The JV baseball team ended their season with a tough loss Tuesday night, losing 11-1 to Holly Springs in 5 innings. Holly Springs came out swinging, scoring all 11 runs in the first 3 innings. Daniel Weygandt took the loss, even though he came out of the game before most of the damage was done. Weygandt finished the season with a 6-3 record for the year, which is a JV record for most wins in a season.

Even though the Falcons finished with a disappointing loss, the overall season is something to be very proud of. In a season where players were going up and down from Varsity, the team stuck together and was able to accomplish the most JV wins Green Hope has ever seen in the baseball program. Enough cannot be said about how much fun the season was and Coach Miller would like to thank all of the players for such a fun and succesful year. In addition, a special thanks goes out to all of the JV parents for helping out with things off the field and showing up in such big numbers on the fieldwork day that Mr. Weygandt organized.

The Falcon baseball program starts with the JV's, and we look forward to improving and getting even better next year. The most wins is a great accomplishment, but a conference championship would feel even better!!

The Falcons got back on track Friday night with a win over Apex, 8-4. It was a huge win for the JV team as it gave them the record for most JV wins in GH baseball history. Scott McCraney earned the win with a solid performance. McCraney struck out 2 and walked 2 in 3 1/3 innings of work. Keith Walsh came in relief and pitched 2 2/3 innings of great work in a game that was stopped early due to the 6:15 rule. Walsh struck out 1 and walked one, only allowing 1 hit. Both pitchers were backed up by a solid defense the entire evening!

Leading Hitters were:

• Austin Lynch 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI
• Thomas Yoder 3-3 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, 2 runs scored
• Keaton Derks 2-3 with 2RBI and a run scored

A huge congratulations to ALL of the players from Coach Miller on EARNING the new record for most wins. This is a huge accomplishment and everybody has played a role...JOB WELL DONE!!

The JV baseball showed signs of Spring Break rust on Tuesday as the fell to Fuquay Varina 7-5. Fuquay got off to a quick start with a 3-run home run in the first inning and set the tone for the rest of the game. Daniel Weygandt took the loss, but recovered nice from the 1st inning to earn the complete game performance. Weygandt threw the most pitches (119) of the season for both JV and Varsity.

The Falcons did show signs of life in the 4th inning and were able to tie the game at 4 a piece with a 3 run rally led by RBI singles from Thomas Yoder, Eric Gilbert and Scott McCraney. Fuquay came right back in the top of the 5th to score 3 runs. The Falcons tacked on 1 more but were not able to catch the Bengals, losing another close battle with the conference leader.

Leading Hitters were:

• Thomas Yoder: 2-3 with 3RBI
• Luca Scelsi: 3-3 with 1 run scored

The Falcons are going into Spring Break with a 12-4 record thanks to an 8-4 victory over Panther Creek Thursday night. Scott McCraney got the start for the Falcons, and was able to keep the Catamounts to one run through 5 innings of work. However, the bullpen was a little shaky and allowed Panther Creek to tie the game in the top of the 6th inning. Daniel Weygandt came in to stop the damage and ended up earning his 6th win of the season. Taylor Waters saw three batters in the 7th and struck out all 3 in dominating fashion.

Green Hope's hitters were there when they needed to be, scoring 4 runs in the first two innings, and 4 runs in their last two at bats as well. The leading hitters for the Falcons were:

• Chris Tutwiler: 2-3 with 3 runs scored and 2 stolen bases
• Austin Lynch: 2-4 with 2RBI
• Thomas Yoder: 1-1 with a run scored and 3 RBI

The JV Falcons have the entire Spring Break off. They will have a tough schedule when returning from break as they take on Fuquay Varina on 4/26, Apex on 4/29 (away) and Holly Springs on 5/2. The Cary game that was rained out earlier in the year is still a possibility, and as soon as Coach Miller finds out he will let everybody else know.

The Falcons got back on track Wednesday night with an 11-5 victory over Athens Drive. It was a total turn around from last night as the bats came back alive and the defense was much more sound. Luca Scelsi started on the mound for the Falcons and pitched a solid game. Scelsi gave up 3 runs, but struck out 5 and walked two in 2 2/3 innings of work. Due to a pitch count, he was relieved in the top of the third by Keith Walsh, who earned his 5th win of the season by shutting out the Jaguars the rest of the game (A pitcher cannot recieve the win with only 2 2/3 innings of work unless all of the other pitchers pitch less than him).

Offensively, Green Hope did a complete 180 from the night before. In the first two innings alone, the Falcons were able to put together 8 runs on 6 hits and great baserunning. Keaton Derks, Thomas Yoder, and Sam Cohen each led the way with 2 hits a piece (Derks 2-4 with 1RBI, Yoder 2-4 with 2 RBI, Cohen 2-4 with a double and 2RBI). Everybody seemed to contribute at the plate however, which hopefully will lead to a solid finish to an already succesfull season.

The Falcons will play at home again tomorrow as they take on Panther Creek at 4:30.

The JV baseball team took a step backwards Tuesday night as they lost to Cary 2-1. The Falcons showed up flat, looking like a different team then what they have previously shown. Daniel Weygandt pitched a solid game, but suffered his first loss of the season due to the fact that errors seemed to come at critical times, and the Falcon's bats were left on the bus. Weygandt pitched a complete game strking out a season high 8 batters while not giving up a single walk. He also only allowed 3 hits, but errors by the defense really determined the outcome of the game.

Chris Tutwiler led off the game with a line-drive single and stole his way all the way to third base. Taylor Waters drove him in and it seemed like things were going well. However, in a pickoff play where Waters looked to have made it under a tag at first base, he was called out. Thomas Yoder and Keaton Derks both got on base after that but were left on base. What seemed to be a huge first innnig ended with the only produced run for the Falcons.

The rest of the game consisted of ground balls on offense and key errors on defense. The Imps scored the winning run when pitcher Tim Flynn bunted a runner from first base all the way home due to a throw into right field which got through to the fence.

That Falcons look to get back into winning for when they take on Athens Drive tomorrow night on their home field at 4:30.

The JV team continued its success with a 13-5 victory over Lee County Thursday night. Luca Scelsi picked up his 1st win of the season with a solid performance considering it was his first time on the mound in over a year. Luca pitched 3 innngs of scoreless baseball, striking out 4 and only walking 1 batter. Scott McCraney struggled a bit in relief, but was close to the strike zone all night which is something to stay positive about. Eric Long gave another effecient performance in the final two innings and continues to be another good left arm for the pitching staff. All three pitchers were backed up by a great defense including an amazing throw from centerfielder Chris Tutwiler to stop a run from scoring at the plate in the 1st inning.

Offensively, the Falcons continued to dominate. Hitting .406 as a team, Green Hope had hits coming from the entire line-up. Keaton Derks, Thomas Yoder, and Austin Lynch each drove in 3 runs to lead the Falcons, while Taylor Waters added 2 more.

After a 3 game break from conference play, the Falcons got back to work in the Tri-9 with a solid win over Middle Creek Wednesday night 14-3. Behind a huge offensive night and a solid defense, Daniel Weygandt improved to 5-0 for the season. Weygandt pitched the entire game (5 innings), striking out 3 and walking 1. He did give up a season high 6 hits, but was able to get the outs in key situations to limit the damage to only 3 runs. The Falcons are looking forward to Weygandt's continued success on the mound.

Offensively, Green Hope had an impressive performance. They didn't wait long, as they put together a 5 run first inning sparked by a great at bat by Chris Tutwiler which ended up with a beautiful single the opposite way. After an error and a walk, Keaton Derks stepped up to the plate and ripped a base clearing double, which was followed up by a triple from Thomas Yoder. Austin Lynch drove in Yoder for the 5th run of the inning. The 2nd inning was highlighted by a 2-run home run from Derks. All together, the Falcons scored 14 runs in the first 3 innings to cruise to the victory.

The Falcons will be in action again at home tomorrow night when they take on Lee County at 4:30.

The Falcons took another trip to Durham Jordan on Monday afternoon, returning with the same result as they won 10-5. Keith Walsh earned another victory pitching 4 innings of solid work to improve to 4-0. Walsh struck out 4 batters, walked 1, and allowed 2 runs (1 earned). Taylor Waters and Eric Long served as the bullpen and were effective enough to hold the win.

As a team, the Falcons bats put together their lowest batting average for one game all season. However, Taylor Waters, Keaton Derks, and Chris Tutwiler were dominant at the plate, leading a 10 run production. Even though the average was low, the Falcons put the ball in play when they had to and were able to get the "big hits" when they needed them.

• Keaton Derks went 2-4 with a run scored and 4RBI
• Taylor Waters went 3-3 with a triple, 3 runs scored and 1RBI
• Chris Tutwiler went went 2-5 with run scored and 1RBI

Next up for the Falcons is Middle Creek tomorrow night at home. The game will start at 4:30.

Both the JV and Varsity teams took the LOOONG drive down to Jack Britt Saturday afternoon and came away with a victory. In the first game, the JV's played a solid game winning 10-3, with Daniel Weygandt getting the decision.

With all pitchers on a pitch count for Saturday's game, Weygandt only pitched 3 innings but was very effective. He struck out 4, walked 1, only allowing 1 hit. Scott McCraney came into the game in the 4th and struggled to find his footing on the mound. He still pitched a good game, but the defense behind him gave up a couple errors after a walk and a single which allowed 3 runs to score in the 4th. McCraney gained his composure and ended up striking out 2 and walking 1 in two innings of work. Taylor Waters was the third and final pitcher for the Falcons and was able to keep the Buccaneers scoreless for the remainder of the game. Waters struck out 3 and walked 3 in two innings.

The offense was solid once again! As a team, Green Hope went 14-28 at the plate, with every run scored being batted in. They only struck out three times and drew three walks as well. Leading hitters were:

• Stephen Pitarra - 4 for 5 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI
• Keaton Derks - 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI
• Thomas Yoder - 2 for 3 with a double, 2 runs 1 run scored, and 2 RBI
• Keith Walsh and Sam Cohen each ripped a double

The Falcons have a packed schedule next week as the travel back to Durham Jordan on Monday for a 4:00 game, and then get back to conference play with two home games: Middle Creek on Tuesday and Lee County on Thursday, both at 4:30.

The Falcon bats came back to life Thursday afternoon as they defeated Durham Jordan 13-3. Keith Walsh got his first start of the year and earned the win with 4 innings of work. Walsh gave up his first earned run of the year, ending an 11 inning streak, but continued to look excellent on the mound. He struck out 4 and only walked 1 before being relieved by Eric Long. Long looked very impressive coming in with confidence and giving 3 innings of great work. Long struck out 3 and only walked 1, a huge improvement from his last appearance, and something to be happy about moving forward.

The Falcon offense was very strong, and everybody contributed at some point throughout the game. Leading the way for Green Hope were the following hitters:

• Chris Tutwiler went 3 for 4, with two doubles, an RBI and 3 runs scored.
• Keaton Derks went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.
• Taylor Waters went 2 for 5 with 2RBI.
• Scott McCraney went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Falcons are ready to get back to conference play at home when they take on Athens Drive Thursday night at 4:00.

The JV team suffered their second conference loss on Thursday night, losing to Holly Springs 2-0. The Hawks were able to keep Green Hope scoreless by allowing only 5 hits, two coming from Stephen Pitarra and three coming from Keaton Derks. The Falcons struggled to put the ball in play for the first time all season, which says a lot about the Holly Springs pitching staff.

Scott McCraney took the loss after allowing two early unearned runs. Errors were a problem once again for the Falcon defense, but Scott did not get any help from his offense either. He gained his composure after the 2nd inning, and pitched a very solid game throwing the first 100 pitch game of the Green Hope 2011 baseball season (Will Gilbert matched the feat later on in the night for the Varsity team). Scott struck out 6 batters and walked 6 as well.

The Falcons finished the first half of conference play going 5-2 (we still hope to make up the Cary game), with all of the games except Apex being on the road. This is something to look forward to as we will play a majority of the rest of our games on our home field. Coach Miller is not worried about the bats being cold on Thursday night as he has seen what the Falcons can do at the plate and is confident that they will come back to life this week.

Upcoming is a three game week starting at Durham Jordan Tuesday night at 4:30, Athens Drive at home on Thursday night at 4:30 and a long road trip to Jack Britt Saturday afternoon for a game at 2:00.

The JV team rebounded from a tough loss last week with a 5-4 win against Apex Tuesday night. Daniel Weygandt improved to 3-0 with another solid performance. Weygandt pitched 5 innings of great baseball, only allowing 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1.

The Falcons went back and forth with the Cougars in the early going, but were able to break out in the 5th inning scoring 4 runs and going ahead 5-1. John Bradley came into the game relieving Weygandt in the 6th and struggled from the beginning, giving up two quick runs allowing the Cougars to come within 2. Keith Walsh came in and got the save, but not without some 7th inning drama as the Cougars tacked on one more unearned run.

The defense for the Falcons was much improved from Friday night. Bradley led the highlight reel with a spectacular diving catch in right field, which he then popped up and threw the runner out at first for a double play. The infield was solid and Thomas Yoder threw out the only attempted steal from Apex.

Leading Hitters were:

• Austin Lynch 3-4 with a run scored
• Thomas Yoder 2-2 with a double and 2 runs scored
• Daniel Weygandt had 2 RBI

Next up for the Falcons is a game at Holly Springs Thursday night at 4:30 with Varsity to follow right after.

The JV team took their first conference defeat with a loss at Fuquay Friday night 6-4. Scott McCraney took the loss, but he didn't have much help behind him as the Falcons committed 10 errors. Scott pitched 3 innings allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Keith Walsh pitched the 4th and 5th giving up an unearned run on 1 hit and struck out 1 batter. The game was stopped due to a Tri-Nine rule that says JV games cannot begin a new inning after 6:15 (even if it's Friday night and 80 degrees outside).

On a positive note, the Falcons only lost by 2 even after giving up 10 errors. Daniel Weygandt led a late rally with a smash of the center field fence capping off a 3-3 night with a 2 singles and a double ,with 2 RBI's coming in off the double. Austin Lynch also had a good night at the plate going 2-4.

The Falcons look to rebound at home next Tuesday when they take on Apex at 4:30 with Varsity to follow right after.

The JV team took the short bus ride over to Panther Creek Tuesday afternoon and put on a dominating performance, winning 10-0 in 6 innings. Daniel Weygandt got his second win of the season with 5 innings of great work on the mound. Weygandt was sharp as usual striking out 5, walking 3, and only allowing 1 hit. The Falcon defense behind him was the best it has been all year, sparked in the 1st inning by a textbook rundown executed by Weygandt, Keaton Derks and Taylor Waters. Other key defensive plays were by Thomas Yoder behind the plate, Chris Tutwiler out in center, and a brilliant catch by firstbaseman Sam Cohen up against the fence during the 5th inning. Everybody contributed in the field as the Falcons went errorless for the first time all year.

At the plate, the Falcons continued to put the ball in play and make things happen. Their early dominance (6 runs in the first two innings), is nothing new as they are defeating their opponents 15-2 after the 2nd inning through 5 games. The following hitters led the way:

• Chris Tutwiler went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases
• Thomas Yoder went 2-3 with a double and 1RBI
• Austin Lynch went 2-4 with a double and 2RBI
• Eric Gilbert went 1-2 with 3 RBI

The Falcons look forward to continuing their solid play Friday afternoon, as they will face a difficult opponent in Fuquay Varina. The game starts at 4:30 with Varsity to follow right after.

Instead of having what was supposed to be a home game, the JV hit the road to take on Lee County due to a last minute change in scheduling. Daniel Weygandt started for the Falcons continuing with the same dominating performance he had at Athens Drive last week. Daniel threw 73 pitches over 5 innings of work, 52 of which were strikes. He struck out 3 batters while only walking 1 leaving the game with a 9-1 lead. The 9 runs could be contributied to a number of hot bats. Keaton Derks drove in a run in the 1st inning with a single and another one in the 5th with a double in what would be a 3-3 night with 2RBI. Austin Lynch also drove in a run in the 3rd with a solid double, and Pitarra 2 more in the top of the 6th with a blast over the center fielders head which led to a triple.

Upon Weygandt's departure, things started to turn ugly for the Falcons as the bullpen would give up 8 runs (7 unearned) in the last two innings to tie the game at 9-9 in the bottom of the 7th with 1 out and men on 2nd and 3rd base. Keith Walsh, who has been solid in his first three appearences put an end to the damage coming in and striking out the final two batters, forcing extra innings.

In the top of the 8th, the first 4 Falcon batters were walked giving them a 10-9 lead with no outs and the bases loaded. Austin Lynch stepped to the place and ripped a triple to fence driving in three more runs to cap of his night hitting 2-4 with 5 RBI. He later would score on a pass ball giving the Falcons a 14-9 lead. Walsh pitched a 1-2-3 bottom half to end the game with the Falcons walking away from an intense ending. Although the Falcons would liked to have kept their large lead, they are happy to remain undefeated in conference play and will face Cary at Green Hope Friday night at 4:30.

The JV baseball team was able to rebound from their loss last night in a very good baseball game against Middle Creek with a 3-2 come from behind victory. Starting pitcher John Bradley was forced to come out of the game after the 3rd inning with a sore elbow. After coming out a little shaky in the 1st inning giving up two runs, Bradley gained his composure and kept the damage to a minimum. Keith Walsh came into the game in the 4th and shut the Mustangs down with a very solid performance. Walsh only allowed 3 baserunners over 4 innings striking out four and not walking a single batter. On the offensive side, Stephen Pitarra led all hitters with a 2-3 performance at the plate (He would have went 3-3 if it wasn't for a called balk against Middle Creek as Pitarra ripped a shot into right field, later lining out to 1st base). However, it was Taylor Waters single in the 7th inning followed by a game winning RBI by Keaton Derks that eventually won the game for the Falcons. It was a great performance by all to comeback and get the victory. The positive energy coming from the entire team says a lot about their character and motivation to work together as a unit. In what was a packed week of games (2 conference and 1 non-conference), the JV team finishes the week the same as the Varsity team with a 2-1 record, 2-0 in the Tri-Nine. Next week's game will be Tuesday night at Lee County and Friday night at home against Cary, both with starting times of 4:30.

Coming off a win Tuesday against Athens Drive, the JV team came out with a lot of energy tonight scoring 7 runs in the first 3 innings. Chris Tutwiler and Taylor Waters each went 2-4 at the plate, while Keaton Derks and Eric Gilbert got a rise out of their teammates with a triple and double respectively. Waters also gave a solid performance on the mound, especially in his JV pitching debut. After Waters showed signs of slowing down, he was pulled with a 7-4 lead in the 4th inning. This is when things went downhill for the Falcons, as the depleted bullpen gave up 11 straight runs. The Falcons were able to add one more run before the freezing night came to an end with a 15-8 loss. To give some credit, even though things got ugly for the bullpen, Coach Miller was very happy with the positive energy that came out of the dugout, and from the players on the field. The JV team will look to rebound when they travel to Apex to take on Middle Creek tomorrow afternoon at 4:30.

The JV team started off the season with a win over Athens Drive 9-7. The score does not tell the story of the game as the Falcons were leading 9-3 going into the 7th inning. Behind the much improved arm of Daniel Weygandt, in addition to a solid defense behind him, the Falcons were able to keep Athens Drive to only 4 hits through the first 6 innings. On the opposite side, the Falcons' bats did not show much rust from the off-season. Led by a 2-4 performance by Stephen Pitarra, along with 2 RBI each for Thomas Yoder, Scott McCraney, and Keaton Derks, the Falcons came out swinging for 7 runs in the first four innings. The final inning almost turned into a nightmare as the bullpen gave up 4 runs before finally recording the last out with a bases loaded strikeout. The Falcons next game will be Thursday night as the they host Leesville at 4:30.