2016 Rover News


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Christmas Tree Sale - EAHS Baseball Field – 2016
November 22, 2016

The Easton Area High School Baseball Team is selling Christmas Trees as a fundraiser this holiday season. Trees are sold right off the Easton High Baseball Field located off the Route 22 Exit Ramp and 25th street entrance to EAHS.

Douglas and Fraser Firs are available in various heights.
$35 for 6-7 foot trees, $40 for 7-8 ft. trees (Douglas or Fraser)
$45 for Douglas 8-10 ft. and $50 for Fraser Fir 8-10 ft. trees.

Hours: 4-8pm Week nights / 10am-7pm Weekends

Sale begins – Wednesday - Nov. 30, 2016 until stock is gone.

Support the EAHS Baseball Team and have a great Holiday Season! Visit www.roverbaseball.com for details and news!

Cookie Fundraiser Announcement
November 22, 2016

Easton Baseball is offering a Cookie Sale Fundraiser for the Christmas holiday period.

Please see the attached order forms for details on price. All orders must be given to any baseball coach by December 10th. Pick-up scheduled for Tuesday, December, 20th. Site details to be announced at a later date.

Any questions should be directed to Coach LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org

Click here to download the Cookie Fundraiser Product Details
Click here to download the Cookie Fundraiser Order Form


Diamond Club Meeting Date Change
November 7, 2016
Easton Baseball Diamond Club
The Diamond Club parent booster organization will convene the first meeting of the year on Tuesday Nov. 15 at 7:30pm in room C110 of the EAHS. Enter the gymnasium doors and enter the hallway near the athletic office.

Please consider joining the group and helping the baseball program for the upcoming season.

All parents of interested participants are welcome from grades 8-12. For further information please email Coach LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org.

Date Change - Testing for Winter Workouts
October 27, 2016

The baseball winter workout testing for St. Luke's Sports Performance has been changed due to a conflict from Tuesday Nov. 1, 2016 to Thursday Nov. 3, 2016 immediately after school at EAHS. Testing will take place in the gym.

Please help spread the word to other players.

Off-Season Workout Schedule
October 24, 2016

Tuesday - November 1, 2016: St. Luke's Pre Testing on 30 yd. dash, Vertical Jump, and other components of training will be held at EAHS at 2:45pm after school. Professional trainers from St. Luke's Sports and Human Performance center will be on hand to test you. They will then structure our program of training to take place on Tuesday's and Thursday's right after school each week after that. There is NO COST to the player. The program is free due to a new agreement with the EASD and St. Luke's over the past year. Professionals from St. Luke's will be running the workouts.

Please contact Coach LaDuca by Sunday Oct. 30 if you will be attending the testing. Send him an email at laducac@eastonsd.org or stop by room B220 to see him personally so he can add you to the list.

Please share this announcement with other players to get the word out ASAP.

Fall Baseball Practice Update
August 25, 2016

All fall baseball participants grades 8-12 who registered with Coach LaDuca through email should report to the varsity baseball field on Tuesday Aug. 30 at 2:45 after school for a combined practice with all levels.

8th graders are not to be dismissed from the middle school early and it is understood that they will arrive as soon as is possible after their dismissal from school.

Anyone who can not make the practice should contact Coach LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org

Easton Baseball Announces 2016 District 11 Baseball Champions Team Awards
August 13, 2016

Easton Baseball has announced the 2016 District 11 Baseball Champions Team Awards at their season ending picnic held Friday - Aug. 12, 2016

MVP was shared by 1B - Trey Durrah, P - Pete Violante, and C - Corey Webb

Eddie Snyder Award winner was shared by Co Captains C - Corey Webb (he won both Snyder and MVP) and 2B Bryan Reagle

2016 MVP and Eddie Snyder Award Winner, Corey Webb

2016 MVP, Pete Violante

2016 MVP, Trey Durrah

2016 Eddie Snyder Award Winner, Bryan Reagle


Picnic and Fall Ball Announcement
August 10, 2016

The Baseball picnic will be held at 5:30pm at EAHS this Friday August 12, 2016 as previously announced through email and on this site. Coach LaDuca will send an email to the email chain regarding what players should bring to help at the picnic.

Fall Baseball games will begin for varsity players on September 1. A few practices will be held prior for all fall players. More info on specific dates of practices to follow in future announcements here on this site. JV/Freshmen players will begin their games the week of Sept 6.

If interested in playing fall ball please email Coach LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org beginning now and no later than August 23 with player contact phone #, email contact, Shirt Size and birth date.

A check for $125 made payable to Easton Baseball is due no later than Tuesday - August 30, 2016 as this league is not affiliated with PIAA or Easton High School - monies go to league fees registration, insurance for players, umpire fees, baseballs, uniform shirt and other league fees.

There are ten teams on the varsity level and we will play 10 games and then a following playoff tournament after that. Phillipsburg, Northwestern, Becahi, Freedom, Nazareth, Stroudsburg, Easton, Whitehall, Northampton, and Central Catholic are all in the league. Our younger players will play at least 7-8 games if not more as most of the teams listed above will field younger teams. The schedule will be during the week only for both teams. Predominantly Tuesday and Thursday for varsity and Monday and Wednesday for younger team but other days could be used as well. Friday's and weekends are not involved for practice or games.

Questions about Fall Ball should be directed to Coach LaDuca at his email above.

Easton Baseball Diamond Club Picnic
August 7, 2016
Easton Baseball Diamond Club
Hello Everyone,

After a few months of summer, summer baseball seasons, and vacations - some preparations for a picnic to honor the District 11 Champion Rovers and the accomplishments of our JV and Freshmen teams were worked on and we would like to offer an invitation to you and your family to attend the Easton Baseball Diamond Club picnic to be held Friday - August 12 at EAHS in the senior cafeteria at 5:30pm.

It will be an informal environment with picnic style appetizers and foods but important for all of the baseball participants as we honor the accomplishments of the teams and individual program awards. We put out some feelers on what would be the best dates but with a large amount of people to gather and many conflicts we hope this date will work as the seniors leaving us will be on to their college experience in a few short weeks.

We do understand that some people will be on vacations and may not be able to attend so I am asking you to reply to my email (laducac@eastonsd.org) by Tuesday morning Aug. 9 by noon with whether or not the date will work for your family to attend - A YES or NO and the number who will attend in your family.

Our hope is that a majority will be able to attend as it will be a special night especially for our seniors.

Please respond to laducac@eastonsd.org

Once I have the numbers, I will send out a follow up email early next week with particulars regarding some basic things about the picnic and what each team can bring to compliment the picnic like desserts etc...

There is no cost to the families or players.

Thank you!
The Coaching Staff

Easton High Fall Baseball Registration Announcement Specifics Coming Soon
August 3, 2016

Easton will be participating in our annual Fall baseball league in conjunction with other high schools in the area starting in September. Freedom , Phillipsburg, Salisbury, Whitehall, PV, Stroudsburg are a part to just name a few. Generally it includes about 10 teams and the season runs through approximately mid October. Generally, the schedule will have us playing two games a week on average during school days from Monday through Thursday. We do not have any scheduled weekend games which allows players to play tournament ball on weekends if they so desire.

The league is not affiliated with Easton High School Athletics due to PIAA rules out of season. Therefore the league will charge a fee for each team and player to pay for Insurance through USSSA, Balls, Umpires, Shirts and other league costs. The cost will be determined by the league organizer and he will relay that cost onto us in the next week or so. We expect it to be very reasonable as the goal of the league is to provide players with an outlet to improve their game in an inexpensive way.

Players entering grades 8-12 are welcome to participate. We will field two teams based on age and grade level and ability level as well.

Please expect to see a follow up announcement at the beginning of next week August 8 and at that time you will be given direction to respond about your anticipated involvement in the Fall League - thank you so much for your interest.

Varsity E Summer Baseball Camp
July 1, 2016

2016 Varsity E Summer Baseball Camp

The Varsity E Summer Baseball Camp this past week was a great success! Thanks to all the players and coaches who made it a fun week of baseball.

Looking forward to Pitching and Catching Camp on July 11-12 and Hitting Camps scheduled for July 13-14.

You can register by getting the form on the Athletics section of the school website at www.eastonsd.org or by registering at the camps on July 11 or July 13.

Easton lets one slip away in PIAA Quarterfinals
June 9, 2016

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com

After a wild first three innings filled with eight runs, 10 hits and seven errors, Easton and Cumberland Valley were right back where they started: tied in a PIAA Class AAAA baseball quarterfinal at Wenger Field.

If the first three innings resembled an early April game, the last four were more like the June game the teams were actually playing in with hits and runs at a premium.

But it was one more error that led off the top of the sixth inning, a sacrifice bunt and then a two-out bloop single that gave the Eagles the 5-4 lead.

The Red Rovers had their comeback shot in the bottom half of the inning, but couldn't cash in and fell to Cumberland Valley 6-4. "Like we said to the kids, we didn't play our best game, but we were still there at the end and just couldn't get the two-out hits like I think they got the two-out hits for those go-ahead runs," coach Carm LaDuca said.

The Eagles advanced to Monday's state semifinals to play Wyoming Valley West or Boyertown.

Trailing by one in the bottom of the sixth, the Red Rovers (20-6) loaded the bases with one out on three straight walks and forced out starting pitcher Mitch Hoon in the process. Stephen Baiardi came up next, in the game since the second inning for an injured Liam Hughes, and on a 1-2 count rolled one softly back to the pitcher. It was tailor-made for reliever Austin Wacker to throw home for the force at the plate.

"I felt pretty confident we would at least tie the game there and hopefully go ahead," LaDuca said. "Steve hit a ball back towards the mound and if it's a couple of feet one way or another — he didn't get it too well, so it wasn't a double play ball."

Bryan Reagle came up next and struck out to end the threat.

"We fought all year," senior catcher Corey Webb said. "We've played from behind a lot. I was confident until the last out that we were going to come back, but it's tough."

Cumberland Valley added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and Easton went in order in the bottom half to end it.

After two pitches went for two Eagles extra-base hits to tie the game in the third inning, Red Rovers senior Anthony Keifer was called on in relief. The slow-dealing lefty provided a calming presence to the tie game when he entered with a runner on third and no outs, promptly retiring the next three batters on six pitches to get out of the jam.

"Unbelievable," Webb said. "He had been spotty all year coming in and getting us out of innings, but they weren't ready for the slow lefty and he did his job. Hats off to him."

Keifer went on to throw four-plus innings, allowing just one hit and two unearned runs.

"For him to do what he did here and also against Parkland (in the District 11 championship) was pretty remarkable down the stretch," LaDuca said. "… He did a good job holding us in there, but we weren't offensively able to get a big hit here or there when we needed it."

The game started off rocky for both sides.

The Eagles came out hitting Easton starter Nick Zenga, with three hard singles and a sacrifice bunt making it a 2-0 lead minutes into the top of the first.

But Greg Albertson (2-for-3, BB) and Hughes led off the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back singles to start the Red Rovers' rally. Then the first of four Cumberland Valley errors in the inning was made at shortstop to load the bases.

One out later, the Eagles committed back-to-back errors in right field and at shortstop to tie the game. A fourth error on a fielder's choice allowed two more runs to score as Easton took the 4-2 lead out of a wild first inning.

"Very unusual for both teams to play so poorly in the first inning with the errors," LaDuca said.

But the Red Rovers gave one run back in the second inning after committing two errors.

"I don't know, it was just weird — I guess nerves," Webb said. "We hadn't been this far in 20-something years. Both teams were struggling with the field, I don't know what was going on with the infield."

Easton had prided itself — and gotten this far — on coming back late in games, but Cumberland Valley made sure there wouldn't be another on Thursday.

"Give the credit to them; that's what they needed to do," LaDuca said. "That's why they're moving on."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Site and Time Set for PIAA Quarterfinals
June 7, 2016

The Easton Red Rovers will travel to Earl Wenger Field in Fredericksburg for the Class AAAA quarterfinal matchup against Cumberland Valley on Thursday June 9th. Game time is 4pm.

Directions to Earl Wenger Field
Take Route 78 West to Exit #8, bear right off exit onto Route 22. Travel approx. 1 to 1-1/2 miles and the field is on right. If you get to Northern Lebanon High School, you went too far.

Rovers Top Downingtown West, Advance to PIAA Quartefinals
June 7, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton baseball advances to PIAA Quarterfinals. Easton senior pitcher Pete Violante.

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

Greg Albertson was responsible for the only two hits the Easton baseball team recorded Monday afternoon in the PIAA Class AAAA playoff opener against Downingtown West.

Neither factored into a run, but the senior still came out smiling.

"It is crazy, because it wouldn’t have mattered whether I got the hits or not," Albertson said.

It wouldn’t have mattered because Pete Violante turned in a four-hit shutout for the Red Rovers and the District 11 champs played some small ball to score the game’s lone run in a 1-0 win over Downingtown West at Lehigh’s Legacy Park.

"I’ve said before, it’s a great group of guys to play with," Violante said. "We jell so well, it’s fun. I’m lucky to have the chance to do it."

Easton advanced to Thursday’s state quarterfinals at a time and place to be determined after its first PIAA tournament win since 1990. It will take on Cumberland Valley, which knocked off District 1 champ Pennridge 2-0 in other first-round action.

Violante entered Monday with a 1.94 ERA in 12 games this season and found a way to lower it. The senior ace scattered four singles and walked only one batter while striking out four against the third-place team out of District 1, starting off on the right foot with an eight-pitch first inning and grooving from there.

"Ultimately, that’s the kind of effort you get from a senior in these big games," coach Carm LaDuca said. "Pete’s come out the last two games and pitched great ballgames for us. It’s really refreshing to see for him. This group of seniors, we couldn’t be happier for them to move on and get another opportunity."

After a small two-game rough patch in which he allowed 19 hits and 11 runs over 10 2/3 innings, Violante tweaked his mechanics to make him nearly untouchable again. In two starts since then, the righty has allowed just eight hits and one run over 14 innings.

"I found my groove, got my breaking stuff going and trusted my defense behind me," Violante said. "They were very, very good again today."

First baseman Trey Durrah helped Violante get out of the second inning when he made a diving catch on a line drive and then tagged out a leading runner for the double play.

Easton’s outfield combination of Liam Hughes (left), Albertson (center) and Ryan Greene also roamed their areas well to keep balls off the ground, and other times, barely had to move to catch fly balls.

"It’s great, especially with those guys behind me," Violante said. "I have full faith in the world in those guys. As long as I can throw strikes and I have that breaking pitch to keep guys off balance, they’re not going to square too much up, not hit too many gappers, especially with Albie out there in center."

Greene scored the lone run in the third inning, the first Red Rover to reach base as he led off taking a pitch off his back and then moved to second on a passed ball. Caleb Messinger dropped down a sacrifice bunt next and wound up safe at first on a fielding error.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Javier Irizarry grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Greene from third.

"If you’re (Downingtown West), it’s a tough loss considering how it happened," LaDuca said. "But when you bunt the ball and push things around like that, good things can happen, especially in high school baseball."

The single run was all Violante would need.

The Whippets’ biggest threat came in the sixth inning, when they put a runner on second with no outs and moved him to third with one out. But Violante buckled down, jamming No. 2 hitter JP Bell with a fastball for an infield popup and then getting flout to end the inning.

"We played good ball today in the field," LaDuca said. "No errors on the board, that’s what you have to do in these kinds of games — especially a 1-0 game. Today, pitching and defense won the ballgame for us."

Hitting? The Red Rovers did a little bit of that too, but even if they hadn’t, they still would have come out on top.

"I could have gone 0-for-3 and it wouldn’t have mattered because Javy’s contribution mattered the most," Albertson said.

Add Violante’s pitching, and Easton is still playing baseball.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Violante, Rovers Advance to PIAA Quarterfinals - Rapid Recap
June 6, 2016

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com

The Easton baseball team kept its season alive Monday with a 1-0 win over Downingtown West in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament at Lehigh’s Legacy Park.

Turning point: The Red Rovers pushed across their lone run before even recording a hit. Ryan Greene led off the third inning getting hit by a pitch and advanced to second base on a passed ball. He then took third on a sacrifice bunt with an error, and scored on a fielder’s choice from Javier Irizarry.

Easton senior Pete Violante took care of the rest, working quickly up and down the Whippets’ lineup. The biggest threat he worked out of came in the sixth, when Downingtown West put a runner on third with one out. But Violante jammed a batter for a popup and then got a fly ball to center field to escape the jam.

Top performer: Violante. The Red Rovers’ ace allowed just four hits and kept the Whippets off balance all day.

Greg Albertson collected the only two hits Easton tallied all day — none of which factored into the game’s only run.

What it means: The win was Easton’s first state tournament victory since it won two games and advanced to the semifinals in 1990.

The Red Rovers advanced to the quarterfinals to face the winner of District 1 champ Pennridge and Cumberland Valley (third place, District 3) in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Class AAAA State Championship Begins on Monday June 6th
June 3, 2016

Easton Red Rovers 2016 District XI Champions

Fresh off it's first District XI Championship since 1993, the Rovers are set to venture on to the 2016 PIAA Class AAAA State Championship.

In the first round, Easton (19-5) will play the Downingtown West Whippets (18-3) the number 3 seed from District 1.

The game will be played on Monday June 6th at Lehigh’s Legacy Park. Game time is 4:30pm.

Below is the schedule for the PIAA State Championships.

Quarterfinals are slated to be played on Thursday June 9th.
Semi-finals are slated to be played on Monday June 13th.
Championship game is Thursday June 16th with a rain date of Friday June 17th.

Easton Captures District 11 Class AAAA Championship
June 1, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton Area High School baseball players celebrate after wining the District 11 AAAA baseball final on, June 1, 2016, at Lehigh University's Legacy Park.

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

Three times in his high school career, Easton's Ryan Greene had to stand and watch, with a silver medal around his neck, while a Parkland team was awarded gold and the District 11 championship trophy.

On the football and baseball fields over the past three years, the Trojans had ended a Red Rovers season in the district playoffs four times — three in the title game.

In his final chance to rewrite the script, Greene helped make history on Thursday night at Lehigh’s Legacy Park.

Greene’s two-run single in the sixth accounted for what turned out to be the winning runs, and then he came on to pitch out of a jam in the seventh, as the Easton baseball team beat Parkland 6-4 for the District 11 Class AAAA championship — its first since 1993.

"It means everything to us," Greene said. "It means the world."

By knocking off the three-time defending champs, the Red Rovers (19-5) punched their ticket to the state tournament, which will begin Monday against either Downingtown West or Boyertown.

"After all these years, taking some hard losses in district championships, this is great to finally have the gold around my neck," said senior first baseman Trey Durrah, who scored on Greene’s single and was the quarterback with Greene on his offensive line on the gridiron. "We pitched it well, hit it well, we answered whenever they scored runs. It was just a great overall team win. I’m so proud of these guys."

To make the scene all the more surreal, Greene had pitched in just two games all season before Wednesday, his last appearance coming April 25. The senior had thrown 24 2/3 innings in 2015, going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA, but this year had been a mainstay in right field.

"Ryan hasn’t pitched since — it’s been weeks," coach Carm LaDuca said. "Last year he had four wins for us, so Ryan is a pitcher. But we just didn’t need his arm that much this year because he was a solid right fielder and we had other guys doing the job."

They needed him now, though, more than ever.

Greene warmed up in the bullpen during the bottom of the sixth, just before his big hit, and Easton had gone through three pitchers to get to one out in the seventh when LaDuca called on the righty in a 6-3 game with runners on first and second.

The first batter Greene faced was Michael Jenkins, who came within a foot of a line drive single down the third base line, but it fell just foul. Greene retired him on the next pitch for the second out.

Then after a walk on a 3-2 count loaded the bases, Andrew Roth singled to make it a 6-4 game.

Greene stayed the course, though, and two pitches later secured the final out on a fly ball to left fielder Liam Hughes.

"I just knew I had to throw strikes, believe in my defense. I knew they’d get the job done with me," Greene said. "I had faith in my stuff, my coaches had faith in me, so I just went in and threw. … The pressure makes me play better, I like to think."

Greene had showed that in the bottom of the sixth, when he came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded and knocked a single up the middle, scoring two runs for what was just some breathing room at the time.

By the end of the night, they turned out to be the winning runs.

"It feels amazing, especially to do it against Parkland, who’s basically our rivals other than P’burg," said Greene, who finished 2-for-4 and added a fine sliding catch in right field in the top of the sixth.

The Red Rovers had missed out on their chances through the first three innings, leaving a combined seven runners on base. It had the feeling of a team either getting ready to break through or wasting prime opportunities that would come back to haunt.

Easton made sure it would be the former. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Red Rovers rallied as Hughes singled in a run and Durrah tied it on a sacrifice fly — though the celebration was short-lived when Parkland appealed to second base for a double play on a runner tagging early.

Then after Alex Kounoupis got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, senior catcher Corey Webb led off the bottom half with a double crushed to the left field fence. Sean Boylan followed with a triple down the right field line and soon came in to score on a wild pitch for the 4-2 lead.

"I actually gotta do some more pushups, man," Webb joked. "(But) you can’t be nervous. You’re playing baseball, having fun. I was just going out there and doing my thing — whatever happens, happens."

But ultimately, Parkland’s 4-3 walkoff win in this very game one year ago lingered.

The Trojans had the makings of a comeback in the sixth when they had two on and one out with the heart of their lineup due up. Lefty Anthony Keifer came through in a big spot, though, getting two pop ups to end the threat.

"It wasn’t the cleanest of games, but it really goes to the heart of who they are that they never quit," LaDuca said. "You have to have kids that believe and want to work hard."

Even playing against a school that had ended their District 11 dreams so many times, the Red Rovers prevailed and the senior-heavy squad went out on top.

"Unbelievable," Webb said. "Especially after the way last year ended, it’s unbelievable. We had to finish it off."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Easton baseball punches ticket to second straight D-11 championship
May 30, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton baseball punches ticket to second straight D-11 championship
Easton senior pitcher Pete Violante.

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

In a split second, the watch for a potential no-hitter from Pete Violante turned into the Easton baseball team trying to hang on to its season.

The senior hurler carried a no-no into the sixth inning of Monday’s District 11 Class AAAA semifinal at Lehigh’s Legacy Park, but Stroudsburg’s first hit of the day — a two-out infield single for C.J. Lopez — also tied the game at one as the Mounties threatened for more.

The hit did little to rattle Violante, though.

The senior ace buckled down, Stephen Baiardi came through with a two-run pinch-hit double in the bottom half of the inning and the Red Rovers secured a spot in the district championship for the second straight year with a 3-1 win.

"It’s huge," Violante said. "Last year I wasn’t able to have a huge part helping us get there, but to get there two years in a row and be a big part of what we’re doing this year, it’s fun."

Third-seeded Easton will take on No.5 Parkland, in a rematch of last year’s championship, for the title 5 p.m. Wednesday back at Lehigh.

"A lot of people don’t realize how hard and how difficult it is to get back there two years in a row," Red Rovers coach Carm LaDuca said. "I think that’s a testament to these guys and their work ethic."

Bryan Reagle had hit an RBI single in the first inning to score Greg Albertson, and it looked for a while like it may stand as the winning run.

Violante was cruising through five innings on 48 pitches, his lone blemish an errant pitch hitting a Stroudsburg batter with two outs in the fourth inning. He was a different looking pitcher than the one who took the mound against Central Catholic and Liberty in his last two starts, when he allowed 19 hits and 11 runs over 10 2/3 innings.

"Neither of those starts were what I like to consider myself," said Violante, who still owns a sub-two ERA. "My release point was off, a couple mechanical things. But I worked with coach (Mike) Palos and coach (Greg) Hess a lot and they knew exactly what they’re doing to get me back to where I am."

The Mounties took advantage of a leadoff walk in the sixth, though, as Kyle Albert moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a groundout. Lopez then hit a slow roller to shortstop, where Sean Boylan’s tough barehanded attempt didn’t work out.

The no-hitter was gone, but so was the 1-0 lead.

"The way (the hit) happened, I can’t really complain," Violante said. "Sean did everything he could to try to make that play. Just gotta tip your cap."

Stroudsburg threatened for more after another two-out single, but Violante kept his cool and worked out of the jam with a strikeout.

"That’s what a senior does, especially an ace pitcher like Pete," LaDuca said. "I wasn’t worried."
Violante’s offense delivered in the bottom half of the inning, which Boylan started off with a single up the middle. One out later, Caleb Messinger walked and LaDuca pinch-hit Baiardi.

The junior got about 10 minutes notice that he’d be coming on in the pressure situation. He had just one hit in 16 at-bats this season coming into Monday, but LaDuca liked the matchup against Stroudsburg lefty Nate Kitchell.

"Steve is a guy who hits the fastball well and we just kind of felt — Javy (Irizarry) has been doing a great job. That was not punitive towards Javy in any way," LaDuca said. "But a lefty-lefty matchup, we decided to go with a righty."

With a 1-0 count, Baiardi tried to drop down a bunt for a safety squeeze, but it went foul. Then with the sign to swing away, Baiardi worked a 2-2 count and fouled off pitches until he got one over the plate and didn’t miss, pulling it down the left field line for a two-run double.

"I knew we needed those runs in," Baiardi said. "He gave me my pitch inside and I just took it down the line. … It felt great, speechless."

Stroudsburg threatened once more in the seventh, putting two runners on with no outs, but Violante escaped again and left the tying run on second with a strikeout to end the game.

"Pete pitched great all year long," LaDuca said. "Every baseball player goes through ups and downs. Thanks to our coaching staff, they did such a great job of getting him back on, not only from a physical stance but also believing in himself and having that confidence. That showed today."

After going without an appearance in the district championship for 21 straight years before 2015, the Red Rovers are now set to play in their second consecutive title game. They hope their second chance against the Trojans turns out better than it did a year ago.

"It feels great going back," Baiardi said. "Hopefully we’ll get the ’ship this year. We came up short last year, so I think everyone’s ready."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Wild Finish Advances Easton to District XI Semi-Finals
May 26, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton's Greg Albertson tries to make a sliding catch against Liberty in the District 11 quarterfinals.

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

Those who were in attendance at Richards Field Wednesday afternoon may have trouble recounting all of what exactly unfolded over two hours and 45 minutes of a high school baseball game.

But they'll certainly try, because Easton's 10-9 eight-inning win over Liberty in the District 11 Class AAAA quarterfinals was one that involved every winding twist and turn imaginable.

"Unreal," Red Rovers senior Trey Durrah said. "Baseball is a crazy game."

"It was definitely crazy, that's pretty much all I can say," Easton senior Bryan Reagle said.

And as both Easton coach Carm LaDuca and Liberty coach Andy Pitsilos put it, "It's a shame somebody had to lose that game."

The Red Rovers, though, didn't mind being the one to win it. They advanced to the district semifinals to face Stroudsburg, a 5-3 winner over No. 2 Freedom, 12 p.m. Monday at Lehigh's Legacy Park.

After the Hurricanes had pushed across a run in the top of the eighth, the Red Rovers staged a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning. They tied it when Reagle's infield single scored Javier Irizarry from third and won it when Durrah launched a high fly ball to right field that appeared to get lost in the bright sky and landed just behind Liberty right fielder Mike Lehman.

"It wasn't the hardest hit ball, I just hit it a ton in the air," Durrah said. "I saw the right fielder just running back and he just didn't look like he was under it. It just dropped in and all I could do was smile."

Reagle, meanwhile, had been running the whole way with two outs and was just about to hit third when the ball found grass.

"I was about to round third and then I just heard everyone go crazy," Reagle said. "Obviously I knew something happened. Coach was telling me to go, so I just got on my horse and tried to make it."

LaDuca had been telling Reagle to run hard because he had seen past fly balls off Durrah's bat turn into trouble.

"I can think of at least three other games were fielders struggled with the height of those balls," LaDuca said. "It's a high sky and there are no clouds in that sky. That's a very difficult play for an outfielder."

For the Hurricanes, it was a crushing and cruel end to a game they had climbed back into after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning to hold one-run leads in both the fifth and eighth innings.

"Mike's been a really good kid for us throughout his career," Pitsilos said. "He's been a really good outfielder. Sometimes that just happens. High sky, the wind was blowing out. Maybe it just got caught up in the wind a little bit. Hey, he's a good kid."

Lehman had made sure Liberty even had a shot to win it in the eighth, going 3-for-5 on the day with three runs. He led off three different innings with singles that spurred a rally each time.

The first came in the second inning, minutes after Easton had hung a five spot on the scoreboard, and set the tone for what kind of game it was going to be. Lehman's single was followed by a double from pitcher Ben Hudock, a single from Kyle Ross, a double from No. 9 hitter Kyle Hlavaty and a fielder's choice from Ryan Wescoe to suddenly turn a big deficit into a one-run game.

The Red Rovers answered with a run, driven in by Durrah, in the bottom half of the inning, but the Hurricanes kept clawing back with one run in the fourth and then two in the fifth to take their first lead, 7-6.

"Props to them for coming back, they really showed some heart," Reagle said. "But we definitely showed some heart as well and came through."

Easton showed it in the bottom of the sixth, even after the first two batters were set down in order. Greg Albertson (two hits, two runs) took a pitch on the back and Liam Hughes followed with a walk. Reagle then reached on a fielding error in the infield, and Albertson never broke stride to come around from third to tie the game.

Hughes later scored on a wild pitch for the 8-7 lead.

"We were able to get a couple breaks and we fought back," LaDuca said. "… It wasn't conventional, it wasn't a pretty win, but sometimes you need that to happen in the game of baseball. Today we were on the positive end of that."

A game like this had no plans of ending in regulation, though, as Kyle Ross hit a sacrifice fly to score Lehman in the top of the seventh, tying the game. The Hurricanes threatened for more, but Easton got out of it on a 2-6-5-1-3 pickoff started by catcher Corey Webb.

"They don't quit," LaDuca said.

The game then looked like it could be decided by a run scored by Ryan Wescoe, after the Liberty senior had led off the eighth getting hit by a pitch after if first bounced a few feet in front of the plate, and came around to score on an RBI single from Sammy Kraihanzel.

But this rollercoaster of a game had one last winding turn. Irizarry led off with a single, moved to second on Albertson's sac bunt and to third on a groundout, all setting the stage for Reagle and Durrah to end it in just another whacky way.

"It was just a great moment," Durrah said, "in my last game here at Richards Field with all my seniors."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

District XI Playoff Schedule
May 22, 2016

(11 Seed) Northampton will play at (6 seed) Liberty at 4:30pm Monday May 23.

The winner will advance to play (3 Seed) Easton in the quarterfinals of District 11 play on Wednesday - May 25 at 4:30pm at Richards Field in Easton.

Click here to view brackets for the entire District 11 Tournament



Central Catholic Trips Up Easton in EPC Quarterfinals
May 14, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Robert Roman went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to help No. 8 Central Catholic knock off top-seeded Easton 5-3 in the EPC quarterfinals.

Justin Welch added two doubles and an RBI while AJ Brosius went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Patridge picked up the win on the mound. The Vikings advanced to play Liberty in Tuesday's semifinals.

Liam Hughes led four Red Rovers with two hits apiece, tallying a double and an RBI.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton Grabs #1 Seed as EPC Playoffs Set to Begin
May 13, 2016

Easton High Scool wrapped up the regular season as the 2016 EPC Steel Division Champions and also secured the #1 seed for the conference playoffs beginning this Saturday.

Easton will host the #8 seed Central Catholic on Saturday May 14th at Richards Field beginning at 3pm.

See below for the complete 2016 EPC Baseball Championship Schedule.

2016 EPC Baseball Championship Schedule
Saturday, May 14th - Quarter-Finals

#8 ACCHS vs. #1 Easton at Easton HS at 3pm
#7 Emmaus vs. #2 Parkland at Parkland HS at 11am
#6 Stroudsburg vs. #3 Freedom at Freedom HS at 11am
#5 Whitehall vs. #4 Liberty at Liberty HS at 3pm

*Parkland, Freedom, Liberty all 12-4, decided on District XI Rankings of 16 EPC Games
**Whitehall, Stroudsburg both 11-5, decided on head to head, Whitehall defeated Stroudsburg
***Emmaus, ACCHS, PME all 10-6, decided on District XI Rankings of 16 EPC Games

Semi-Finals - Tuesday, May 17th at Hackett Park
4:30p #2 vs. #3
7:15p #1 vs. #4

Finals - Wednesday, May 18th at Hackett Park
6:55p- All-Conference Presentation
7:15p - Finals

Easton Roars Back to Beat Freedom 4-1
May 11, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton's Greg Albertson went 3-for-4 in the win over Freedom.

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

The Easton and Freedom baseball teams were supposed to play the second half of their regular season series on a random Thursday in late April until rain postponed the game.

Instead, two of the area’s top teams met on Wednesday afternoon, the second-to-last day of the regular season, with a division title at stake.

The game lived up to the setting, as the Red Rovers broke open for four runs in the seventh inning to beat the Patriots 4-1.

"What a great high school baseball game," Easton coach Carm LaDuca said. "We all have a lot of respect for this program and (Freedom coach) Nick D’Amico. This is an awesome baseball team over here. It’s just great to get out of here and have an opportunity to win a ballgame in that fashion."

The Red Rovers (16-3, 13-3 EPC) kept the Patriots (16-3, 13-3 EPC) from clinching the EPC Steel Division title at least for the day. That will be decided by a long list of tiebreakers, ultimately coming down to District 11 power rankings not including independent games. Freedom has one game left Thursday against Pocono Mountain East, so the division crown won’t be determined for at least 24 hours.

Bryan Reagle played hero when he came to the plate in a 1-1 game with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh. With the infield drawn in, the senior shot a first-pitch fastball back up the middle to drive in two runs, with a third coming in after the relay home went to the backstop.

"I was having a frustrating day at the plate up until that at-bat," Reagle said. "Fastball middle in, that’s what I was looking for. I got it and took it up the middle. The infield was in, so I didn’t really have to do anything that special."

But for a team that hadn’t found many holes all day — the Red Rovers managed just two hits off Freedom starter Evan Callahan through six innings — hitting the ball where the Patriots weren’t was plenty good enough.

"(I was) just wondering if we were going to break through at some point," LaDuca said. "We put a lot of balls in play, we just seemed to not hit the ball hard at the right time."

Reagle pointed out, though, that Easton hadn’t struck out heading into the seventh. That they were making solid contact made the Red Rovers feel like things would turn around at some point — even if they didn’t until the team was down to its last three outs.

"I’m pretty sure everyone on the team was confident going into (the seventh)," Reagle said. "That’s just the way we are. We’re tight-knit and we keep fighting till the 21st out."

Ryan Greene walked to lead off the inning and Caleb Messinger followed by getting hit by a pitch to end Callahan’s day on the mound. Alec Huertas came on in relief and struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches, wiping out the chance of a sacrifice bunt.

Greg Albertson was up next and ripped a line drive single to right field, loading the bases.

Then Liam Hughes slapped a hard grounder to a drawn-in third baseman John Yocum, who scooped up the ball but then slipped on the grass and never got a throw to home plate as the tying run scored.

"It’s a play (Yocum) makes every single day and one he probably says is routine for him," Freedom coach Nick D’Amico said. "That’s out No. 2, game’s still tied and the infield is back. The what-if’s could have happened, but they didn’t and it went in their favor. We lost to a very good team."

Reagle came up next to break open the game and give Easton the win.

In the background, Nick Zenga was throwing a strong game for the Red Rovers that nearly went to waste. He had allowed only the one run, on an RBI single from Tanner Anthony in the third inning.

But after his teammates finally gave him run support, Zenga was happy to go back out and finish off the win.

"Our pitching staff has carried us throughout this season," Zenga said. "That’s the reason why we’re winning here. Our offense is slacking a little bit but our pitching staff has really picked up the slack for our team."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Rovers beat Hawks 6-1 on Senior Day
May 10, 2016

Senior Day at Richards Field in Easton, Pa.


By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Caleb Messinger went 2-for-3 with a run, a double and four RBIs as Easton beat Bethlehem Catholic 6-1.

Corey Webb added two doubles while Javier Irizarry tallied two singles and two RBIs.

Alex Kounoupis picked up the win for Easton.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Violante pitches Easton past Stroudsburg
May 9, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Pete Violante (7-1, 1.18 ERA) tossed a two-hitter as Easton (14-3) shut out Stroudsburg 2-0 in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference contest.

Trey Durrah (.404 BA, 17 RBI) had two doubles and drove in a run for the Red Rovers.

Easton hosts Bethlehem Catholic in the home regular season finale on Tuesday at Richards Field, on the EAHS campus.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton Slips By Allen 3-2
May 5, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Ryan Greene drove in Corey Webb with a walk-off sacrifice fly as Easton defeated Allen 3-2 in an eight-inning Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Steel Division game.

Nick Zenga tossed a complete game for the Red Rovers, allowing two hits and two runs.

Bryan Reagle registered an RBI and a run.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton Falls to Liberty
May 2, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Sammy Kraihanzel drove in the game's lone run, singling home Kyle Hlavaty with two outs in the fifth inning to lift Liberty past Easton 1-0.

Ben Hudock and Elias Gross combined on the shutout for the Hurricanes while Mike Perrault went 2-for-3 at the plate.

Pete Violante struck out five and walked four over six innings for the Red Rovers.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton Gets By Hawks 8-5
April 25, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Corey Webb had a double, a triple and two RBIs as Easton topped Bethlehem Catholic 8-5 in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Steel Division game.

Liam Hughes and Trey Durrah each added a pair of hits for the Red Rovers.

Aiden Henninger registered two hits and scored twice for Bethlehem Catholic.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Rovers Blank Dieruff 8-0
April 22, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Greg Albertson had two hits and drove in a pair of runs as Easton blanked Dieruff 8-0 in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Steel Division game.

Sean Boylan added a pair of hits and an RBI for the Red Rovers.

Jeison Peralta registered two hits for Dieruff.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton rallies past Allen 3-2
April 20, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Corey Webb tied the game with a two-run single and Sean Boylan drove in the winner on the next play in the seventh inning to lift Easton past Allen 3-2.

Alex Konoupis picked up the win on the mound, striking out seven in the complete game.

Ian Michaels went 2-for-3 and scored both runs for the Canaries.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Corey Webb named LehighValleyLive Player of the Week
April 19, 2016

Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com. Easton's Greg Albertson went 3-for-4 in the win over Freedom.


By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com
Photo courtesy of Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

The Easton and Freedom baseball teams were supposed to play the second half of their regular season series on a random Thursday in late April until rain postponed the game.

Instead, two of the area’s top teams met on Wednesday afternoon, the second-to-last day of the regular season, with a division title at stake.

The game lived up to the setting, as the Red Rovers broke open for four runs in the seventh inning to beat the Patriots 4-1.

"What a great high school baseball game," Easton coach Carm LaDuca said. "We all have a lot of respect for this program and (Freedom coach) Nick D’Amico. This is an awesome baseball team over here. It’s just great to get out of here and have an opportunity to win a ballgame in that fashion."

The Red Rovers (16-3, 13-3 EPC) kept the Patriots (16-3, 13-3 EPC) from clinching the EPC Steel Division title at least for the day. That will be decided by a long list of tiebreakers, ultimately coming down to District 11 power rankings not including independent games. Freedom has one game left Thursday against Pocono Mountain East, so the division crown won’t be determined for at least 24 hours.

Bryan Reagle played hero when he came to the plate in a 1-1 game with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh. With the infield drawn in, the senior shot a first-pitch fastball back up the middle to drive in two runs, with a third coming in after the relay home went to the backstop.

"I was having a frustrating day at the plate up until that at-bat," Reagle said. "Fastball middle in, that’s what I was looking for. I got it and took it up the middle. The infield was in, so I didn’t really have to do anything that special."

But for a team that hadn’t found many holes all day — the Red Rovers managed just two hits off Freedom starter Evan Callahan through six innings — hitting the ball where the Patriots weren’t was plenty good enough.

"(I was) just wondering if we were going to break through at some point," LaDuca said. "We put a lot of balls in play, we just seemed to not hit the ball hard at the right time."

Reagle pointed out, though, that Easton hadn’t struck out heading into the seventh. That they were making solid contact made the Red Rovers feel like things would turn around at some point — even if they didn’t until the team was down to its last three outs.

"I’m pretty sure everyone on the team was confident going into (the seventh)," Reagle said. "That’s just the way we are. We’re tight-knit and we keep fighting till the 21st out."

Ryan Greene walked to lead off the inning and Caleb Messinger followed by getting hit by a pitch to end Callahan’s day on the mound. Alec Huertas came on in relief and struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches, wiping out the chance of a sacrifice bunt.

Greg Albertson was up next and ripped a line drive single to right field, loading the bases.

Then Liam Hughes slapped a hard grounder to a drawn-in third baseman John Yocum, who scooped up the ball but then slipped on the grass and never got a throw to home plate as the tying run scored.

"It’s a play (Yocum) makes every single day and one he probably says is routine for him," Freedom coach Nick D’Amico said. "That’s out No. 2, game’s still tied and the infield is back. The what-if’s could have happened, but they didn’t and it went in their favor. We lost to a very good team."

Reagle came up next to break open the game and give Easton the win.

In the background, Nick Zenga was throwing a strong game for the Red Rovers that nearly went to waste. He had allowed only the one run, on an RBI single from Tanner Anthony in the third inning.

But after his teammates finally gave him run support, Zenga was happy to go back out and finish off the win.

"Our pitching staff has carried us throughout this season," Zenga said. "That’s the reason why we’re winning here. Our offense is slacking a little bit but our pitching staff has really picked up the slack for our team."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Violante, Durrah and Webb Power Easton Past Liberty
April 18, 2016

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com

Pete Violante says the Easton baseball team plays much better when it’s playing with emotion.

With some tension building up all game in a key EPC Steel Division matchup Monday afternoon, Liberty knotted the game at two in the bottom of the fourth inning. What the Red Rovers did next proved Violante’s point.

Easton scored four times in the next half inning and Violante shut down the Hurricanes the rest of the way for a 7-2 win at William Sheridan Field.

"When they come back and tie it, it’s a pretty big swing," Violante said. "Obviously we got a little angry. We came back and exploded for a couple. Once I have a lead — everyone likes pitching with a lead, so it was fun."

Both teams came into the game 1-1 in the division behind first-place Freedom. The Red Rovers had just lost to the Patriots on Thursday, giving Monday’s showdown some extra importance.

"We didn’t say anything to the kids about ‘must-wins’ or anything like that, but I think deep in the back of all of our minds, losing to Freedom and then possibly Liberty, would really put us behind," coach Carm LaDuca said. "That was a critical situation. So our kids came ready to play baseball today."

Easton scored single runs in the first and third innings, but turned in their best frame minutes after Liberty had wiped out its lead on a Jared Burcin RBI triple and Ben Hudock's RBI single.

With one out in the fifth inning, Liam Hughes reached on an error, and after stealing second, moved to third on a single by Bryan Reagle. Then with the infield playing in, Trey Durrah hit a hard grounder to shortstop, where Elias Gross knocked the ball down but couldn’t get a handle on it for a throw, scoring Hughes.

Corey Webb drove in the next run on a single to left-center field and Sean Boylan capped the rally with a long two-run double to the base of the hill in left field to make it a 6-2 game.

"We came back, had a little fire under us and got a few runs to support (Violante)," Durrah said.

Added Webb, "We’re tough to beat when we do that."

Webb led the way with three singles and three RBIs while Durrah added two hits and a pair of RBIs.

Violante took care of the rest. As he worked with a quick pace, the Hurricanes tried to slow him down by calling time and stepping out of the batter’s box right before he went into his windup. It happened four times in the first two innings and once more the rest of the way.

"I’ve played with a couple of those guys for a couple years now, so they know I like to work quick and get in my zone, keep going and push the tempo," Violante said. "A good team like that is going to try to step out and mess with me as much as they can. It did (mess with me) a little bit, but I was able to keep my composure and throw strikes."

While the Easton coaching staff did not appear pleased with the late timeouts, Liberty coach Andy Pitsilos defended his players.

"Not (to) disrupt, but if I’m in the box and the guy’s already coming at me, you gotta give me time to set, too," Pitsilos said. "That’s all."

The Hurricanes were hurt by four errors on the day, while only two of the six runs Hudock allowed were earned.

"I don’t know if it’s mental or physical, I don’t know," Pitsilos said of the defense. "We’ll have to get down to the bottom of it. All you can do is make the next play, make the next pitch, get the next at-bat, get the next game.

"(Hudock) didn’t deserve that performance in the field, because he keeps us in games. That’s a couple times now where he’s pitched and we haven’t supported him. We have to do a better job."

Violante, who missed all of last season with a broken (non-throwing) arm, continued to go about his business. His most important inning was the fifth, after his teammates had put up a four spot, to come back and keep the lead at four.

Gabe Albino reached on a bunt to lead off the inning and the next batter, Ryan Wescoe, tried to do the same. But he was called out on a contested call, for stepping on home plate.

Riding the tension, Violante set down the next two batters and kept the momentum on the Red Rovers’ side. He finished with seven strikeouts and one walk.

"Pete’s pretty cool and calm and collected," LaDuca said. "(Assistant coach) Greg Hess and him have worked together well, along with (assistant coach) Mike Palos. Our pitching guys have done a great job getting Pete ready to go and pitching this year after missing an entire year. We’re really happy to have him and he’s off to a 5-0 start, which is really something for him."

Together, the Red Rovers moved to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the Steel Division. With almost all divisional games left, emotions will continue to be high, which is exactly how they like it.

"Any time you can come to Liberty, or even Liberty comes to you, and you can get a win, it’s obviously a big game," Violante said. "There’s not much more you can ask for when you’re winning like this."

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Rovers Pull Away From Pocono Mountain East
April 12, 2016

By Stephen Miller | The Morning Call

A ball that bounced its way allowed the Easton High baseball team to keep its lead in the top of the fifth inning.

A string of productive at-bats in the bottom of the inning kept the Red Rovers rolling.

Easton took advantage of two Pocono Mountain East errors to score five fifth-inning runs, turning a one-run cushion into a six-run advantage. The Red Rovers tacked on one more run in the sixth to pull away for an 8-1 win in an EPC game at Richards Field.

With its second win in as many days and third straight overall, Easton (5-1 overall, 3-1 EPC) continued its excellent early-season play. The Red Rovers have outscored their opponents 50-11 and haven't allowed more than four runs in a game. Their lone loss was a one-run setback against Northampton.

As well as Easton has played, senior catcher Corey Webb isn't satisfied. He would like to see more efforts like the one the Red Rovers delivered in their 12-0, EPC-opening victory against Parkland on March 30.

"Today we played pretty well, but we've got to get started earlier in the game," Webb said. "We're playing from behind a lot. We've got to start earlier in the game, hit the ball, get on the board and get some energy in the dugout."

Webb scored the run that gave Easton the lead for good. He singled in the third and came home on Trey Durrah's RBI double, which pushed the Red Rovers ahead 2-1.

Easton was in danger of losing its lead in the fifth. Pocono Mountain East (5-2, 3-2) had runners at second and third with two outs and its best hitter, Zach McCambley, due up.

Easton coach Carm LaDuca considered an intentional walk that would have loaded the bases. He instead allowed starter Pete Violante to attack McCambley.

McCambley ripped an 0-1 pitch up the middle, but Violante deflected it. The ball then hit the second-base bag and bounced toward second baseman Bryan Reagle. He fielded the ball and threw to first to retire McCambley and keep Easton in front.

"You know how this game is," LaDuca said. "Sometimes you get a little luck involved with it as well. Good fortune went our way today. We were able to get some big hits at the right time."

Three of Easton's hits came in the fifth, when it broke the game open. A Pocono Mountain East error and a walk gave the Red Rovers two on with no one out.

That brought up Webb. He twice failed to drop a sacrifice bunt before cracking an RBI single. He finished 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

A two-run single by Durrah (2-for-4, three RBIs), another Pocono Mountain East error and an RBI double by Ryan Greene left Easton with a 7-1 lead. That was more than enough for Violante.

He limited the Cardinals to one run on eight hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

"Pete did a nice job of holding them down after they had a bunch of hits early," LaDuca said. "Two of them were kind of bloopers, but they were hitting some balls solid and hard. That was all early, and then it seemed like Pete calmed down there and settled in."

The Red Rovers aren't settling for where they sit. They have a day off before meeting Freedom in a matchup of EPC Steel Division contenders Thursday.

"We're real happy with our group, but one of the things we're focusing on is you have to be able to execute all the time against good baseball teams," LaDuca said. "That's a good baseball team over there, and we were able to do some things today.

"But obviously we have some better teams coming up that are doing really well. To be prepared for that and to win, you're going to have to play all aspects of the game well."

Article courtesy of The Morning Call
Stephen Miller may be reached at samiller@mcall.com

Easton rallies past Voorhees
April 11, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Corey Webb drove in two runs as part of a decisive three-run bottom of the sixth inning as Easton defeated Voorhees 4-2 in independent interstate action.

Anthony Keifer earned the win in relief for the Red Rovers.

Anthony Gonzalez had a double and an RBI for Voorhees.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Easton routs East Stroudsburg North
April 6, 2016

By lehighvalleylive sports staff | lehighvalleylive.com

Easton scored six runs in the both the fourth and fifth inning to earn a 14-4 victory over East Stroudsburg North in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference game.

Bryan Reagle drove in four runs for the Red Rovers and Corey Webb added two RBIs. Caleb Messinger added a pair of doubles and two RBIs, and Trey Durrah had a triple and an RBI.

Drew Mead was 3-for-3 with three RBIs for East Stroudsburg North.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Errors prove costly in loss to Northampton
April 1, 2016

By Greg Joyce | lehighvalleylive.com

The Easton baseball team held a long meeting around the mound after its 4-3 loss to Northampton Thursday afternoon at Richards Field.

Just 24 hours removed from exploding past returning state semifinalist Parkland, 12-0 in five innings, the Red Rovers were brought down to earth and got a cold reminder that there are no off days in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

"It’s a good learning experience that you gotta come ready to play every day," coach Carm LaDuca said. "We weren’t ready early. We made some critical mistakes that Northampton took advantage of. We were able to settle on the mound, but ultimately we didn’t do what we needed to do at the plate to get those runs back."

Easton hurt itself with three errors, including two on back-to-back plays, that ultimately made the difference in the game.

The Red Rover had fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first, but didn’t take long to respond when Ryan Greene lined a two-run single to left field in the bottom half of the inning to even the score.

They could have kept the momentum on their side with a quick top of the second as starting pitcher Alex Kounoupis rolled up three straight ground balls, but only the first went for an out. The second ate up shortstop Sean Boylan and Trey Durrah tried to turn the third one into a double play, but his throw went wide into the outfield. The Konkrete Kids scored on the next play.

In the fourth inning, a sky-high fly ball went in and out of the glove of center fielder Greg Albertson and Northampton manufactured it into another run three plays later.

"That’s what we just talked about – obviously we kind of shot ourselves in the foot," LaDuca said. "In high school baseball, you have to make plays and we weren’t able to do that early today. Give Northampton credit – they capitalized on those things."

The Red Rovers did flash some defense at times, including a sliding grab from left fielder Liam Hughes and later a 1-4-3 pickoff to get out of a jam in the seventh inning.

Kounoupis ended up working into the seventh inning, allowing two earned runs and two unearned runs.

"Early he struggled a little bit and we didn’t make the plays behind him, too," LaDuca said. "He righted the ship and got himself back together and he gave us a good enough effort for us to be in a ballgame."

Easton came back to make it a one-run game in the fifth inning on a heads up play from Bryan Reagle (2-for-3, two runs). After the senior second baseman doubled to the gap, he moved to third base on a groundout.

Corey Webb then struck out on a ball in the dirt, but he took off for first on the dropped third strike and drew a throw from catcher Ian Luberti. Reagle took off for home the second the ball left Luberti’s hand and dove in safely just ahead of the return throw to make it 4-3.

In the seventh inning, Reagle singled with one out and Trey Durrah followed with a walk, but Northampton junior Kyle Serman ended the rally there by getting two pop ups to end the game.

"Give them credit – their pitcher made the pitches and they did what they needed to do," LaDuca said.

Article courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com

Easton routs Parkland in EPC opener
March 30, 2016

Photo courtesy of April Bartholomew | The Morning Call. Trey Durrah gets a hit.

By Stephen Miller | The Morning Call
Photo courtesy of April Bartholomew | The Morning Call

Parkland waited a week from the first play date of the 2016 high school baseball season to open its schedule.

Easton forced the Trojans to endure a long afternoon when they finally took the field.

Five scoreless innings from Pete Violante and four RBIs from Trey Durrah allowed the Red Rovers to head to their bus early. They cruised to a 12-0, five-inning road win in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference opener for both teams.

Wednesday's game featured the two teams that played in the District 11 Class 4A final last May. It included none of the drama of that title game, which Parkland won 4-3.

Easton (2-0 overall, 1-0 EPC) scored a run in the first inning and two in the third before erupting for a nine-run fifth, putting the 10-run mercy rule in play. Violante finished what he started by inducing three ground outs in a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth. He limited Parkland (0-1, 0-1) to three hits, struck out four and walked none.

Violante missed most of his junior baseball season after breaking a bone in his left (non-throwing) arm during basketball season. He has come back to start his senior season with a flourish. Violante also tossed five shutout innings in Easton's season-opening 9-0 win against Hazleton.

"I was out most of last year, but I was indeed at the district final the last game last year," Violante said. "Obviously we wanted to come back and come out alive, and I think we did that today."

Easton jumped to the lead Wednesday two batters into the game. Greg Albertson (1-for-2, three runs) led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Sean Boylan (2-for-3, two runs).

Durrah and catcher Corey Webb did plenty more damage for the Red Rovers. Durrah cracked an RBI double in the third before adding an RBI triple and a two-run single in his two fifth-inning at-bats. Webb chipped in with RBI singles in the third and fifth.

"Parkland's given me, the whole Easton community, a few tough losses through my years here," said Durrah, who also played quarterback for Easton's football team the last two seasons. "We just wanted to come out hard, hit the ball hard. We just wanted to play behind Pete.

"We knew he was going to give us his best. We gave him our best. We fielded the ball pretty good and hit the ball all over the park. It was just a great team win."

It was a forgettable opener for first-year Parkland coach Kurt Weber. He expected the Trojans to endure some rough patches after all the key players they graduated from last year's 27-2 team that reached the PIAA Class 4A semifinals. The inexperience showed during the fifth.

Parkland made three errors in the inning and botched a rundown to allow Easton's 10th run to score.

"We lost too much experience and guys that just knew how to play the game," Weber said. "We've got a lot of coaching to do, and we've got to get a lot better."

Everyone in the EPC, including Easton coach Carm LaDuca, expects Parkland to be a factor when May arrives. He reminded his players to stay humble after Wednesday's win.

The Red Rovers are right back at it Thursday against Northampton, another team that could contend for an EPC tournament berth. "There's a long road ahead," LaDuca said. "I'm sure that that's going to be a very good team over there. Today things went our way. We did what we're supposed to do."

Article courtesy of The Morning Call
Stephen Miller may be reached at samiller@mcall.com
Photo courtesy of April Bartholomew | The Morning Call

CWTAP TV Presents Easton High School Baseball
March 24, 2016

CWTAP TV will be broadcasting live audio feeds of Easton High School baseball games in the 2016 season. CWTAP TV broadcasts on Service Electric Channel 126 in the Lehigh Valley, channel 84 in Berks County and Hometown Cable Channel 101 in Kutztown and has a reach of nearly 300,000 subscribers across the Service Electric and Hometown Cable systems in Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey. Alex Fydryszewski of CWTAP will provide play by play alongside longtime Lehigh Valley sports reporter & analyst Jack Logic, who joins CWTAP in addition to hosting Sports Saturday on WGPA 1100AM.

CWTAP TV will broadcast 12 Easton baseball games in the 2016 season, with the schedule listed below.

Friday April 1: Easton vs Northampton 4PM
Monday April 4: Easton at Central Catholic 4PM
Thursday April 6: Easton vs East Stroudsburg 4PM
Monday April 11: Easton vs Voorhees 4PM
Thursday April 14: Easton vs Bethlehem Freedom 4PM
Monday April 18: Easton vs Bethlehem Liberty 4PM
Wednesday April 20: Easton at Allentown Allen 4PM
Tuesday April 26: Easton at Bethlehem Catholic 4PM
Thursday April 28: Easton at Bethlehem Freedom 4PM
Monday May 2: Easton vs Bethlehem Liberty 4PM
Wednesday May 4: Easton vs Allentown Allen 4PM
Tuesday May 10: Easton vs Bethlehem Catholic 4PM
Playoffs TBD

Easton Baseball Apparel Sale 2016
March 22, 2016

Anyone interested in top quality Easton Baseball gear and clothing can go to the following link to order through Schuykill Valley Sporting Goods. Orders placed will be filled as soon as the Online store closes out on April 4, 2016. All orders must be in by that date.

Any questions regarding the order can be directed to the store at the appropriate link on the order page. All monies go directly through SVSG and not through the coaches.

Click here to go to the Online Store



Freshman Baseball Tryouts - Monday March 14th
March 13, 2016

Freshman Tryouts for BOTH 8th & 9th graders, will be help on Monday March 14th are from 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM at the Kunckle Track field.

If it is raining, practice will remain the same time, but in the High School Axillary Gym.

Freshman Baseball Tryouts - Updated
March 11, 2016

Practice will be at the Kunckle Track field.

Thursday March 10th from 4-6 (8th only)

Friday March 11th from 4-6 (9th only)

Saturday March 12th
8th Graders - 10:30-11:45
9th Graders - 11:45-1:00

Please check the website daily for updates!!!

Easton Baseball Bingo Business Donation
March 10, 2016
Easton Baseball Diamond Club
Hello!

All- we are still looking for Tricky Tray donations and Purse Donations for the Bingo on April 10th. Please use Signup Genius to log your items or you can reach out to me directly at sikorag@yahoo.com or by mobile 610-573-3702.

Click here to go to Signup Genius



Thanks
Gretchen Sikora

March 4 Announcements
March 3, 2016

Please follow www.roverbaseball.com and Twitter @roverbaseball for all announcements pertaining to practice schedule, etc...

Intramurals for Friday - March 4 have been cancelled.

Opening day of Practice for Tryouts for grades 9-12 will be held Monday, March 7 immediately after school (2:45pm). Please prepare for indoor and outdoor portions of practice. Dress with sweat pants, sweat shirts, and have both shoes and spikes available for practice with all of your appropriate practice gear.

Grade 8 Practice will be announced at EAMS later in the week and be posted on Twitter and on this site. Expect possibly opening up Thursday or Friday of this upcoming week.

College Planning Information from our Guidance Department
January 13, 2016

On Feb. 11th at 6 pm at EAHS we have a College Planning Night in which students and families can select up to 4, 20 min. break out sessions to attend on various topics, one of which is eligibility and info on what student-athletes need to do. The compliance officer at Lafayette College will be the presenter for this topic.

Other topics are highly selective college admissions, Penn State, PA State System schools, Northampton Community College, SAT/ACT info and prep, financial aid, dual enrollment and services for students with disabilities.

If interested please see the school district website and visit Easton High school guidance page or contact Coach LaDuca at laducac@eastonsd.org

Upcoming Intramural Schedule - Week of Jan. 11 - Jan. 15
January 7, 2016

All Pitchers and Catchers should report after school on Monday and Friday to the pitching room. All are expected to attend. Communicate with the coaches if you have an issue with attending.

Intramural Hitting Dates this week are from 5-7pm on Tuesday Jan. 12 and Thursday Jan. 14 in the Auxiliary Gym. All players are welcome to attend in grades 9-12. Grade 8 will have specialized dates in February which will be announced later.


  • Next Meeting
    Wednesday, August 16th
    EAHS Library
    7pm
  • Next Meeting
    Wednesday, August 16th
    EAHS Library
    7pm
    
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