The wait is over NDBA fans!

 

Weekly RoundUp is back to our regularly scheduled programming. We’re hopping on the same track as the online schedule, so Mondays will be our hangout date for the rest of the season. Apologies for the delay.

 

There’s plenty of action to cover, I wanted to include the busy Sunday that was in the NDBA and, of course, a wild Wednesday that featured our Game of the Week. I’m going to be covering every swing, throw, slide, and catch that got us to where we are now.

 

Let’s begin.

 

News of the Week

• The Rose City Thorns haven’t missed a single step so far this season and they’re off to an expected hot start. They continued to roll on Sunday night by knocking off the Niagara Falls Expos to move to 4-0 on the year.
• Still no lights at George Taylor Field. I’m updating on the weekly at this point, but any day now we should see something give. The Merritton Alliance played in their home opener on Sunday against the Welland Senior Baseball Team – a 1 p.m. start. While the Cobras announced today that their Thursday night game has been postponed and could possibly be moved to Friday night at McMillan Park in Thorold.
• Speaking of Thorold, the Anchors held their annual golf tournament over the weekend and had a great turnout – 124 people were on hand for the event. Manager, Aaron McInnis said: “The tournament was great. The Thorold Anchors were overwhelmed by the support they got, and the day went really smoothly.”
• If you’re free this Saturday (June 4) and you live on the links, the Fort Erie Cannons will host their annual golf tournament at Fort Erie Golf (weather permitting, of course). Check out their Facebook, Twitter, or contact a Cannons player for more details.
• The Welland Senior Baseball Team has provided a new logo for media use and I’m proud to show it off here:
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The Highlights

 

05-24-22 Rose City Thorns 10 – Thorold Anchors 4

 

Week three begins with the Thorns and Anchors as they kicked off a two-game set at McMillan Park on Tuesday night. The Thorns win and that’s important for later, so remember that.

 

Riley Gray got the start, the second-consecutive new pitcher to get the nod for the Thorns in this young season. The kid dealt, until the bottom of the fifth, when he was charged with all four of his runs. Overall, he scattered five hits and two walks and had a whopping eight strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings of work.

 

Conversely, Kyle D’Angela pitched well in his start for the Anchors, going three innings, and allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He was left with no decision.

 

Thorns offense, which featured Matt Holman, Tyler Wood and another rookie, Nolan Gallo combined for eight of the team’s 12 hits on the night. Rose City really broke the game open in the top of the fifth with an extra five runs to pad their lead to 8-0.

 

Anchors answered in the bottom half. Devon Boughner and Jake Maxwell each came through with RBIs in a four-run inning. It looked like the game was on, but that was as far as the comeback would take them. The Anchors got themselves into some defensive troubles once again, the team committed five errors on the night.

 

05-25-22 St. Catharines Cobras 4 – Fort Erie Cannons 7

 

Of course, we’ve got this game covered front to back, it’s our Game of the Week!

 

Oakes Park (FE) is always a great place to catch a long ball or two, the field has received its fair share of nicknames over the years; ‘Baby Park’ is perhaps the best I’ve heard.

 

This was a spirited contest, no doubt. Both the Cobras and Cannons were opening their season on Wednesday night in front of the always faithful crowd in Fort Erie.

 

Jeff Bruneau and Randy Kraneyk both sent baseballs over the short porch and set off literal uproars. (Sirens are a new feature at Oakes Park) Mike Tibollo comes in in relief and tosses two innings while the Cannons offense comes out on top in the late stages of the game to get the rookie southpaw the win.

 

On the flip side, Tyler Wilson tossed three solid innings for the Cobras. Seemed to hit his spots though he did say he wasn’t able to mix in a lot of his off-speed stuff, which tells me this guy’s got a lot more up his sleeve that we haven’t seen yet.

 

The same could be said about the entire Cobras team, who hit the ball hard all night off Cannons’ pitching but couldn’t get the result. Wilson: “Honestly, just getting the first game of the season out of the way was just a lot of fun.” That’s a sentiment we can all agree on no matter the result.

 

 05-25-22 Merritton Alliance 7 – Welland Senior Baseball Team 6

 

This game came right down to the wire.

 

Ian Hamilton-Arvisais made his 2022 debut and pitched well his first time through the Chiefs’ lineup before coughing up three runs in the third, leaving the game with his team trailing 4-0.

 

Frank Barber, Chico Anderi, Mark Jaroslawski, Dennis Martin and Greg Carpenter all had multi-hit nights on an active night for the Senior Baseball Team’s offense.

 

Merritton was trailing 4-3 in the top of the fifth when Dave Davidson logged his first ever RBIs in the NDBA with a two-run double to put his team on top.

 

Matt Brady pitches three shutout innings in relief to pick up his win of the year. The wily vet surrendered four hits and one walk and had three strikeouts.

 

Senior Baseball Team tried to mount a comeback and had the game-tying run in scoring position before Scott Cole grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

 

05-27-22 Thorold Anchors 1 – Rose City Thorns 5

 

The Thorns and Anchors closed out their mini-series on Friday night at the Stadium and we saw a very similar result as on Tuesday’s tilt.

 

Matt Porkolab made his second start of the season and was outstanding in this one. He faced just 13 batters in his four innings of work and was charged with a single hit while striking out seven. To say he was dominant was an understatement.

 

Dave Knaus (3-for-3; RBI) knocked two extra-base hits, scoring twice. Matt Holman and Ted Beadle also made the most of their opportunities with multi-hit games of their own the former picking up some RBIs in the process.

 

Anchors hurler Justin Vescio-West takes the loss in this one, over four and two-thirds innings, Thorns got to him for four earned runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Nick Schwab (1-for-1) got the lone hit for the Anchors.

 

Thorns move to 3-0 but the week is still young…

 

05-29-22 Welland Senior Baseball Team 0 – Merritton Alliance 5

 

A little less dramatic than Wednesday’s affair was the Sunday afternoon home opener for the Alliance against the Senior Baseball Team.

 

The story here was, of course, the Alliance returning to the field for the first time since 2019. A long-awaited homecoming for them, marred by the fact that the lights continue to be an issue at George Taylor Field. This one was a 1 p.m. start.

 

Once again it was a key pitching performance that carried the team to victory. Cam McKnight got his second nod of the season after going four shutout innings in an eventual loss to the Thorns in their season opener. He was just brilliant here, going seven complete and allowing just two hits with five strikeouts. It’s the first complete game of the 2022 season for any team.

 

Matt Brady drove in a pair of runs on the offensive side of the ball for the Alliance, while teammates Matt Kerr and Steve Maurice both registered a pair of hits in the win.

 

Chico Anderi and Mark Jaroslawski were the only members of the Senior Baseball Team to solve McKnight on the afternoon as the Alliance improve to 2-1 on the year.

 

05-29-22 Niagara Falls Expos 2 – Rose City Thorns 6

 

The Rose City Thorns make perfect bookends as they capped off week the same way they started it, with a win. (Remember that, from earlier)

 

At the time of writing, details on the Thorns are shaky. We know Tyler Rose pitched a gem where the team no-hit the Expos. Matt Holman also delivered once again with a pair of RBIs also capping an impressive week for the Thorns’ sophomore slugger.

 

Dallas Smith, who took the loss in this one for the Expos, was subject to some shady defense, but was tagged overall for four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts over his three innings on the mound.

 

Expos scored both of their runs on errors following walks. Thorns end the week with a big win and move to 4-0!

 

Three Stars

 

It’s time for our Three Stars of the Week!

 

Every week, we look at the most impressive performers of the week and single them out for all the world to see.

These guys don’t just love the limelight, they live in it.

 

Think you’ve been snubbed? Get the conversation going @NDBAsenior.

 

Jeff Bruneau (Fort Erie Cannons)

It didn’t take long for the Cannons’ vet to get his first homerun of the 2022 season. In just his second at-bat against the Cobras, he took rookie pitcher, Tyler Wilson over the short porch in left-center field. That was a crucial hit for the Cannons as they three-run shot propelled them to a 4-3 lead and eventually led them to the win. Big players come through at big times – Jeff Bruneau is this week’s third star.

 

Cam McKnight (Merritton Alliance)

I’ll guarantee this won’t be the only time you see the Alliance ace’s name in the three stars this season, the guy is an absolute workhorse. McKnight came through with the pitching performance of the week and maybe even the season against the Senior Baseball Team on Sunday afternoon (bold take in week three, I know). With the first complete game of the year on the board, a nod is due. Cam McKnight is the second star of the week.

 

Matt Holman (Rose City Thorns)

Well, Twitter demanded it so here it is. It was hard to argue with Holman in this spot, he’s been utterly huge for the Thorns in the early going and instrumental to their 4-0 start. With RBIs in all three contests, he’s made himself a home in the middle part of the lineup as a dangerous bat to contend with. Teams are going to have to start looking twice, or this week’s first star will make you pay.