By Lori Brown
FALLSBURG — May 12, 2006 – The Livingston Manor/Roscoe Devil Cats baseball team recorded its first victory of the season on Tuesday afternoon.
LMR grabbed an early lead and went on to post a 9-5 win over host Fallsburg in a non-league game.
The Devil Cats started off strong, taking a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. Fallsburg (3-6) came back in the bottom of the frame to tie the contest at 2-2.
During the second inning, the Comets held LMR (1-6) scoreless. Fallsburg pitcher Chris Gates recorded two strikeouts in the frame to prevent the Devil Cats from taking the lead.
On the other hand, when Fallsburg got up to bat, Adam Pavloff earned an RBI for sending teammate Jon Nardi home. The Comets took a 3-2 lead as Nardi crossed the plate.
The score remained 3-2 for a while as neither team recorded a run during the third inning.
But LMR grabbed the lead and momentum in the top of the fourth inning by scoring five runs. Ryan Taggart scored the game-tying run when Lance Brookins slammed a triple. Justin Mendez then ripped a base hit to bring Brookins home with the go-ahead run.
Dan DeVantier and Troy Kirchner each added a double for the Devil Cats in that key fourth inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Fallsburg’s Shane Weigand brought home Joey Sep. The run reduced the LMR advantage to 7-4.
The Devil Cats scored two runs during the fifth inning to increase their lead. Taggart hit a triple and then crossed home plate on a base hit by Brookins. Mike Diescher had a base hit, which brought Brookins in to score.
Fallsburg was not able to pick up any runs during the frame.
In the top of the sixth, the Comets made some good defensive plays and did not let the Devil Cats score.
However, Fallsburg was able to score in the sixth. Weigand had a base hit, which allowed Sep, who reached base on a walk, to cross the plate.
Going into the seventh inning, each team knew what it had to do. LMR wanted to score a couple of insurance runs, while Fallsburg hoped to score four runs to tie the game and force extra innings or register five runs to win the contest.
Neither team was able to score, however, and the Devil Cats celebrated their first victory of the season. Fallsburg Coach Jeremy Levner said his players “were not motivated today” and that LMR “was able to hit the ball.”
LMR Coach Scott Haberli and Assistant Coach Kevin Clifford were very proud of their players.
“Ryan Taggart had a huge game today,” Haberli said. “He pitched a complete game and had a single and a triple.”
Brookins paced the Devil Cats’ offense with three hits and four RBIs on the afternoon, while teammate Troy Kirchner added two hits and an RBI.
“Offensively, we were on target and the defense improved greatly,” Haberli commented.