Thirteen was the lucky number of the day for New Orleans Sunday in the championship game of the 65th annual AAABA Tournament.
The Boosters put nine runs on the board, three of them earned, in a 9-0 victory over New Brunswick in the title tilt for New Orleans’ 13th tournament crown, its first since 2000.
Two nights after his team squandered a five-run advantage to Delweld in the ninth inning, Brooklyn manager Jerry Katzke wasn’t taking chances on Saturday.
He went to his ace in relief and Brooklyn held off a spirited effort by the host Delweld squad in front of an estimated 4,000 fans at Point Stadium.
Brooklyn eliminated Delweld 5-0 in the 65th AAABA Tournament.
New Brunswick continued its offensive onslaught on this afternoon, battering previously unbeaten Brooklyn 10-0 in eight innings in a AAABA Tournament game at Point Stadium.
New Orleans stayed alive in the losers' bracket, beating Toledo 10-5 in the early game at the Point.
New Brunswick and New Orleans will meet on Saturday while Brooklyn will face the winner of Friday night's game between Johnstown's Delweld and Martella's Pharmacy entries.
Delweld put together a miracle finish in the ninth to force extra innings on Thursday, but the storybook ending eluded the Johnstown entry as Brooklyn rallied for a run in the bottom of the 12th inning.
New Orleans pounded out 17 hits and scored at least one run in seven of the eight innings played Thursday, eliminating Lansing 14-3 in a AAABA game at Fichtner Field.
Lansing only had two players on its bench Thursday morning.
With the possibility of a doubleheader on the horizon, the Carl’s squad needed to get as much as it could out of its starting pitcher.
The Toledo Monarchs used a pair of two-out rallies and a solid relief performance by Mike Moyer to beat the Zanesville Junior Pioneers 5-3 Thursday afternoon at Point Stadium.
They partied like it was 1869 on Thursday afternoon at Point Stadium.
Actually, the Pittsburgh Franklins and Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder played a Vintage Base Ball Association (VBBA) exhibition game during a break in a AAABA Tournament tripleheader.
Jake Smith pitched into the ninth inning and Lansing Carl's took advantage of six Youngstown errors to beat the Metros 6-3 in an elimination game at Point Stadium this morning.
Matt Staub recalled his first AAABA Tournament experience in 2007.
The veteran Delweld standout remembered how the expectations that accompanied playing on the host Delweld team and the big-game atmosphere sometimes seemed overwhelming back then.
There were no nerves on Wednesday.
The Johnstown right-hander displayed the poise of a three-tournament veteran while tossing a three-hit shutout in a Delweld’s 11-0 victory over Youngstown in front of an estimated 4,000 fans at Point Stadium.
Less than 12 hours after an atypical loss, Zanesville picked up its first win in the AAABA Tournament by doing what it does best: Pitching well, playing good defense and capitalizing on an opponent’s mistakes.
The Junior Pioneers (1-1) beat Schenectady 4-2 in an elimination game at Point Stadium this morning and will face Buffalo at 3 this afternoon at Johnstown Middle School.
Brett Vescovi pitched six scoreless innings, scattering three hits, as the Johnstown Delweld entry pounded the Zanesville Junior Pioneers 13-0 in front of nearly 5,000 fans Tuesday night at Point Stadium.
Righty Dan Beam pitched a complete game this afternoon as Toledo topped Philadelphia 3-1 at Roxbury Park in AAABA Tournament play.
The win keeps the Toledo Monarchs in town for another round in the double-elimination tournament, and sends the Philly Bandits home 0-2. Both teams had lost their openers on Monday.
Landon Wahl played a key role in Martella’s Pharmacy’s AAABA Tournament victory on Monday.
It was a different kind of wall that helped the Johnstown entry improve to 2-0 on Tuesday at Point Stadium.
A day after Wahl pitched a complete-game victory, Ryan Zamiskie was even better in throwing a three-hitter as Martella’s beat Livonia 2-1 thanks to some timely substitutions and a fortuitous bounce.
A standing-room-only crowd had packed into Point Stadium on Monday night. Then the skies broke loose, unleashing a fierce rain storm that sent fans scurrying for cover as the grounds crew put tarps on the pitcher’s mound and home plate.
So much for what had been shaping up as a fantastic opening night of the AAABA Tournament.
Moments after his Martella’s Pharmacy team lost the final game of a best-of-5 championship series against Delweld on Monday, manager Chris Pfeil figured his AAABA League season had concluded.
Delweld earned the right to represent Johnstown in the 65th AAABA Tournament that begins on Monday at Point Stadium and outlying fields.
But late Saturday afternoon, Pfeil received an unexpected phone call from Johnstown Oldtimers President George Arcurio III.
Brett Vescovi worked out of the bullpen and won both of his previous AAABA Tournament appearances in each of the last two seasons.
On Monday, the Delweld left-hander will take the mound as Johnstown’s starter in the official opener of the 65th annual AAABA Tournament at Point Stadium.
ome writers celebrated the big-league stars who have made a stop in Johnstown for the AAABA Tournament.
Others extolled the exploits of local baseball stars.
Some told stories of a personal nature – an uncle or friend who left an impression from their days on the diamond.
All of the entries in The Tribune-Democrat’s 2009 point to the great legacy of the AAABA in this region, and the importance of the games and the personalities for players and fans alike.
Delweld will face a AAABA League alumni team filled with former pros and a couple ex-big leaguers in a charity game on Friday night at Point Stadium.
Not only do the alumni players have some impressive credentials, many of those former AAABA stars still are playing competitively.
Don’t expect to see a group of out-of-shape ballplayers shuffling across the field during the 7 p.m. contest.
Two pitchers who threw no-hitters earned the monthly Point Stadium Award nominations for June and July.
Martella’s Pharmacy right-hander Landon Wahl and Delweld left-hander Brett Vescovi tossed no-hitters within 10 days of each other at the Point. As monthly winners, the hurlers now are eligible to earn the annual Point Stadium Award.
The AAABA Hall of Fame will welcome four new members in the Class of 2009 that includes one of Johnstown’s top all-around athletes, a manager who led Baltimore to six consecutive titles, a beloved and successful manager of the Buffalo franchise, and a longtime Tribune-Democrat sports writer.
The banquet will be held at the Pasquerilla Conference Center on Saturday. Sharing the podium as featured speakers will be former Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Grant Jackson, who was the winner in relief during Game 7 of the 1979 World Series, and reliever Kent Tekulve, who recorded the final out against the Baltimore Orioles.
Dean Albany expected to be in Johnstown for his induction into the AAABA Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
But the first-year general manager of Youse’s Maryland Orioles of Baltimore didn’t count on leaving Sunday afternoon.
The two Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers who won and saved Game 7 of the 1979 World Series against Baltimore will team up again 30 years later at the AAABA Hall of Fame banquet.
Grant Jackson, who won the decisive seventh game in relief, and Kent Tekulve, the side-armed closer who got the save, each will appear at the Aug. 8 event at the Pasquerilla Conference Center.
Defending AAABA League playoff champion Delweld is in a familiar spot.
Manager Chris DelSignore’s team already is in full postseason form, playing error-free baseball, getting good pitching and stringing together hits in bunches at Point Stadium.
The result on Saturday was a 10-2 victory over the Berkely Hills Renegades that gave Delweld a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-5 semifinal series. Game 3 will be at 4 today at the Point.
Evan Gazza would have been satisfied with a fair ball and perhaps a good bounce in the right-field corner at Point Stadium.
Instead, the Martella’s Pharmacy slugger was as surprised as anyone when his hooking fly ball clanged off the wide yellow foul pole in right for a 290-foot grand slam.
Gazza’s first-inning homer and a strong outing by right-hander Landon Wahl put Martella’s on track to a 15-5 victory in eight innings and 2-0 series lead over Principle Development in a best-of-5 AAABA League semifinal playoff.
The Tribune-Democrat will offer two exciting promotions in connection with this year’s All-American Amateur Baseball Association tournament.
The newspaper will produce commemorative baseball cards featuring this year’s Johnstown tournament players as well as all-time tournament greats from years past.
The heavy, glossy, full-color cards will include pictures of the players as well as statistics and biographical information.
Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who played in the 2003 AAABA Tournament, died Thursday in a hit-and-run car crash after a game, a hospital official said.
No NFL team has lost more conference championship games at home in less time than the Pittsburgh Steelers did during the 1994-2004 seasons.
More than 50 years ago, Joe Torre listened intently as his older brother, Frank, told stories of a western Pennsylvania steel mill city where a weeklong baseball tournament was played in a uniquely configured stadium.
“Years before I played there I had heard Frank talking about, ‘Johnstown, Johnstown,’ ” said Torre, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager, during a four-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park last week.
The Torre brothers made their mark in Johnstown during a combined six AAABA Tournament appearances. The Flood City also made an impression on them.
Rick Roberts paced deliberately from the end of the hallway to the home dugout’s entrance at Point Stadium.
His eyes red and slightly tearing, Roberts resembled a manager who had just addressed his gritty team after a solid AAABA Tournament appearance that ended too soon for players, coaches and their fans.
The D.C. McLean Raiders of Washington earned their spot in Saturday night’s championship game of the 64th annual AAABA Tournament opposite Baltimore with a 9-6 victory over the ABCO Phillies of Philadelphia in the afternoon game at Point Stadium.
The victory for the Raiders avenged an earlier 4-3 tournament loss to Philadelphia.
Baltimore manager Dean Albany complained that his Youse’s Maryland Orioles were flat in eliminating Johnstown’s Delweld entry from the AAABA Tournament on Thursday night.
He had no such concerns on Friday.
Baltimore continued its run in the 64th annual AAABA Tournament, advancing to face unbeaten Philadelphia in a Friday night game with a 22-0, seven-inning shutout over Zanesville Friday afternoon at Roxbury Park.
Brett Williams was performing like a well-oiled machine on Friday.
Altoona wasn’t.
That was the biggest difference in Washington’s 7-0 shutout of Altoona in an elimination game of the 64th AAABA Tournament at Point Stadium.
Williams scattered nine hits and the McLean Raiders took advantage of four Altoona errors to score six unearned runs.
Philadelphia’s triumphs in the 64th AAABA Tournament have come in the wake of tragedy.
The ABCO Phillies, who could win the franchise’s first championship today, have dedicated their performance to the memory of Bruce Wandling.
Johnstown’s Delweld took the five-time defending AAABA Tournament champions to the limit on Thursday night at Point Stadium.
But Youse’s Maryland Orioles of Baltimore did what the most successful franchise in tournament history does so well. Baltimore found a way to defeat an upstart Delweld team 4-3 despite two inside-the-park homers by Tom Burkett and an outstanding outing by 19-year-old Gregg Bandzuh.
Philadelphia gave manager Brian Kraus a going-away present.
The manager of the ABCO Phillies improved to 4-0 in the 64th AAABA Tournament, as his team beat Altoona 5-1 Thursday at Point Stadium to become the only remaining undefeated team.
Maryland State had Washington on the ropes, leading by a run with two outs in the top of the ninth at Greater Johnstown Middle School field on Thursday.
But a routine pop-up to shallow right was misplayed and the McLean Raiders went on to get the gamewinner, and more, in an 8-5 victory over the Columbia Reds, eliminating Maryland State from the 64th AAABA Tournament.
Doug Pollock is certainly thankful it’s Friday.
The Zanesville manager is in a new position, as his Junior Pioneers are playing in the AAABA Tournament’s fifth day for the first time.
“It’s a little bit of a new experience for us to be playing on Friday,” Pollock said Thursday after his team beat Livonia 7-1 in an elimination game at Point Stadium for its third win of the tournament. “We’ve had to play a doubleheader on Thursday before.
Johnstown's Tom Burkett talks with Tribune-Democrat reporter Mike Mastovich following the team's 6-5 win over Cleveland at the Point Stadium on Wednesday.
Tom Burkett drew walks in six of his first 12 plate appearances during the 64th AAABA Tournament.
Once the Delweld center fielder finally started seeing some good pitches, the 6-foot-1 slugger sent baseballs flying out of Point Stadium on Wednesday night.
Burkett ripped a nearly 400-foot triple to center field and had a pair of towering shots over the left-field screen as host Johnstown beat Cleveland J.L. Thomas, 6-5, in front of 1,743 fans.
Baltimore pitcher Kevin Brady struck out 14 batters, reserve Tyler Hibbs collected two hits and Youse’s Maryland Orioles shut out New Orleans 4-0 on Wednesday at the Greater Johnstown Middle School field, eliminating the Louisiana club from the 64th AAABA Tournament.
Brady, a right-hander who is scheduled to be a freshman this coming semester at Clemson University, allowed five hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings.
Philadelphia nearly earned a spot in AAABA Tournament history by going from turning a triple play one day to being the victim of one the next day.
Instead, the ABCO Phillies will have to settle for a spot in the winner’s bracket opposite Altoona.
Just two pitches after the Phillies nearly ran themselves out of a golden opportunity in the 11th on Wednesday, Jordan Fisher drove in the winning run in a 4-3 victory over Washington at Point Stadium.
Execution.
Baseball coaches preach about how important it is, but Altoona’s Johnston Realty baseball team personified that importance Wednesday afternoon.
After four scoreless innings, the Altoona entry fell behind Maryland State’s Columbia Reds by a run in the top of the fifth. However, Johnston scored twice in the fifth and twice more in the sixth to earn their third consecutive victory, 4-1, in a game at War Memorial Field in Lilly.
Zanesville manager Doug Pollock, a former national president and AAABA Hall of Famer, is working the 64th tournament with both of his sons.
Zachary Pollock, a 16-year-old Zanesville High School student, is an infielder-outfielder for the Junior Pioneers. Zachary’s older brother, Joe, is a coach for Zanesville and a former player.
Livonia took Brooklyn’s best shot and got off the turf, literally, in a AAABA elimination game on Wednesday morning at Point Stadium.
The Rams scored five runs – all of them coming with two outs – in the top of the ninth to beat the Youth Service Team 6-3 and stay alive in the tournament.
Judicious use of pitching and a three-run homer by center fielder Erik Spitzer kept Zanesville alive for another day on Wednesday.
Schenectady was eliminated on the 8-7 decision at Roxbury Park, despite nearly overcoming a four-run deficit in the eighth inning.
“It was a good ballgame,” said PNA manager Todd Godlewski. “Both teams played well. But, we left a lot of guys on base (11), and we didn’t get the big hit when we needed it.”
It’s unusual for a baseball player to get two hits in an inning. When more than one player does it on the same team, like Gurabo, Puerto Rico, did Wednesday, it usually means a pretty good offensive night.
Gurabo had five players get two hits in an inning against Johnstown. Thing is, all five got them in the same inning.
ABC’s of the AAABA national tournament in Johnstown:
From beginning to end ... as compiled by members of the 2008 New Orleans franchise.
As compiled by members of the 2008 New Orleans franchise.
New Orleans, Schenectady, Brooklyn eliminated. Altoona, Philly advance.
Drew Permison isn’t accustomed to going the distance on the mound.
The Maryland State right-hander certainly didn’t expect to throw 156 pitches on Tuesday night. He probably didn’t envision himself working nine of the 10 innings the Columbia Reds needed to defeat Johnstown’s Delweld 5-2 at Point Stadium.
Washington D.C.’s McLean Raiders won the battle of the big guns of the Beltway, surviving a 5-4 game with defending AAABA champ Baltimore Youse’s Maryland Orioles in an errorless, second-round contest Tuesday at Lilly Washington Memorial Field.
“We know a lot about Baltimore, being from the same area,” Washington manager Eric Smith said. “They are definitely the best team here and the team you have to beat to win the championship, so all of our guys are excited. I’m happy for them. They played well.”
Altoona manager Kurt Farabaugh got exactly what he wanted from his team on Tuesday.
Not only did Johnston Realty beat Zanesville 4-3 at Roxbury Park in the winner’s bracket of the 64th AAABA Tournament, but Farabaugh also got another strong pitching performance to help him save some of his best arms for the rest of the week.
A third-inning triple play was only one piece of the sparkling defensive puzzle put together by Philadelphia in support of Kevin Dooley’s complete-game victory as Philadelphia ABCO downed Brooklyn Youth Service 4-1 Tuesday at Fichtner Field at Johnstown Middle School.
Nine times three.
Philadelphia ABCO turned the ninth triple play in AAABA Tournament history during the third inning of a 4-1 win over Brooklyn Tuesday at Johnstown Middle School’s Fichtner Field.
The most recent triple play prior to Tuesday was made by New Orleans in 1999.
Former limited late models driver Dave Lee of Windber won the pure stocks feature Saturday night at Thunder Valley, his first victory in any division at the Central City track since 2000.
Third-generation driver Randy Burkholder of Chambersburg scored his career-first late models win while Brian Duffy won his 17th career TVR semi-late victory. Martin Visnosky captured his third victory in the past four four-cylinder races.
Talk about bouncing back.
After getting shut out by Philadelphia in the 64th AAABA Tournament opener, New Orleans Boosters jumped on Buffalo for eight early runs before eliminating Pignataro’s Financial Group 10-4 on Tuesday at UPJ’s George R. Walter Field.
“It’s the great thing about this tournament, being a double-elimination, you’re not done until that second game’s lost,” New Orleans manager Brady Benoit said.
As far as Cleveland manager Dave Thomas is concerned, his team’s 6-2 victory over Lansing on Tuesday was due to just one factor.
“Mike Muenster,” Thomas said. “Mike Muenster says it all.”
The right-handed Muenster struck out nine, walked six and gave up seven hits in the elimination game at Franklin Field.
Schenectady survives.
The PNA team from New York charged from behind Tuesday afternoon to take the lead from the Youngstown Metros, only to squander it with an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning.
However, in the bottom of the ninth, Schenectady took advantage of a hit batsman and an error to pull out an 8-7 victory over the Metros in an elimination game at Cambria Township Recreation Park.
Faced with the prospect of a short trip to Johnstown, the Livonia Michigan Rams shrugged off an early deficit and sent New York Cortlandt packing with an 11-4 victory on Tuesday afternoon.
A day after being shut down by one of Baltimore’s top pitchers, the Rams offense got back on track against New York lefty Michael O’Hanlon, putting up two runs in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth to break the game open at 9-3.
Delweld shrugged off early nerves and what began as a dominating outing by Youngstown Metro left-hander Steve Gruver on Monday night at Point Stadium.
The Johnstown host entry eventually solved Gruver, who recorded nine strikeouts in the first three innings. Delweld won 11-3 in the official opener of the 64th annual AAABA Tournament.
Philadelphia didn’t have history on its side in Monday’s AAABA Tournament game with New Orleans, but manager Brian Kraus had Christopher Dolan and Matt Moceri.
That proved to be enough, as the two right-handers combined to shut out New Orleans for 10 innings as Philadelphia won 2-0 at Roxbury Park.
Youse’s Maryland Orioles have built a great tradition in the national AAABA Tournament.
Monday, however, the five-time defending champs broke with one of the traditions that has not been as positive as they would have liked.
Fans of all ages converged on Point Stadium on Monday to catch Johnstown’s Delweld host Youngstown, Ohio, in the 64th annual AAABA Tournament opener.
The game got under way with Delweld batboy Matthew Hohan, 14, throwing outthe first pitch to rousing cheers from the thousands in attendance.
“I wouldn’t miss this,” said Jerry Maser of Johnstown. “This is the best amateur baseball in the country and a Johnstown tradition.”
Brooklyn just wouldn’t go away.
Hanging around, hanging around, the Youth Service team finally got the bats working in the seventh, posting four runs, and going on to a 10-7 victory over Buffalo’s Pignataro’s Financial Services team in the opening round of the AAABA Tournament at Pete and Mick Haschak Memorial Field in Portage.
Brooklyn got runs from eight of the starting nine batters, but was forced to play catch-up from deficits of 1-0, 4-2 and 7-4.
The victory puts the Youth Service team in a winner’s-bracket game against Philadelphia today. Buffalo will face New Orleans.
Altoona used a pitching-by-committee approach to precision on Monday in AAABA opening-round action against Lansing at Lilly-Washington Memorial Field.
Johnston Realty used four pitchers, including winner Mike Pierce, in a 12-0 shutout over Carl’s Supermarket in 61⁄2 innings.
