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Beacons
Win Expansion Series
September
11, 2003 (Federal League Wire Service)
The Lighthouse Point Beacons
rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the
Tri-Cities Tritons, 11-10, Wednesday night at FAU Stadium, in
Game 4 of the Expansion Series. The win allowed the Guiding
Lights to clinch the series, three games to one, and win their
second consecutive league title.
Jose Morales drove a double off the right field wall that scored
Harry White with the game and series winning run to cap the
Beacons' exciting, improbable, heart stopping ninth inning
rally.
Rich Martell, who opened the ninth with a ground rule double,
picked up the win, pitching the final two and two thirds
innings. Martell allowed one run on three hits, walking two and
striking out three. Martell worked in relief of Beacons' starter
Sandy Glatzer, who pitched heroically despite lacking his normal
sharpness.
The Tritons opened the scoring in the top of the first. Francis
Eckert walked to lead off the game, but was erased on a steal
attempt as Beacons' catcher Pat Pisani, who missed Game 3 with
the flu, gunned the speedy Eckert out at second. Ray Jensen
singled sharply up the middle, stole second, and scored on a
double by Ted Nosek.
The Beacons immediately responded by tying the score in the
bottom of the first. Jamie Siragusa opened the frame by working
Triton starter Eckert for a walk. Keith Nicoll singled through
the left side, but Rich Martell popped out to center for the
first out. Pat Vadala walked to load the bases. Harry White drew
a bases loaded walk to force in Siragusa. Eckert avoided further
trouble by inducing Frank Pisani to ground into a double play to
retire the side.
After the Tritons failed to score in the top of the second, the
Beacons opened a 5-1 lead in the home half. Pat Pisani opened
the inning with a double to right center. Jose Morales doubled
in Pisani and scored as the Tritons threw the relay into their
own dugout. Bryce Toledo drew a walk before Glatzer lined out
hard to Ray Jensen in left for the first out. Siragusa drew a
walk and, after Eckert was relieved by Michael Orris, so did
Nicoll. Martell then singled to left to score Toledo. When
Jensen momentarily bobbled the ball in left, Siragusa turned
third and scored. Jensen recovered to throw out Nicoll at third
base however.
The Tritons cut the gap to 5-4 with three runs in the top of the
third. Eckert opened the inning and reached on an error. Jensen
forced Eckert at second and stole second. Nosek flew out deep to
center for the second out with Jensen tagging and going to third
on the play. Orris reached on yet another Beacon error as Jensen
scored. Orris stole second and went to third as Carlos Pombo
bunted for a hit. The Tritons attempted the delayed double steal
and both runners ended up scoring as first Pat Pisani's throw
flew high and wide and ended up in center field and then
Siragusa's throw to third from center ended up in the Triton
dugout as Pombo scored.
The Tritons added two runs in the fourth to take the lead as
Brian Herman, who reached on an error, and Francisco Parker, who
singled, worked the double steal. When the Beacons mishandled
the throw to second, Parker scampered home with the lead run.
The Beacons got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as
Glatzer singled home Morales, but the Tritons restored the lead
in the top of the fifth on Ted Nosek's RBI single and added
another run in the sixth as Wiso Baretto's double scored Brian
Herman, who had led off with a walk.
Trailing 8-6, the Beacons tallied twice in the sixth to tie the
game. Frank Pisani led off with a sharp single to right center.
Pat Pisani singled as well. When Frank Pisani made a wide turn
at second, the Tritons tried to throw behind him, but fumbled
the ball. Pisani scored after Eric Raskin threw the ball past
third base. Pat Pisani scored on a sacrifice fly by Donny
Gagliano, who pinch hit for Toledo, and the score was tied at
8-8.
The Tritons retook the lead in the seventh. Nosek doubled and
eventually scored on a force out with Tracy Greenbaum getting
the RBI. After Nosek doubled with one out in the seventh,
Glatzer was lifted in favor of Martell. The Tritons failed to
add to the lead as Martell picked off Greenbaum and Frank
Pisani's throw to the plate nailed Orris trying to score from
third.
In the bottom of the seventh, trailing 9-8, the Beacons loaded
the bases, but failed to score. Siragusa led off with a walk,
but Nicoll popped out for the first out. Martell reached on an
infield hit to third as Pombo made a diving stop, but could not
make a throw. Pat Vadala popped to short for the second out
before Harry White walked to load the bases. Orris escaped the
inning with the lead intact as he got Frank Pisani to ground to
third for the third out.
The Beacons threatened again in the bottom of the eighth. Donny
Gagliano got on board with a two out double to left. Glatzer,
who may have broken his thumb attempting a diving catch in right
field in the top of the inning, reached when he was hit by a
pitch. Siragusa drew his fourth walk of the game to load the
bases, but Orris got Nicoll to pop out to third to end the
inning.
Heading into the ninth and nursing a 9-8 lead, the Tritons added
an insurance run. Ray Jensen drew a one out walk and advanced to
second on a single by Nosek. Orris hit a chopper to third that
Jose Morales fielded. Morales tried to step on third to force
Jensen, but Jensen beat Morales to the bag. Jensen was out,
however, as he overslid the bag and Morales applied the tag.
Carlos Pombo then drilled a single to right to score Nosek.
Entering the bottom of the ninth and trailing by two, the
Beacons began their series winning rally as Martell led off with
a double to left center that hopped over the fence on one
bounce. Pat Vadala followed with a single to left that scored
Martell to make the score 10-9. When Harry White was unable to
get down a bunt, Vadala stole second. Orris balked to send
Vadala, representing the tying run, to third. White then walked
and the Tritons replaced Orris with their ace, Doc Guida.
With runners on first and third, Frank Pisani hit Guida's first
pitch to left field for a sacrifice fly that scored Vadala with
the tying run. Pat Pisani's bad hop single over shortstop Brian
Herman's shoulder put White, carrying the winning run on second.
Jose Morales then drilled a Guida offering over right fielder
Tracy Greenbaum's head and up against the fence for a double
that scored White with the series clinching run.
The Beacons rushed from their dugout and surrounded both White
and Morales as the Tritons trudged forlornly from the field.
Martell got the win and was named Playoff MVP in a close vote
over Harry White, Sandy Glatzer, Jamie Siragusa, and Keith
Nicoll, while Orris was tagged with the loss.
The Beacons, after a disappointing fifth place regular season
finish, become only the second team, joining the 2001 Davie
Goliaths, to win the Expansion Series two seasons in a row.
Game 3 Highlights: The Tri-Cities Tritons,
facing elimination, routed the Lighthouse Point Beacons, 13-1,
in Game 3 of the Expansion Series, played Monday night at FAU
Stadium. The Beacons still lead the best of five series two
games to one.
Doc Guida scattered five hits for a complete game win. Guida
allowed only one earned run on four singles and a double. Guida
walked one and did not record a strikeout.
Mike Caserta was the Beacons' surprise starter. Caserta allowed
an unearned run in the first inning, thanks to his own throwing
error, before the roof caved in as the Tritons scored nine runs
in the second inning to salt the game away.
After Guida set the Beacons down in order in the top of the
first, the Tritons scored the game's first run in the home half
of the inning. With one out, Ray Jensen hit a roller up the
first base line that Caserta fielded. Caserta rushed his throw
and it pulled first baseman Pat Vadala off the bag. Jensen stole
second and scored on a two out single by Michael Orris.
The Tritons exploded for nine runs in the second. Tracy
Greenbaum drew a one out walk and Brian Herman was hit by a
pitch. Wiso Baretto's grounder to third got under Donny
Gagliano's glove for an error as Greenbaum scored and Herman
went to third. Eric Raskin walked to load the bases. Francis
Eckert was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Ray Jensen
singled to left to score Baretto and Raskin. At this point the
Beacons lifted Caserta in favor of Keith Nicoll.
Ted Nosek greeted Nicoll with a two run double to left center
and the Nicoll hit Orris with a pitch. After Nicoll struck out
Sean Lanier for the second out, Carlos Pombo walked and Tracy
Greenbaum tripled into the right field corner as three runs
scored to give the Tritons a 10-0 lead.
The Beacons got their lone tally in the top of the fourth. Jamie
Siragusa connected for a one out single, but was erased as
Nicoll bounced into a force play. Rich Martell drew a walk and
Pat Vadala's soft single to center scored Nicoll.
The Tritons added two runs in the fourth as Nosek and Orris
scored after opening the inning with consecutive singles.
In the top of the fifth, the Beacons threatened as Bryce Toledo
and Donny Gagliano ripped back to back two out singles, but
Guida retired Sandy Glatzer on a routine fly to center to end
the inning.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night at FAU
Stadium.
Game 2 Highlights: The Lighthouse Point Beacons
rallied for an 11-7 rain shortened victory over the Tri-Cities
Tritons at FAU Stadium on Friday night to take a commanding two
games to none lead in best of five Expansion Series. The Beacons
are now just one win away from repeating as Expansion Series
champions.
Sandy Glatzer went the route for the Beacons and notched the win
despite allowing seven runs, four earned, on seven hits. Glatzer,
fighting with wet conditions, slippery baseballs, and his own
wildness, walked five and hit a batter, while striking out two.
Ted Nosek started for the Tritons and absorbed the loss, having
given up nine earned runs on eight hits in three and two thirds
innings of work.
After a forty minute rain delay preceded the start of the game,
the Tritons opened the scoring in the top of the first inning.
Francis Eckert walked and moved to third on a couple of ground
outs before scoring on an infield hit by Michael Orris.
The Beacons responded in the bottom of the first. Jamie Siragusa
and Keith Nicoll led off the inning by drawing back to back
walks. Rich Martell then sliced a double down the right field
line that scored Siragusa, but Nicoll, running through third
base coach Peter Prendes' stop sign, was gunned down at the
plate. The Beacons did not score again in the inning.
Tied at 1-1, the Beacons took the lead with a run in the second.
With one out, Pat Pisani reached on an error. Bryce Toledo drew
a two out walk and Pisani scored on a double into the left field
corner by Glatzer. Nosek skirted further damage when, with
runners on second and third, right fielder Danny Marmol made a
fine running catch of a hard, twisting line drive off the bat of
Siragusa for the third out.
The Tritons finally took the lead by scoring three runs in the
top of the fourth. With one out, Orris got to second as Beacon
shortstop Frank Pisani threw wildly to first after fielding
Orris' grounder. Orris then scored as Sean Lanier dropped a
perfectly placed double into short left centerfield. Carlos
Pombo reached on an infield single to put runners at the
corners. Tracy Greenbaum was thrown out at first by Glatzer
after a he bunted back to the mound, but Brian Herman delivered
an RBI single that scored Lanier. Pombo scored as the Beacon
infield threw the ball around recklessly for the inning's second
error.
The Tritons loaded the bases when Wiso Baretto was hit by a pitch and Eric Raskin
walked, but as has been the pattern in this series, the Tritons
failed to deliver as Francisco Parker, pinch hitting for Marmol,
grounded out to Nicoll at second.
Trailing by a 4-2 score, the Beacons erupted for nine runs in
the bottom of the fourth. Pat Pisani led off by working Nosek
for a walk and Jose Morales followed with a sharp single to
left. Joe Rossheim, pinch hitting for Toledo, fouled off two
bunt attempts before working out a walk to loaded the bases with
none out. After Sandy Glatzer popped up to first, Jamie Siragusa
hit Nosek's first pitch back through the middle to score Pisani
and Morales with the tying runs.
Keith Nicoll drilled a single to left to reload the bases and
Rich Martell doubled to left to score Rossheim and Siragusa.
Nicoll tagged up and scored on Pat Vadala's sacrifice fly to
center to give the Beacons a 7-4 lead. Harry White laced an
opposite field single to left that brought in Martell. Frank
Pisani's bloop double to right sent White to third. With Orris
on in relief of Nosek, Pat Pisani drew his second walk of the
inning loaded the bases. Jose Morales then collected his second
hit in the frame, a two run double, to give the Beacons an 11-4
lead.
With the rain growing steadier, the Tritons made a last ditch
rally in the fifth. Francis Eckert opened the inning with a
single off of Glatzer's glove. Ray Jensen walked, but Glatzer
fanned Nosek for the first out. Orris then lined a two run
double to right that scored Eckert and Jensen. Glatzer walked
Lanier, but got Pombo to ground out to second with Orris scoring
on the play. Glatzer escaped the inning by inducing Greenbaum to
pop out to third for the third out.
The bottom of the fifth opened with a driving rain. The Beacons
added two runs and had runners on second and third with none out
when home plate umpire Bob Mollicone called for a rain delay.
The rain did not abate and, after another lengthy wait, the game
was halted. Officially, the game is recorded as an 11-7 win for
the Beacons.
The Beacons will have an opportunity to close out the series and
successfully defend their league title, while the Tritons will
be looking to extend the series and their season, in Game 3 to
be play Sunday at Sabal Pines Park.
Game 1 Highlights: The Lighthouse Point Beacons
scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning and then held on
for a 12-10 victory over the Tri-Cities Tritons in Game 1 of the
best of five Expansion Series. Wednesday night's game was played
before a standing room only crowd at FAU Stadium.
Rich Martell's one out double to centerfield scored Jamie
Siragusa all the way from first base with what proved to be the
game winning run. Martell scored an insurance run and then shut
out the Tritons in the bottom of the inning. Martell had come on
in relief in the tenth and, after pitching two scoreless
innings, gained credit for the win.
Both teams started their aces, Doc Guida for the Tritons and
Keith Nicoll for the Beacons, but both starters had long since
departed when the game was decided.
The Tritons got on the board first, only to see the Beacons take
a 7-1 lead. The Tritons then scored eight unanswered runs to
take a 9-7 lead, but the Beacons rallied to retake the lead at
10-9. The Tritons then tied the game in the seventh, but
frittered away scoring chances in the eighth and ninth innings
to let the game slip away.
Sean Lanier's bloop single down the right field line, just out
of the reach of Martell's, who had started the game at second
base, outstretched grasp scored Ray Jensen with the game's first
run in the bottom of the first. The Tritons left the bases
loaded as Nicoll induced Tracy Greenbaum to ground out to Pat
Vadala at first.
The Beacons struck for five runs in the second inning. With one
out Frank Pisani bunted for a hit and went all the way to third
on first baseman Wiso Baretto's throwing error. Pat Pisani
singled in the Beacons first run and then stole second. Pisani
advanced to third on Joe Rossheim's single and scored on a
sacrifice fly by Jose Morales. Sandy Glatzer's single scored
Rossheim and, after stealing second, Glatzer scored on a single
by Siragusa. After Siragusa swiped second, Keith Nicoll beat out
an infield single to third with Siragusa scoring from all the
way from second on a close play at the plate.
The Beacons added two more runs in the third. Pat Vadala reached
an an error by third baseman Michael Orris, who seemed to have
made an easy play on Vadala's line drive. When the ball popped
out of Orris' glove, the Triton third sacker had trouble
relocating the ball and Vadala was safe at first. Harry White
poked a single to right and Frank Pisani placed another perfect
bunt up the first base line to load the bases. Vadala scored
when the Tritons could not turn the double play on Pat Pisani's
grounder. After Guida got Rossheim to pop out for the second
out, Jose Morales lined a single to left that scored White to
give the Beacons a 7-1 lead.
Trailing by six, the Tritons scored three runs in the bottom of
the fourth inning. Sean Lanier led off with a single to left and
Carlos Pombo was hit by pitch. Nicoll struck out Greenbaum for
the first out. After a wild pitch, Brian Herman delivered a two
run single. Wiso Baretto was hit by a pitch and Eric Raskin
drilled an RBI single to bring in Herman.
The Tritons took the lead with a five run rally in the bottom of
the sixth. With one out Carlos Pombo got aboard with a single.
Tracy Greenbaum drew a walk and Brian Herman singled in Pombo.
Wiso Baretto drove a single to left in Greenbaum. Eric Raskin
grounded into a force play and Frankie Parker walked to load the
bases. Francis Eckert then lined a double into right center that
scored all three runners to give the Tritons a 9-7 lead.
The Beacons immediately responded with three runs in the top of
the seventh. Jamie Siragusa led off with a solid single to left.
Keith Nicoll followed with a single and then Rich Martell's
bloop single loaded the bases with none out. Pat Vadala's
single, the fourth straight to open the inning, scored Siragusa
and kept the bases loaded. Harry White singled to score Nicoll to
tie the score. Frank Pisani's grounder to third forced Martell
at the plate for the first out. Vadala scored when Pat Pisani
blooped a pop up in short centerfield that fell among three
Triton fielders. Greenbaum alertly threw out White going to
third for the second out. Rossheim lined out hard to Orris at
third to end the inning.
Trailing 10-9, the Tritons tied the game in the bottom of the
seventh. With Sandy Glatzer on in relief for the Beacons, Ted
Nosek drew a lead off walk and was forced at second on Orris'
grounder to short. After Lanier struck out for the second out,
Orris, stole second and then scored as Carlos Pombo's fly to
short centerfield fell in between shortstop Frank Pisani and
centerfielder Jamie Siragusa.
The Tritons had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the
eighth, but failed to score. With one out, Baretto was hit by a
pitch. Raskin singled through the left side and Parker walked to
load the bases, but Francis Eckert hit a tapper that bounced off
of home plate, high in the air. Catcher Pat Pisani pounced on
the ball and stepped on the plate to force pinch runner Kenny
Smith and then
threw Eckert out at first to end the threat and the inning.
The Tritons had a chance to win the game in the ninth. Ray
Jensen opened the inning by working Glatzer for a walk and then
stole second. Ted Nosek was passed intentionally and forced at
second on a grounder to short by Orris. After Orris stole
second, Lanier popped to Glatzer for the second out, but Pombo
walked to load the bases. Glatzer then retired Greenbaum on a
pop up to short to end the inning.
Neither team threatened in the tenth.
Jamie Siragusa led off the top of the 11th by working Francisco
Parker, who had come on in relief in the eighth inning, for a
walk. After Nicoll flied out to short center field, Martell
ripped a double over Nosek's head in center. Siragusa scored
from first without a throw to give the Beacons an 11-10 lead.
Martell stole third and scored as catcher Kenny Smith's throw
got past Orris at third. Pat Vadala and Harry White followed
with singles, but Parker evaded further damage by getting Frank
Pisani to hit into an inning ending double play.
The Tritons did not go quietly in the bottom of the 11th. With
one out, Martell hit Eckert with a pitch. Jensen struck out for
the second out, but Nosek dribbled a single up the middle that
put the tying run on base. Martell fell behind Orris, two balls
and no strikes, but roared back to strike out the Tritons' clean
up hitter to end the game.
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