With the Senior "A" Elimination Tourney just around the corner, the St. Catharines Metros picked a good time to get a bad game out of their system.  The Glanbrook Grizzlies came to town on Monday night and humbled the home team by a 7-1 count.  Despite the loss, St. Catharines still hold a healthy 3 1/2 game lead over the Milton Red Sox, in the Johnson Division pennant race. 

The Grizz, who played a very good game, took advantage of some very shoddy Metros defense (scoring 4 unearned runs, after St. Catharines committed 5 errors), and got some timely hits to score their 7 runs.  Both teams used multiple pitchers in preparation for the big tourney, this coming weekend.

The winning pitcher was the 2nd of 4 Grizz pitchers, Mike Grilli, who tossed 2 innings of 2-hit ball.  Andrew Page, Mike Czerwieniek, and Ryan Colling also pitched for Glanbrook.  The Metros used 9 pitchers - one each inning - with the 2nd pitcher, Ian Horner taking the loss.  Horner allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits and a walk.  He struck out 1.  Starter Dustin Turner allowed a hit and a walk in his inning, while Brian Essery, Chris Magarian, T.J. Tavender, Eric DeBoer, Dan Estey, Steve Baldinelli, and Justin Czorny also threw an inning each.  They combined to allow 3 runs (all unearned), on 4 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 8.

Glanbrook, who totaled 8 hits in the game) got 3 hits from Bill Lawrence, and a long double from Cory Morrison to lead the way at the plate.  St. Catharines came up with 7 hits, and were led by Justin Czorny with 3 singles.  Joe Roach doubled while Jono Marcheterre added an RBI single.  Other singles came from the bats of Brad Namtzu, and Jonathan Paul.

The Metros, with the exception of one practice on Thursday, are off until the Elims weekend.  They open the tournament on Friday evening at 8:00, against the Martingrove White Sox of the GTBL.  That game will be played at Emslie Field, in St. Thomas.  The next game will be Saturday morning, against either Leaside or Oshawa, at the Byron Recreational Complex.  The tournament is a 22-team event, with the winner being crowned on Monday afternoon at Labatt Park.  That winning team will then travel to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to represent Ontario at the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships, on August 20th.  The Windsor Stars are the defending Ontario Champions.  Best of luck, Metros!

While Niagara was basking in a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon, the Metros players and coaches brought their black cloud with them to Burlington, and forced cancellation of the C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game.  The team drove right into the teeth of a vicious storm (if you saw the Canadian Open "hi-lights", you know what we mean) at about 11:15, and other than the league meeting that took place in the Brants' dressing room, everything else went by the wayside.

In the meantime, the Metros are going to try and get one more game in, before leaving for the Senior "A" Elimination Tournament, on the weekend.  That game is scheduled for tonight, at Community Park, with the Glanbrook Grizzlies providing the opposition.  First pitch is at 7:30.

Hey, check out our new Baseball "Film of the Week", this week.  It is an absolutley hilarious "Dance off" during a rain delay in the Big East Baseball Tournament...between USF and UConn.  Apparently college kids still know how to have fun.  Scroll to the bottom of the page, and press "Play".

Finally, with the 2008 season recap being completed last week, the 25th Anniversary "Metros History in Words and Pictures", will take a hiatus, until after the '09 season is complete.  You can't write the story, until the history is written.  We do have some plans in place, however, for something special (regarding our 25th Anniversary celebration) during the month of August.  Stay tuned for further announcements about this event, as the date gets closer.

See you at the park tonight.   

As mentioned earlier in the week, the Metros were scheduled for their weekly rainout Thursday, and Mother Nature delivered, as planned.  The heavy overnight and morning rainfall made Community Park a swamp...forcing postponement of their game with the Dundas Chiefs.  The game will be made up on Thursday, August 13th, as the Erindale Cardinals, who were scheduled to play on that evening, graciously allowed the Chiefs to take their spot.  The Cardinals will come to town on Wednesday, August 5th, instead.  Please check the "Schedule" page for all of the updates and re-scheduled games for the remainder of the season.


ALSO...

The website will feature a couple of updates by Friday afternoon.  We have posted the up-to-date Metros stats, to include the "Hap" Walters Tournament, as well as the "shoot-out in Erindale", last night.  Click on "Standings / Stats" to see them.  On Friday, we expect to have posted, a few photos that were taken during the "Hap Walters Tourney" over the weekend.  Click on "Photo Album" to see some great shots taken by Debbie Walters.

Oh, and don't forget...Metromania is Saturday, July 25 after 4:00.  The venue is Coach Hedder's home.  BYOB, and bring your better half...the "Belly Flop Event" will go sometime after 7:00 PM.  Should be a good one!  And before we wrap up, a reminder that the C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game is Sunday, at Nelson Park in Burlington.  The HR derby gets underway around noon, with the game itself (between the Andrews and Johnson Division All-Stars) starting at 1:00.

In a game reminiscent of the "aluminum bat era" of 1991, the St. Catharines Metros and Erindale Cardinals combined for 32 hits and 5 HR's, as the Metros emerged with a 13-11 win, at Cardinal Field, last night.  It was the 3rd win for the Metros over the 1st place Cards this season, and put them back within striking distance of the overall Central Ontario Major Baseball League pennant.

The Metros struck first, and held leads of 3-0, 5-2, and 9-4, before putting up a 4-spot in the top of the 9th, to take a 13-6 lead.  But it turned out that they would need all of those runs, as the Cardinals scored 5 in the bottom of the 9th, and left the tying run on 2nd when the game ended.  

The Metros collected a season-high 19 hits, including 3 HR's, a triple, and 3 doubles...while Erindale pounded out 13 hits of their own, including 2 HR's by Geoff Cullen.  Not to be outdone, the Metros' Steve Baldinelli also crashed 2 HR's, and added a pair of singles for a 4-hit night.  Justin Czorny also homered, and added a double and a single, while Jonathan Paul chipped in with 3 hits (including a double), and Aaron Butler singled 3 times.  Joe Roach and Andrew Sorochan singled twice each, while Brad Namtzu tripled, and Rocco Spano doubled.  Baldinelli also set a career mark with 5 RBI's in the game, and Sorochan had 3.  Paul, Spano, Czorny, and Butler all added single RBI's.

T.J. Tavender started on the mound for St. Catharines and pitched very well for the win, to improve his record to 5-1.  He went 7 innings, and allowed 4 runs (3 earned), on 6 hits, walking 3 and striking out 5.  Chris Magarian relieved in the 8th, and went 1 + innings, allowing 5 runs (2 earned), on 3 hits.  He walked 1 and struck out 2.  Justin Czorny finished up, and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) and 3 hits...striking out 1.  John DeWolfe, the Cardinal starter went 6 innings and took the loss.  The Metros committed 5 errors in the game, leading to 5 unearned Erindale runs.

With the win, St. Catharines' record improves to 14-6, extending their lead in the Johnson Division to 5 games, and moving to within 1 1/2 games of the 18-7 Cardinals for the overall COMBL lead.  The Metros are scheduled to play at home this evening, but the overnight rains that pounded Niagara, are making that game look tenuous at best.  If it is rained out, the next one on the schedule is Monday, July 27th at Community Park, against the Glanbrook Grizzlies.  First pitch is at 7:30. 

With the 2009 "Hap" Walters Tournament now in the rearview mirror, the St. Catharines Metros get back to the business at hand...the C.O.M.B.L. regular season.  And the team has another busy week upcoming, that we have to tell you about. 

But before we do, we must tie up a few loose ends from the "Hap", in the form of thank yous.  First of all, we have to thank the City of St. Catharines and all the hard work from the Parks Department...the workers, supervisors, and the schedulers for their work over the weekend.  Especially when the rain hit us on Friday, and made a mess of the parks.  Special thanks to Chris Nye, and Val French for their help with getting the tournament in.  Also, "Thanks to Dave Akrigg and the guys at the City of Thorold", for their work at McMillan Park.

Thanks also to Nancy and Dayle Legros, and all the umpires that worked the tournament.  Some of you worked 4 / 5 games over the weekend, and despite that, you did a great job.  Your contributions are appreciated.  Thanks.

We also have to mention the countless hours put in by our convenors...Graham Bailey, Carey Spiece, and Todd Erskine.  You guys made sure everything ran smoothly, at all of the parks, and did a great job keeping things on an "even keel".  And while we're mentioning volunteers, we also have to give thanks to Sandi Hedden, and Debbie Walters for their work in the Resfreshment Garden at Community Park.  Again, countless hours of sacrifice for the betterment of the tourney...we appreciate it.  And a "pat on the back" to the Metros players and their "better halves"...who helped out on the grill, the setup and tear down, serving the people in the garden, the beer and ice runs, and the moving of food and drink "to and fro".  Thanks to all.

Finally, a big "thank you" to all the teams.  As we mentioned at the top of our story from yesterday, this was one of the best played tourneys in the history of "The Hap".  And we have the teams to thank for that.  Thanks to the coaches, as well, for their patience and help during our rain issues on Friday.  All in all, we believe it was a successful weekend, and we hope you all agree.


NOW, TO THE BUSINESS AT HAND...

The Metros continue their busy schedule this week, with a couple of games.  Wednesday night, the club travels to Erindale Cardinal Field (9th Line), to take on the 1st Place Cardinals at 7:30.  Then the Metros return for their regular rainout...er, home game, on Thursday night, as the Dundas Chiefs come to town.  Game time at Community Park is 7:30.

Also up on the weekend...the 22nd Annual "Metromania" summer bash, at Coach Hedder's home.  This "do not miss" event begins at about 4:00, and is a BYOB affair.  We hope all the Metros players, and their wives, girlfriends, sisters, mistresses, boyfriends, etc. can make it. 

To conclude the busy week, the C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game is on Sunday.  This year's game will be held at Nelson Park in Burlington, with a HR derby beginning at noon.  The game (between the Johnson Division All Stars, and the Andrews Division All Stars) will begin shortly after the derby.  See you there.

Last but not least, here at the website, we have updated the "25th Anniversary" page.  Now you can read about the Metros' 2008 season in detail.  At the end of the '07 story, we told you that some big changes were happening within the Metros, and the team was re-dedicating itself.  How did these changes play out on the field?  Click on "25 Anniversary" and "2008" to find out.  

In one of the best-played tournaments in recent memory, the Windsor Stars scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th (and final) inning to eke out a 2-1 win over the St. Catharines Metros, to claim the title of the "Hap" Walters Tournament for 2009.  The Stars and Metros played two great games in the tourney with St. Catharines nipping Windsor 1-0 during round-robin play on Saturday.  The semi-finals on Sunday featured the Pool "A" winning Metros, versus the Pool "C" winning Leaside Leafs, while the Pool "B" champs, the Markham Pioneers, faced off against the "Wild Card" winning Stars.  The Metros beat Leaside 5-4, while Windsor knocked off Markham 4-1, to advance to the finals.  Here are the details on all 5 of the Metros games during the tourney.

Game 1          St. Catharines - 4   Burlington - 2

In game 1, the Metros met league-mates, the Burlington Brants...and although they outhit them 15-6, the Metros had trouble converting the hits into runs, against the pesky Brants.  Dan Estey picked up the win in relief of starter Ian Horner, while Justin Czorny came on in the 7th, to snuff out a bases-loaded nobody-out rally, to earn the save.  Horner went 4 2/3 innings, and allowed 1 run on just 2 hits, while walking 3 and striking out 3.  Estey pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on 5 hits.  He walked 1 and struck out 2.  Czorny picked up 2 K's in his flawless inning of relief.

Rocco Spano had a perfect 4 for 4 day (all singles) at the plate for St. Catharines, while Brad Namtzu added 3 singles and 2 RBI's.  Jono Marcheterre added a double, single and RBI, and Tim Collins had a pair of hits and an RBI.  Czorny doubled, while Joe Roach, Andrew Sorochan, and Steve Baldinelli rounded out the offense with singles.  Greg MacDonald had a big RBI single to tie the game for the Brants in the 6th inning, before the Metros scored 2 in the 7th, to take the lead back, and then held on to win.

Game 2          St. Catharines - 1   Windsor Stars - 0

St. Catharines' game 2 matchup was the "pitching duel" of the tournament, as the Metros' Brian Essery met the Stars' John Picco.  And the veteran Essery turned back the clock, as he bested the ex-pro, Picco 1-0.  The two teams combined for just 3 infield singles, with St. Catharines picking up 2 of them.  It was the 6th career complete game 1-hitter for the 33 year-old Essery...and his 15th career shutout.  He walked 2, and struck out 3, using just 83 pitches.

The Metros hits came from Jono Marcheterre, and Tim Collins...both in the 2nd inning...setting up the only scoring opportunity St. Catharines would have.  But it was Picco's throwing error that allowed Marcheterre to score from 2nd, with the only run the Metros would need.

Game 3          St. Catharines - 12   Newmarket - 2

The Metros had their "hitting shoes" on in game 3, as they pounded out 17 hits, en route to a mercy-shortened 12-2 win over the Newmarket Hawks.  Every player in the Metros' lineup contributed at least 1 hit to the attack.  Rocco Spano had a pair of singles and 3 RBI's to lead the way, while Steve Baldinelli added a pair of run-scoring singles.  Tim Collins, Justin Czorny, Andrew Sorochan, and Jono Marcheterre all added 2 singles and an RBI, while Joe Roach had an RBI single.  Aaron Butler and Jonathan Paul rounded out the offense with 2 singles each.

All of the offense backed the strong pitching of the Metros' Dustin Turner, who picked up the win going the distance.  Turner (making his first start in 3 weeks, due to an injury) allowed 2 runs (one earned) on two hits, while walking 6 and striking out 5. Dan Dobson took the loss for Newmarket.

Semi-Finals           St. Catharines - 5   Leaside - 4

With an unblemished 3-0 record after round-robin play, the Metros were the winners of Pool "A", and met the winners of Pool "C", the Leaside Leafs in the tournament semi-finals.  And in another well-played game, the Metros emerged with a 5-4 victory.  St. Catharines held a 5-0 lead after 3 innings, but the Leafs battled back to score 2 in the 4th, and 2 more in the 7th...leaving the tying run on 3rd base, when the game ended.  

Steve Baldinelli picked up the win on the mound for the locals, going 6 2/3 innings against the hard-hitting Leaside club.  He allowed 4 runs on 10 hits, and 1 walk...striking out 3.  Dan Estey made his 2nd appearance of the weekend, and struck out the final batter of the game to earn the save.  

Andrew Sorochan led the Metros with a double, a single, and 3 RBI's, while Baldinelli helped himself at the plate with a double, and 2 RBI's.  Tim Collins, Rocco Spano and Justin Czorny all chipped in with singles.  Dave Wallace led the Leafs with 3 hits.

Finals             Windsor Stars - 2   St. Catharines - 1

With their win over the Leafs, the Metros faced the task of having to beat the Ontario champion Windsor Stars twice in the same weekend.  The "Wild Card" winning Stars advanced to the finals on the strength of a 4-1 win over the Markham Pioneers, who won Pool "B".  And in one of the best games the Metros have ever played in, the Stars scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to win the game 2-1.  

In another great pitching matchup, the Stars' Brad Boussey tossed a "perfect game" through 5 innings, before the Metros' Andrew Sorochan broke it up with a clean single to lead off the 6th.  Not to be outdone, however, was Metros' starter, Dan Estey.  Estey, in his 3rd appearance of the weekend, was pressed into service again...to make his first start of the season.  He made it a good one, despite taking a tough loss.  Estey went 6+ innings, and allowed 2 runs (1 earned), on just 2 hits.  He walked 5 and struck out 0.  Chris Magarian relieved Estey in the 7th, and retired the first 2 Stars' hitters, before Anthony Dufour singled to drive in the winning run, with 2 out.

The Metros had taken the lead in the 6th, when Jonathan Paul led off with a single, Joe Roach sacrificed him to 2nd, and a Boussey wild pitch advanced him to 3rd.  Then, once again, it was Rocco Spano who delivered the run with a towering Sac Fly to left-center.

In fact, Spano was one of the top hitters in the tournament, with a .438 average (7 for 16), and 5 RBI's.  The Metros committed just 5 errors in their 5 games during the tournament, although it was one of the errors that factored into the winning rally by Windsor in the final. 

With the win, the Stars claimed their first "Hap" Walters title, after losing in the finals in 2005.  For the Metros, it was their first finals appearance since winning the tournament in 2004.         

The St. Catharines Metros are, once again, proud to host the best teams in the province, as the 6th annual "Hap" Walters Memorial Baseball Tournament takes place in St. Catharines this weekend.  Coming to town are 11 of the best Senior "A" teams anywhere...and are joining the host Metros for what should be a great weekend of baseball.  Last year, unfortunately, a winner could not be declared, because the final day of competition was wiped out, due to rain.  With another "iffy" forecast for this year's event, Tournament Convenor Mark Walters is just hoping for a break.

"A lot of work goes into the organizing of this event, and we want the rest of the teams to enjoy themselves, and get their money's worth when they come here".  "That can't happen when it rains every time".  "We're definitely keeping our fingers crossed", said Walters.  If the rain does hold off, the tournament promises to deliver some outstanding baseball.  

The games begin on Friday evening at 6:00, at 3 different venues...Community Park (the host park), and Alex MacKenzie Park in St. Catharines, as well as McMillan Park in Thorold.  Following the 6:00 Friday evening game, there will be an 8:30 game at each park.  Then, on Saturday, there will be games at 10:00 AM, 12:30, 3:00, and 5:30 (again at all three parks)...before the tournament wraps up on Sunday with the semi-finals at 10:00 and 12:30, and the finals at 3:00.  The "Playoff round games" will all be played at Community Park, in St. Catharines.

Here is a brief rundown of the three divisions, and the teams that are included in them.


Pool "A" - Burlington Brants (A finalist in the 2008 tournament)
                  Newmarket Hawks (Great "tournament team", 9-7 in GTBL this season)
                  St. Catharines Metros (Host team were the 2004 Champs, 13-6 in COMBL this season)
                  Windsor Stars (Defending Ontario Champions, 21-6 in Can-Am League)


Pool "B" - Etobicoke Rangers (Perennial favourite to win at Elims, 12-10 in COMBL)
                  Markham Pioneers (Tourney finalist in 2003, 2006, 2008, 11-3 in GTBL this season)
                  Oshawa Royals (Ontario Representative at 2008 Nationals, 8-2 in GTBL this season)
                  Whitby Canadians (First appearance at "Hap" Walters tourney)


Pool "C" - Erindale Cardinals (Number one team in COMBL this season with 17-5 record)
                  Leaside Leafs (2008 Touranment Finalist, 10-5 in GTBL this season)
                  Milton Red Sox (2006 COMBL Playoff Champs)
                  Windsor athletics (2008 Tournament Finalist)


Should be a great weekend of ball.  The Metros also will be hosting a refreshment garden all weekend long, in the rightfield corner picnic area, at Community Park.  Come down and enjoy the game with a burger and a beverage!

We look forward to seeing you "at the park".     

We have a few new updates to tell you about...right here at metrosbaseball.ca.

First of all, we have updated our Metros team and player statistics, to include the games of July 12.  Just click on the "Standings / Stats" link and then the "Statistics" link from the next page.

We have also added a new "Baseball Film Feature" for the next couple of weeks.  Back by popular demand, a clip that we featured in December of 2007...the original "Who's on First" routine by the late great comedy team of Abbott and Costello.  This routine was made famous in the 1940's and is just as popular today, as it was then.  Just scroll to the bottom of the page, and press "Play".

The "25th Anniversary" review continues this week, with a look at 2007.  As we get closer to the current year, the 23rd version of the Metros had so-so success, but was in the process of making some big changes.  Check it out by clicking on "25th Anniversary" and "2007".

Finally, this is the week leading up to the 2009 Hap Walters Memeorial Baseball Tournament.  In a couple of days, we'll post all the information you'll need to know about our big event...all the schedules, team information, and history of the tourney.  Check back on Thursday, for that. 

The St. Catharines Metros rolled into Etobicoke yesterday, having won 5 in a row...but the Rangers brought them back down to earth with a thud...sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 5-4 and 11-9.  While the Metros offense had a pretty good day, the defense and pitching, normally strong suits of the club, were off.  

In game 1, the Rangers scored two unearned runs in the 5th inning to break open a close game and take a 5-2 lead.  It stayed that way until the 7th, when the Metros scored two of their own and got the tying run to 3rd base, before the game ended.  The winning pitcher was Curtis Saunders, who went 6 2/3 innings and allowed the 4 runs on 8 hits.  Ian Horner took the loss on the mound for the Metros, after pitching 4 2/3 innings.  He allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2.  Dan Estey finished up, allowing one baserunner on a walk.

At the plate for the Rangers...Manny Espinoza tripled and singled to lead the way, while A.J. Iafrate had a big 2-run double to put the Rangers ahead to stay.  Red-hot Justin Czorny continued his batting streak at the plate for the Metros with a double and 2 singles for 2 RBI's.  Tim Collins added a pair of singles, while Joe Roach, Jonathan paul and Jono Marcheterre added singles.  Steve Baldinelli and Andrew Sorochan each added a sac fly RBI. 

In game 2 the Metros couldn't stand their own success.  After taking a 7-1 2nd inning lead, the Rangers came back with 4 in the bottom of the 2nd, and 5 more in the 3rd, to take a 10-7 lead.  They scored one more in the 4th, before the Metros got a pair to make it close.  But the game ended on a curfew after 6 innings, with the Metros losing 11-9. 

Midget-aged Kyle Breitner led the way at the plate for Etobicoke with a pair of doubles, and 2 RBI's while Jason Crocker added 2 hits and 3 runs.  The Metros scored their 9 runs on just 4 hits, but took advantage of 10 Ranger walks.  Andrew Sorochan and Justin Czorny had a single and 3 RBI's, each, while Jono Marcheterre added an RBI single, and Tim Collins singled.  Other RBI's came from Rocco Spano, and Jonathan Paul.

Joe Roach got his first start in 4 years, on the hill for St. Catharines, and he lasted just 1 2/3 innings.  He allowed 3 hits, but 5 walks led to 5 Ranger runs.  Chris Magarian then came in to relieve, and took the loss.  Magarian, pitching for the first time in 3 weeks, went 1 1/3 innings, and allowed 5 runs (just 3 earned), on 4 hits, and 1 walk.  The Metros commited 2 costly errors behind him.  Dan Estey relieved, once again, and pitched effectively, allowing one run, on one hit and 2 walks.  Justin Czorny finished up allowing a hit while striking out 2.

The doubleheader loss drops St. Catharines' record to 13-6, and while they still hold a comfortable 5 game lead in the Johnson Division, they lost some valuable ground in the race for the overall COMBL pennant, with the Erindale Cardinals now holding a 2 game lead.  The Metros are off, now, until the weekend...when they host the province in the 6th Annual "Hap" Walters Memorial Baseball Tournament.  The Metros open up on Friday evening at 6:00, against their league-mates, the Burlington Brants.  We'll post more information about the tournament, later in the week, right here at metrosbaseball.ca.    

The St. Catharines Metros got some outstanding work on the mound from Brian Essery and T.J. Tavender, to shut out the Milton Red Sox 3-0, last night at Community Park.  The win was the 5th straight for St. Catharines, and has put them within reach of the overall Central Ontario Major Baseball League pennant.

Essery was masterful for the Metros, as he won his first game of the year (to go with 1 loss), and the 60th of his career with the team.  He went 7 innings, and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks.  He struck out 5.  Tavender was very good as well, picking up his first save.  T.J. pitched the 8th and 9th innings, giving up 1 hit, while striking out 3.  Not to be overlooked was the fine work of Milton starter, Ian Zettle, who went the distance and allowed just 3 runs and 8 hits to take the loss.

The Metros scored one run in each of the 2nd, 7th and 8th innings, with Jonathan Paul leading the way on offense.  Paul homered and doubled, while Justin Czorny and Steve Baldinelli added a pair of singles each.  Rocco Spano, and Jono Marcheterre rounded out the offense with singles.  Steve Lauzon collected 3 singles for the Red Sox.

The win moves St. Catharines to 13-4 on the season, a full 6 games ahead of the Dundas Chiefs in the Johnson Division.  They are also within sight of first place overall, currently held by the Erindale Cardinals at 15-5.  Milton drops to 7-11 with the loss.  Next up for the Metros is a double dip in Etobicoke on Sunday afternoon, as the Rangers host beginning at 12:00 noon.  Then, after a couple of practices next week, St. Catharines welcomes the province, for the 6th annual "Hap" Walters Invitational Tournament beginning on Friday.  More on the tournament next week.

The St. Catharines Metros won their 4th game in a row last night in Erindale, as they hung on for a 7-6 win over the Cardinals.  The Metros had held a 7-4 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, but the never-say-die Cards scored 2, and left the tying and winning runs on base.  Both teams collected 12 hits, and committed 2 errors, in a very entertaining affair.

The winner was starter Steve Baldinelli (3-1) for St. Catharines, who pitched 7 strong innings...allowing 4 runs (2 earned), on 7 hits.  He walked 3 and struck out 5.  Dan Estey pitched the 8th inning, allowing 1 hit, and striking out 2, before turning it over to closer, Eric DeBoer.  The Cardinals got to DeBoer, however, scoring 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk.  He struck out the final batter of the game, preserving the win, and earning his 3rd save of the year.  The losing pitcher was the starter, Chris Currie for Erindale.

Rocco Spano led the way offensively for the Metros with a pair of hits and 3 RBI's, while Joe Roach added 3 singles.  Andrew Sorochan and Tim Collins singled twice, and added an RBI each, while Jonathan Paul also added 2 singles.  Jono Marcheterre chipped in with an RBI single, and Justin Czorny drove in a run with a groundout.  For the Cardinals, Frank Coccia doubled and singled.

The Metros improve to 12-4 on the season, and have opened up a 5 game lead on the Dundas Chiefs in the Johnson Division standings, while Erindale drops to 14-5, maintaining their lead in the Andrews Division.  Next up for St. Catharines is their regular Thursday night home game, with the Milton Red Sox coming to town.  Game time at Community Park is 7:30.


NEW THIS WEEK...

By the way, check out our 25th Anniversary page.  It has now been updated to include the story of 2006.  After the Metros had won the COMBL Playoff title in '05, they felt that all the pieces were in place to make a run at everything in '06.  But, in baseball (like in life), sometimes don't work out quite as planned.  Please read the story, by clicking on "25th Anniversary", and then "2006".