Tonawanda remains perfect by defeating Alden

TONAWANDA - Joey Warthling went the distance as Tonawanda topped Alden 6-1 in ECIC IV baseball action that was played at Veterans Park on Monday afternoon.

The game was part of a baseball-softball double header that saw the Alden Lady Bulldogs hold off a late Warriors rally for the 5-2 win.

Warthling struck out nine and scored twice for the Warriors who moved to 3-0 in league, 6-0 overall.

On a family vacation over the spring break, Warthling was not in town for the Warriors three wins last week.

"I was a little rusty the first two (innings)," Warthling said,"about the third or fourth inning I started settling in, and I found my curve ball. I found the release point on it. From there I was in a groove. From there on I felt good."

Kyle Gallivan also scored twice, while Jake Spencer played sharp defense at second base and had a key two-run double in the fifth to secure the victory.

"I thought Joey was in control the whole game," Tonawanda coach John Frank said.

The Bulldogs, who defeated Section V Oakfield-Alabama in the title game of the Alexander Baseball Tournament on Saturday, went with Jake McNamara to start the game because No.1 starter Corey Barczykowski had just pitched in both games of the tournament, earning the MVP award for two wins.

Already beating defending league champion JFK, the Warriors, who finished in 2nd place last year, have demonstrated that once again the clearly are a contender for the league title.

In girls action, Alden took full advantage of Tonawanda errors and fundamental breakdowns to stake itself to a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

Alden starter Haley Panek wasn't overpowering, but she hit her spots and kept Lady Warrior batters off balance through six innings as she struck out nine and gave up just four hits.

Tonawanda starter Rachel Allen couldn't have pitched much better as she struck out 12 while giving up just three singles and one double.

"Four hits, 12 strikeouts is a great game for any pitcher," Tonawanda coach Jay Hall said.

Alden extended its lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning, thanks to a fielding error.

To the Warriors credit they staged a seventh inning comeback that fell short. Alex Moore stroked a two-run home to left field that scored Juliana Tirone to trim the Alden lead to 5-2.

But with one out and two on, the Bulldogs escaped thanks to game ending 6-3 double play.

Kathy Ordribina was 2-for-3 with an RBI for Alden, while Tonawanda's Katelyn Randall was 2-for-3 with a walk.