PORT BYRON - It was the same old stuff that sank the Port Byron baseball team Tuesday against neighboring Weedsport.
Port Byron third baseman Victor Urietta waits on a throw as Weedsport's Jeff Bibbens slides safely into the bag. Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Two errors and two walks in the top of the first, and the Panthers had spotted the Warriors four runs before they could even come to the plate.
Port Byron did show serious signs of life in nudging itself back into the game, but the Panthers still dropped to 0-6 with an 11-6 loss.
"We came out flat and gave them too many runs. That's been our problem all year," Port Byron coach Jim Drancsak said. "Lately, it hasn't been the walks. At the beginning of the year, we were walking too many guys. Now, it's our defense."
Panthers starting pitcher Ray Miles was working on short (three days) rest, and threw so many pitches in the first inning that his fatigue was evident in the second, when Weedsport cashed in for two more runs on a long RBI double from Tim Church and Chris Loperfido's RBI single.
Working against a daunting 6-0 deficit, the Panthers clawed back in the third. Three straight singles made it 6-1, and Weedsport pitcher Loperfido gave up his first walk to keep the bases loaded with no outs.
Loperfido threatened to shut down Port Byron's insurgence with two straight strikeouts. But Nate Short blasted a triple to deep center field, clearing the bases and making it 6-4. Short came home on an infield single to close the gap to 6-5 before Loperfido got out of the inning.
"The first inning killed us," Short said (two hits, four RBIs). "We started hitting the ball, and the defense started playing great later in the game. It was just that they starting finding the gaps. But we're going to get one. We're due."
From then on, however, Loperfido settled down, giving up only one hit and one run the rest of the way (an RBI single by Short in the fourth), including 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth. In all, Port Byron mustered just five hits against Loperfido.
"I think the defense really helped me, because I had the confidence to throw the ball the way I needed to throw it, and if they hit it, the defense would make the play," Loperfido said. "And also, the offense came through. They did a hell of a job. Not one person stood out. Everybody did their job today."
Meanwhile, although Short came on in relief of Miles to start the third and settled things down briefly, Weedsport added an insurance run in the fourth and scored three more in the fifth to make it 10-6. In all, the Warriors totalled 16 hits, led by Matt Austin (three hits, three runs) and Tim Church (two hits, triple, double, two runs). Mike Coolbaugh, Jim Scarbrough and Loperfido also had two hits apiece in a complete team offensive effort.
"A couple of guys were due (to hit)," said Weedsport coach Bob Herrington. "It's still early in the season. We made mistakes, but we try to minimize those, and put the bat on the ball and make things happen, and we're starting to do that. We did it well today."
Port Byron plays at Bishop Grimes today, while Weedsport (2-1) plays host to state champion Fabius-Pompey.
"It's definitely the best we've played," Loperfido said. "It was a complete effort, on everybody's part.
"It's always nice to beat (Port Byron). They're just five minutes down the road. Anytime we can get a victory from them, it feels good."
Staff writer Andrew Walter can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 257 or at citizensports@lee.net
Port Byron did show serious signs of life in nudging itself back into the game, but the Panthers still dropped to 0-6 with an 11-6 loss.
"We came out flat and gave them too many runs. That's been our problem all year," Port Byron coach Jim Drancsak said. "Lately, it hasn't been the walks. At the beginning of the year, we were walking too many guys. Now, it's our defense."
Panthers starting pitcher Ray Miles was working on short (three days) rest, and threw so many pitches in the first inning that his fatigue was evident in the second, when Weedsport cashed in for two more runs on a long RBI double from Tim Church and Chris Loperfido's RBI single.
Working against a daunting 6-0 deficit, the Panthers clawed back in the third. Three straight singles made it 6-1, and Weedsport pitcher Loperfido gave up his first walk to keep the bases loaded with no outs.
Loperfido threatened to shut down Port Byron's insurgence with two straight strikeouts. But Nate Short blasted a triple to deep center field, clearing the bases and making it 6-4. Short came home on an infield single to close the gap to 6-5 before Loperfido got out of the inning.
"The first inning killed us," Short said (two hits, four RBIs). "We started hitting the ball, and the defense started playing great later in the game. It was just that they starting finding the gaps. But we're going to get one. We're due."
From then on, however, Loperfido settled down, giving up only one hit and one run the rest of the way (an RBI single by Short in the fourth), including 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth. In all, Port Byron mustered just five hits against Loperfido.
"I think the defense really helped me, because I had the confidence to throw the ball the way I needed to throw it, and if they hit it, the defense would make the play," Loperfido said. "And also, the offense came through. They did a hell of a job. Not one person stood out. Everybody did their job today."
Meanwhile, although Short came on in relief of Miles to start the third and settled things down briefly, Weedsport added an insurance run in the fourth and scored three more in the fifth to make it 10-6. In all, the Warriors totalled 16 hits, led by Matt Austin (three hits, three runs) and Tim Church (two hits, triple, double, two runs). Mike Coolbaugh, Jim Scarbrough and Loperfido also had two hits apiece in a complete team offensive effort.
"A couple of guys were due (to hit)," said Weedsport coach Bob Herrington. "It's still early in the season. We made mistakes, but we try to minimize those, and put the bat on the ball and make things happen, and we're starting to do that. We did it well today."
Port Byron plays at Bishop Grimes today, while Weedsport (2-1) plays host to state champion Fabius-Pompey.
"It's definitely the best we've played," Loperfido said. "It was a complete effort, on everybody's part.
"It's always nice to beat (Port Byron). They're just five minutes down the road. Anytime we can get a victory from them, it feels good."
Staff writer Andrew Walter can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 257 or at citizensports@lee.net
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