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Saturday, June 28, 2008
METROS - A'S WEATHER CURSE CONTINUES
If you're a farmer, and you're ever in
need of some rain to help your crops grow, just schedule a ball game between the Oakville A's and the St. Catharines Metros.
For the 8th straight time, going back 3 seasons (that's right, we counted) Mother Nature has struck either before, or during
a game involving the two teams. This time it forced cancellation of the A's - Metros doubleheader, scheduled for Community
Park on Saturday. No makeup date has been set, yet. Next up for St. Catharines is a road game in Dundas on Monday
evening, weather permitting. Game time at Volunteer Field is 7:30.
Friday, June 27, 2008
NIXON, PAUL LEAD METROS TO VICTORY
The roller-coaster season of the 2008
St. Catharines Metros hit another high point, last night at Community Park. The Metros got their usual great pitching
and defence, but they also got a couple of key 2-out hits (something they've been lacking all year), as they defeated the
Dundas Chiefs 5-2, in a very well-played and entertaining game.
The two teams battled into the 7th
inning tied at 2, but the Metros' Jonathan Paul delivered a bases-loaded triple, with two out in the bottom of the 7th to
cash the margin of victory for the home team. Before that, the two pitchers, Fabio Del Rio for the Chiefs and Rob Nixon
for the Metros, dominated the game. Del Rio took the loss, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing 6 hits and 5 runs.
Nixon was in control most of the game, pitching into the 9th inning, and picking up his 2nd win of the year. He allowed
2 runs on 4 hits while walking 6 and striking out 7. Hard-throwing T.J. Tavender came in to close it out in the
9th, picking up the save. Tavender allowed a walk and struck out 1.
In addition to Paul's big hit, the Metros
also got 2 big RBI doubles, courtesy of Tim Collins and Joe Roach. Justin Czorny added a double and a single while
Ryan Langdon rounded out the offense with a single. Neil Campbell had an RBI single for Dundas.
With
the win, the Metros vault past two teams into 2nd place in the tight Johnson Division standings, with a record of 7-4.
The Chiefs drop to 3rd at 7-6. There is no rest on the horizon for St. Catharines over the next week or so. Up
next is a doubleheader on Saturday versus the Oakville A's at Community Park. First game gets underway at noon.
Monday, June 23, 2008
FRUSTRATION IN OSHAWA
If baseball games were decided based only
on what the team did in the field, the St. Catharines Metros would be in good shape. But unfortunately, the team's achilles
heel...the offense...let them down once again in Oshawa, this past weekend. As a result, the Metros played three very
good games but couldn't win any of them, going 0-3 and bowing out of the tourney on Saturday.
In Friday's first game, the Metros' starting
pitcher, Dustin Turner, put on quite a display, striking out 14 Newmarket Hawks in his 7-inning complete game effort.
However, the Hawks put up 5 runs in the 6th inning, to break up a 1-1 tie, and win the game 6-1. The big hit was a 3-run
triple by Mike Zorzit, only the 4th Newmarket hit, on the game. Turner, allowed 6 runs (only 3 earned) on 4 hits and
2 walks, to go with his 14 K's. Andrew Sorochan collected a pair of singles and the RBI, while Justin Czorny and Rocco
Spano added one hit each.
On Saturday morning, the Metros suffered
much the same fate, as they once again managed just 4 hits, and lost to the Kingston Ponies 3-1. Rob Nixon was the stater
and loser in this one, as he went 4+ innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits. He walked 5 and struck out 4. Reliever,
Ian Horner, came into a bases-loaded, nobody out situation and slammed the door, to keep the Metros in the game. Horner
pitched 3 innings of relief, allowing 0 runs on 0 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3. Rocco Spano hit an RBI double, while
Brad Namtzu added a pair of singles. Jonathan Paul also singled for St. Catharines.
With no chance of advancing to the playoff
round, the Metros then faced the 5-time Ontario Champion Windsor Stars, on Saturday afternoon. And the Metros did
give the Stars all they could handle, pushing the game to extra innings, before succumbing, by a score of 6-2. St. Catharines
got another fine start, this time by lefty Jason Ermers, who went 5 innings, and held the powerful Stars to 2 runs.
Ermers scattered 8 hits, but didn't walk a batter, while striking out 2. Reliever Dan Estey took the
loss, giving up the four 8th-inning runs. Estey went 2 1/3 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks, striking
out 1. Taylor Boyle finished up, walking 1 and striking out 1. St. Catharines managed 9 hits in this one, but
were unable to get the big hit with runners in scoring position. Brad Namtzu, Justin Czorny, and Tim Collins collected
a pair of singles each, while Andrew Sorochan doubled. Ryan Langdon had an RBI single and Joe Roach chipped in with
another single.
The Metros get back to C.O.B.A.
Major League action this week, in a big way. They host the Dundas Chiefs in their regular Thursday night home game,
which starts at 7:30. They will then have the Oakville A's come to town on Saturday, for a scheduled doubleheader.
The first game starts at 12:00 noon. Of course, all of the games are at Community Park.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
METROS UNVEIL "HAP" WALTERS TOURNEY DIVISIONS AND SCHEDULE
The St. Catharines Metros are proud to
unveil the field and schedule for the 2008 "Hap" Walters Senior Baseball Challenge. This 5th annual event has become
one of the top tournaments on the Ontario Senior schedule, each year.
The Metros are pleased that, once again,
a very strong field has entered the tournament, which takes place in St. Catharines and Thorold, on the weekend of July 18-20.
Please click on the link entitled "Hap" Walters Tourney (to the left of this page), for all the details. The divisonal
format, schedule, and tournament rules are posted on that page.
Once again, Tournament Convenor, Mark
Walters, would like to thank all of the teams that have entered the event and wishes everyone the best of luck. See
you next month.
SPEAKING OF TOURNAMENTS...
The Metros practice this evening at Community
Park, in preparation for the Oshawa Invitational Tourney, which begins on Friday. The Metros find themselves in another
strong competition, with their division featuring the Newmarket Hawks, the Kingston Ponies, and the Windsor Stars...3 of the
top teams in the province. The Metros meet Newmarket Friday night at 8:30 in Clarington, before playing two games on
Saturday...11:00 in Clarington versus Kingston and 5:30 at Kinsmen Stadium against the Stars. This tournament will be
a great measuring stick for the Metros, in finding out where they are, and how far they still have to go.
ONE MORE THING...
If you need a laugh, we've got the prescription.
Combine wacky Japanese game shows and baseball, and what do you get? You get our featured baseball clip for this week.
Shown in its orginal Japanese form...you'll find it doesn't need subtitles. Funny is funny.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
METROS WIN BIG IN ERINDALE
Will the real St. Catharines Metros please
stand up? After one of their poorest performances of the season last Thursday at home, the Metros played probably their
best game of the year, last night against the powerful Erindale Cardinals. The result was a 9-1 victory for the
visitors.
Every player in the Metros lineup contributed
at least one hit, and they powered out 6 for extra bases, in out-hitting the Cardinals 15-6 on the game. And
the 3 St. Catharines pitchers shut down one of the best offensive teams in the league. Starter and winner Jason
Ermers was his usual stingy self, allowing 6 hits and one un-earned run. He walked one and struck out 8, in his
6 innings of work. Ian Horner pitched the 7th and 8th innings and was flawless, striking out 2...while T.J. Tavender pitched
an overpowering 9th, also striking out 2. The losing pitcher was the starter, John DeWolfe.
The Metros struck early in this one, putting
up a 5-spot in the 1st, with the big blow being a 3-run homer by Joe Roach. The Cards narrowed it to 5-1 in the 3rd,
but the Metros added singles in the 5th and 7th, before putting up 2 in the 9th. In addition to Roach's game-winning
HR, St. Catharines got a double, 2 singles, and an RBI from Ryan Langdon, while Jonathan Paul homered and singled.
Jono Marcheterre doubled and singled, driving in 2, while Tim Collins and Brad Namtzu (RBI) singled twice. Rocco Spano
and Andrew Sorochan each doubled and Justin Czorny added a single.
The loss leaves Erindale with a 6-5 record
and in 2nd place in the Andrews Division, while St. Catharines improves to 6-4, putting them into a tie with Dundas for 2nd
in the Johnson Division. The Metros now, will prepare for the Oshawa Invitational Tourney, this weekend. There
will be no regular Thursday night home game this week, as the team will practice...in preparation for their first tournament
game on Friday evening in Clarington, versus the Newmarket Hawks. Best of luck, boys!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
CONGRATULATIONS, ROCCO AND MELISSA
The St. Catharines Metros would like to
take this opportunity to congratulate Rocco Spano and his lovely new wife, Melissa, on their marriage, which took place on
Saturday. The always-dapper Mr. Spano looked dashing in his tuxedo and white vest, while the former Melissa Candeloro
was absolutely stunning in her white satin wedding gown.
The ceremony took place in the young couple's
back yard, with about 50 family and friends in attendance. There were a number of pictures taken, which we hope to have
posted in our Metros "Photo Album", sometime later this week.
The food was great, the drinks were plentiful
and the weather was perfect. A great time was had by all! Once again, congrats, guys.
Friday, June 13, 2008
BRANTS HUMBLE METROS TO TAKE DIVISION LEAD
The Burlington Brants defeated the St.
Catharines Metros just about every way possible, last night at Community Park, emerging with a 7-0 victory. The Brants
pitchers allowed just 5 Metros hits and committed a single error (compared to 3 for St. Catharines) and scored in 4 different
innings. But the Metros inactivity over the last couple of weeks was most evident on the mound, where the 3 hurlers
combined to allow 12 walks on the game, creating a total of 21 Brants baserunners.
No such problems existed for long-time
Metros-killer, Chris Cooney, the starting and winning pitcher for Burlington. He threw 7 shutout innings and allowed
just 4 singles, and 1 walk while striking out 7. Metros starter, Rob Nixon, took the loss, going 5 innings and allowing
6 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) while striking out 3. Taylor Boyle pitched 2 innings of relief and allowed one run
on one hit, striking out 4. Dan Estey finished up allowing 2 hits and an unearned run...also striking out 4.
Matt McGraw was a one-man offense for
the Brants...collecting 3 hits, 3 stolen bases, an RBI and 4 Runs Scored. Veteran, Rocco Spano led the Metros with a
double and a single in 3 official at bats. Jonathan Paul also collected 2 hits, while Jono Marcheterre added a single.
The Metros were unable to get a runner as far as 3rd base in the game.
With the win the Brants go to 7-3 on the
season, and take over 1st place in the Johnson Division. The Metros drop to 3rd place (behind the Dundas Chiefs) with
a 5-4 mark. The team now gets the weekend off to re-group, before taking on the offensive machine known as the
Erindale Cardinals on Monday night in Mississauga. That's the last game prior to the Oshawa Royals Invitational Tourney
on the weekend of June 20-22.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
LOTS OF BASEBALL COMING UP...
The St. Catharines Metros are heading
into a very heavy part of their schedule during these remaining days of June...beginning this Thursday. The Metros host
the new-look Burlington Brants in their regular Thusday night home game this week, at Community Park. Metros' young
ace, Rob Nixon, is expected to get the start in the 7:30 tilt. The Metros, then, head to Erindale on Monday, for a battle
with the hard-hitting Cardinals, before travelling to Oshawa to attend the Oshawa Royals Annual Tournament on the weekend
of June 20-22. In all, the Metros could have up to 11 games in the remaining 20 days of June.
By
the way...
We've added some new pictures to our "Photo
Gallery" here at metrosbaseball.ca. A few random shots of our earlier season games, a little feature on a Dan
Estey (who's efforts we appreciate), and a couple of pictures from Todd Erskine's recent baseball vacation to New York
City. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
METROS RESCHEDULE DOUBLEHEADER WITH ETOBICOKE
The St. Catharines Metros and Etobicoke
Rangers have re-scheduled their doubleheader, that was rained out last Saturday, May 31st, in St. Catharines. Due to
the lack of weekend open dates at Community Park, the two teams have decided to play two 9-inning single games.
The first one will be played on Thursday,
July 10th, and the second one will be played Thursday, August 7th. Both games will be played at Community Park at 7:30.
By the way, the July 10th game will be
the first of what turns out to be a home-and-home set with the Rangers. The Metros were previously scheduled to play
at Connorvale on Friday, July 11. It should be a great two-game mini-series.
Friday, June 6, 2008
RED SOX WIN WITH LATE GAME HEROICS
The Milton Red Sox and St. Catharines
Metros played the most entertaining game of the season, last night at Community Park, and in the end the Red Sox had one more
"big play" in their arsenal than the Metros. The result was a 4-3 Milton victory.
The Metros were their own worst enemy
early on, committing 3 errors that led directly to Milton's first two runs. The score remained 2-0 until the 7th, when Justin
Czorny drove in the Metros first run. They then tied it in the 8th on an RBI single by Ryan Langdon. But
the Red Sox scored two in the top of the 9th, and then hung on as the Metros scored once again in the bottom of the 9th, and
with the tying run on 3rd and two out, Milton rightfielder Jeff Young made a diving catch to preserve the win.
Red Sox shortstop, Taylor Lawton was a thorn
in the side for the Metros, collecting 4 hits and an RBI. But the big hit for Milton came off the bat of pinch-hitter,
Marc Scrignoli, who drove in the 2 9th-inning runs. Scrignoli's hit made a winner of Mike Grabauskas, who came
on in relief of starter Derek Howe. Howe pitched very well, throwing 6 innings of shutout ball allowing just 4 hits.
The loser was the Metros' 4th pitcher
of the game, T.J. Tavender, who allowed 2 runs on 3 hits. Starter, Jason Ermers pitched very effectively, also going
6 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 6 hits. He walked 0 and struck out 7. Rob Nixon pitched the 7th, walking
2 and striking out 1, while Ian Horner made his first appearance of the year, striking out the side in the 8th.
In addition to the RBI singles from Czorny
and Langdon, the Metros got hits from Tim Collins, Joe Roach, Rocco Spano, Jono Marcheterre, and Justin Montgomery.
Jonathan Paul had an RBI groundout.
The Metros now get a week off before returning
to Community Park next Thursday, as they host the new-look Burlington Brants. Game time for that one is 7:30.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
IN HONOUR OF OUR OWN MR. BOYLE
We have posted a new "Feature Film"
at the bottom of our home page, for the weeks of June 4 to June 17. And, in honour of our young pitcher, Taylor Boyle
(whom we affectionately refer to as "Tanner"), we have picked out a little piece about the 1976 movie..."The Bad News Bears".
For those of you that are too young
to remember the original movie, (the re-make, with Billy Bob Thornton, doesn't compare), it is a story about a group of misfit
kids, who were terrible ball players...but under the tutelage of their coach, a drunken ex-major leaguer (played perfectly
by Walter Matthau), the team gels...and challenges for the league title. The reason that this is a tribute to our Mr. Boyle, is
that our favourite character in the movie, a foul-mouthed, ill-mannered, 11-year old shortstop is named "Tanner Boyle"...hence
Taylor's nickname.
The little 5-minute movie tells
you about the impact of the movie in 1976, and where the young kids are now, that played some of the key roles. And
as always, the film feature ends with one of our favourite lines from any baseball movie...courtesy of "Tanner Boyle".
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
METROS BEAT RAIN...AND A'S
There are three things you can count on...death,
taxes, and rain during a Metros - A's game. It happened again, last night, as the skies opened up with St. Catharines
batting in the top of the 7th, leading by a score of 6-1. That turned out to be the final score, as the game was called,
some 15 minutes later.
The Metros played one of their better
games of the season and were full value for the victory, outhitting Oakville 11-3 and playing errorless ball behind Dustin
Turner. Turner went the distance allowing the run on 3 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 7...to improve to 2-1 on
the young season. Lefty, Mike Chisamore took the loss.
The Metros trailed 1-0 after 2 innings,
but batted around in the 3rd to score 3, and added 3 more in the 4th. The highlight of the game was a monster 2-run
homer by Justin Czorny, that hit the rightfield light standard, about 10 feet from the top. Rocco Spano collected a
double and a single, driving in 2, while Joe Roach added a pair of hits and an RBI for St. Catharines. Tim Collins added
an RBI single, while Ryan Langdon, Jonathan Paul, Andrew Sorochan, Brad Namtzu, and Wade Hill all added singles...as every
batter in the Metros lineup collected at least one hit. Matt Griffin doubled for Oakville.
The win is the 3rd in a row for St. Catharines,
and improved their mark to 5-2 on the young season...good for first place in the Johnson Division. With the loss, the
A's drop to 3-5-1. Next up for the Metros is a home game on Thursday night against the always tough Milton Red Sox.
Starting time at Community Park is 7:30.
|
|
. 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 our Showcase Film for the period of February 13 to February 27.
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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