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New Castle drops third straight gameNew Castle High has struck out in its hopes of getting the Section 5-AAA baseball season off to a fast start.Strike one was the season opening loss to North Allegheny, strike two was Thursday’s setback to North Hills and strike three came yesterday in the form of a shutout - an 8-0 defeat at Butler.The Red Hurricane’s 0-3 league start can be blamed to a large degree on strikeouts, of course. The ’Canes have fanned 36 times in the last three games.“I’ve been working them a lot on defense while emphasizing better pitching,’’ New Castle coach Carmen Nocera said. “Forget defense and forget pitching. We’re going to swing until our hands bleed.’’Butler senior Dean Smith, a transfer who logged a 16-1 record for a top Florida high school last season, worked over the ’Canes for a dozen strikeouts yesterday. He allowed nine hits, but never got into any serious trouble because he walked no one.Smith, clearly, was the difference in the game.“He has a fastball in the 82, 83 mile per hour range and he throws a big, nasty slider,’’ Nocera said. “And hie has great control, too.”Although Butler only scored in two innings, a seven-run second did in the ’Canes. Ryan McClellan’s two-run homer in the frame sparked the Golden Tornado.Losing pitcher Ed Klik threw what Nocera and his staff believed to be strike three to McClellan, but it was called a ball.“My assistant Brian Popovich said to me, ‘You watch. He’s going to hit a home run,’ ” Nocera said. “McClellan hit the next pitch over the lights.”It all went downhill for the ’Canes after that.“Every part of our game hasbeen deteriorating,” Nocera said. “We haven’t been able to put together one complete game yet.“I’m not chucking the season yet, though, because it’s still early. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We just need a victory to get on the right track.”Jeremy Tubbs and Ralph Stefano lined a pair of hits for New Castle.In other action:Mohawk 9, Union 4 - Winning pitcher Rob Fadden contained the Scotties while the Warriors went to work at the plate in the third inning, scoring six times to provide more than enough offense for the victory.Fadden went the distance, scattering seven hits and striking out seven. He helped himself out with a pair of hits aswell.Mohawk broke open a 2-2 game with the big bottom of the third, as Brian McFate smacked a two-run double followed soon after by Chad Motter’s RBI double. Three walks and two errors helped Mohawk’s cause in the frame.The win vaulted the Warriors into first place in Section 3-AA with a 2-1 record. The Scotties are 1-2.Commodore Perry 7, Wilmington l - The Greyhounds out-hit Commodore Perry 5-4 but killed themselves with mistakes.A Wilmington error led directly to two runs in the first inning and five straight walks by Wilmington pitchers keyed a five-run fourth inning for Commodore Perry.The Hounds (1-2 in MCAC-AA) scored their run in the top of the third inning when Josh Bruening reached on an error, moved up on Dave Allen’s single and later crossed the plate on a fielder's choice by Gene Ross.
Newspaper Details
New Castle Weekly News
New Castle, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Apr 08, 1995
Page 19
Full Page
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