By Lori Brown
JEFFERSONVILLE — April 24, 2007 — Sullivan West got its offense clicking early in Thursday’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV baseball game against the visiting Fallsburg Comets.
The Bulldogs pounded out several hits on their way to a 23-8 victory over the Comets.
In the top of the first inning, Fallsburg’s Adam Pavloff slammed the ball into center field, earning himself a double and a RBI as teammate Shane Weigand crossed home plate on the hit.
After taking that 1-0 lead, Fallsburg (0-3, 0-1 Division IV) made good defensive plays during the bottom of the first to hold the Bulldogs scoreless.
SW pitcher Jim Moloney struck out the side in the top of the second.
In the bottom of that frame, SW slowly put players on the bases. After a few singles and a bunt from the players the bases were loaded with one out. Logan Grishaber drew a walk and earned a RBI as Austin Sauer crossed home plate to knot the score at 1-1.
SW’s Brad Reimer then hit the ball into a gap in center field for a two-run double. Moloney tripled to bring two teammates in to score. Moloney tried stealing home on the next play but was called out.
With two outs in the inning, SW’s Chris Freebes and Chris Story hit back-to-back home runs.
Mark Tesseyman, who had started off the inning, came up to bat again and slammed a single.  Greg MacArthur slammed a triple bringing Mark Tesseyman and Austin Sauer home. Jesse Fadis hit a single, which allowed MacArthur to score and give the Bulldogs a commanding 12-1 lead.
After Moloney began the top of the third with a strikeout, Weigand walked and Matt Seletsky hit a single. Weigand and Seletsky both moved up a base on a passed ball.
Fallsburg’s Joey Sep grounded out, but Weigand scored on the play. With two outs and Adam Pavloff up to bat, Sep crossed the plate on a passed ball to cut the Bulldogs’ advantage to 12-3.
Freebes led off the bottom of the third by blasting a home run to left field.
SW players continued hitting doubles and singles during the frame. Fallsburg’s Adam Pavloff came into pitch and the SW batters would not let up.
Chris Story hit a sacrifice fly to score Reimer. Sauer earned an RBI when he grounded out and Moloney crossed home plate.
Pavloff got Grishaber to ground out to end the inning, but not before the Bulldogs increased their lead to 22-3.
After Moloney allowed no Comet hits or runs in the top of the fourth, the SW offense added another run in the bottom of the frame as Reimer scored on a base hit by Story.
MacArthur came into pitch for SW in the top of the sixth. He walked the first Fallsburg batter and hit the next two batters to load the bases. MacArthur then recorded a strikeout.
But the next batter Mike Meiko, slammed a double to score Sep and Pavloff, which made it a 23-5 game.
Meiko and Mike Spinelli crossed the plate moments later when Collin Whittaker hit a double.
Fallsburg scored the final run of the game in the top of the seventh. Matt Seletsky started the inning with a double off of the new Bulldog pitcher, Sauer. After Sauer struck out a batter and induced a groundout, Mike Spinelli singled, sending Seletsky home.
“Sullivan West’s team was great with the bats,” Fallsburg Assistant Coach Mike Weiner said. “We are not too deep in pitching. We brought in first time ever pitcher Adam Pavloff. He is a senior and did a great job.
“Again, the SW sticks were clicking and I give them a lot of credit,” Weiner continued. “Our sticks started coming around a little too late in the game.”
SW Coach Kurt Scheibe said that his team’s defense “was a lot better than our first game.”
“Hitting, we batted through the lineup twice in a few innings,” he added. “They are a good group of kids and they would do anything you ask of them. We have good coaching help – our Assistant Coaches are Pat Donovan, Anthony Durkin and Jim O’Connor.”
Scheibe noted that a couple of the team’s younger players had a great game.
“Austin Sauer is a freshman and did a good job pitching for his first time on the varsity level,” Scheibe said. “Gaston Owen is a sophomore and a first-time catcher. He did a great job.”