to 3 hits, but managed to load the bases in the
8th inning and with one out, Justin Czorny laid down the perfect bunt to score Brad Namtzu with the game's only run.
Brian Essery was, once again, awesome on the mound for St. Catharines thowing 7+ innings to earn the win. He allowed
0 runs on just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Eric DeBoer came in and shut the door in the 8th, stranding
the tying run on 3rd base, to pick up the save. Andrew Sorochan, Tim Collins and Jono Marcheterre collected the hits.
The semi-finals pitted St. Catharines
against Essex and the Metros came up with a 5-1 triumph. Jason Rabjohn went the distance on the hill, allowing a run
on just 4 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 3. The Metros banged out 7 hits in this one, with Justin Czorny contibuting
2 singles. Jason Ermers doubled, while Andrew Sorochan, Joe Roach, Tim Collins and Eric DeBoer added singles.
Roach had 2 RBI's while Sorochan and DeBoer added the others.
The win over Essex put the Metros in the
final against Burlington, and the two very tired teams played a great game with St. Catharines coming out on top by a
6-2 count. Jason Rabjohn started again, and allowed 0 runs and 2 hits, in his 2 innings of work. He then
turned it over to Eric DeBoer who finished the game and earned the win. In his 5 innings of relief, DeBoer allowed
2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 0 walks. He struck out 2. Meanwhile, the Metros offense was clicking as they
collected 11 hits. Jono Marcheterre led the way with 2 doubles and a single, while driving in a run. Brad
Namtzu and Joe Roach had 2 hits each with Namtzu driving in 2 runs and Roach 1. Andrew Sorochan added an RBI
single with other hits going to Justin Czorny (a double), DeBoer and Rabjohn. Marcheterre, who caught 4 of the
5 games in the tourney, was named tournament MVP on the strngth of his great game in the finals. Over the course
of the 5 games St. Catharines allowed just 8 runs and committed just 5 errors.
The Metros will have to get refocused
right away, as they return to regular COBA action on Monday night, with the Johnson Division title on the line.
They travel to Oakville to play the A's in a 7:30 start and go into the game with a 2 point lead over Dundas and Glanbrook
in the tight division race. The next home game is Thursday, when the Erindale Cardinals come to Community Park for a
7:30 game.
As if the previous "feel good" stories
weren't enough, this week...we have another one to add. Metros pitcher, Ryan Villers and his wife Marlena are very proud
to announce the birth of their newest "team member". Carson William Villers was born on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 5:20
P.M. Carson weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs. 2 oz., a good starting weight for a major league pitcher. In fact,
rumour has it that Ryan is insisting that Carson only use his left hand for the next few years. You can never have too
many lefthanded pitchers, right Ryan? By the way, both baby and mommy are doing well, and are already at home.
Of course, it goes without saying that the Metros are extremely happy and proud of the Villers' and their new addition.
Hopefully we'll see you all at the park in the near future.
We thought it would be a good idea to
bring you up to date with some ongoing happenings from off the diamond. This has been an extremely busy July, with all
of our regular season games and tournaments, so sometimes the really important stuff gets lost in the shuffle. Until
now, that is...
1. Congratulations to the Metros'
Jonathan Paul and brand new wife Sara, who tied the knot on Saturday July 21. Almost all of the Metros made it up to
Port Elgin for the celebration...which was beautiful. The couple got a perfect day, the ceremony and reception were
awesome, and the happy couple were handsome / beautiful, as always. There are a couple of pictures in our "Photo Album"
to document the event. Once again J.P. and Sara, congrats...the Metros couldn't be happier for you.
2. As some of you may know, Metros'
G.M., Mark Walters recently had the black cloud disappear, that was following him around all summer. This happened on
Friday, July 20, with the news that his daughter Kelly and son-in-law Gary finally brought their twins home from the hospital.
Reese and Nicholas Bolibruck were born on May 14, 2007...some 12 weeks premature. Immediately after being born
(at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby), they were rushed to Womens College Hospital in Toronto, where they remained
for 2 months. While there were some tough days and a lot of anxious moments for Kelly and Gary (as well as the rest
of us), the medical staff did a wonderful job and the babies responded. Finally, all the hard work and worry paid off
with their return home on Friday. The happy parents are absolutely thrilled...and you'll have a hard time getting
the smiles off of Grampa Mark's and Grandma Debbie's faces. There's a picture of the elated parents and their beautiful
babies in our "Photo Album".
3. The Metros are off to London
this weekend, to play in the annual Lakeside Lizards Invitational Tournament. The Metros meet the Barrie Red Sox at
1:00 and nemesis Woodslee Orioles at 3:30 on Saturday. The Metros beat Woodslee at the Oshawa Tourney but Woodslee
came back to even the series with a win at the Eliminations, 2 weeks ago. The top 2 teams will advance to a quarter-final
game on Sunday morning. The baseball will be great at this tourney, but the fun and comaraderie will be even better.
Good luck, boys.
Tim Collins matched a Metros team record,
as St. Catharines piled up 16 hits, in defeating the Brampton Battlecats 9-4 at Community Park on Monday night. Collins
collected 5 hits (tying a mark set 18 previous times) to lead the way for the hometowners.
For the fourth league game in a row, the
Metros had to dodge the rain in order to finish...as the game was delayed in starting for 35 minutes, and played in a light
but annoying drizzle. It was finally called after 8 innings, due to the 10:45 park curfew. The Battlecats held
a short-lived 2-0 lead after the top of the 1st, but St. Catharines roared back with 3 in their half of the 1st, and
5 more in the 2nd to take an 8-2 lead. They then coasted home, combining their 16 hits with 4 Brampton errors.
Ian Horner, making his 2nd start of the
season, picked up the win, despite walking 8 in his 5 innings of work. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on just 3 hits while
striking out 5. Eric DeBoer earned the save, based on his 3 inning stint in relief. He allowed 1 unearned
run on 0 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. Daniel Baird, the first of 3 Brampton pitchers, took the loss.
In addition to Collins' heroics with the
bat, the Metros got a mammoth 2-run homer and a double from Andrew Sorochan, as well as a double and 2 singles from Joe Roach.
Both players drove in 2. Rocco Spano added 3 RBI's with a double and single, while Jamie Robertson, Jono Marcheterre,
Brad Namtzu and Ryan Stewart added singles. Mike Benyo had a hit and 2 runs scored for Brampton.
With the win, St. Catharines strengthens
their hold on 1st place in the Johnson Division, moving to 14-7-1 on the season, 6 points ahead of Dundas and Glanbrook, who
are tied for 2nd. The Metros now, get a break until next Monday, when they travel to Oakville for a game
against the A's. In the meantime, the Nokona boys are off to participate in the Lakeside Lizards annual Invitational
Tourney, in London on the weekend. The next home game is Thursday, August 2nd, when the Erindale Cardinals come
to town for a 7:30 game.
For the second straight season, the Ken
Johnson Division All-Stars defeated the Len Andrews Division All-Stars in the annual C.O.B.A. Major League All-Star game.
This year, the final score was 4-3. The Johnson Division, which includes the St. Catharines Metros (as well as the Burlington
Brants, Dundas Chiefs, Glanbrook Grizzlies and Mississauga North Tigers) got a 3-run HR from Glanbrook's Chris Piano in the
top of the 9th to come from behind and win the game.
The Andrews Division team (made up of
All-Stars from the Etobicoke Rangers, Erindale Cardinals, Milton Red Sox, Oakville A's and Brampton Battlecats) tried to tie
it up in the bottom of the 9th, but came up short. St. Catharines' lefty pitcher Jason Ermers, got the start on the
mound for the Johnson team, going 2 shutout innings and allowing just one hit. Outfielder Andrew Sorochan was the other
representative from the Metros, going 0 for 2.
The home run derby was won by Marc Walton
of Oakville. Thanks go to Carlos and Fish, of the A's, for putting on this outstanding showcase for our league.
Back to the business at hand...the C.O.B.A.
Major League regular season. That continues tonight at Community Park, as the Brampton Battlecats come to town for a
7:30 tilt.
The St. Catharines Metros and Milton Red
Sox battled each other, and the rain last night at Community Park. And after all was said and done, the rain won.
The Metros and Red Sox had to settle for a 1-1 tie, in a game that was called in the 8th inning. The game started on
time, but a light drizzle started in the 3rd inning and continued until the 7th, when the skies opened up. But after
a 35 minute delay, the game resumed, and the two teams managed to play another inning before Mother Nature intervened once
more...this time for good.
The two starting pitchers were the stories
of the game, as the 2 teams managed just 4 hits apiece. Ian Zettle of the Red Sox went the distance (7 2/3 innings)
and allowed 1 run on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 2. In fact, Zettle carried a perfect game into the 6th,
before the Metros' Ryan Villers broke it up with a double. Dustin Turner was equally effective for St. Catharines, going
7 innings and allowing 3 hits and 1 unearned run. He walked 1 while striking out 6. Ian Horner pitched an
inning of relief, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1.
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the 5th
and held on until the 8th when St. Catharines managed to tie it up on Jono Marcheterre's one-out double and Tommi Paugh's
RBI single. The rains came with the Metros' potential lead run on third base with 2 out. The other hit for the
Nokona boys was a double from the bat of Tim Collins. Taylor Lawton had a single, walk, stolen base and a run scored
to lead the Milton attack.
The tie leaves the standings unchanged...St.
Catharines in 1st place in the Johnson Division at 13-7-1, while Milton remains in 3rd place in the Andrews Division at 10-8-2.
Next up is the C.O.B.A. Major League All-Star game in Oakville on Sunday. St. Catharines representatives are lefthanded
pitcher Jason Ermers and outfielder Andrew Sorochan. The Metros' next league game is Monday night at Community
Park in St. Catharines, against the Brampton Battlecats. Game time for that one is 7:30.
The St. Catharines Nokona Metros got two
outstanding pitching starts, played two nearly flawless defensive games, and once again, could not generate enough offense
to back the pitching and defense. The result was a very disappointing 2 games and out at the 2007 Elimination Tournament
in Windsor this past weekend. The Metros opened up the tourney on Thursday night with a 2-0 loss to the Woodslee Orioles, and followed that up with
a 3-2 loss to the East York Bulldogs, in what was a very tough draw for the Nokona boys.
In game one, the Metros ran into a buzz-saw
named John Picco of the Woodslee Orioles. Picco, a former New York Yankee farm-hand, threw 6 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball
before Andrew Sorochan got the Metros first and only hit of the game...a double. Picco walked 4, and struck out 11 in
the 7-inning contest which was over after an hour and 48 minutes. The hard-luck loser was Brian Essery, who absorbed
his first loss of the season after 5 wins. Essery was almost as brilliant as Picco, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, while
walking 1 and striking out 9. Jason Helps' solo home run was the only offense the Orioles would need. Neither
team made an error.
The second game proved to be all too similar
for St. Catharines. After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st, the Metros could only muster an unearned run in the
6th to bring their total to 2 runs against East York. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, after being held scoreless by Jason Ermers,
began to chip away, scoring a run in each of the 5th, 6th and 7th innings to win 3-2. EY's Shawn Leah was the culprit
in this one, going the distance on the mound and contributing a triple at the plate. Leah allowed the Metros just 4
hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4. As mentioned the Metros starter, Jason Ermers, was also very effective, going
the distance for the tough-luck loss. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6.
It was the 3rd straight game in which Ermers has allowed only 3 runs, but still lost. Joe Roach doubled and singled
while Jonathan Paul and Tim Collins added singles to account for the Metros offense.
In the end, it was the powerful Oshawa
Royals who defeated the Tecumseh Thunder 8-3 in the fianls, to become the 2007 Ontario Senior Baseball Champions.
The Metros would like to send out congratulations to Ryan McBride and the rest of the Royals on their victory, as well as
best wishes in representing Ontario at the Canadian Championships in Quebec City in August.
St. Catharines returns to league action
this week, with one game. That one has the Milton Red Sox travelling to the Garden City on Thursday night, for a 7:30
start at Community Park. The two teams have split their 2 games thus far in 2007. See you Thursday!
The St. Catharines Metros had one final
practice Monday night and are preparing to head off to Windsor for the Ontario Elimination Tournament, this weekend.
The "Elims", as we all lovingly call them, are the Ontario Senior "A" Championships, and the winner of the 4-day event will
represent Ontario at the Canadian Championships in early August, in Quebec. Actually, because the province of Ontario
has so many teams competing for this title (20), the runner-up will also be invited to Canadians, although they will not received
funding for the trip, from the O.B.A.
The Metros' first game will be Thursday
night at 8:15 in Woodslee, against the Woodslee - St. Clair Orioles. The Metros have their work cut out for them in
this one, as the two teams (Woodslee & St. Clair) joined forces in the off-season to make one very strong club.
The Metros did defeat them earlier this year at the Oshawa Tourney. The winner or loser of the game will go on to face
the winner/loser of another very strong matchup - C.O.B.A.'s Erindale Cardinals and the East York Bulldogs. St. Catharines
has split two games with Erindale this year, but haven't met East York in 4 years.
It should be a great weekend of baseball...the
eventual champions emerging on Sunday with 6 wins behind them. By the way, the Metros are starting Brian Essery (5-0 this year) in the first
game. Good luck to all the C.O.B.A. teams competing, and a special good luck to the St. Catharines Metros.
The St. Catharines Metros and Etobicoke
Rangers played a doubleheader in Etobicoke on Sunday, with first place in the COBA Major Baseball League on the line.
And when it was over, the Rangers had emerged with a sweep...by scores of 8-1 and 9-8, giving them a stranglehold on the Anson
Buck Trophy. The games were played in a persistent, on and off drizzle, turning the doubleheader into a test of endurance.
The Rangers came out blazing in game 1,
as they got to Metros starter Ryan Villers in the 3rd inning, putting up 5 runs on 6 hits. They then added 3 more against
reliever Graham Bailey to put the game on ice in the 4th. Jason Rabjohn finished up on the mound for St. Catharines,
allowing 0 runs on 5 hits. In all, the Rangers outhit the Metros 14-3 in game 1. St. Catharines' only
run came in the 7th, when Jonathan Paul led off with a double, and scored on a Klaus Gantner Sac Fly. Jono Marcheterre
and Justin Czorny added singles for the Nokona boys.
Game 2 was a much different story, although
the result was the same. The Metros came out hitting, and scored 3 in the 1st and 4 in the 2nd to take a 7-0 lead.
Etobicoke narrowed the gap to 7-5 in the 3rd, before St. Catharines made it 8-5 in the 5th. But the Rangers scored 4
runs, with 2 out, in the bottom of the final inning to come from behind and earn a 9-8 win. Daniel Jagdeo's pinch-double
and Mike Mokiry's RBI single provided the winning margin.
Jonathan Paul, the 2nd of 3 Metros hurlers,
took the loss, allowing 4 runs on 3 hits, in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Starter Ian Horner pitched the first 3 innings
and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits. Justin Czorny finished up. Offensively, the big man was Paul, who collected 3 hits
and 4 RBI's. Joe Roach added 3 more hits, while Jono Marcheterre added an RBI single and Tim Collins a single, an RBI
and 2 runs. Ryan Villers added an RBI for St. Catharines, as well.
The 2 wins give Etobicoke a 16-4 record
and a 3 game lead in the overall COBA Major standings, while St. Catharines drops to 13-7, still good enough
for 1st place in the Johnson Division, 3 points ahead of Dundas. The Metros, now, take a break from the COBA schedule,
as they travel to Windsor on Thursday, to compete in the Ontario Senior Elimination Tournament. We'll have more information
on this tourney later this week.
The St. Catharines Nokona Metros moved
to within half a game of the overall lead in the COBA Major Baseball League, last night, with a convincing 12-2 victory over
the Oakville A's at Community Park. The wildness of the Oakville pitching staff (11 walks and 3 hit batters) combined
with the timely hitting of the Metros, allowed the home team to score 12 runs on just 11 hits. The Metros committed
3 of the game's 4 errors. Oakville held an early 1-0 lead before the Metros tied it in the 3rd. But the game ended
up being called in the 8th inning due to the 10-run league mercy rule, after St. Catharines scored 6 in the 4th
and 5 in the 8th.
The winning pitcher was Brian Essery,
who improved to 5-0 on the season. Essery went 6 innings and allowed 6 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) while walking 2 and
striking out 5. Dustin Turner pitched the final 2 innings, allowing 1 hit while striking out 4. Julian Richards
took the loss on the mound for the A's.
Brad Namtzu doubled, singled and drove
in 2 runs to lead the way, offensively, for the home team, while Tim Collins contributed a pair of singles and 3 RBI's.
Justin Czorny added a pair of hits and an RBI while Joe Roach, Jonathan Paul, Ryan Stewart and Jono Marcheterre all chipped
in with RBI singles. Klaus Gantner had the other Metros hit. Steve Williamson hit a double for Oakville.
With the win, the Metros improve to 13-5
on the season and move to within a half game of the overall lead in the COBA Major league behind the 13-4 Etobicoke Rangers.
And the 2 teams meet this Sunday in Etobicoke for a doubleheader, which will go a long way toward determining the COBA regular
season Champioship. The first game of the double dip at Connorvale Park begins at noon.
Mother nature has been pretty good to
the Metros this season. That is...until Wednesday night. For the first time in 2007, the Metros have been postponed
from a regularly scheduled game, as they got rained out in Burlington. No make up date has been scheduled, as of
yet. The Metros return to action tonight, as they host the Oakville A's in their regular Thursday night extravaganza.
Game time at Community Park is set for 7:30.
The St. Catharines Metros would just like
to take a moment to congratulate Andrew and Ashlee on their recent nuptuals. The two tied the knot on Sunday, July 1st
in Oakville, where the weather was perfect, the wedding was beautiful and the party was awesome. Mr. and Mrs. Sorochan
are now in Jamaica and expect to be back just in time for Eliminations in a couple of weeks. Please check out the pictures
from the wedding in our Photo Album. Once again, guys...congrats!
Check out ourShowcase Filmfor the period of August 23 to September 7.
Just scroll
to the bottom of this page and press "Play".
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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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Thank You to our corporate sponsor - HunMar and Associates. We appreciate your support!
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Niagara Metros Bi-Weekly "Baseball Film
Feature"
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This week on
our "Baseball Film Feature", we are taking you back to February of 2008...and looking at the testimony that
got Roger Clemens in so much trouble. If you missed it, on August 19th a U.S. federal grand jury indicted Roger
Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The 19-page indictment charges Clemens with three counts of
making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony before the House Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform. According to the United States attorney's office, Clemens faces a maximum sentence of
30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but under the current sentencing guidelines, a conviction would likely bring 15-21
months.
So what was it that he said that got the U.S. Congress so steamed? We have it for you right here.
Just press play, and judge for yourself...was Roger lying??
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.
