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Baseball

Tuesday Apr. 28, 2009

Green Hope bounces back, beats Apex 3-0 at USA Baseball

Pistacchio tag Pitcher Joe Pistacchio fields grounder, and tags out Parker Harrell as his dad, coaching 1st, looks on
Colantino almost gets stealer Apex steals 2nd, catcher Anthony Colantino's throw beats runner, but is off the base, and SS Brady can't get to it
Nusbaum double Matt Nusbaum's 375 ft double to the wall in left center Boghosian HR Eric Brady scores from 1st on Grant Shambley's double

GH and Apex got to play on the beautiful USA Baseball stadium field, under perfect weather conditions - probably the only game, where whoever lost, still was going to enjoy their experience tonight. A well played and close game, both teams played great defense, helped by the immaculate playing field, but Apex just could not capitalize on their chances, while GH got some clutch hits to win 3-0.

Apex started Houston Hawley, and was relieved in the 4th by Parker Harrell. Both pitched well, allowing only the 3 runs combined, 7 hits, and only 1 walk. But no GH batter struckout - as a big smile appears on the face of GH head coach Mike Miragliuolo !!!

Joe Pistacchio started for GH, and Joe pitched very well for most of the game, however he ran into control problems in a couple of innings, and was fairly lucky to get out of those innings without any runs scored. Pistacchio went 5 2/3 innings, only allowed 2 singles, struckout 5, but walked 7 batters and hit another. And most of the bad stuff was grouped together in an inning - 2 walks and a hit batter in the 1st, 2 walks and a single in the 5th, and 3 walks in the 6th - yet no runs were scored in any of those innings. Max Povse relieved in the 6th, to get the save for GH.

In the 1st, Apex mounted a threat, thanks to the 2 walks and hit batter, to load the bases with only 1 out. But Pistacchio came back with a crucial strikeout, and then induced a groundout to SS to end the inning. In the 2nd, GH scored a run, as Pistacchio walked (Brent McLeroy in to run), McLeroy advanced to 2nd on a past ball, and scored on Matt Nusbaum's 2 out, 375 ft, double to left center, a home run in any other ball park GH plays in this year. GH 1-0 after 2 innings.

GH added another run in the 3rd, a 1 out single by Eric Brady, who was driven in by Grant Shambley's double down the RF line. Nice hustle by Brady to score all the way from 1st. For Shambley, he went 3-3 tonight, 2 singles and that RBI double, and was the hitting star in this game. GH up 2-0 after 3 innings.

The top of the 5th inning may have been the key to GH's victory. With 1 out, Pistacchio walked the next two batters, followed by Ryne Frankoff's chopper up the middle. At one point it looked like it may get through for a hit, but then SS Brady was able to field it, and flip to 2B Shambley for what looked to be and out, then Shambley threw to 1st to try for the double-play. The throw to 1st was wild, but Povse made a nice diving block, and then the umpire rules the runner at 2nd safe, so now the bases were loaded and only 1 out. Hawley then hits a very high fly ball to CF, but David Josam played it perfectly, waited, then got a running start forward to catch it and make a perfect 1 hop throw home. The Apex runner on 3rd stopped for home as he saw that the perfect throw would have nailed him at the plate. A line out to 1st ended the inning without Apex scoring.

Brady to Shambley 1 Brady to Shambley 2 SS Brady gets to Frankoff's grounder up the middle, and Shambley attempts to turn DP, but all are safe




















In the 6th, facing mostly subs, Pistacchio mixed in 2 strikeouts with 3 walks, which ended his day as Povse came in to retire the third out. GH added a much welcomed insurance run in the bottom of the inning, as Michael Sondag ledoff with a double down the RF line, with McLeroy running, was bunted to 3rd by Pistacchio, and McLeroy scored on Adam Boghosian's sacrifice fly to RF. GH 3-0 after 6 innings, and final score, as Apex did not score off Povse in the 7th.

Sondag doubles Michael Sondag doubles down the right field line in the 6th inning
Brady to Shambley 1 Brady to Shambley 2 McLeroy scores on Boghosian's sac fly - and another close play doesn't go GH's way at 1st





















GH moves to 8-2 in the Tri-9, and back into 1st place, as Cary, Lee County, and Panther Creek all put together upsets this week against the top teams in the conference. Big games this Friday, as GH is at Cary, and Middle Creek is at Fuquay Varina.