May 12, 2007

COTUIT, MA — The Barnstable Braves AAU 13-year-old team (7-3) swept the visiting Mass Pride Saturday afternoon (May 12), thanks in large part to a pair of rock-solid complete-game pitching performances turned in by Willie Nastasi (3-1) and Derek Lucas (3-0).

    Nastasi struck out eight batters in seven innings of work and allowed just three runs (two earned) on five walks and two hits. The final score was 7-3.

    Barnstable got on the board quickly against Mass Pride southpaw Sean Newcomb when Nastasi singled and came home on a Tim Biliouris (.406) double. Barnstable would pick up three more runs in the third inning and two insurance runs in the fifth.

    Top hitters for Barnstable were Nastasi (2-2, 3 runs scored, stolen base), Biliouris (1-3, double, RBI), Everett Walsh (1-3, RBI), Zach Stevens (1-3, RBI), Pete Liimatainen (1-3) and Jon Hegarty (1-3).

    In game two of the Saturday doubleheader, Lucas was extraordinarily efficient and worked himself out of jams several times with key strikeouts of his opponents. All totalled, Lucas fanned nine batters, walked just three in seven innings of work and scattered five hits. He lowered his team-leading earned run average to 1.00 and upped his record to 3-0 with the win. The one run against him in the bottom of the seventh inning was unearned.

    Top hitters for Barnstable were Dennis Beynore (2-2, stolen base), Everett Walsh (1-3) and Curtis Collopy who combined to give Lucas all the run support he would need with two runs in the top of the second frame. Hegarty also came through huge in that inning with a spectacular sacrifice bunt that brought Beynor home. Other hitters for Barnstable included Nastasi (1-3), Biliouris (1-3), Stevens (RBI on a groundout in the first inning), and Pete Liimatainen (1-3).

    Lucas also benefitted from some stellar defense including a big rally killer in the early innings when centerfielder Walsh nailed a Mass Pride baserunner at second base as he attempted to leg out a double after belting a hard gap shot to leftcenter.

    The play of the game came when Nastasi dove for a hot shot at first base with a man on first, leaped up to fire a strike to shortstop Tim Biliouris who gunned it quickly back to first as second baseman Hegarty scooped it out of the dirt and stretched for the double play.

May 6, 2007

COTUIT, MA — The Barnstable Braves AAU 13-year-old team defeated the Wrentham-based Phantoms Sunday morning at Elizabeth Lowell Park, 5-2, behind the solid pitching of Willie Nastasi (2-1) and Tim Biliouris (save). Nastasi had 8 Ks in five innings of work while Biliouris had 3 Ks in two innings of clutch relief.

    In the afternoon half of the doubleheader, Barnstable went up quickly on the visitors, 3-0 in the first inning, but a combination of walks and hits by Wrentham in the third inning quickly put Barnstable behind to stay. The end result, the Phantoms 11, Barnstable 5.

April 29,2007

COTUIT, MA — Derek Lucas (1-0) pitched brilliantly for five innings versus Team Massachusetts Sunday afternoon at Lowell Park, allowing just one hit, striking out six and walking three. He allowed one run in the second inning after walking the second batter, but stayed strong through five innings for his first win of the season.
He also had an RBI, stolen base and walked once at the plate.
      The Barnstable Braves' (2-2) Jameson McShea came on in relief for the sixth and seventh frames, allowing one run after a leadoff double in the sixth. He struck out one and walked one. McShea also went 1-2 at the plate. McShea is currently leading the Braves with a .556 batting average.
Other hitters for Barnstable included Dennis Beynor (1-3), Tim Biliouris (1-4, 2 RBI) and Zach Stevens (1-2, RBI). Stevens also played exceptionally well behind the plate. Other solid defensive efforts came from Luke Besse in rightfield and Everett Walsh at first base.
In game two of the doubleheader, Team Massachusetts broke open an exceptionally well-pitched, well-played, 1-1 deadlock in the fourth inning with three hits, two of them infield dribblers into no-man’s land that resulted in two runs and a 3-1 lead that Team Mass. Would not relinquish.
      The inning spoiled an exceptional effort by Barnstable starting righty Willie Nastasi (1-1) who went five innings, struck out 8 batters and walked just three.
Team Massachusetts got the better of reliever Tim Biliouris who threw in the sixth inning who walked three, gave up two hits and allowed three runs.
Hitters for Barnstable were Derek Lucas (2-3, double, stolen base), Nastasi (1-2), Walsh (1-3), Ryan Desmond (1-2), Tim Biliouris (1-3, double), McShea (1-2, run) and Beynor (1-3).

April 21,2007

COTUIT, MA — Righthander Willie Nastasi (1-0) threw seven strong innings last Saturday (April 21) at Lowell Park, picking up his team's first win of the season in a 4-2 season opener versus the Canton Hit D Diamonds.

     Nastasi struck out six batters, walked three and tossed just 90 pitches. He allowed two runs on three hits in his complete-game gem.

     Canton got on board first when Nastasi walked the first batter and then pegged the second batter with a fastball, but after that he was nothing short of brilliant. He also went 1-3 at the plate with a solid basehit and scored a run.

     Dennis Beynor (2-3),Tim Biliouris (1-3, RBI), Everett Walsh (1-4, 2 RBI) and Luke Besse (1-3) provided the offense for the boys in red, while Curtis Collopy added an RBI in Barnstable's 4-run second inning.

     The Braves then fell to their guests, 7-6, in the latter game of the twinbill.

     Keegan Dellacona (0-1) threw six strong innings for Barnstable, tossing just 70 pitches but ended the hard-luck loser after Canton exploded with the bats for four runs in the fourth inning.

     Dellacona struck out two, walked one and gave up seven runs on 10 hits.

     Barnstable collected nine hits in all as well, but a three-run rally in the sixth was stopped short when pinch-hitter Chris Forance (1-1, 2 RBI) came barreling home on a passed ball and was thrown out at the plate, breaking his ankle in three places.

     Top hitters for Barnstable wereJameson McShea (3-5), Dennis Beynor (1-5), Tim Biliouris (1-4), Derek Lucas (1-1) and Curtis Collopy (1-3).