Tri-Valley Varsity
Baseball Coach John Rusin likes the way the Bears have improved by winning five
of their last six league games in Division V OCIAA play and earning a spot in
the Class C Section 9 championships.
Following Tri-Valley's early season
three-game sweep by league champion Chester the Bears have clawed back to take
two out of three from S. S. Seward and just last Friday completed a three-game sweep of the Fallsburg
Comets.
Rusin Friday said, "the three defeats
against Chester came against a very good baseball team and I think the
sectionals will go through that place."
He commented that his team, "has to find
a way a way to keep getting better and I do feel overall we are starting to come
around with our pitchers throwing strikes and they are comfortable with the
defense playing the way their are."
Rusin added he likes seeing " the defense playing
the way they are capable of," and "the bats are starting to come around with our
batters being more selective at the plate and hitting at better counts and we
are not as anxious at the plate and we're seeing a better
quality at bat"
The Bears varsity coach pointed out that" we have a way
to go but the process is coming along nicely and looking at the fact that we are
coming off winning the the championship last year, graduated nine seniors and I
think when it's time for the next group to step up sometimes it takes a little
while for them to figure out those roles"
"Our seniors this year are doing a great job leading, our
sophomores are rounding into form very nicely early and our junior class is
being very productive so a lot of it early on was trying to figure out what
their roles were and how they fit in and now they are starting to play like a
team....their coming together, having a lot of fun and playing the game the
right way so hopefully this will continue," Rusin added.
The coach was not sure yet who Tri-Valley will go up
against in the sectionals because of the MHAL mixed division play. Teams that
have qualified in the OCIAA Division V include, Chester, S. S. Seward,
Tri-Valley and possibly Tuxedo.
In the three game sweep against Fallsburg last week on
Monday Bears junior Alex Brown threw a three-hitter striking out 16 in
Tri-Valley's 8-0 victory. John Anzano and Donovan Flores each had two hits and
an RBI for the Bears.
Tuesday's game saw Bears winning pitcher Justin Swarthout
striking out eight and hitting 3 for 6 with two RBI's. Cody Exner went 2-for-3
in Tri-Valley's 14-1 victory.
In Friday's game at Grahamsville Fallsburg took a quick
1-0 first inning lead as a result of two infield errors but the Bears tied the
score in the top of the first as Cody Exner led off , was safe on a dropped
infield ball, stole second base, took second base on an groundout by Justin
Swarthout and scored on a infield hit to third by Rodney T.
Jester.
Tri-Valley broke the game open in the top of the second
scoring 8 runs off a double by John Anzano, a double by Alex Brown, Andrew
Exner getting hit by a pitch, a walk to Cody Exner, a triple by Swarthout, a
single hit to short stop by Jester, a single by Aric Boyes to right field and
another single by Anzano . Several errors by Fallsburg contributed to the 8-run
inning.
Bears Sophomore Jared Nash did not allow an earned run in
pitching a six-hitter.
Anzano was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI, Swarthout
had a triple and three RBI's and Jester had two hits and five
RBI's.
Friday's 15-1 win boosted Tri-Valley's OCIAA league
record to 7-5.
Second-year Fallsburg Varsity Coach Dave Luczyski in
commenting on the Comets winless season noted that "we have a young team, don't
have a JV team and it's tough and a big jump for some of the guys from modified
to the varsity level."
Luczyski indicated that "we have younger pitching but in
the next couple of years we feel we will be competitive and the players have to
get more confidence with our hitting."
Identification of first two photos
Tri-Valley sophomore pitcher Jared Nash pitched a
six-hitter and didn't allow an earned run in the Bears 15-1 victory over
Fallsburg Friday at Grahamsville.
The Tri-Valley varsity baseball team will be headed to
Class C Section 9 championship play for the second year in a row following their
three-game sweep last week over Fallsburg. The Bears won the Section
championship last year. Members of this years team include, front row l to r,
Cody Exner, Jared Nash, Jessie Porter, Aric Boyes, Mike Foster and Rodney T.
Jester. Second row, l to r, Coach John Rusin, Justin Swarthout, Donavan Flores,
Josh Borozny, Andrew Exner, Alex Brown, Brad Van Aken, John Anzano and assistant
coach/scorekeeper Brian Swarthout.
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