By Ted Waddell
GRAHAMSVILLE — May 2, 2003 – It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for the home team.
On Monday, in what was a really long afternoon of varsity baseball for both teams, Tri-Valley pitchers walked 17 Roscoe batters, who racked up 11 runs on just four hits.
But the Bears managed to hang on to earn a non-league 13-11 win over visiting Roscoe (0-3).
Legions of batters walked to first base and more than a few reached after getting hit by errant pitches.
T-V (3-3) sent three pitchers to the mound: Ryan Briggs, Joe Garigliano and Josh Smith. Roscoe started out with Brian Ballard and finished up with Troy Kirchner. Briggs picked up the win, while Ballard was charged with the loss.
In the top of the first, the Blue Devils scored a couple of runs as Ballard and Joe Bowers walked, and then scampered across the plate on a triple by Dave Eggleton.
Not to be outdone quite so easily, T-V rallied with a trio of runs at their turn at bat in the opening frame.
With two outs, Zack Bright doubled to set the stage for a 3-2 lead by the home team. A single by J. R. Rennison scored Bright. Josh Smith reached first the hard way after he was nicked by a pitch. Rennison advanced to third and Smith moved up to second on a wild pitch. Brandon Scott singled, scoring two runs.
In the second inning, T-V started to pull away as three runners crossed the plate.
Dan Knox was hit by an inside pitch, stole second and advanced on a wild pitch. With two outs, Ballard served up a walk to Rennison.
Smith singled to score Knox and Rennison. Scott swatted a single to send Smith home to give the Bears a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom of the third, the Bears added another run. Knox doubled with two outs, and then pilfered third. He scored on a single by John Garigliano.
Trailing by five, the Blue Devils stepped up to the plate in the fourth frame and put two runs in the scorebook.
Ballard was hit by a pitch, and apparently incensed by getting whacked, in rapid succession stole second, third and home. On the way into third he beat the tag and slid face first into the dirt, getting a real taste of Grahamsville’s terra firma.
Spitting dust, he later slid across the plate, once again getting a mouthful of dusty dirt, much to the amusement of the fans and his teammates.
Still in the Roscoe fourth, Dan Park walked and scored on a Eggleton triple. But the Bears still led 7-4.
In the top of the fifth, the Blue Devils made it a 7-6 ballgame as they sent two runners home.
James Madera walked, stole second and third and scored on an error. Greg Feeney walked, stole a base and scored on the same error that allowed Madera to cross the plate.
At the home team’s turn at the plate in the fifth, the Bears appeared to ice the game as they recorded five runs to put them back in the proverbial driver’s seat, 12-6.
Rennison led off with a walk and then stole second. Smith got hit by a pitch. A wild pitch advanced the runners, who then scored on a two-run double by Scott. An error in center field and a single by Matt Calabrese scored a run. Joe Garigliano struck out, but the ball eluded the catcher, and the batter reached first.
A sacrifice fly scored Calabrese, and Garigliano stole second. An error at second allowed Garigliano to leg it to third, and he scored on a single by his brother John Garigliano.
In the top of the sixth, Roscoe battled back with five runs. Park and Eggleton led off with back-to-back walks, and then both runners advanced their own causes by stealing third and second respectively. Troy Kirchner walked and moved to second on an error. Dan DeVantier reached on an error and Madera walked. Kirchner and DeVantier scored on passed balls. Madera scored on a sacrifice fly.
And suddenly, the Blue Devils trailed T-V by a single run at 12-11.
In the bottom of sixth, T-V’s Knox led off with a single and stole second. A single by John Garigliano scored the final run of the afternoon to give the Bears a 13-11 win.
“We’ve really been having a difficult time early in the season,” said Roscoe Coach Scott Haberli. “We still made some mistakes today, but we’re starting to come together. I’m still optimistic about doing well in the division.”
T-V Coach John Rusin said he’s been telling his team that the only thing they can’t defend against is the walk, and “that was proven true today.”
“Ryan Briggs pitched a couple of stellar performances against Monticello and Chapel Field, and he gave a gutsy performance today, but his [pitch] count was a little bit up this afternoon,” Rusin said.