The next meeting of the Easton Baseball Diamond Club for the 2010-2011 school year will be held on Tuesday, January 11th at 7PM at the High School, Room D208. Plans for the upcoming dance and Basket/Coach Bingo plans will be discusssed. Make plans to attend!

The third meeting of the Easton Baseball Diamond Club for the 2010-2011 school year will be held on Tuesday, December 14th at 7PM at the High School, Room D208. Plans for Florida trip will continue to be discussed. Basket/Coach Bingo plans will begin to be announced and committees will begin to form. Be there to sign up and show your support for Easton Baseball!

: The second meeting of the Easton Baseball Diamond Club for the 2010-2011 school year will be held on Tuesday, November 16th at 7PM at the High School, Room D208. Travel plans and fundraisers to support the Florida trip will be discussed. Many exciting details are being disclosed regarding our players upcoming season. Dates for Basket Bingo will also be determined. Get Involved! Plan on attending. All parents are welcome!!! If you have been unable to attend the meetings, please email updated contact information including phone numbers and email addresses to lbriskie@northampton.edu. If you are not receiving meeting updates and announcements, it may be because I do not have current contact information.

From the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey - Take route 248 to bridge at Lehighton. Continue straight through light to bottom of hill, which is a 4 way stop sign. Continue straight along canal for approximately 1 mile where road bears hard left.This is now Fairyland Rd. Follow to 1st crossroads and make a left onto Indian Hill Rd. go approximatelt ½ mile to 1st right onto Walnut St. Field is at the top of the hill on the right. From the East (Stroudsburg Area) — Take route 209 to turnpike interchange and make a right on to Harrity Road, just before turnpike ramp. Continue up hill to stop sign and make a left, go approximatelt 3/4 of a mile to first right, Walnut Street. Continue on Walnut Street, field is on the left. From the West (Panther Valley) - Take route 209 through Jim Thorpe and Lehighton to first bridge before Dunkin' Donuts. Make left onto bridge, go over railroad tracks to 4 way stop sign. Make a left and go approximately 1 mile where road becomes Fairyland Rd. Follow to 1st crossroads and make a left onto Indian Hill Rd. go approximatelt ½ mile to 1st right onto Walnut St. Field is at the top of the hill on the right.

Players in grades 10-12 in 2010-2011 school year are eligible – anyone interested should contact Carm LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org or Greg Hess at hessg@eastonsd.org for verbal committment before August 10. Fall League: Coaches – Carm LaDuca, Greg Hess, Ben Childs, Ryan Kanusky, Matt Rusnock and John Bisco 14 Game schedule and an End of Year Tournament Games played mostly during the week 8 Local High Schools Phillipsburg, Liberty, Freedom to name a few Games begin the first week of September, with 2 games scheduled a week. Practices to start the week of August 30. Team Fee – Approxiamte cost is $1200. This cost covers the cost of Balls, Umpires, Insurance Coverage, Field Costs and Uniform shirt. Player cost is roughly $100, possibly less. This figure is dependent on the number of players on the team.

By MICHAEL BLOUSE, The Express-Times The feeling of euphoria that comes with setting a goal, pursuing that goal and reaching the goal. The scene of excitement that comes with winning a championship. It's why coaches coach. Today, a month to the day after Easton Area High School was crowned Lehigh Valley Conference baseball champion, Carm LaDuca can still visualize it. And each time he pictures it, the Red Rovers' coach is overwhelmed with pride. "To share that type of feeling with 22 boys who are so special to you, the smiles on their faces after we won the championship, that feeling will never go away," LaDuca said of the moments following the Red Rovers' dramatic 10-9 extra-inning victory over Emmaus. "Thinking of that night still gives me chills." LaDuca and his staff at Easton coached this year's Red Rovers to the program's first conference title since 1978. His team finished with an 18-6 overall record and a No. 1 ranking in The Express-Times region. For his efforts and Easton's accomplishments in 2010, Carmelo LaDuca Jr. is our unanimous choice as coach of the year. "This season, and our success this season, was not about me at all," said the Palmer Township resident. "It's about our players." Some coaches, when they say it isn't about them, it is actually all about them. LaDuca, though, is both genuine in his words and respected by his peers. He credited his players and coaches for the successful season. Mike Grasso of Bethlehem Catholic, the dean of LVC baseball coaches, is a fierce competitor who is also extremely complimentary of the 44-year-old LaDuca. "Carm is a great coach who I think gets the most out of his teams," Grasso said. "But the most important thing to me is, Carm LaDuca is a great role model for young men. In this day and age people are looking for role models. And I think he's a terrific one." Easton's road to a championship season started sometime last summer. Sensing this could be a special team, LaDuca and No. 1 assistant Greg Hess shared several conversations about the offseason training. And they came up with a new plan. "We wanted to do everything in our power to prepare the kids for this season," LaDuca said. "Of course, we'd always done things to improve in the offseason but we researched and we did a ton more. Practicing within limits, working out, doing core training with our pitchers and lots of hitting drills. "We knew this group had a stronger work ethic than some groups in the past, to be honest. And they did everything we asked." Justin Pacchioli, a junior catcher, was the Red Rovers' most talented and productive player this spring. Pacchioli batted .519 and scored 41 runs from his leadoff spot. Also, senior Matt Mink was a consistent No. 1 pitcher for Easton. The left-hander went 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and was clutch late in the season. But, one through nine, the Red Rovers were potent. Pacchioli, Shane Raymond, Colin Case, Kevin Nemeth, Dan Eckel, Mark Sweitzer, Devon Wood, Jon Bisci and Evan Wilkins filled out the batting order for most of the year. Starter Aaron Barry and reliever Alex Lawson were consistent pitchers behind Mink. "You don't win a championship with only one guy," LaDuca said. "We came from behind a lot this year, and it showed that this was a team that never gave up." Easton's varsity staff included Hess, who served as the pitching coach, and first-base coach Ben Childs. Matt Rusnock was a volunteer assistant and Jim Warga a special assistant. LaDuca also credited junior varsity coach Scott Ordway, who led the majority of this year's varsity starters to a 19-1 record at the lower level. (Ordway did not coach the JV team this season because of a family issue.) As head coach, LaDuca is definitely a delegator rather than a dictator. "I feel like it's a complete team effort as a staff," the 1983 Easton graduate said. LaDuca and Hess are especially close on and off the baseball field despite the fact that LaDuca is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and Hess is a diehard New York Yankees supporter. "It's hard for me to mention Carm without mentioning Greg," Grasso said. Grasso, whose Bethlehem Catholic teams have won multiple District 11 titles, is a coach who knows the rewarding feeling of winning a team championship. Easton was an annual contender in LaDuca's first eight seasons as coach, but his Red Rovers had never won a title. Easton lost to Emmaus in the 2005 and 2006 district finals. This year's LVC crown was a long time coming. "I was so thrilled for Carm when Easton won the conference championship," Grasso said. "You come close for years and as a coach you think about the bad bounces or not coming through with the key hit or a key decision not working out. "I thought Easton was a very talented team. But I also thought Carm did an outstanding job coaching those young men." Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

The Easton Area Baseball Program enjoyed a successful 2010 campaign that included a Lehigh Valley Conference Baseball Championship - our first in the existence of the conference and the first league championship since 1978. The varsity advanced into the District XI Semi Finals before falling to Parkland 4-3 to end a fantastic season. The entire program enjoyed a record of 37–22 overall with a 9-11 JV season and a 10-5 Freshmen campaign. The Varsity team qualified for District playoffs for the 9th consecutive year and finished with an 18-6 overall record. Pre season rankings and picks left little respect for the 2010 Rovers as top teams like Nazareth and Liberty were picked to surpass them. The Coaching staff realized what a talented bunch they had before them as they saw the preseason work ethic this group showed. A strong desire to do well was easily seen in the returning senior and junior starters and they had one thing on their mind and that was GOLD. It became their chant as they left their team huddles each day and reminded them of their ultimate goal. It was an absolute pleasure to see them achieve their goal and this staff will fondly remember it for many years to come. This has been a special bunch to coach and lead and all of the coaches realize how special this year has been. The season started with a 5-0 run with key defeats of division rivals Freedom, Liberty, and Bethlehem Catholic to put the Rovers in great position sweeping the division the first time through. The Rovers would stumble in a last inning loss to Pleasant Valley and a loss to Parkland but would come back with three straight wins to be 8-2 at the halfway point. Exciting wins against Central Catholic, arch rival Phillipsburg, and Whitehall at Coca – Cola park would round out the middle part of the year. Down the stretch big wins against Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic would position the Rovers for an LVC Championship run qualifying as the #3 seed for the tournament. The Rovers would defeat Liberty in round one behind the crafty pitching of Matt Mink and would beat Emmaus in exciting fashion scoring two in the 9th to give them their LVC Championship. Onto the District playoffs Easton would again face Emmaus in District play defeating them 5-4 to advance to the semi- final against Parkland where the season would end in a well played and hard fought battle 4-3. Regardless of the feeling we all shared that night – we will always remember the accomplishments we earned as a team and for certain players who should be recognized for their individual achievements. Shane Raymond – Easton Area High School Baseball Scholar Athlete Nominee Shane Raymond – Co-Recipient of the Eddie Snyder Award 2010 Matthew Mink – Co–Recipient of the Eddie Snyder Award 2010 Matthew Mink – Top Pitchers Wins (5) Matthew Mink – Team Captain 2010 Justin Pacchioli – Team MVP Award 2010 Justin Pacchioli – Lehigh Valley Conference Catcher of the Year 2010 Justin Pacchioli – Home Runs (5) Justin Pacchioli - .350 Club batting Average (.519) Program Record Justin Pacchioli – Runs Scored (41) Program Record Colin Case - .350 Club batting average (.370) 2nd time in club Grade 10,11 Colin Case – RBI’s (33) Program Record Alex Lawson – Top Pitchers Wins (8) Kevin Nemeth – Lehigh Valley Conference – Honorable Mention (3B) Dan Eckel – Lehigh Valley Conference - Honorable Mention (RF) Jon Bisci - .350 Club batting average (.409) Devon Wood – Team Captain 2010 Mark Sweitzer – Team Captain 2010 To the Seniors who leave us – thank you for your leadership, your devotion to the program, and to being the best you could be. You all worked so hard to prepare for the season and I hope that you see that results can only be achieved when we work hard and work together. You believed in the off - season work and the direction we as coaches showed you and as a result we experienced success. You will always be a Rover wherever your college days and professional career leads you. You are always welcome here and can always count on us to help you in any way you need. Please come by anytime you can and visit. You will be talked about for many years to come to upcoming teams so as they can model themselves after the great direction you showed! We will all miss you. Thanks to Barry Schaffer, Matthew Cummings, Nicholas Corpora, Mark Sweitzer, Devon Wood, Dan Eckel, Shane Raymond, Matt Mink, Aaron Barry, and Evan Wilkins. You are a special group of people! To the Juniors and Sophomore returning – there is a great nucleus that has all of us excited for 2011 but we will have to work hard to avoid believing it will just happen. Make your goal to win the District Championship next year and a trip to State playoffs. Honor these seniors by advancing farther next year and show progress even more. Don’t let up – just work harder. Many of you will be counted on to fill some big shoes and your chance is coming. Be prepared! Returning 2011 rostered players will be Colin Case, Justin Pacchioli, Jon Bisci, Kevin Nemeth, Greg Butto, Conor Mulrine, Chris Bonham, Ian Hayden, Alex Lawson, Justin Souders, Steven Xiques, and Scott Anderson. A special Thank You to our Athletic Department with AD Jim Pokrivsak, Assistant AD’s Greg Hess and Elaine Arnts, secretaries Jane Braido and Lois DeFrancesco for all their work. Thank you to our medical group Jeff Hunt and Rochelle Gilbert. Thank You to our equipment guys Scott Austin and Rick Hartranft, announcers Bob Arnts and Jack Logic for their help. Our managers this year were Christina Pulcini, Gina Palmeri, and Madison Fiakowlski. Lastly – thank you to the EASD maintenance group led by Tim Case who prepares our fields. A special thanks goes to the Easton Baseball Diamond Club and all of our parents who have worked tirelessly to raise funds in Dances and Bingos and more to allow our kids to have the best. The Booster group helps put the Rovers in the top equipment and uniforms and gives them the feel of a class program playing on the best field in the valley and beyond! Thank You to the Senior parents who played a key role in the organization of many of our fundraisers. Kim Wood Basket Bingo/Picnic, Sharon Bisci’s work on uniforms, to just name a few and many others who gave their all to us under the tireless leadership of Tony Ventola and Maria LaValva. Thank You ! I would like to thank the people who make the program go. The coaches! Our success year in and out comes from this dedicated group of men who love the game of baseball. They spend countless hours away from home all throughout the year teaching the game because they care. Many of them do so voluntarily and have a great deal to offer! Thank You to their families for letting them give their time to us! Varsity Assistants: Greg Hess – Pitching Coordinator Ben Childs – Pitching and Other Duties Matthew Rusnock – Assistant Coach Scott Ordway – Assistant Coach Jim Warga – Assistant Coach Junior Varsity: Ryan Kanusky – Head Coach Dan Gonzalez – Assistant Coach Freshmen: John Bisco Jr. – Head Coach Jim Happel – Assistant Coach Ron Vail – Assistant Coach The Easton Baseball Program strives to win and teach young men the fundamentals of the game along with mentoring young men to be team players in a team concept. The belief that winning baseball comes from hard work, dedication, and a commitment to being the best student athlete you can be in the classroom and on the playing field is paramount to our mission as a coaching staff. The players that play in our program understand the commitment we expect and must work hard to attain the success that comes with being a champion. Best wishes to all of our players and their families this coming summer and we look forward to a successful 2011 season! Carm LaDuca EAHS Varsity Baseball Head Coach

By BARRY MILLER, The Express-Times PALMER TWP. | The Easton Area High School baseball team is living dangerously and these Red Rovers seem to like it that way. In what is a season-long trend, Easton fell behind early, came back to take the lead only to give it away and then finally prevail 5-4 over Emmaus in the District 11 Class AAAA quarterfinals at Richards Field. The second-seeded Red Rovers advance to meet No. 3 Parkland in Thursday's 7 p.m. semifinal at Sammy Balliet Stadium in Coplay (Click Here For directions to Sammy Balliet Stadium.). Junior shortstop Colin Case added to his single-season school RBI record with his 32nd and 33rd, including the game-winning hit in the seventh inning. "It felt good. There's nothing else like it," Case said. "We like fighting back in the seventh and winning the game. Everybody meets at home plate with a smile on our faces." "Colin is a very confident hitter," coach Carm LaDuca said. "I absolutely would want him up in that situation. He's one of the underappreciated players in this league." Pitcher Matt Mink held a potent Emmaus lineup to just four hits and two earned runs. He bounced back after lapses by the Easton defense allowed the Green Hornets to score three times in the third inning. Mink did not lose his focus and retired the next 11 Emmaus hitters. "It affects me mentally more so than anything," said Mink, who improved to 5-2. "You just gotta try to move on and not let it get to you because you know everybody is trying to do their best." Mink admitted he was leery of the Emmaus bats. "Sixteen runs yesterday (by Emmaus). That intimidated me a little bit," he said. "But I knew if I hit my spots, I'd be OK." "One of the big things was Matty kept a lot of guys off base which tied John (Schreiner's) hands a bit," LaDuca said. "John likes to push runners around with bunts." Easton, which improved to 18-5, pulled even in the third when Evan Wilkins singled and scored on one of four Emmaus errors. Dan Eckel beat out a chopper down the third-base line to produce another run. The Rovers went ahead in the fourth when Devon Wood walked, moved over on Jonathan Bisci's sacrifice and hustled home from second when Emmaus botched the throw on a Wilkins' grounder in the hole between first and second base. Emmaus' Nick Weider doubled and came home on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4 in the seventh. The Red Rovers answered right back in their last at-bat. Justin Pacchioli was safe on another Emmaus error and Shane Raymond walked before a double steal set the stage for Case. He drilled a sinking liner in front of a diving center fielder to give Easton its 18th victory and a spot in the district semifinals. "I love that. I wouldn't want to be in another place, other then trying to win a game for my team," Case said. "No outs, second and third -- I just was trying to put the ball in play. I ended up hitting the line drive. I knew he wasn't going to catch it." LaDuca loves his team's fortitude and ability to rally. Easton also came back from four different deficits in last week's Lehigh Valley Conference championship game to prevail 10-9 in nine innings "I'd be nervous if it was just once or twice we did it, but we've done it all year long," he said. "At no given time do I ever just say, 'We're done.' I really truly believe that. They believe in themselves and believe if they have the opportunity they're going to win the game." Mink felt likewise. "We're almost the comeback kids. We never give up," he said. "We've been saying it all year, 'Rovers never quit.'"

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EMMAUS (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Velasco cf 4-1-1-0, Fizer 2b 3-0-0-0, Creeghan ph 1-0-0-0, Knerr 1b 4-0-1-1, Johnson c 2-0-0-0, Hockman 3b 3-0-0-0, Wilt rf 3-0-0-0, Weider lf 3-1-2-0, Flexer dh 1-1-0-0, Kahler ss 2-1-1-0, Pisauro p 0-0-0-0, Totals 26-4-4-1. EASTON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Pacchioli c 4-1-0-0, Raymond cf 3-2-1-0, Case ss 3-0-2-2, Nemeth 3b 3-0-0-0, Eckel rf 2-0-1-1, Sweitzer 2b 3-0-0-0, Wood lf 2-1-0-0, Bisci 1b 2-0-1-0, Mink p 0-0-0-0, Wilkins 3b 3-1-1-0. Totals 25-5-6-3 Emmaus 003 000 1-4 4 4 Easton  102 100 1-5 6 3 E -- Kahler, Knerr, Pisauro, Hockman; Sweitzer, Nemeth, Case. LOB -- Emmaus 5; Easton 5. DP -- Emmaus. 2B -- Wieder. 3B -- Case. SB -- Wilt; Pacchioli 3, Raymond. S -- Fizer, Flexer; Bisci. Pisauro and Johnson; Mink and Pacchioli. SO-BB -- Pisauro 5-4; Mink 6-2. PB -- Pacchioli. WP -- Mink. Balk -- Pisauro. Records: Emmaus 14-10; Easton 18-5. Sports editor Barry Miller can be reached at 800-360-3601 or bmiller@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

By Stephen Miller of THE MORNING CALL A loss to Liberty in the last week of the regular season cost Easton a chance at a division title. A revenge win by the Red Rovers gave them the opportunity to play for a bigger championship tonight. Seven stellar innings from Matt Mink led No. 3 seed Easton to a 4-1 win over No. 2 Liberty in the first Lehigh Valley Conference baseball semifinal Wednesday at Sammy Balliet Stadium. The Red Rovers (16-5 overall) will play in their first LVC title game since 2006 when they face No. 4 Emmaus. The Green Hornets downed three-time defending LVC champion and No. 1 seed Parkland 1-0 behind a three-hit, complete-game shutout from David Pisauro. Easton was the one team playing Wednesday that wasn't pegged for the LVC playoffs during the preseason. People wondered whether the Red Rovers had the pitching to play with the league's elite. Mink delivered an ace-caliber start in Easton's biggest game to date. He limited Liberty (15-6), the East Division champion, to four hits and two walks over seven innings. He also struck out eight, winning a rematch of the 2-1 duel he lost opposite Liberty ace Colin Gotzon last week. ''I couldn't wait for the rematch,'' Mink said. ''I couldn't sleep last night, just knowing that you've got to go up against one of the best pitchers and you've got to have your best stuff at all times and you can't slip up.'' Easton cobbled together enough offense against Gotzon to hand him his first loss since a District 11 Class 4A quarterfinal setback against Northampton last year. He allowed four runs (one earned) and nine hits, and struck out nine. Two of Liberty's three errors came in the fourth inning, when Easton broke through. No. 8 hitter Jon Bisci delivered a two-run single to snap the scoreless tie, and the Red Rovers led the rest of the way. Colin Case (2-for-4) and Steve Xiques added RBIs for Easton, which will try tonight for its first LVC title in the league's eight-year existence. The Red Rovers lost to Emmaus in the 2005 and '06 LVC finals. ''We kind of thought in our own minds we'd be here at the end,'' Easton coach Carm LaDuca said.

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Easton  000 211 0--4 9 0 Liberty  000 100 0--1 4 3 Mink and Pacchioli; Gotzon and Lule. stephen.miller@mcall.com, 610-820-6750, Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call

The Lehigh Valley Conference playoffs are all set to begin. Easton will play Liberty in the first game at Sammy Balliet Stadium in Coplay, PA on Tuesday May 18th. Gametime is 4:30pm. Parkland and Emmaus will square off in the other semi-final following the Easton-Liberty game around 7:00pm. The LVC championship game is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19th beginning at 7:05pm. This game will also be played at Sammy Balliet Stadium. All games will be televised live, locally on RCN 4 and Service Electric 2. For directions to Sammy Balliet Stadium, click here.

Easton trailed 6-0 entering the top of the 6th inning against Northampton in a LVC tilt on Monday afternoon. The Rovers closed the gap to 6-4 at the end of 6 innings of play. With the LVC playoffs teetering on the edge, Easton struck a crooked number and hung a 7 spot on the Konkrete Kids to take an 11-6 lead heading to the bottom of the 7th. Northampton did not go quietly and put 3 more runs up to close the score to 11-9, however the magic ran out and Easton emerged with an 11-9 victory. Meanwhile, Liberty, the division leader, lost to Nazareth 5-1 at Boro Park. Liberty's loss sets up a monster game tomorrow at Liberty to help decide the division championship and a berth in the LVC playoffs. Easton doubled up Liberty way back on April 6th, 14-7. Both teams have 2 conference games left, including tomorrow's showdown. Colin Case lead the RBI train with 3, while Dan Eckel and Jonathan Bisci knocked in 2 runs a piece.

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Easton          000 004 7  11  10  2 Northampton  021 210 3   9   11  3

The score indicates a blowout, howvere that was far from the case Friday eveing at Freedom High School. In a game Easton walked away with 11-4 victory and improved it's record to 13-3, it took an 8 run 7th inning to secure the win. Justin Pacchioli lead the Rovers wit a 2 for 3 day at the plate including a triple and an RBI. Kevin Nemeth jacked a 2 run dinger as part of the 7th inning explosion. Colin Case and Evan Wilkins both drove in 2 runs. Alex Lawson picked up his 6th victory of the season by shutting down the Patriots in the bottom of the 7th.

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Easton    101 010 8 11 8 2 Freedom  210 100 0  4 9 3

Today's Varsity and Junior Varsity games have been postponed because of the weather. The Varsity and JV games have been not been rescheduled at this time.

Easton improved to 11-3 with a 19-5 victory over Dieruff High School. Aaron Barry whiffed 10 Huskies in picking up the victory and Justin Pacchioli homered and drove in 3 more runs to lead Easton. Conor Mulrine, Kevin Nemeth, Barry Schaffer and Evan Wilkins all drove in 2 runs apiece. The Junior Varsity squad also had a big day at the plate as they defeated Dieruff 18-2.

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Final     123 456 7  R    H  E Easton  330 141 7  19  15 2 Dieruff  002 020 1   5   9  4

Todays scheduled game versus Emmaus has been postponed. The game has been rescheduled for Saturday May 8th at 11am.

Aaron Barry led the Rover pitching staff to it's first shutout of the season, an 8-0 blanking of pereenial rival Phillipsburg at Hackett's Park. Mark Sweitzer lead the Rovers offensively with 2 hits and 2 RBI.

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Easton      314 000 0 8 7 1 Phillipsburg 000 000 0 0 4 3

All the scoring in a 10-5 victory happened in just 2 innings as Easton doubled up on visiting independent foe Acton-Boxborough. Easton jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Acton-Boxborough rallied to take the lead 5-4 in the top of the 4th inning. Easton put the game away by scoring 6 times in the bottom of the 4th. Dan Eckel drove in 3 runs and Devon Wood had a double and 2 RBI. Mark Sweitzer, Evan Wilkins and Kevin Nemeth all chipped in with an RBI a piece.

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Final                           1 2 3 4 5 6 7  R  H   E Acton-Boxborough (MA) 0 0 0 5 0 0 0  5 10  2 Easton                        4 0 0 6 0 0 x 10 11 1

By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times S. WHITEHALL TWP. | The Easton Area High School baseball team entered Tuesday's Lehigh Valley Conference contest against Parkland averaging 10.7 runs through six games. The Red Rovers, though, were no match for Trojans senior Matt Smith. Relying mostly on an overpowering fastball and mixing in an effective curveball, Smith pitched five no-hit innings and his teammates pounded out 15 hits in a complete 10-2 victory at the Parkland High School athletic complex. Parkland, the defending conference and District 11 Class AAAA champion, is 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the LVC. Easton is 5-2 and 3-1. Smith, the No. 2 pitcher on the Trojans' staff, settled for six two-hit innings as the Red Rovers finally solved the right-hander in the sixth. Easton went quietly against Smith through five frames, with Jonathan Bisci's flyout to shallow right field being the only ball the Rovers managed to get out of the infield. He struck out five and walked two. "I like the pressure of being counted on this year," said Smith, who mostly worked in relief last season. "The coaches told me Easton was coming for me. I wanted to see how I'd do. "Mike Tenaglia reminded me on the bench that I had a no-hitter. After the first hit, we sort of looked at each other and shook our heads. My fastball had some hop, and I kept them off-balance with my curve." Barry Schaffer came off the bench to deliver Easton's initial hit to lead off the sixth, a line-drive single to the opposite field. Justin Pacchioli followed with a bloop single to right. The Red Rovers loaded the bases with no outs but managed just two runs. "Smith had real good velocity and he tied us up," Easton coach Carm LaDuca said. "You tip your cap, he pitched a great game. We got to him a little bit in the sixth but by that time, it was too little too late." Following their 5-0 start, the Red Rovers have dropped two in a row. "We're going to start to face good pitching," LaDuca said, "and we're going to need to find ways to scratch out runs. Today, our intensity wasn't there ... we weren't ready to play. That's on me." Casey Cooperman, Parkland's ace, went 4-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. A pitcher who batted just once last year, Cooperman leads the team in hitting with a .500-plus average. Dan Castillo and Joe Abeln both had two hits. The Trojans remain perfect in the conference and have emerged as the team to beat despite losing many of their starters from last season's championship team. "The kids are stepping up," Parkland coach Tony Galucy said. "We came to the field today with a really great attitude. Us coaches could sense good things were going to happen. This is a big win for our confidence."

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EASTON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Pacchioli lf 3-1-1-0, Mulrine lf 0-0-0-0, Raymond cf 2-0-0-0, Case ss 1-0-0-1, Nemeth 3b 3-0-0-0, Eckel rf 3-0-0-0, Sweitzer 2b 2-0-0-0, Butto ph 1-0-0-0, Wood c 1-0-0-0, Cummings cr 0-0-0-0, Anderson p 0-0-0-0, Bisci 1b-p 2-0-0-0, Lawson ph 1-0-0-0, Hayden dh 1-0-0-0, Schaffer 1b 1-1-1-0, Mink p 0-0-0-0, Bonham p 0-0-0-0. Totals 21-2-2-1. PARKLAND (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Castillo rf 3-1-2-1, Callahan ph 1-0-0-0, Brandstetter cf 3-0-1-2, Abeln c 3-1-2-0, Tenaglia 1b 4-1-1-2, McAllister dh 2-0-0-0, Friebolin dh 1-2-1-0, Smith p 0-0-0-0, O'Leary p 0-0-0-0, Cooperman 3b 4-3-4-1, Egge lf 2-1-1-0, Sutovich ph 1-0-0-1, Shaw ss 3-0-1-1, Breiner ph 1-0-0-1, Rabasco 2b 2-1-1-1, Tulio ph 1-0-1-0. Totals 31-10-15-10. Easton   000 002 0- 2  2  2 Parkland 010 324 x-10 15 0 E -- Bisci, Pacchioli. LOB -- Easton 3; Parkland 9. 2B -- Cooperman, Rabasco, Tulio. HR -- Tenaglia. SB -- Abeln, Castillo. CS -- Brandstetter. Sac -- Brandstetter. SF -- Case. Mink, Bonham (4), Bisci (5), Anderson (6) and Wood; Smith, O'Leary (7) and Abeln. W -- Smith. L -- Mink. SO-BB -- Mink 3-0, Bonham 0-2, Bisci 0-2, Anderson 0-0; Smith 5-2, O'Leary 1-0. WP -- Bisci, Anderson, Mink, Bonham; Smith 2. HBP -- by Smith (Raymond); by Bisci (Rabasco). Records: Easton 5-2, 3-1; Parkland 5-2, 4-0. Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

Easton scored 3 times in the top of the 7th inning to rally past Bethlehem Catholic 10-8 in Lehigh Valley Conference play. Justin Pacchioli went 2 for 3 with a triple and a home run to drive in 2 runs. Colin Case added 2 doubles and an RBI. Alex Lawson collected the win.

By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times PALMER TWP. | It was a poorly played three-hour, three-minute baseball game that featured 45 baserunners, 21 runs, 22 hits, 17 walks and eight pitchers. It was also the third victory in three games for coach Carm LaDuca's Easton Area High School Red Rovers. Easton doubled-up rival Liberty 14-7 Tuesday in a Lehigh Valley Conference contest at Richards Field. The Red Rovers improved to 2-0 in the LVC and knocked off a Hurricanes squad they will likely be competing with for the East Division title. "It felt like three different baseball games out there," LaDuca said. "Early on, we were sleep-walking. Then we hit the ball all over the yard and did some real good things. At the end, we kind of turned lackadaisical again." Easton inflicted most of its damage in two turns at-bat, scoring seven runs in the second inning and six more in the fourth. There were plenty of hitting heroes for the Red Rovers. Shane Raymond went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs; Dan Eckel was 2-for-2 with two runs and three batted in; Mark Sweitzer contributed a double, triple, two runs and three RBIs; and Jonathan Bisci was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs. Also, leadoff batter Justin Pacchioli reached base in each of his four plate appearances, walking three times and blasting a solo home run to right-center field. Easton trailed Liberty 4-0 in the second inning before rallying. "When you're down it kind of kills the morale," Eckel said, "but we stayed focused and had a couple big innings. Our lineup is strong with good hitters. You never know when something good will happen." Eckel, a senior right fielder, collected two hits in the second frame and walked twice in the fourth. "I guess anytime you bat twice in an inning two times in the same game, that's a good thing," he said. Senior left-hander Matt Mink worked four innings to earn the win. Mink is now 2-0 this season. The Red Rovers play East Stroudsburg North today, Bethlehem Catholic on Thursday and Pleasant Valley on Saturday. Liberty dropped its first game after a 3-0 start, and the Hurricanes are now 1-1 in the conference. Leadoff batter Jimmy McCarthy went 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI for Liberty. Davis Martisofski had two hits and Nick Lule launched a solo homer. "Everyone talks about pitching and defense," Liberty coach Andy Pitsilos said, "and today we didn't do those two things too well. Easton hit the ball well, too. But this is one game. We just need to come back next game and play batter."

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LIBERTY (ab-r-h-rbi) -- McCarthy ss-p 3-1-3-1, Bertolotti rf 3-1-0-0, Brong 1b 2-0-0-0, Gotzon dh 3-1-0-1, Albright p 0-0-0-0, Sawyer p 0-0-0-0, Garcia p-1b 0-0-0-0, Bearse p 0-0-0-0, Lule c 3-1-1-1, Ford ph 0-0-0-0, Van Horn 3b-ss 2-1-1-1, Sauerwein ph 1-0-0-0, Martisofski lf 4-0-2-1, Haller cf-3b 2-1-1-0, Torrens ph 1-1-1-0, Black 2b 3-0-1-0, Ludwick ph 0-0-0-0. Totals 27-7-10-5. EASTON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Pacchioli c 1-3-1-1, Corpora ph 1-0-0-0, Raymond cf 4-2-2-3, Bonham ph 1-0-0-0, Case ss 2-0-0-1, Schaffer ph 1-0-0-0, Nemeth 3b 2-1-1-0, Butto ph 1-0-0-0, Eckel rf 2-2-2-3, Sweitzer 2b 3-2-2-3, Wood lf 2-0-0-0, Mulrine ph 1-0-1-0, Bisci 1b 3-2-2-2, Barry ph 1-0-0-0, Wilkins dh 2-1-0-0, Xiques dh 2-1-1-1, Mink p 0-0-0-0, Souders p 0-0-0-0, Lawson p 0-0-0-0. Totals 29-14-12-14. Liberty (3-1, 1-1) 311 011 0-7 10 2 Easton (3-0, 2-0) 071 600 x-14 12 0 E -- Lule, McCarthy. LOB -- Liberty 9; Easton 8. DP -- Easton 3. 2B -- Haller, Martisofski, Van Horn; Raymond 2, Eckel, Mulrine, Sweitzer. 3B -- Bisci, Sweitzer. HR -- Lule; Pacchioli. SB -- McCarthy 2; Raymond. CS -- Pacchioli. SF -- Case. Albright, Sawyer (2), Garcia (4), McCarthy (4), Bearse (6) and Lule; Mink, Souders (5), Lawson (6) and Pacchioli. W -- Mink. L -- Albright. SO-BB -- Albright 1-4, Sawyer 5-2, Garcia 0-2, McCarthy 3-1, Bearse 4-0; Mink 2-4, Souders 0-1, Lawson 1-3. HBP -- McCarthy (by Mink); Nemeth (by Garcia). WP -- Mink, Souders 2. Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region at lehighvalleylive.com/forums

Easton High School came out swinging in the 2010 season opener with an impressive 14-1 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over the Freedom Patriots. The Rovers were lead offensively by Shane Raymond and Justin Pacchioli. Shane Raymond went 3 for 3 with 6 RBI, including a grand slam and a two run single. Justin Pacchioli hit a solo homer and drove in 2 more with a double. He was 2 for 2 on the day. Matt Mink was the winning pitcher in a game shortened by the mercy rule. The win was the 100th career win for Rover's head coach Carm LaDuca. Coach LaDuca has guided the Rover's Varsity program since 2002. Freedom  1 0 0 0 0   1  4  0 Easton    4 1 4 5 x  14 15 1

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In Junior Varsity action, the Rovers defeated Freedom 7-6 to give new JV head coach, Ryan Kanusky his first win.

Today's season opener against East Stroudsburg North has been postponed for both the Varsity and JV. Both games are tenatively scheduled for tomorrow, March 30th at the same time and location. depending on the weather.

The next Diamond Club meeting will be held on Tuesday March 15 at 7pm in Room D208. We will be finalizing plans for the Basket Bingo event scheduled for March 21st. All parents are invited and welcome!

The 1990 Easton High School Baseball team is holding a 20 year reunion. The event will be held on April 24th at 3:00 pm at Hacketts Park in Easton, prior to the Easton - Phillipsburg baseball game. We are still looking for of the members of that team, as well as there families. For any questions or to provide contact information, please contact Jason Young at thestackmonkey@verizon.net.

There will be a sign up meeting on Thursday, February 4th after school at 2:30 in room B215 in order to get Physical and Waiver forms and information for the 2010 Spring sports season. Physicals will be held on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 9:30am at EAHS gym lobby area.