by Joe DiBlasi
The Baltimore
Metro 16 and under baseball league started play on Saturday and the
Maryland Orioles opened their season at 6th Street Field in Brooklyn, splitting a double-header with the Carroll County Rangers. In game one of a double-header, the Rangers got five runs in the seventh
inning, to beat the Orioles 13-7, spoiling their debut before a home
crowd.
North Carrol's Casey Mann, the Rangers leadoff hitter, set the table
for the Rangers by reaching base base five times in game one. The
speedy center-fielder walked three times, was hit by a picth, and he
whacked a two-run homer. Mann scored two runs and drove in two for
coach Ren Maxcy.
Clean-up hitter Sean Murray homered for the Rangers in the second
inning, and the big right-fielder from Fairfield, PA added two
singles. Murray scored three runs and drove in four. Catcher Matt Shriver (Winters Mill) had three hits, and two RBI for the Rangers in the lid-lifter.
The Orioles were led by Glenn Davis (Northeast) and two Cardinal
Gibbons Crusaders, Dom Fratantuono and Blake Thompson, who both had
three hits. Archbishop Curley's Sean Doyle had two hits and two RBI for the O's.
The Orioles trailed 8-3 going into the bottom of the sixth, and they
got six straight singles and scored four times to pull within one run. Mike Schmidt (North County), Thompson, Fratantuono, Cody Beckwith (TC), Alec Baum (Centennial) and Davis had consec- utive singles
in the big sixth inning.
The Rangers answered by scoring five times in the top of the seventh to cruise to their six run victory.
Six straight batters reached in the seventh for the Rangers; Jake
Claypoole (Christian School,York, PA) singled, Collin Hunter (Calvert
Hall), who had two hits and scored twice, singled, Mann walked, James
Ways (Winters Mill) was hit by a pitch, Scott Cremens (Westminster)
singled, and Murray singled.
The Rangers left-hander Chad Meadows, who went all the way and got the
win, was aided by three Ranger double plays that thwarted Oriole threats in the first and second innings, and a key 4-6-3 twin-killing in the sixth ended the O's four ran rally.
In the second game, Cardinal Gibbons' Chris Pletz cooled off the Rangers with a dominant two-hitter as the Orioles won 7-1.
Carroll County got an unearned run the the sixth on an infield error
to spoil the right-hander's shut-out bid.
"I had good movement on my
fastball, my curve was diving, and I was abe to keep them off balance," said the sophomore right-hander. Peltz fanned 14 Rangers.
Fratantuono had two more hits in the night-cap, and the Doyle had two hits and an RBI. Glenn Davis added a single and a double, as the shortstop from Northeast collected five hits on the day.
Jake Thiess (North County) smashed a two-run homer for the O's in gamw two.
"We were hungry for a vctory after losing the opener," said Fratantuono. "We came back strong and Chris pitched a great game."
Next for the Orioles is a trip to Tollgate Park on Tuesday, where they will face the Bel Air Braves.
The Metro League includes the Rangers, Orioles and Braves, as well as the Putty
Hill Panthers, Churchville Heat, Maryland Red Dogs, Harford Sox, Maryland Hillcats, Baltimore Chop, Sykesville Cyclones, HCYP Raiders and Columbia Reds.
Game One
Carroll County Rangers 13, Maryland Orioles 7
CCR 030 320 5 - 13 12 0
MO 100 114 0 - 7 13 1
2B: CCR-Schriver; MO-Davis.
HR: CRR-Murray, Mann.
Meadows and Schriver; Wolf, Schillenberg (4), Baum (7) and Patti.
WP-Meadows LP- Wolf
Game Two
Maryland Orioles 7, Carroll County Rangers 0
CCR 000 001 0 - 0 2 0
MO 100 340 x - 8 12 1
2B: MO-Davis, Fratantuono, Doyle
HR: MO-Thiess
Martin, Sapuway (4), Maxcy (6) and Claypoole; Peltz and Patti.
WP-Peltz LP- Martin
