The Erindale Cardinals had all their guns blazing last night at Cardinal Field, and the result was a 13-3 mercy-shortened win over the Niagara Metros.  To their credit, the Cardinals took full advantage of the drought-like conditions in the park, where any hard-hit ground ball went through to the outfield...while the Metros were either striking out or hitting fly balls that went for outs.  Erindale outhit Niagara 18-9, and exacted some revenge for their last-inning loss to the visitors in the Hap Walters tourney, 10 days ago.

Chris Novia pounded a 3-run HR and a single to lead the Cards, while Frank Coccia and John DeWolfe collected 3 hits each.  Evan Baglieri continued his torrid hitting for Niagara, collecting a double and 2 singles, along with an RBI.  Anthony Vacca homered and singled for 2 RBI's, while Ricky Ferri added a double, single and 2 runs.  Taylor Anderson and Chris Pickles rounded out the offense with singles.

The winning pitcher was Daniel Nauth, who went the distance allowing 3 runs and 10 hits, striking out 7.  Brian Kusey, the first of 4 Metros hurlers, took the loss.  He went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned), on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3.  Neil Campbell, making his first appearance on the Metros' mound this season, went an inning and gave up a run on 3 hits.  Andrew Neustaedter pitched two innings and gave up 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits, striking out 2.  Dan Proctor finished up, going an inning and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, picking up a strikeout.

With the win, Erindale moves into a first-place tie (with the Mississauga Twins) in the overall league standings, with a record of 13-8.  Niagara drops to 8-12-1, and remains tied for 3rd in the Johnson Division.  The Metros now have a couple of days off, before a Thursday night practice...and then leave for Windsor to take part in the Ontario Senior Elimination Tournament on the weekend.  Niagara will face the East York Bulldogs at 4:30 Friday afternoon, at Cullen Stadium.  Best of luck, boys!
  

The Andrews Division scored 3 7th-inning runs to break a 4-4 tie, and send them to a 7-5 victory over the Johnson Division, in the 2011 C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game, played yesterday at Nelson Park in Burlington.  It was the second straight win for the Andrews Division in the annual All-Star classic.  The Andrews were "full value" for the win, as they outhit the Johnson Division 14-5 on the game.

The Andrews Division (represented by All-Stars from the Erindale Cardinals, Etobicoke Rangers, Mississauga Twins, Oakville A's and Brampton Battlecats) jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 4 innings, but the Johnson Division (represented by the best of the Burlington Brants, Glanbrook Grizzlies, Niagara Metros and Milton Red Sox) battled back to tie it in the 6th.  However 3 hits, a walk and a Johnson error led to 3 runs in the 7th, and the Andrews boys coasted home.  

Andrew Mullin (Erindale) picked up the win on the mound, while Dan Estey (Erindale) earned the save.  Glanbrook's Mike Grilli took the loss.  The player of the game was Erindale's Kevin Treichel, who hit a double and 2 singles, walked, scored a run and drove in another.  Andrew Kotalak (Oakville) doubled and singled, driving in the game-winning run.  Evan Baglieri (of the Niagara Metros) singled twice and drove in a run for the Johnson Division, while Burlington's Luke Posavad hit a 2-run double.  Other Niagara representatives in the Johnson lineup were outfielders Ricky Ferri and Anthony Vacca, and infielder Taylor Anderson.

It was a well-played and entertaining game, and there was a lot of fun for everyone involved.  Thanks to coaches Rick Ellis (Glanbrook), Kerry Hedden (Niagara) and George Moore (Milton) representing the Johnson Division, and to Greg Cranker (Erindale), Steve Breitner (Etobicoke) and Blake Frost (Brampton) of the Andrews Division, for giving up their time to attend this outstanding event.  It's back to work for the Metros this evening, as they travel to Erindale to take on the Cardinals in a 7:30 start.  It is the team's last game before the Senior Elimination Tourney this coming weekend, in Windsor.
  

The Niagara Metros scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and then held on in a dramatic 9th, to edge the Milton Red Sox 5-3, last night at Community Park.  It was the 2nd win in as many nights for the Niagara club, as they followed up a Wednesday night victory in Burlington.  The Metros held a 3-0 lead after 6, but the pesky Milton club scored 1 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to tie, before Niagara came up with their decisive 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th.  The Sox then loaded the bases with no one out in the 9th, before being retired in order.

The Metros, who were outhit 10-7 on the night, got a big 2-out RBI single from Taylor Anderson for their margin of victory.  Jonathan Paul doubled and singled, while Ricky Ferri added a pair of singles, a pair of runs, and a pair of stolen bases.  Anthony Vacca picked up a single and a couple of RBI's, and Dan Proctor rounded out the offense with a single.  Evan Baglieri chipped in with a Sac Fly RBI.  Steve Lauzon and Sean Mathe led the Red Sox with a double and single each.

The story of the game was Metros starter Geoff Strong, who was absolutely dominating in his 6-inning "no decision".  He shut out the Red Sox on just 3 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 14.  Ferri pitched the 7th and 8th innings and picked up the win.  He allowed 3 Milton runs on 6 hits, walking none and striking out 2.  Brandon Beattie picked up his second save in as many nights by shutting out the Sox in the 9th, despite loading the bases on 2 hits and a walk, with nobody out.  He struck out 1.

With the win, Niagara improves to 8-11-1 on the season, and has tied the Burlington Brants for 3rd place in the Johnson Division, although Burlington has 2 games in hand.  Milton drops to 10-10.  Niagara returns to league action on Monday night as they travel to Ninth Line Park in Mississauga for a matchup with the Erindale Cardinals.  The league then takes a break as the teams prepare for the annual trek to Windsor for the Senior Elimination Tourney, in search of the elusive Ontario Championship on the Civic Holiday weekend.

For the second time in a week, the Niagara Metros scored 9 runs in the final inning of a close game.  Last Friday, in the first game of the "Hap Walters Tourney", they turned the trick against the Erindale Cardinals in an 11-8 win.  Last night they scored 9 in the 9th to blow open a 7-6 game, and hand the homestanding Burlington Brants a 16-8 loss.  The Metros broke a 4-game league losing streak with the victory.

Niagara outhit the Brants 20-13 in this one, and with the wind blowing out at Nelson Park there were some impressive shots by both teams during the game.  Andrew Sorochan led the way offensively, with 4 hits (including a solo HR) and a pair of RBI's.  Evan Baglieri crushed his 11th HR of the year, and a pair of doubles to plate 3 Metros runs.  Taylor Anderson collected a double, 2 singles and 4 RBI's, while Ricky Ferri added 3 hits and 3 RBI's.  Geoff Strong doubled and singled for an RBI, Anthony Vacca had 2 singles and an RBI, Kamil Oubayan had a pair of singles, and Dan Proctor rounded out the offense with an RBI single.  Mike Bonanno collected a double and 2 singles for the Brants, while Jimmy Richardson homered.

The beneficiary of all the offense was Metros' starter Chris Pickles, who earned his 2nd win of the year (to improve to 2-2).  Pickles went 6 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned), on 9 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2.  Brandon Beattie picked up the save, tossing 3 innings and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits.  He walked 1 and struck out 3.  Burlington starter Cam McKnight took the loss, going 6 innings.

The Metros improve to 7-11-1 with the win, while the Brants drop to 8-9-1.  The gap between the two teams in the standings now sits at 2 points.  And the Metros are back in action this evening, as the Milton Red Sox come to town for the Metros' regular Thursday night home game.  Game time at Community Park is set for 7:30.


METROS ANNOUNCE THEIR ALL-STAR GAME REPRESENTATIVES

The Niagara Metros announced yesterday, that they would be represented by four excellent young players at this year's C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game, scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Burlington.  Outfielders Ricky Ferri and Anthony Vacca, infielder Taylor Anderson and Catcher Evan Baglieri will play in the star-studded affair. 

Ferri sports a .320 average and is among the province leaders in walks, stolen bases and runs scored.  Vacca has put up a very impressive .403 batting line, to go with 20 RBI's, while Anderson has amassed 30 hits for a .357 mark, while striking out just 5 times all season.  Baglieri has been the offensive catalyst all season, and to date has hit 11 HR's and added an incredible 52 RBI's to go with a .442 BA.  All four players are under the age of 21.

The festivities on Sunday include a HR derby, beginning at 12:00 noon, with the game itself (which pits the Andrews Division All-Stars against the Johnson Division All-Stars) beginning at 1:00.  The game will take place at Nelson Park in Burlington, and should be a great day once again this year.  Congratulations to all four Metros players, and good luck to the Johnson Division!

We have a couple of website updates to make you aware of today.  First of all, we have updated the Metros individual statistics to now include all of our games played up to and including the Hap Walters Tournament.  To read these stats, just click on the "Standings / Stats" link, to the left of the page...and then scroll down below the League Standings section to find the stats links.

Also, we have posted a new "Baseball Film Feature", at the bottom of this "Home Page".  This scene needs no introduction, as it's one of our favourites, and we're sure it's one of yours.  The scene is from "Major League II" and is simply called "Parkman vs. Vaughn".  Just click "Play" and enjoy!


UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Metros have rescheduled their rainout from opening day, way back on May 7th.  You'll recall that the team was to open it's season in Milton, but with all the rain (you remember rain) we had in May, it was naturally postponed.  It is now scheduled as part of a doubleheader to be played on August 13th...the next time Niagara is scheduled to play in Milton.  The twist here is that it is scheduled to be played at Campbellville Park, in Campbellville.  We'll post a new "Google Map" on our "Park Directions" page, prior to the date.

In the meantime, we want to remind you that the Metros are back home this Thursday night (in their 3rd last home game of the season), as those same Milton Red Sox come to town.  Game time at Community Park, is 7:30.


ALL STAR GAME THIS SUNDAY

Finally, we want to let everyone know that the 6th Annual C.O.M.B.L. All-Star game will be held this coming Sunday (JUly 24th) at Burlington's Nelson Park.  This is a great day of fun and friendship for all the players and coaches in the league, and the teams always put on a good show.  The Metros players picked to play in the game (which pits the Johnson Division against the Andrews Division All-Stars) will be announced later in the week.

The festivities include a HR derby, which begins at 12:00 noon, and then the game, which begins at 1:00.  Each team will be represented by 4 or 5 players, and everyone that is at the game gets a chance to "strut their stuff".  It's a great day.  Hope to see you there!

The young Niagara Metros went into the 2011 "Hap" Walters Tournament with the objective of getting some valuable experience competing at the highest levels in the Province, and perhaps win a couple of games.  They did manage to win one game, but also achieved the first objective...gaining the exposure to great ball, and learning what it takes to win at the highest level.  The results were: an 11-8 come-from-behind win over their league-mates, the Erindale Cardinals and a couple of big losses...7-2 versus the number two team in the province last year, the Ilderton Red Army, and 10-0 against the consensus number 2 team this season, the Thornhill Reds.

In the Friday opening game win over Erindale, the Metros found themselves trailing the Cards 5-2 entering the 7th and final inning.  But Niagara collected 8 hits, a couple of walks, and took advantage of 3 wild pitches to plate 9 runs, taking an 11-5 lead.  Erindale hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but the Metros hung on for an 11-8 win.

Taylor Anderson collected 4 singles and an RBI to lead the offense for Niagara, while Ricky Ferri had 3 hits and an RBI.  Anthony Vacca and Chris Pickles added a pair of hits each, Jonathan Paul doubled, while Evan Baglieri and Dan Proctor singled and added an RBI each.  Baglieri was also robbed of a 3-run HR in the 7th inning when Erindale leftfielder, Aniel Birsa lept up at the fence and brought the ball back, for a circus catch.  Brandon Beattie picked up the win in relief of starter Brian Kusey for Niagara.  Kusey went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits.  He walked 2 and struck out 4.  Beattie pitched the 6th and 7th, giving up a 3-run HR to Steve Gallant after a pair of walks.  He struck out 2.

In game 2, the Metros were their own worst enemies, as they committed no less than 4 errors...leading to 4 unearned runs in the 7-inning game against Ilderton.  The result was a 7-2 decision for the Red Army.  Ilderton held a 4-0 lead before Niagara got on the board in the 4th, but the Red Army added a pair of runs in the 5th and another in the 6th.

Jeff Newnes was the winner in this one, and Chris Pickles took a hard-luck loss for the Metros.  Pickles went 5 innings and allowed 11 hits and 6 runs (3 earned), while walking 1 and striking out 2.  Andrew Neustaedter pitched an inning of relief, allowing an unearned run, on a hit and 2 walks...striking out 2.  Niagara managed 8 hits, with Andrew Sorochan picking up a pair to lead the way.  Dan Proctor doubled, while Jonathan Paul and Kamil Oubayan added RBI singles.  Ricky Ferri, Jono Marcheterre, and Geoff Strong rounded out the offense with singles.

In the 3rd game, the Thornhill Reds put up a 5-spot in the first and let starting pitcher, Eric Wakeman do the rest, as they won going away by a 10-0 count.  The Metros countered with Geoff Strong, but the young righthander didn't have his best stuff on this day.  He allowed 10 runs (5 earned), on 9 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5.  Niagara managed just 2 hits, with Taylor Anderson and Chris Pickles doing the honours.

The tournament finished up on Sunday with the 2 semi-final games featuring the Windsor Stars playing the Petrborough River Dogs, and the Thornhill Reds playing the Oakville A's.  Windsor knocked off Peterborough 9-5, and in an upset, the A's edged Thornhill 4-3.  The final was no contest, however, as the Stars defeated a "spent" Oakville team by a 13-1 count.  It was Windsor's 3rd straight "Hap" Walters Tourney title.  For more information on the tournament results, please check the "Hap" Walters Tourney link, to the left of this page.

Next up for Niagara, they have a couple of games this week, as they return to C.O.M.B.L. action.  Wednesday night they travel to Burlington for a game with the Brants at Nelson Park.  Then on Thursday they return home for their regular weekly home game...this one versus the Milton Red Sox.  Game time at Community Park, is 7:30.     

In a game that saw 22 runs scored, 21 hits, 7 errors, 19 walks, and 4 lead changes, the Mississauga Twins emerged with a 12-10 marathon win over the Niagara Metros at Clarkson Park, last night.  The Metros out-hit the Twins 11-10 in this one, but once again hurt themselves with defensive miscues that led to 8 of the 12 runs they allowed being unearned.  It was the 4th consecutive loss for the young Niagara club.

The Twins held a 6-1 lead after 4 innings, but Niagara scored 5 runs in the 5th to tie it.  Mississauga scored a run in the bottom of the 5th to take the lead and then added 2 in the 7th, for a 9-6 advantage.  But once again, Niagara countered with 4 of their own, to take a 10-9 lead.  The Twins finally put it away in the bottom of the 8th, scoring 3 runs...all after two were out in the inning. 

The big hit for Mississauga came off the bat of Anthony Fantauzzi, who hit a big 2-run triple to score the winning runs.  Chris Picinni collected a double and 2 singles for the winners, as well.  Niagara was led by Evan Baglieri, who clubbed his 10th HR of the season (a 3-run shot), and added a Sac Fly, for a 4 RBI night.  Ricky Ferri had a great night at the plate, with 2 singles, 2 walks, 3 SB's and an RBI, while Taylor Anderson and Jono Marcheterre doubled and singled, each driving in a run.  Anthony Vacca, Andrew Sorochan, Jonathan Paul and Kamil Oubayan all added a single and an RBI.

The winning pitcher was Eric Ventura, the 4th Twins pitcher of the game, while the Metros' 5th pitcher, Andrew Neustaedter took the loss.  Neustaedter pitched the 8th inning, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 3.  Brian Kusey started and went 2 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on just 1 hit.  He walked 4 and struck out 2.  Brandon Beattie pitched 2 innings and allowed 4 runs (all unearned), 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 1.  Chris Pickles also went 2 innings, and allowed a run on 3 hits, walking 0 and striking out 2.  Ricky Ferri also had an inning of work and allowed 2 runs (both unearned), 1 hit, walking 3.

With the win, the Twins move back to the top of the Andrews Division, with a record of 11-8, while the loss drops Niagara into the league basement with a 6-11-1 record.  Next up for the Metros is the 8th annual Hap Walters Memorial Baseball Tournament in Erindale.  The team begins on Friday at 6:00 as they take on league-mates, the Erindale Cardinals.  They then come back on Saturday and play the Thornhill Reds at 12:30, and the Ilderton Red Army at 3:00.  All of the games are at Erindale Cardinal Field in 9th Line Park, Mississauga.  Next league action for the Metros is next Wednesday, as they travel to Burlington to take on the Brants...Nelson Park at 7:30.
  

Last night at Community Park, the Niagara Metros were cruising along with a 4-2 lead over the Erindale Cardinals entering the 7th inning, when the "wheels fell off".  A key 7th inning throwing error led to 3 Erindale runs, to give the visitors a 5-4 lead.  And after Niagara came back to tie it in the bottom of the 7th, the Metros did it again, committing a 2-out 9th inning throwing error, to allow the Cardinals to score the winning run, in a 6-5 final.

Metros pitchers, Geoff Strong and Brandon Beattie were the victims of the shoddy defense, as they both pitched solid games despite the outcome.  Strong started and went 7 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs (just 2 earned) on 8 hits.  He walked 4 and struck out 8.  Beattie pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and took a tough loss.  He gave up the 9th inning unearned run without allowing a hit.  He walked 1 and struck out 1.  Former Metros pitcher Dan Estey, the 4th Cardinals hurler, picked up the win.

Offensively, the Cardinals got an RBI double and an RBI single from Jay Woodford to lead the way, while Frank Coccia had a nice night collecting a single and 3 walks, scoring 3 runs.  For the Metros, Jonathan Paul collected 3 singles, while Taylor Anderson tripled and singled, driving in a run.  Ricky Ferri added a pair of hits, and Chris Pickles singled and added a pair of RBI's. Newcomer Kamil Oubayan picked up his first hit and RBI as a Metro, while Dan Proctor rounded out the offence with a single and an RBI.  Evan Baglieri, who torched the Cardinals for 11 RBI's the last time the two teams met, was issued 3 walks, stole a base, and scored a pair of runs.

The win moves Erindale to 9-7, and into a first-place tie with the Mississauga Twins in the Andrews Division, while the Metros drop to 6-10-1 and remain in a 3rd place tie with Burlington in the Johnson Division.  And speaking of the Mississauga Twins, that is who the Metros meet in their next game, as Niagara travels to Clarkson Park on Tuesday.  The game will be a good preparation for the 8th annual "Hap" Walters Tournament, hosted by the COMBL and based in Mississauga, on the July 16th weekend.
 

The Niagara Metros made an 11th hour addition to their roster, last week...literally!  The team added the name "Kamil Oubayan" to their roster during the home game versus Burlington, this past Thursday evening.  Of course, last Thursday was June 30th, which is the final day to add players to O.B.A. rosters before they are "frozen" for the season.

The Metros are pleased to add Mr. Oubayan to their roster!  Kamil, is a soon-to-be 20 year-old infielder, who hails from St. Catharines, and was late in signing because he recently returned from the NJCAA Baseball "World Series", in Texas.  His team, the Erie Kats (Buffalo, N.Y.) made it to the tournament semi-finals before finally bowing out...making them one of the top 4 teams in the county, at the Division 3 Junior College level. 

The athletic 6'1" 180 pound 3B/SS, played all his minor ball in the St. Catharines Cobras organization until 2008, when his Midget AA team made it to the O.B.A. finals.  From there, it was on to the Canadian Thunderbirds organization in '09, where he was named to play in the PBLO "Jim Ridley" All-Star Classic, alongside current Metros OF Anthony Vacca.  In fact, Oubayan impressed a number of college scouts in 2009, and won a scholarship to Marshalltown C.C. (in Iowa), where he played in the spring of 2010.

2009 was also a big year for Kamil at home, as he was voted male athlete of the year at his High School, Jean Vanier H.S. in Welland.  Oubayan, who also played hockey at the Junior B level (playing with the St. Catharines Falcons, and others) transferred from Marshalltown to Erie for the 2011 spring season.  And while he only managed a .167 BA with the Kats in limited playing time, he did manage something much more important...he was named to the Western N.Y. Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, with a 3.52 GPA.

Congrats, Kamil...and welcome to the Metros!


WEBSITE UPDATES

We have made a few updates to the website in recent days, that we wanted to make you aware of. 

First of all, we posted a few photos from our tournament championship win in Strathroy on June 25th.  Just click on "Photo Album" and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also, we updated our 2011 individual statistics, to include all games played up to and including the doubleheader versus Glanbrook on July 3rd.  Just click on "Standings / Stats" and find the links to the Statistics underneath the "Standings".

Finally, check out the new "Baseball Film Feature" at the bottom of this "Home Page".  It's short, but sweet.


METROS AT HOME THIS THURSDAY

Just a reminder that the Metros' next game is at home this Thursday night (July 7) versus the Erindale Cardinals.  Last time the Cardinals came to town there were some "fireworks" as the two teams played a memorable 20-15 game.  Thta's this Thursday night...7:30 at Community Park.  Hope to see you there!

Yesterday, the Niagara Metros went into Heritage Green Park on a 5-game winning streak, but the Glanbrook Grizzlies made short work of that, as they swept a pair from the shorthanded Metros 12-5, and 6-3.  Glanbrook played nearly flawless defensively, and got some timely hitting in the twinbill, and were able to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack in the Johnson Division of the C.O.M.B.L.

In game 1, Niagara had tied the game at 4-4 in the 3rd inning, but the Grizz took the lead with one in the 4th and then broke it open with 4 in the 5th, and 3 in the 6th.  Chris Cooney got the win in game 1, while Chris Pickles took the loss for the Metros.  Pickles was victimized by some shoddy defensive work, as the first 5 runs he allowed were all unearned.  In all, he went 5 innings and allowed 9 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 0.  Andrew Neustaedter pitched the 6th inning, and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks.

Tim Sogan homered and added a pair of singles to lead the Glanbrook attack.  The Metros were led by Taylor Anderson, who doubled and added a pair of singles, scoring twice.  Evan Baglieri had a pair of singles and an RBI, while Anthony Vacca clubbed a 3-run HR that tied the game in 3rd.  Ricky Ferri, Dan Proctor, Pickles, and Brian Kusey all singled, while Brandon Beattie added an RBI.

Game 2 was a much closer affair, with Glanbrook emerging victorious 6-3.  The Metros collected all their runs in the top of the first inning, but the Grizz scored 2 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th, and 2 in the 5th to win going away.  

Corey Morrison and Tim Sogan hit 2-run HR's to pace the Glanbook attack, while Brock Marshall hit a pair of doubles.  Dan Proctor doubled and singled (collecting an RBI) to pace the Metros' 8 hit attack.  Chris Pickles and Brandon Beattie each singled and added an RBI, while other hits went to Ricky Ferri, Taylor Anderson, Anthony Vacca, and Evan Baglieri.

Sogan went 5 innings on the Grizzlies' mound to pick up the win, getting relief help from Greg Swan and Ryan Colling.  Brian Kusey went the distance for Niagara, and pitched well, in taking the loss.  Kusey gave up 6 runs and 8 hits, while walking 4, and striking out 8 in his 2nd complete game of the season.

The pair of wins, as mentioned, vaults Glanbrook into first place in the Johnson Division, at 9-5...2 full games ahead of Milton.  Niagara drops to 6-9-1, and continues to battle with the Burlington Brants for third place in the division.  Next up for the Metros is a home game this coming Thursday, as the Erindale Cardinals come to town.  First pitch at Community Park, is scheduled for 7:30.     

Anthony Vacca clubbed a one-out double in the bottom of the 10th inning to bring home Ricky Ferri with the winning run, as the Niagara Metros edged the Burlington Brants 7-6, last night at Community Park.  Ferri, who led off the Metros' 10th with a single, was sacrificed to 2nd by Taylor Anderson before Vacca's big hit, which split the left-center gap.  The hit made a winner of Jonathan Paul, the 3rd Metros pitcher on the night.

Paul, who owns a 23-13 lifetime record on the Metros mound, tossed 3 scoreless innings of relief, and allowed a single and 3 walks, while striking out 5.  T.J. Tavender made his first start of the season for Niagara and pitched very effectively, allowing 2 runs in his 5 innings of work.  He gave up 4 hits and one walk, while striking out 2.  Ferri tossed two innings or relief, and gave up 4 runs (all unearned) on 3 hits and one walk, striking out 1.  Travers Thompson took the loss in relief for Burlington. 

Veteran Jono Marcheterre had a big night at the plate to lead the Metros, collecting a double and 3 singles, along with an RBI.  In addition to his walk-off double, Anthony Vacca added a single and an RBI, while winning pitcher Jonathan Paul collected a pair of hits.  Neil Campbell chipped in with a 2-run single, and Evan Baglieri had an RBI double.  Ferri and Andrew Sorochan rounded out Niagara's 12 hit attack.  Eric Bryce slammed a big 3-run HR, and added a double and a single to lead the Brants offense.

The win brings Niagara's record in the C.O.M.B.L. to within 1 game of .500, at 6-7-1.  Burlington drops to 5 and 6 on the season, 3 points behind the Metros.  And following a Canada Day weekend break the Metros return to action on Sunday, as they travel to Heritage Park in Hamilton to take on the Glanbrook Grizzlies in a doubleheader, beginning at 5:00 PM.  The next home game for Niagara will be next Thursday, as the Erindale Cardinals come to town.  First pitch at Community Park, is 7:30.