Beaver Falls to Miami Hamilton in Extra Innings

Vero Beach, FL -- Beaver takes tough loss in extra innings to Miami Hamilton.

Playing at the iconic Holman Stadium at Historic Dodgertown, both teams were held scoreless in the first inning.  The Harriers opened the scoring in the top of the second, taking an early 1-0 lead.  Beaver was quick to answer in the bottom of the inning as Duncan Miklos (Beaver Falls, PA / Blackhawk) and Bliase McCarty (Beaver Falls, PA / Riverside) each singled to drive in RBI's to give the Lions the 2-1 lead.  

By the middle of the fifth inning Miami Hamilton built a 5-2 lead on the Lions, but Beaver fought their way back into the game scoring a run in the fourth inning and two more in the bottom of the fifth on Derek Bozic (Beaver Falls, PA / Beaver Falls) and Jake Debo (New Brighton, PA / New Brighton) RBI singles.  The teams continued to exchange runs as the Harriers scored in the sixth, Beaver in the seventh and Miami again in the eighth.  

Going into the ninth and final inning of this single game, Beaver down 9-7, Bozic got on base after being hit by a pitch and was able to advance to third on a passed ball.  With a runner in scoring position, Debo reached first safely on an error which also allowed Bozic to score.  Down just one, Matt Capo (Moon Township, PA / Moon) laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Debo who then also advanced to third on the second passed ball of the inning.  With one out, Shawn Shaner (Adrian, PA / Kittanning) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the tying run.  The late surge by Beaver wasn't enough to edge past the Harriers, but they did take the game into extra innings.  

Both teams played solid defense holding the other scorless.  In the top of the eleventh, Miami scored to take the lead and this time Beaver wasn't able to mount a comeback as the closing pitcher for the Harriers sat down all three batters consecutively to end the game.

Beaver had six players in the lineup who each had two hits in the game, most notably Shaner who drove in the tying run to send the game into extra innings.  On the mound was Vinnie Garucio (Moon Twp, PA / Moon) who threw 6 complete innings followed by Stephen Antoilc (Freedom, PA / Freedom) who threw 4.2 to end the game.

The Lions return to action tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. against Hagerstown Community College.