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Playoffs, Round 1, game 3 cont
Falcons catch breaks to advance
By Derek Turner, Times Staff Writer July 16, 2002
UNIONTOWN -- The series was defined by a few breaks here and there.
In the end, they favored the Westminster Falcons, who, with a 9-3 victory over the Mount Airy Patriots on Monday, won the third and final game to advance to the semifinals of the Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League playoffs.
The Carroll County Mets await the Falcons when their series begins Thursday at Francis Scott Key.
Monday's play was made necessary when the Game 3 was halted Sunday because of the weather, field conditions and a break that didn't go Westminster's way.
In the bottom of the first Sunday, a pitch from Mount Airy's Ben Price got away from him and struck Falcons coach and leadoff hitter Mike Taylor in the face, breaking his nose.
Taylor was the second batter to be hit by a pitch in the game, and umpires and coaches decided the wet field conditions contributed to a slippery ball and thus were dangerous.
"The umpires, I think, brought it up first," Patriots coach Ron Abigill Sr. said. "It was a mutual decision."
When the game resumed from the point of stoppage, all the breaks went Westminster's way.
The first break to be considered was on Richie Ropp's curveball.
The losing pitcher in the No. 9 Patriot's upset win of the top-seeded Falcons on Thursday, Ropp varied his pitches more and finished with a complete-game victory.
"They've got some pretty good hitters on that team," he said. "I learned after Thursday that you have to mix it up with them. You can't just blow it past them."
Then there was Frank Beahm. The Falcons' catcher broke out of a slump at the plate, blasting a long home run in the third and adding a double two innings later. He also threw out a runner at second.
Trailing by a run after the top of the first, Westminster rallied quickly. Beahm's shot highlighted a stretch in which the Falcons scored seven times in the first three innings.
"Frank hasn't been able to get to a whole lot of games this year," Taylor said. "When he's hitting, we're in real good shape."
After the early onslaught, Price was able to settle down, permitting only three more hits and two unearned runs.
"My fastball was working and my curveball was every once in a while," Price said. "I had to keep my pitches down, because I got in trouble when they stayed up."
The Patriots, an expansion team this season and the youngest group in the league, finished the regular season with the league's worst record. But they defeated the Frederick Cardinals to earn a playoff berth and scared the Falcons with Thursday's upset.
Performances like those of Alex Moore (3-for-4 with two doubles Monday) and Ron Abigill Jr. (2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly) offered reasons for optimism.
Abigill Sr. knew the series would be difficult, and considering his players had to shake off some rust this season, he had no complaints.
"It was a successful season," he said. "Most of the guys on this team are 19 or 20 and hadn't played competitive baseball in two years or so. We'll definitely be back next year, hopefully with a little more seasoning."
The Falcons advance to take on the Mets, a team they beat two of three games during the season, but they may have to do so without Taylor.
Admittedly suffering from spots in his eyesight and with his nose swollen and cut, he attempted to play Monday but removed himself from the game after one at bat. He plans to have his nose set on Thursday, and doesn't yet know if or when he'll be able to return.
Mount Airy Patriots 100 010 1 - 3 9 2
Westminster Falcons 232 002 x - 9 11 1
Ben Price and Bobby Sheehy. Richie Ropp and Frank Beahm. WP: Ropp. LP: Price.
2B: M- Alex Moore 2. W- Andy Taylor, Kirk Engel, Beahm, Jason Green. 3B: W- Green. HR: W- Beahm.
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Playoffs, Round 1, game 3
Game halted after beaning
By Marcus Helton, Times Staff Writer July 15, 2002
UNIONTOWN - For the second time in as many days, Westminster Falcons manager Mike Taylor had an impact on the outcome of a game.
This time, however, the impact was more painful than he would have liked.
Sunday's deciding game of the Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League playoff series between the Falcons and the Mount Airy Patriots was postponed after a pitch got away from Mount Airy's Ben Price and struck Taylor in the head.
The pitch hit the brim of Taylor's helmet and ricocheted down into his face, possibly breaking his nose.
While the two teams have displayed a mutual disdain for each other throughout the series, at times exchanging heated words, Taylor did not believe the beaning was intentional.
"I think the ball was wet," Taylor said. "I was right up on the plate, so maybe he was trying to throw it inside a little bit to brush me back, I don't know."
The incident occurred just one day after Taylor went 5-for-6 with two RBIs to help the Falcons to a 17-2 victory that evened the best-of-three series. Mount Airy was leading 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Taylor was hit.
Tonight's action at Francis Scott Key High School begins at 6 p.m.
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Playoffs--Round 1, game 2
Miffed Falcons even series
By Derek Turner, Times Staff Writer July 14, 2002
UNIONTOWN - Mike Taylor figured his team had been shown up, and he took it personally.
The coach of the top-seeded Westminster Falcons said the No. 8 Mount Airy Patriots' celebration after upsetting the Falcons in the Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League playoff opener Thursday, was a bit excessive and somewhat less than commensurate with the teams' status in the league.
So on Saturday, the Falcons - and Taylor in particular -made sure the Patriots had no such reason to celebrate.
Taylor collected five hits, and the Falcons collected a 17-2 victory to send the best-of-three series to a deciding game at 1 p.m. today at Francis Scott Key High School.
"That was the opinion of our team, that they hadn't shown us any respect," Taylor said. "So we came out with a little different attitude today."
Westminster's first four batters all scored, setting a decidedly different tone from Thursday's one-run setback. The increased intensity, however, often degenerated into bickering with umpires and comments between the two teams.
"They definitely gave us a little more motivation out there for tomorrow," said Patriots coach Ron Abigill Sr., whose team was missing leadoff hitter Bill Albert.
Had the Patriots been able to draw on that motivation a little earlier, they'd have been better off. The Falcons' four first-inning runs, highlighted by Robbie Green's RBI triple, provided all the support Green need for his complete-game victory.
The right-hander neutralized the Patriots' lineup with a good, rising fastball and a sharp breaking ball. Still, he was visibly frustrated when he lost the shutout in the seventh and final inning on Ron Abigill Jr.'s RBI fielder's choice. Abigill, along with Alex Moore and Brad Porter, had two hits for the Patriots.
"Robbie pitched a great game today," Taylor said. "That was just what we were looking for after we struggled with our pitching on Thursday."
At the plate, Taylor also struggled Thursday. He failed to record a hit in his team's 9-8 loss. But he responded by taking a few extra rounds of batting practice and making up for the off day with a 5-for-6 performance Saturday, including a double and two RBIs.
"I went to the cages before I came out here, so I was motivated to just put the ball in play," he said. "The big thing is the top of our order - me, Robbie and Richie [Ropp] - have to get everything started."
Taylor, who had to alter his pitching rotation after using both Trevis Alban and Ropp on Thursday, will give the ball to Ropp to finish out the series today.
Abigill would not reveal his starter, but it is expected to be right-hander Ben Price.
Westminster Falcons 403 034 3 - 17 16 3
Mount Airy Patriots 000 000 2 - 2 7 5
Robbie Green and Frank Beahm, James Witte (6). Rob Abigill Jr., Alex Moore (2) and Bobby Sheehy. WP: Green. LP: Abigill.
2B: W- Mike Taylor, Jason Dykes, Witte, Ronnie Rebhan. M- Brad Porter. 3B: W- Green, Beahm.
Reach staff writer Derek Turner at 410-857-7896 or sports@lcniofmd.com.
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Playoffs, preview
June 11, 2002 --
Postseason the time to take, not give
By Derek Turner, Times Staff Writer July 11, 2002
When the Mount Airy Mustangs uncharacteristically lost two late-season games, they essentially handed the No. 1 seed in the Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League playoffs over to the Westminster Falcons.
Trevis Alban, the Falcons' ace pitcher, considers it reciprocating his team's prior generosity.
The Falcons, guilty of a number of defensive miscues, surrendered leads of seven runs and 10 runs and were swept by the Mustangs in a June 23 doubleheader.
"We gave them those two games," Alban said. "Once they knocked the wind out of us, we were just going through the motions."
At that point, Mount Airy took over first place in the league, and needed to win just three of its final four games, not a difficult task for the reigning league champs, to secure the top seed.
But the team lost to the Carroll County Mets, the fourth seed, later that week and to the No. 3 Sykesville Stingers in the completion of a suspended game on July 7. Those losses, combined with a 3-0 finish by the Falcons, switched the teams in the standings.
Mount Airy coach Ken MacIvor, though, points to another game, a forfeit loss to the Carroll Bandits in the opening game of a doubleheader, as the most valuable gift his team gave the Falcons.
"That, to me, was it," said MacIvor, who has had difficulty getting his full complement of players to games. "We won the second game 18-1. It was just a matter of getting guys there, and we wouldn't have been in position to have to play the Stingers."
The Falcons open their first-round series with the Mount Airy Patriots at 6 tonight at Francis Scott Key High. Mount Airy hosts the Carroll County Heat at Catoctin High in Thurmont, also at 6 p.m.
Both the Falcons (20-4) and the Mustangs (19-5), the two most successful teams in the league's history, say the time for generosity is over.
In Westminster's four losses, the team committed a total of 20 errors - 10 came in an 11-10 loss to the Mets.
"Strong pitching, good defense and a powerful offense have been key all year," Falcons coach Mike Taylor said. "The games we lost, with the exception of the first Mount Airy game, were because of a lack of defense."
Both Mount Airy and Westminster, who, along with the Stingers and the Mets, have the most viable chance at the title, can boast some impressive individual stats.
Alban pitched to a 7-1 record, with a 2.39 ERA, and Taylor called it the finest performance he has seen from Alban in the past five seasons.
Abraham Hacen, the Mustangs' ace, is also 7-1, with a save and a 3.43 ERA.
At the plate, Joey Brooks, Zac Couturiaux, Mike Franklin, Eric Laverick and Chris Larrick are all batting above .400 for Mount Airy. Taylor, Richie Ropp and Robbie Green are above that mark for Westminster.
Despite some gaudy numbers, the Falcons have plenty to prove when faced with adversity. In the nine previous post-season playoffs, Westminster has reached the finals, only to bring home the championship once, in 1995, when they were the Carroll County Pools Falcons.
Alban attributes the shortcomings, in part, to the fact that, for many of those years, a large number of Falcons players were participating in two leagues and were fatigued by the time the finals came. Now, only two players, Taylor and Ropp, are two-teamers.
Taylor, who has taken over much of the coaching duties from Alban this year - the longtime skipper decided coaching and pitching were difficult to accomplish at the same time - has done an impressive job.
"It's actually been pretty easy," Taylor said. "We have a large number [of players] this year. Everyone is talented. Also, everyone knows their role and that's been a big key."
The question remains, though: Can Taylor's leadership put an end to the unfavorable comparison the team has drawn over time?
"They've actually called themselves the Buffalo Bills of baseball," MacIvor said. "Until they actually come through, I'm sure that's going to be in the back of their minds."
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2005 CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
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2004 CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
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2003 CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
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2002 CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
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CARROLL COUNTY TIMES ARTICLE
August 3, 2006 - 09:00 AM --
Five in a row for Falcons
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Staff Report
The Westminster Falcons wrapped up their fifth straight championship by beating the Frederick Flying Dogs 8-5 on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League finals.
Westminster won the best-of-five series 3-1 by clinching it on the road at Husky Field in Frederick.
The Falcons, as MMSPBL champions, are heading to Salisbury for a National Amateur Baseball Federation regional tournament, which begins Aug. 10.
Francis Scott Key grqaduate Layton Hersh smacked a three-run homer in the decisive game for the Falcons, and Mike Taylor added a five-hit night.
"It was a great series," said Falcons manager Trevis Alban. "Tell you what, Frederick ... they're really a hell of a team, with some young fire in them."
The Flying Dogs aren't finished for the summer, either.
Frederick is heading to another NABF regional tourney, this one in Youngstown, Ohio, also beginning Aug. 10.
The Flying Dogs got back into the series with a 3-1 victory Sunday after losing the first two games by a combined 26-3.
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