Game Reports

May 9 Niagara - 9 Burlington - 2 Record 1-0

The Niagara Metros opened their 2012 season on a winning note last night in Burlington, emerging with a 9-2 triumph over the Brants. And it was two of their team leaders from 2011 that led the way...both at the plate and on the mound. Geoff Strong pitched 4 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits while striking out 7, and Evan Baglieri crushed two towering HR's and a single, picking up 3 RBI's to lead the Niagara offense.

The Metros pounded out 15 hits on the evening, with 10 different players getting in on the action. Along with Baglieri's 3 hits, rookie SS Marshall McDougall had a nice C.O.M.B.L. debut with 3 singles, and RBI and a stolen base. Anthony Vacca added a double, single and 2 walks, while Taylor Anderson collected a pair of singles. Andrew Sorochan hit a big 2-run single to break the game open in the 5th, and Jono Marcheterre singled and added a Sac Fly RBI. Other hits, all singles, came from Chris Pickles, Jonathan Paul, and newcomer Tim Feren. Mike Bonanno collected a double and 2 singles for Burlington.

As mentioned, Geoff Strong got the start and the win on the mound for Niagara, but the Metros received some solid relief work as well. Brian Kusey pitched 4 effective innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 3. Youngster Lukas Burch finished up, allowing a couple of walks, but no hits or runs. Burlington starter, C.J. Cabrero took the loss.

The Metros get right back at it tonight, as the defending Playoff Champion Milton Red Sox come to town for a 7:30 tilt at George Taylor Field (formerly Community Park). Newcomer Justin Ayles is expected to get the ball on the hill for Niagara.

May 10 Niagara - 4 Milton - 3 (10 innings) Record 2-0

Like right out of a Hollywood script, catcher Evan Baglieri hit a 2-out tape-measure HR in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Niagara Metros won a 4-3 decision over the Milton Red Sox, last night at George Taylor Field. The walk-off home run was Baglieri's 2nd of the game, and followed up his 2 HR game on Wednesday night in Burlington in fine fashion. The newly-named Metros' team captain added a single and 3 RBI's, and made a winner of Dave Davidson, the 4th pitcher that Niagara employed on the evening.

Niagara took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Red Sox got one back in the 2nd, only to have the Metros score another in the 3rd, to take a 3-1 lead. But Milton struck for 2 in the 5th to tie the game, and that's the way it stayed until the 10th...in a very well-played and entertaining game.

Youngster Justin Ayles made his first Senior start for Niagara, and he gave the team 3 innings of 1-run ball. He allowed 2 hits and 5 walks, while striking out 3. T.J. Tavender pitched 3 innings in the middle, and allowed 2 runs (1 earned), on 7 hits. He struck out 4 without walking any. Chris Pickles pitched the 7th and retired the side on 9 pitches with a strikeout. Davidson then tossed the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings and looked very good, retiring all 9 Milton hitters he faced, striking out 7 of them. Cal Coleman, the 4th Milton pitcher, took the loss.

In addition to Baglieri's 3 hits, the Metros got 3 singles and 3 SB's from Ricky Ferri, while Taylor Anderson added an RBI double. Davidson and Pickles added singles to the Metros' 9-hit attack. The Red Sox also collected 9 hits, with Kevin Greer picking up a double and a single, while Adam Aubie collected 2 hits and an RBI.

The win improved Niagara's early-season record to 2-0, while Milton was playing their first game of the season and dropped to 0-1. The Metros go back to work on Monday, as they travel to Oakville for their first meeting with the A's, before returning home next Thursday, to take on the Glanbrook Grizzlies at George Taylor Field (formerly Community Park). Game time for that one is 7:30.

May 14 Niagara - 11 Oakville - 7 Record 3-0

The Niagara Metros scored 6 runs in the 2nd inning and 3 more in the 4th, as they downed the Oakville A's 11-7 in Oakville last night. Niagara was actually outhit 10-9 on the game, but they took advantage of 8 walks, 5 hit batters, and 3 errors to make their hits count. Oakville scored 6 runs of their own in the 4th inning (after Niagara had built a 10-0 lead) but that's as close as the home team would get.

18 year-old Lukas Burch (the 2nd of 3 Metros pitchers) picked up his first win in senior ball. He tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief, and allowed just 2 hits and one unearned run. He walked 2 and struck out 0. Starter Chris Pickles was almost perfect through 3, allowing just 1 hit, before the roof caved in in the 4th. Overall Pickles allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 2. Justin Ayles came on in the 8th and finished up, to pick up his first save. Ayles allowed 0 runs, 0 hits, and 1 walk...striking out 1. Oakville starter Curt Braun took the loss.

Offensively, Niagara got 2 hits apiece from Taylor Anderson, Jonathan Paul and Dan Proctor, with Paul contributing 2 RBI's and Proctor 1. Jono Marcheterre and Andrew Sorochan each added 2-run doubles, while Ricky Ferri added an RBI-single. Andrew Kotulak and Julian Richards had 2-run singles for Oakville.

As mentioned, the win improves the Metros' early-season record to 3-0, while the A's drop to 1-2. Niagara is back in action later this week, as they play their regular Thursday night home game at George Taylor Field (formerly Community Park). This week the Glanbrook Grizzlies provide the opposition. First pitch is 7:30.

May 17 Niagara - 6 Glanbrook - 5 Record 4-0

Trailing 3-1 in the 7th inning, the Niagara Metros batted around and scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th, and then hung on to defeat the Glanbrook Grizzlies 6-5 at George Taylor Field last night. The pesky Glanbrook club made it close at the end, scoring 2 in the 8th to make it 6-5 before getting 2 runners on in the top of the 9th when the final out was recorded.

The game started out as a pitchers duel between Tim Sogan for the Griz, and the Metros' Geoff Strong, as the respective starters each went 5 innings and allowed 1 run. Sogan allowed no hits and struck out 5, while Strong gave up just 2 hits while striking out 7. Brian Kusey, the second of 4 Metros' pitchers, picked up the win, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walking 4 and striking out 2. T.J. Tavender did a nice job getting the Metros out of a jam in the 8th inning, and allowed just 1 walk, before turning it over to Justin Ayles with one out in the 9th. Ayles allowed one infield hit before earning his 2nd consecutive save. Jamie Kozak, the 2nd of 3 Glanbrook hurlers, took the loss.

The big hit in the Metros' 7th inning rally was off the bat of pinch-hitter Taylor Anderson, as he delivered a 2-run single to put the Metros ahead for the first time in the game. Ricky Ferri added a pair of singles and an RBI, while Anthony Vacca and Andrew Sorochan delivered RBI-singles. Jono Marcheterre and Jonathan Paul also singled in the 7th for the home team. The Grizzlies countered Niagara's 7 hits with 7 of their own...led by starting pitcher Sogan, who homered and added a pair of singles, for 2 RBI's.

As mentioned, Niagara moves to 4-0 in the Central Ontario Major Baseball League standings, while the Grizzlies drop to 2-3 on the young season. The Metros have a busy schedule next week with 4 games...beginning Tuesday night in Mississauga. They then return home next Thursday, as the Erindale Cardinals make their first appearance at George Taylor Field for the 2012 season. First pitch in that one is set for 7:30.

May 22 Niagara - 7 Mississauga - 0 Record 5-0

The Niagara Metros got two home runs from Evan Baglieri and left the rest up to newcomer Paul McKenna on the mound, as they defeated the Mississauga Twins 7-0, at Clarkson Park last night. McKenna, making his first start in the Central Ontario Major Baseball League was superb, going the 9-inning distance for the shutout.

The score was not indicative of the game, as McKenna and Twins' starter Adam Paich locked up in a scoreless duel through 5 frames. The Metros finally broke through against Paich with Baglieri's first HR in the 6th, before sending 8 men to the plate against lefty James Byrnes in the 7th...scoring 5 times. They added another in the 9th against Eric Ventura, in a game that was over in 2 hours and 10 minutes. McKenna, as mentioned, went the distance and allowed 3 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 11, to lock up the win.

It was the 3rd 2-home run game of the young season for Baglieri, giving him 6 for the year. In addition, Ricky Ferri collected 3 hits and a pair of RBI's, while Chris Pickles and Jonathan Paul added a pair of singles and an RBI each for Niagara. Dan Proctor and Andrew Sorochan hit doubles, while Taylor Anderson added an RBI-single and Marshall McDougall singled, to round out the Metros' 13 hit attack. Jamie Smith had 2 of the 3 Twins' hits.

With the win, Niagara improves to 5-0 on the season, while Mississauga drops to 2-2-1. The Metros continue their busy week on Thursday evening, as they host the Erindale Cardinals at George Taylor Field, before taking to the road for a doubleheader in Brampton on Saturday. The first pitch for that Thursday night home game is set for 7:30.

The Niagara Metros scored 3 in the 6th and another in the 8th, and then hung on as they edged the Erindale Cardinals 10-8, last night at George Taylor Field. The pesky Erindale club gave the Metros all they could handle, after narrowing the gap to 1 run in the 8th, and leaving the bases loaded in both the 8th and 9th innings, before Niagara recorded the final out. After three scoreless innings, the Metros batted around in the 4th to plate 5 runs, but Erindale took the lead after scoring 6 of their own in the top of the 5th. However, the Metros got a big 2-run double from Evan Baglieri during their decisive 6th inning 3-run rally to take the lead for good.

In addition to Baglieri's double, the Metros got a pair of doubles from Anthony Vacca, while Chris Pickles, Taylor Anderson, and Marshall McDougall all added a pair of singles. Pickles added 3 RBI's and Anderson, 2. Jono Marcheterre chipped in with an RBI single, and Andrew Sorochan a single to round out the 11 hit attack. Aaron Palmer had 3 hits and 2 RBI's for the Cardinals.

The beneficiary of the 6th inning rally was winning pitcher T.J. Tavender, the 2nd of three Metros pitchers. Starter Brian Kusey was cruising along with a 1-hit shutout, until the wheels fell off with 2 out in the 5th. He ended up allowing 6 runs on 3 hits and 6 walks...striking out 3. Tavender went 1 1/3 shutout innings and gave up 3 hits while striking out 1. Justin Ayles recorded his 3rd save in the last 4 games, pitching the final 3 innings. He gave up 2 runs (1 earned), 4 hits, and 4 walks, while striking out 3. Dan Estey, the 2nd of 4 Cardinal pitchers, took the loss.

Niagara moves to 6-0 after the win, while Erindale drops to 1-5-1, heading into the weekend. And that weekend includes a twinbill on Saturday, as the Metros travel to Brampton for a showdown with the Andrews Division-leading Battlecats. Next home game for Niagara is next Thursday, as the Etobicoke Rangers make their only visit to George Taylor Field in 2012. First pitch is set for 7:30.

The Brampton Battlecats' pitching staff stymied the Niagara Metros' offense to the tune of just 5 hits in two games, as they won both ends of a doubleheader 5-1, and 4-1 in Brampton on Saturday. The back-to-back losses ends Niagara's 6-game winning streak, while Brampton moved into first place in the Andrews Division with a record of 5-2.

In game 1, Brampton collected four 2-out RBI singles, and left the rest up to starting and winning pitcher, R.J. Page, in their 5-1 win. Page went the distance, allowing 4 hits and 7 walks, while striking out 12. Geoff Strong took the loss, going 5 innings, and giving up 4 runs on 7 hits, walking 3 and striking out 5. Lukas Burch finished up for Niagara, giving up an unearned run, and a hit, while striking out 2.

Justin Deleskie collected two hits and two RBI's to lead Brampton's 8-hit offense, while the Metros managed just 4 singles. Anthony Vacca's single drove in the only run, while Taylor Anderson, Jono Marcheterre, and James Pepin rounded out the offense.

In game 2, Brampton struck for four 1st-inning runs and that would be all they'd get...but it was enough to secure a 4-1 victory. The Metros managed just one hit in the second game, as four Brampton hurlers combined to shut down the Metros' usually productive hitters. Chris Pickles was the only Niagara batter to hit safely, while the run came home courtesy of back to back walks to Jono Marcheterre and Dan Proctor, a wild pitch, and an RBI Sac Fly by Taylor Anderson. Meanwhile, the Battlecats collected 6 hits, including two first inning home runs from Vic Speciale and Jaineel Purohit, to score 4 runs and secure the win.

Brad McLaughlin, the second of 4 Brampton pitchers, picked up the win, after a strong 3-inning start by Joe Ferreira. J.R. Crosby earned the save. Paul McKenna went the distance for Niagara, and after allowing the runs in the 1st, settled down to shut out the Battlecats the rest of the way. Overall, McKenna allowed 4 runs, 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

As mentioned, Brampton moves to 5-2 with the win, good for first place in the Andrews Division, while Niagara's record of 6-2 still leads the Johnson Division. The Metros get a few days off, before returning to action on Thursday, as they host the Etobicoke Rangers at George Taylor Field. Game time is 7:30.