Hi again everyone !!! As the summer dwindles and our attention turns toward back-to- school sales and H.S.football. I just wanted to let you all know how much it means to me that you read this website. Your emails and positive comments make it hard for me to announce that I will be making a very big decision this winter regarding it's future. As you know, I will have been gone from the team five years next season. It has only been through the help of Dom Santeufemio and Joe Farquhar that I have been able to keep all of you updated on what OUR MOON BASEBALL TIGERS are doing day in and day out. As the webmaster and historian, I promise I will keep up the historical end of the site. I can not however, say the same for the daily updates. This winter I will take a long look at it and evaluate the situation. You may have noticed I also maintained the Moon Township Legion page this season. I owe Frank Sorosky a big thanks for all the updates I got to maintain it. It's status is also under evaluation. I hope and pray all of you have a great off-season. Any noteworthy news I came across in the off season I will pass along to you. May God Bless you all and take good care !!!!

Moon Area's Brian Holliday went 7 and 1/3 innings and combined Chris Demaria to throw a no-hitter against Charleston (WVa) on Monday night. Holliday (7-6) with the Pirate's Single-A farm club, the Hickory Crawdads, struckout 11 and walked two. Holliday graduated from Moon in 2002. Here is the article from the Crawdad's website :

Hickory Crawdads: Brian Holliday No Hitter

Here is another great article from the Times on the No-Hitter :

Allegheny/Beaver County Times: Brian Holliday No Hitter

Here is the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's story link :

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Brian Holliday No Hitter

Here is the article in the Charlotte Observer :

Charlotte Observer: Brian Holliday No Hitter

Here is the article posted in the Allegheny/Beaver County Times :

Allegheny Times: Brian Holliday No Hitter

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A special note : A special addition to the Moon Area H.S. Baseball Homepage is my special dedication page to Former MAHS Head Baseball Coach Raymond A. Bosetti. You can now view this site by clicking the link below this paragrph. I must warn the page is still UNDER CONSTRUCTION but it is up and running :

Coach Bosetti's Dedication Page: My tribute to Coach Bosetti

Congratulations to both Adrian Sykes (OF) and Danny Walsh (INF) for being named to both the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's and Allegheny/Beaver County Times All-Section teams recently. It is always great to see Moon Area represented so well by outstanding athletes.

Adrian, I haven't forgotten you. The bat just arrived and I am starting work on it as I speak. By the way, congratulations on your scholarship to WVU. Your hard work and skills paid off for you. I am sure you will do great in Morgantown for Coach Van Zant and as a Mountaineer. God Bless and take of you.

Here is a great article in a recent Beaver/Allegheny County Times about him accepting a scholarship to West Virginia University :

Moon's Sykes selects baseball at WVU

Bill Utterback, Times Sports Staff 06/29/2004

MOON TOWNSHIP - Drama accelerates as the bat begins to move through the strike zone. No action in sports offers a more vibrant palette of possibility. A single swing could end with a strike or a foul ball or a popup in the infield. It could produce a double into the corner, a triple through the gap, or a home run. It could produce a victory. A single swing could, at the fantastic end of the spectrum, produce a college scholarship.

Adrian Sykes, a 2004 Moon Area graduate, launched a home run in the inaugural WPIAL Class AAA all-star game June 12 at Falconi Field. When the game ended, West Virginia University baseball coach Greg Van Zant introduced himself and his need for a left-handed power hitter. The dialogue continued for two weeks before Sykes accepted an athletic and academic scholarship package to play outfield for the Mountaineers in the Big East Conference.

The all-star home run attracted Van Zant's attention, but Sykes' high school resume helped seal the deal. Sykes batted .528 with five home runs for Moon this year, and more than half (16) of his 28 hits went for extra bases. He had a 1.057 slugging percentage, and a .634 on-base percentage while striking out only three times.

Sykes, who finished with a 3.35 grade-point average at Moon, intended to accept an academic scholarship and a walk-on opportunity at Ohio State University. On the day he signed his letter of intent to attend West Virginia, he was scheduled to attend a freshman orientation at Ohio State. "After talking with the (West Virginia) coach, I just had a feeling that it was the best place for me to go," Sykes said from the dugout Monday as his American Legion game was washed away by a storm. "I think I can shine the brightest at that school. (Van Zant) wants to work with me, and he has high hopes for me."

Sykes, who had a .410 career average with the Tigers, became the third Moon Area player in the past three years to accept a Division I scholarship. Brian Holliday, a 2002 graduate, accepted an offer from Kentucky before he was drafted and signed by the Pirates. Nate Nery, a 2003 graduate, accepted an offer from Stetson University in Florida. Austin Sykes, Adrian's older brother, was an outfielder and cleanup hitter with Moon's state championship teams in 2001 and 2002. He accepted a football scholarship to Miami (Ohio).

Adrian Sykes played football until suffering a neck injury while being tackled as a freshman running back. He still feels an occasional lingering twinge from the injury.

Baseball, his first passion, became his focus. "My whole life, baseball has been my goal," he said. "My brother, father and I decided we would hard together and see how far it would take us."

West Virginia has had 23 players selected in the Major League Baseball draft in Van Zant's 11 years as head coach. Earlier this month, Hopewell's Stan Posluszny (Angels), Grant Psomas (Mets) and Zac Clines (Phillies) were drafted from the Mountaineer roster. Sykes is aware of the possibilities. "Playing under Coach Van Zant, with a team full of talented players, is really going to help me grow as an athlete and push me to reach my potential," Sykes said. While pursuing a future in baseball, Sykes will also be following a pre-medicine path in the classroom. He is intrigued by the possibility of helping young athletes as orthopedic specialist. "Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a doctor," he said. "If baseball doesn't work out for me, I'll be okay. I'm excited about my academic work, too."

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ADRIAN SYKES DRIVES IN BOTH RUNS IN WPIAL CLASS AAA ALL-STAR GAME FOR RED TEAM

CLASS AAA: Black 5 - Red 2

Mike Schmidt of Bethel Park snapped a 2-2 tie in the 7th inning with a two-run homer to lead Team Black to a 5-2 win ovewr the Red All-Stars.

Schmidt, who ended up catching all 9 innings for the Black, was named the games MVP.

Ryan Juran of Shaler was named the pitcher of the game when he pitched 3 innings, only allowing one hit, no walks and three strikeouts to pick up the victory.

Lou Massimiani of Shaler had one hit, two walks, and RBI and a run scored for the Black.

Team Red was led by Adrian Sykes, who drove in both runs with a 2-run homerun shot in the bottom of the first inning.

THE BRIAN HOLLIDAY WATCH : HICKORY CRAWDADS REPORT

Wednesday July 21th, 2004 - HICKORY (55-41) lost at Charleston, 7-6, in 10 innings after scoring three runs in the ninth to tie the score. Starter Brian Holliday (4.94) allowed six hits, a walk and four runs and struck out eight in seven innings.

Here is great article by Allegheny/Beaver County Times sportswriter John Perrotto on Brian Holliday :

Beaver County Times: Article about Brian Holliday written by John Perrotto

Here are all the links I promised you :

Moon Area Varsity 2004 Stat Sheet: This season's varsity stat sheet

Moon Baseball's 100/300 Club: The 100 AB/.300 B.A. Club members

Moon Twp. Legion Baseball Home Page: Official Home of Moon Twp. Legion Baseball

The Moon Area High School 2004 Varsity baseball campaign ended with a rain out on Saturday. The game will not be made up from what I gathered. Within the next week, I will be posting post season information. The Moon Area Pinch Hitters Club baseball banquet has been scheduled for Thursday June 3rd at the Elks Club. More details to come.

As for the WPIAL Playoffs, it is a real bummer to not have made them for the first time in 5 years. It was still a great season for our boys. They battled hard and long in this rebuilding year. I am very proud of the team.

Montour and West Allegheny were to represent our section starting today in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Both were scheduled to play in a doubleheader today (Monday) at the newly renovated Burkett field Complex. Montour lost 6-4 to Peters twp. in the first game, West Allegheny had 2-0 lead on Franklin Regional after the third inning. Good Luck to Bryan Cornell and the Indians and great season to Jack Burik and the Spartans. Listen to all the WPIAL PLayoffs on the Home of the WPIAL on the Internet, NSNSports.com. Don Rebel and Steve Nagler have the call today at Burkett. Here is a handy link to catch all the action.

NSNSports.com: Home of the WPIAL Playoffs and Championships on the Internet

WEDNESDAY MAY 12, 2004 - MOON AREA 8, HOPEWELL 7 - WIN - LEAGUE - (6-6 ; 9-7-1)

HOPEWELL TWP. - Adrian Sykes staved off a three run rally by Hopewell in the bottom of the seventh inning to hold on an 8-7 victory. Avoiding yet another late inning collapse.

The Tigers had scored three runs in top of the seventh inning to go on top, 8-4. But the Vikings rallied for three runs in the bottom and had the tying and winning runs on.

Sykes got the complete game win for Moon (6-6 ; 9-7-1). Offensively, in the Moon seventh, Matt Dowdell doubled in two runs, and Sean Holliday added a run-scoring single. Nick Petersen (2B), Bobby Francis (3B) and Jason Swalga added two hits each to the Tigers' 11 hit parade.

Moon Area 8, Hopewell 7

MOON AREA - 0 - 0 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 3 = 8 - 11 - 3

HOPEWELL - 0 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 3 = 7 - 7 - 6

Winner -Adrian Sykes (7 inns.) 5 strikeouts, 5 walks. Loser - Jerry Daley (6 1/3 inns.) 1 strikeout, 0 walks. 2B - Adrian Sykes (M), Nick Petersen (M), Matt Dowdell (M). 3B -Francis (M). HR - Travis Costo (H) 2, Donnie Howard (H). 2-or-more hits - Travis Costo (H), Ryan Joseph (H), Nick Petersen (M), Bobby Francis (M), Jason Swalga (M).

Hello everyone ! Sorry I didn't get a chance to post anything sooner. A dear friend of mine and Kelley's out here in Upland was killed in a car accident on I-95 on Sunday night just a little north of Philly after spending her Mother's Day with her mom. Patti McLaughlin, 33, lost control of her KIA SUV late Sunday night in a very bad rain storm. Our prayers, thoughts, and sympathies to her family, her mother Judy, and her sister Kelly. God Bless you our friend ! We will miss you.

The Tigers and Bridgers did play another footba ..... er baseball game on Monday. Unfortunately, it was another no joy in Mudville contest for Moon as they lost the shootout by an extra point, 16-15. More game details will follow in the later morning. The loss eliminated the Tigers from any post season opportunities. A win wouldn't have helped them much anyways though. West Allegheny edged Hopewell, 6-5, to secure the final playoff spot.

MONDAY MAY 10, 2004 - AMBRIDGE 16, MOON AREA 15 - LOSS - LEAGUE - (5-6 ; 8-7-1)

MOON TWP. - In what can be deemed one of the most offensive three game series I have ever heard of. The Tigers and Bridgers finally ended thier footba ..... er... baseball series. Unfortunately, the Tigers (5-6, 8-7-1) ended up on the short end of this stick, losing 16-15 and dropping two games in the three game section series. Both teams combined for 91 runs in it.

The Tigers blew a 10-0 lead and Ambriadge almost blew a 16-10 lead. Sean Holliday (HR) and Matt Dowdell (2B, HR) each had three hits in this game. Bobby Francis and Jason Swalga added two hits each.

The loss eliminated the Tigers from the WPIAL post-season for the first time in 5 years. However, West Allegheny had also won, beating Hopewell, 6-5 thus clinching the last playoff spot on thier own. Moon ends the season this week with a section finale at Hopewell on Wednesday at 4 PM and then hosts the highly ranked Class A Sto-Rox Vikings on Saturday at 1 PM. Saturday's game is Moon's senior recognition

Ambridge 16, Moon 15

AMBRIDGE - 0 - 0 - 4 - 4 - 5 - 3 - 0 = 16 - 15 - 5

MOON AREA - 7 - 3 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 5 - 0 = 15 - 14 - 4

Winner - J.T. Thomas (3 1/3 inns.) 1 strikeouts, 3 walks. Losing pitcher - Paul Altmeyer (3 inns.) 4 strikeouts, 1 walks. 2B - Shawn Besong (A) 2, Andy Rodenbaugh (A) 2, Matt Dowdell (M), Nick Peterson (M), Bobby Francis (M). HR - Andrew Yeager (A), Matt Dowdell (M), Sean Holliday (M) . 2 or more hits - Shawn Besong (A), Andy Rodenbaugh (A), Andrew Yeager (A) 3, Adam Biedrzycki (A) 3, Brian Mustio (A), Jason Swalga (M), Matt Dowdell (M) 3, Sean Holliday (M) 3, Bobby Francis (M).

The Tigers improved thier overall record with an 11-6 win over the 2003 Pittsburgh City League Champion, Langley. Moon, though it seems grim, still has an outside shot at making the playoffs. They need to win thier two remaining section games with Ambridge (on Monday) and Hopewell (on Thursday) and have West Allegheny lose both of thier games to Hopewell (on Monday) and Montour (on Wednesday). By the way the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has also published an article on the dwindling number of African-Americans in organized baseball. Adrian Sykes was interviewed by PPG's H.S. Sports editor, Mike White.

Here is the link : Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Article and interview by PPG's H.S. Sports Editor Mike White

SATURDAY MAY 8, 2004 - MOON AREA 11, LANGLEY 6 - WIN - EXHIBITION - (8-6-1)

MOON TWP. - Jason Swalga had three hits, and Bobby Francis (2B, 3B), Casey Williams (2B), and Dom Manno (2B) each added a pair of hits in the Tiger's 13 hit offense. Moon improved its overall record to 8-6-1.

Moon Area 11, Langley 5

LANGLEY - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 3 - 0 = 5 - 5 - 4

MOON AREA - 1 - 3 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 5 - X = 11 - 13 - 3

Winner - Mike Bergunder (6 inns.) 5 strikeouts, 4 walks. Loser - Matt Barnes (6 inns.) 1 strikeout, 0 walks. 2B - John Mack (L), Dom Manno (MA), Casey Williams (MA), Bobby Francis (MA). 3B - Adrian Sykes (MA). 2 or more hits - Jason Swalga (MA) 3, Dom Manno 2, Casey Williams (MA) 2, Bobby Francis (MA) 2

THURSDAY MAY 6, 2004 - MOON AREA 7, BLACKHAWK 4 - WIN - EXHIBITION - (7-6-1)

The Tigers broke out of thier two game losing streak with a 7-4 win over Class AA No.1 ranked Blackhawk. Matt Mays had a two run single in the top of the seventh to spark the Moon win. More details to follow.

Moon Area 7, Blackhawk 4

MOON AREA - X - X - X - X - X - X - 2 = 7 - 9 - 0

BLACKHAWK - X - X - X - X - X - X - X = 4 - 5 - 1

TUESDAY MAY 4, 2004 - WEST ALLEGHENY 13, MOON AREA 3 - LOSS - LEAGUE - (5-5 ; 6-6-1) (6 innings/10 RR)

WA's Greg Marshall led his team on the mound and with his bat in his 13-3 win over Moon Area. The win gave Bryan Cornell's Indians a 3-0 series sweep and almost guarenteed them a playoff spot. Marshall, a senior, went the distance striking out 5 and only allowing 5 hits. At the plate, Marshall was 3-3 and walked twice. His first inning home run spotted West Allegheny (6-3) the lead at 2-0 and they never looked back.

Also jumping on the Indian 14-hit barrage, was Brad Rizzuto (3 hits, 4 RBI's), Pat Messner (3 hits, 1 RBI), Nick Matz (2 hits, 2B, RBI) and Jim Madalinsky (2 hits, 2B).

For the Tigers, Matt Dowdell started and took the loss going 3 1/3 innings before chased in the Indian 7-run fourth inning. Sophomore Danny Walsh led the Tigers with two hits. Sean Holliday added a triple.

Despite the loss, the Tigers still mathmatically are alive in the playoff race, however they need to win thier last two games and have WA loss their last three.

West Allegheny 13, Moon Area 3

MOON AREA - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 = 3 - 5 - 3

WEST ALLEGHENY - 2 - 1 - 2 - 7 - 0 - 1 = 13 - 14 - 2

Winning Pitcher - Greg Marshall (6 inns.) 5 strikeouts, 3 walks. Loser - Matt Dowdell (3 1/3 inns.) 1 strikeout, 2 walks. 2B - Jim Madalinsky (WA), Nick Matz (WA)

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Listen to the rebroadcast of the Moon Area/West Allegheny game from 5/4/04 on NSN's Archived Broadcasts.

NSNSports.com: Home of the WPIAL Playoffs and Championships on the Internet

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Interesting article in today's Allegheny Times (Tuesday May 4th) about African-Americans participation in any form of organized baseball. A side bar article features an interview with Moon Area's own Adrian Sykes. Just click this link to read the article written by Time's writer Chuck Curti (Chuck used to be the Moon Record Sports Editor)

Beaver County Times Story: Chuck Curti's interview with Moon's Adrian Sykes

SATURDAY MAY 1, 2004 - AMBRIDGE 13, MOON AREA 9 - LOSS - LEAGUE - (5-4, 6-5-1)

AMBRIDGE - Just when they had closed ranks in a tough Section 8-AAA race with a big win over first place Montour on Thursday. The Tigers find themselves reeling for help again after suffering a tough loss to fourth place Bridgers on Saturday afternoon, 13-9 at Ambridge High School. Again Moon's pitching spotted the opponents an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. And it was catch up time all afternoon. The Tigers did manage to tie the game in the fifth inning at 9-9 before Ambridge scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth that the Moon offense would leave unanswered.

The Moon offense poured out 12 hits in this contest with Sophomore catcher Casey Williams leading the hit parade with three hits including a home run. Adrian Sykes (double) and Jason Swalga each added a pair as the Tigers fall into third place.

The Bridgers had three big sticks in the game as Andrew Yeager (4 hits, 4 RBI's), Shawn Besong (3 hits, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's)and winning pitcher Gary Bucuren (3 hits, 2B, HR) lead the 14 hit attack.

A Tiger Note : I just wanted to wish Josh Remoroski a speedy recovery with his arm injury. The injury has sidelined the Tiger's big guy for what looks like the rest of the season. I am hoping and praying for a full recovery.

Ambridge 13, Moon Area 9

MOON AREA - 0 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 0 - 0 = 9 - 12 - 0

AMBRIDGE - 4 - 3 - 0 - 2 - 4 - 0 - X = 13 - 14 - 2

Winner - Gary Bucuren (7 inns.) 9 strikeouts, 2 walks. Loser - Ben Sorosky (3 2/3 inns.) 1 strikeout, 2 walks. 2B - Bucuren, Andy Rodenbaugh (A), Biedrzycki (A), Adrian Sykes (MA), Matt Dowdell (MA), Nick Peterson (MA). 3B - Danny Walsh (MA). HR - Shawn Besong (A) 2, Bucuren, Casey Williams (MA). 2 or more hits - Besong 3, Bucuren 3, Andrew Yeager (A) 4, Jason Swalga (MA), Sykes, Williams 3.

SOME NEWS FROM THE TIGER TRACKINGS ....

Some former Moon player alumni notes : 100/300 Club Member Kevin Lovely (Class of 2002) has joined the United States Army and has been stationed in Missouri. Michael Bruzzese (Class of 2002) has joined the United States Navy. This information came to me from former Moon Area Asst. Varsity Coach Mike Lovely. If any of you would like to write them, I have thier current addresses. Email me and I will email them to you. Congratulations Kevin and Mike, we are proud of you. God Bless and protect you.

Also in the uniform, 100/300 Club Member Lance Baniecki (Class of 1990), is currently serving as a Captain and a pilot in the United States Air Force. He is currently stationed in Iraq. God Bless him !!! Again we are proud to have these men serving thier country. Lance is the son of former Moon Legion Assistant Coach Lou and Nancy (retired Moon Area Middle School Nurse) Baniecki.

I know this page has been mainly always dedicated to our varsity team. But our Freshman team Head Coach Dave Ceyrolles and his assistant, Mike Hepak have informed me they will provide me information regarding the Ninth Grade team. So look for the NINTH GRADE REPORT coming soon on this page somewhere below. The NINTH GRADE team was 3-0 as of Monday (April 19) and outscored thier opponents, 48-3. They were to play a hectic schedule of six games in 5 days this week. You can get thier schedule by clicking this link ;

The Moon Area 2004 NINTH GRADE Baseball Schedule: Moon Area H.S. NINTH GRADE Baseball Schedule

THURSDAY APRIL 29, 2004 - MOON AREA 7, MONTOUR 3 - WIN - LEAGUE - (5-3, 6-4-1)

Adrian Sykes started his first game of the season and went four innings before getting relieved by Matt Dowdell in the fifth inning, Sykes struckout five and walked one. Sykes also was 2-3 at the plate with a two-run homer and a double. He also had three RBI's. The Spartans had jumped on Sykes early in the first inning for a 3-0 lead. The Tigers jumped on Montour starter Ben Salata for four runs in the bottom of the first. Salata took the loss for Coach Jack Burik's team. Morgan Singletary and Bryce Pfueffer each had three hits for Montour.

The win pulls the Tigers into a virtual tie with West Allegheny in second place in Section 8-AAA with 5-3 records. However WA owns the tiebreaker win 2-0 record against the Tigers. Moon however has a 2-1 advantage over the Spartans in the season series. Montour is now 7-2 and maintains a 1 1/2 game lead over both teams in first place.

Moon Area 7, Montour 3

MONTOUR - 3 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 3 - 8 - 3

MOON AREA - 4 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 - X = 7 - 8 - 1

Winning Pitcher - Adrian Sykes (4 inn.) 5 strikeouts, 1 walk . Loser - Ben Salata (2 inn.) 1 strikeout, 1 walk. 2B - Sykes (MA), Bobby Francis (MA), Nick Zyroll (MT), Morgan Singletary (MT), Bryce Pfeuffer (MT). 3B - Sean Holliday (MA). HR - Sykes (MA). Two or more hits - Singletary (MT), 3, Pfueffer (MT), 3, Sykes (MA), 2

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You can listen to the rebroadcast of the Moon Area/Montour game from 4/29/04 on NSN Sport's Archived Broadcasts :

NSNSports.com: Home of the WPIAL Playoffs and Championships on the Internet

WEDNESDAY APRIL 28, 2004 - MOON AREA 13, HOPEWELL 3 - WIN - LEAGUE (4-3 : 5-4-1) - (5 innings ; 10 R.R.)

MOON TWP. - Adrian Sykes' three-run home run in the third inning started an offensive outburst for Moon (5-4-1, 4-3), helping the Tigers beat Section 8-AAA rival Hopewell in five innings. Bobby Francis and Matt Mays also drove in three runs apiece for Moon. Mays and Jason Swalga each had three hits.

Moon Area 13, Hopewell 3

HOPEWELL - 1 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 = 3 - 3 - 8

MOON AREA - 1 - 4 - 4 - 3 - 1 = 13 - 13 - 4

Winner - Paul Altmyer (5 inns.) 3 strikeouts, 3 walks. Loser - Travis Costo (4 1/3 inns.) 4 strikeouts, 1 walk. 2B - Bobby Francis (M). 3B - Francis. HR - Adrian Sykes (M). 2-or-more hits - Jason Swalga (M) 3, Matt Mays (M), Casey Williams (M), Francis.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2004 - MOON AREA 15, CARLYNTON 2 - WIN - EXHIBITION - (4-4-1)(5 innings/10 R.R.)

Ben Sorosky started and pitched four innings, allowing only one hit. Mike Burgander then relieved him to finish the game in the fifth. Jason Swalga and Matt Dowdell hit two run home runs

Moon Area 15, Carlynton 2

CARLYNTON - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 2 - 1 - 4

MOON AREA - 4 - 3 - 1 - 7 - X = 15 - 11 - 3

Winner - Ben Sorosky (4 inns.) 3 strikeouts, 4 walks. Losing pitcher - Brian Rose (2 1/3 inns.) 1 strikeout, 2 walks.2B - Dom Manno (MA). 3B - Casey Williams (MA). HR - Matt Dowdell, Jason Swalga (MA). 2 or more hits - Matt Mays, Matt Dowdell (MA) 2

TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2004 - WEST ALLEGHENY 5, MOON AREA 2 - LOSS - LEAGUE - (3-3, 3-4-1)

MOON TWP. - Paul Altmyer took the loss in this section match-up. Danny Walsh had two of Moon's five hits. WA's Greg Marshall pitched a great game keeping the Tiger offense off stride with 9 strikeouts.. The Indian's offense took advantage of timely hitting and some shoddy Moon defense.

West Allegheny 5, Moon Area 2

WEST ALLEGHENY - 0 - 0 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 2 = 5 - 8 - 3

MOON AREA - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 2 - 5 - 3

Winner - Marshall (7 inns.) 9 strikeouts, 1 walk. Losing pitcher - Paul Altmeyer (4 2/3 inns.) 1 strikeout, 1 walk. 2B - Austin Sykes (MA), Sean Holliday (MA). 2 or more hits - Rizzuto (WA) 2, Dan Walsh (MA) 2

SATURDAY APRIL 17, 2004 - MONTOUR 11, MOON AREA 3 - LEAGUE - LOSS (3-2, 3-3-1)

ROBINSON TWP. - Walks and singles were the downfall of the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Montour H.S. Field. The Tigers had a 3-1 lead after 3 innings, but the Spartans (4-1)pounded out 10 runs in the fourth and fifth innings to chase Moon starter Sean Holliday and grab first place all to themselves. Jason Swalga, Bobby Francis, and Dan Walsh each had two hits as Moon fell to 3-2 in the section.

Montour 11, Moon Area 3

MOON AREA - 1 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 3 - 9 - 2

MONTOUR - 1 - 0 - 0 - 6 - 4 - 0 - X = 11 - 10 - 1

Winner - Ben Salata (4 inns.) 3 strikeouts, 1 walk. Loser - Sean Holiday (4 1/3 inns.) 4 strikeouts, 5 walks. 2B - Jason Swalga (MA). 2-or-more hits - Swalga, Dan Walsh (MA), Bobby Francis (MA).

FRIDAY APRIL 16, 2004 - MOON AREA 24, AMBRIDGE 14 - LEAGUE - WIN - (3-1, 3-2-1)

MOON TWP. - With the score more indicative of a football game, Moon pounded out 20 hits to improve to 3-1 in Section 8-AAA. Adrian Sykes and Jason Swalga each drove in four runs. Swalga had four hits and Sykes added three. Sykes and Matt Dowdell each hit home runs for Moon. Nicky Petersen, Matt Dowdell, and Bobby Francis all added two hits for the Tigers as they drew into a three way tie for first place in the section. Josh Remerowski got the win recording six strikeouts. Moon actually had led 16-4 after three innings.

Moon 24, Ambridge 14

AMBRIDGE - 2 - 0 - 2 - 3 - 3 - 4 - 0 = 14 - 9 - 5

MOON AREA - 6 - 1 - 9 - 0 - 1 - 7 - 0 = 24 - 20 - 1

Winner - Josh Remerowski (4 inns.) 6 strikeouts, 2 walks. Losing pitcher - Speciale (1 inns.) 2 walks. 2B - Bucuren (A) 2, Swalga (M) 2, Adrian Sykes (M) 2, Williams (M), Salopek (A), Yeager (A), Mustio (A). 3B - Nick Peterson (M), Bobby Frances (M) HR - Sykes (M), Matt Dowdell (M). 2 or more hits - Bucuren (A) 3, Mustio (A), Swalga (M) 4, Sykes (M) 3, Peterson (M) , Dowdell (M), Frances (M)

THURSDAY APRIL 15, 2004 - MOON AREA 7, HOPEWELL 6 - LEAGUE - WIN - (2-1, 2-2-1)

HOPEWELL TWP. The rain finally let up on the area. But it was not until the seventh inning that the sun finally shined on the Tigers. The Tigers trailed 6-4 entering the seventh inning, but hits by Adrian Sykes, Nick Peterson and Casey Williams led to a three-run rally and a 7-6 victory. Moon moved its record to 2-1 in Section 8-AAA, while Hopewell slid to 1-2.

Matt Mays started the rally with a walk, then Sykes hit a run-scoring double. Peterson singled, leaving runners at first and third. Matt Dowdell lofted a sacrifice fly and, with two outs, Williams produced the game-winning single. Dowdell faced three batters and struck out two to record a save in the bottom of the seventh.

Moon Area 7, Hopewell 6

MOON AREA - X - X - X - X - X - X - 3 = 7 - XX - X

HOPEWELL - X - X - X - X - X - X - 0 = 6 - XX - X

Winner - Ben Sorosky (6 innings) . Losing Pitcher - 2B - Adrian Sykes (M)

SATURDAY APRIL 10, 2004 - WEST ALLEGHENY 6, MOON AREA 3 - LEAGUE - LOSS (1-1, 1-2-1)

NORTH FAYETTE TWP. - Senior Eric Thompson's section debut was powerful. He pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts and no walks as West Allegheny, the reigning section champion, moved its record to 2-0 in Section 8-AAA. Pat Messner used two hits to drive in three runs. Matt Mays had a double and single for Moon Area, now 1-1 in the section and 1-2-1 overall. Sean Holliday started for the Tigers.

West Allegheny 6, Moon 3

MOON AREA - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 = 3 - 6 - 2

WEST ALLEGHENY - 0 - 0 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 - X = 6 - 10 - 0

Winner - Eric Thompson (7 inns.) 10 strikeouts, 0 walks. Losing pitcher - Sean Holliday (5 1/3 inns.) 4 strikeouts, 5 walks. 2B - Matt Mays (MA). 2 or more hits -Mays (MA) 2, Marshall (WA), Rizzuto (WA), Messner (WA)

TUESDAY APRIL 6, 2004 - MOON AREA 9, MONTOUR 8 (SECTION) - WIN (1-0, 1-1-1)

MOON TWP. - A wild game had a wild finish, as the Moon High School baseball team took advantage of a wild pitch in its last at bat to pull out a 9-8 win over Montour in the Section 8-AAA opener for both schools. Moon squandered an 8-3 lead as Montour tied the game with a rally in the fifth and sixth innings to set up the unusual conclusion.

Moon's Danny Walsh, son of Mike Walsh (Moon shortstop 1969-70-71), led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double, his second of the game, and gave way to pinch runner Lee Feigert. Bobby Frances moved Feigert to third with a sacrifice bunt before a wild pitch allowed Feigert to score the winning run.

Adrian Sykes led Moon with three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs as Moon improved to 1-0 in the section and 1-1-1 overall. Matt Mays also had two hits and Sean Holiday added a double.

Moon 9, Montour 8

MONTOUR - 3 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 3 - 1 - 0 = 8 - 7 - 5

MOON AREA - 2 - 0 - 6 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 = 9 - 9 - 4

Winner - Paul Altmyer (4 inns.) 1 strikeouts. Losing pitcher - Dan Vietmeier (1/3 inns.) . 2B - Bryce Pfeuffer (MT), Sean Holiday (MN), Danny Walsh (MN) 2. HR - Adrian Sykes (MN). 2 or more hits - Sykes (MN) 3, Matt Mayes (MN), Walsh (MN), Pfeuffer (MT)

MONDAY MARCH 29, 2004 - MOON AREA 4, NEW BRIGHTON 4 (7 innings, darkness)- EXHIBITION - TIE (0-1-1)

Moon hosted the New Brighton Lions on Monday and ended up with 4-4 Tie at home. The Tigers coming into this game after an 18-8 loss on Friday to Pine Richland. The Lions under new Head Coach Joe Signore came into the game with a win under thier belts, a 6-1 win over Monaca.

MOON TWP. - Jay Jaworowski, a 14-year-old freshman for New Brighton, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless inning for the Lions and drove in the game-tying run in the top of the fourth. Sean Holliday had two hits and two RBIs for Moon Area in the game called because of darkness.

Moon Area 4, New Brighton 4

NEW BRIGHTON - 0 - 0 - 0 - 4 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 4 - 8 - 0

MOON AREA - 1 - 0 - 3 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 4 - 8 - 1

2B - Ryan Beer (NB), Jon Selby (NB), Josh Goble (NB), Adrian Sykes (M) 3B - Selby (NB). 2 or more hits - Selby (NB),Jason Swalga (M), Sean Holiday (M), Adrian Sykes (M)

FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2004 - PINE RICHLAND 18, MOON AREA 8 (5 innings, 10 Run Rule) - EXHIBITION - LOSS - (0-1)

The Tigers ran into a buzzsaw on Friday when they travelled to Pine Richland to meet the Rams in an exhibition game. The result was not pretty as Moon fell, 18-8, the game was halted via the 5 inning/10 Run rule. No details of the game were reported to us. I will add them as I get them. Josh Remoroski started on the mound for the Tigers. Sean Holliday came in to relieve. Dom Manno hit a home run for the Tigers.

UPDATED : THE MOON AREA VARSITY BASEBALL SCORES FROM 1963 - 2004

Hey, I have finlly finished posting all the Varsity baseball scores fom 1963 to present. Here is the link to view them :

2003 Moon Area H.S. Varsity Baseball Scores and Season Win/Loss Records: All the Varsity scores and W/L Records from 1963 to present

TIGER TRACKING IN OFF SEASON :

Great story and update on Brian Holliday in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system from the Beaver County Times' Pirate reporter, John Perrotto :

Brian Holliday in Pirate Farm System: Beaver County Times Story by John Perrotto

The Moon Area Junior Varsity 2004 baseball schedule is ready for your viewing. Just click the following link and away you go. :

The Moon Area 2004 J.Varsity Baseball Schedule: Moon Area H.S. Junior Varsity Baseball Schedule

Hi everyone !!! Some news I would like to share with you all. Mr. Bill Moore, our Athletic Director will be retiring after this school year. I just want to wish him a great retirement. He has been the Moon AD since Mr. Rip Scherer retired 13 years ago. Congratulations on the accomplishments you have brought Moon with Tiger Pride ! I can only hope they found a replacement as great as you. We will miss you, Mr. Moore.

There is a great story in this morning's Allegheny Times (just click here):

Beaver County Times story: Moon AD Bill Moore retires

Some more news, this is really GREAT NEWS too !!! I am very proud to see that West Allegheny High School has promoted thier assistant varsity baseball coach, Brian Cornell, to the Head Coaching position. Brian is no stranger to Moon Baseball, he played for the Moon Township American Legion team in 1993-1994. He was a very outstanding outfielder for his alma mater, West A (we won't hold that against him, :) ) and our legion team. He went on to play football and baseball for Duquense University and was outstanding. Brian is currently teaching at WA. Congratulations B.C. on the new job. We look forward to seeing you on and off the diamond. Brian is replacing longtime Head Coach Dave Oddi. Coach Oddi has moved to Carlynton as thier Head Coach. Dave is an alumni of Carlynton and lives in the Carnegie Area.

It was great to hear from some of the former alumni of Moon Baseball in the past year and few weeks during the holiday season. On New Years Eve, the class of 2000 destroyed my voice mail. Adam Domski, Justin Smith, Jason Bunda, and Tim Crayton called while I was out and about that night. At about 1 AM, I returned the compliment. David Kuhn (2002), Kevin Lovely (2002), Nathan Nery (2003), Austin Sykes (2003), Doug Runyon (1985), Mike Walsh (1971), Gary Brunette (1973), Dan Miara (1987), Bruce Story (1983), Jason Melynchek (1993), Mike Stopperich (1981), Derek Blyzwick (2002), Steve Walker (1982), Dan Domenico (1998), Chris Crighton (2001) and former Asst. Coach Bill Sacco and Former Head Coach Ray Bosetti all wished me and my family well. In the past few years, I also heard from Phil Bondi (1985), Jake Ciccone (1982), Scott Grace (1984), Bob Mariano (1976), Frank Craker (1979), Ray Moorman (1979), Tommy Morrow (1989), Greg Conley (1990), Craig Baronio (1987), Jeff Coleman (1993), Randy Francis (1988), Pat Hughes (1978), Chris Lantzy (1991), Kirk Peters (1989), Steve Sergi (1989), Dennis Patton (1985), Jim (1994) and Jeff (1997) Peck, Dan Penberthy (1998),and former assistants Mark Capuano and John Franchick.

To all the alumni of Moon Area H.S. Baseball I would love to hear from and about you in the upcoming year. I would love to hear your stories, please Email me. I promise not to use your email for any commercial solicitation or massive spamming. This is a non-profit site. I do not accept any donations or draw any compensation for this website. I do however make suggestions sometimes as to where you could donate money, services, or voluntary help to. My favorite charity is the Moon Area Pinch Hitters Club (MAPHC) which you can contact the school's athletic department for information regarding them. The current officers names are listed further below on this page. This club is the main vein of revenue and support outside the Moon Area School District. In this day and age, funding is limited to our program. This club founded by some dear friends of mine and Moon Baseball has done a lot to make the program stronger and helped supplement it's on and off field success'.

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TIGERS WILL REMAIN IN CLASS AAA FOR A WHILE

The PIAA just released the new enrollment numbers for each school in the state for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Moon Area is staying put in Class AAA for a while. You can see the actual numbers for yourself by clicking this link and then clicking on the baseball link (one note, you have to have a PDF Reader program to read the pages) :

The PIAA School Enrollment Numbers: All Pennsylvania schools listed

IT'S DONE

I am done working on a page with all the scores of every Varsity Baseball game played from 1963 to present. Here is the new link. I hope you will enjoy as much as I have. 2003 Moon Area H.S. Varsity Baseball Scores and Season Win/Loss Records: All the Varsity scores and W/L Records from 1963 to present

The Moon Area High School Baseball Record Book's 100/300 Club is now available to view online. Just click this link to see who are the best hitters in Moon Baseball history

Moon Baseball's 100/300 Club: The 100 AB/.300 B.A. Club members

PAST SEASONS IN REVIEW ........

The Moon Area High School Homepage for 2003 has been now archived. To review the page just click on this handy link.

2003 Moon Area H.S. Baseball Archived Homepage: Moon Area H.S. Baseball 2003 in review

2003 Moon Area H.S. Baseball Game by Game Synopsis : Moon Area H.S. Baseball 2003 game by game review

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To review the 2002 Moon Area High School Varsity Baseball Season just click the following link. I decided to start housecleaning a little sooner this time. You can also review the 2000 and 2001 seasons as well.

To view last year's 2002 Moon Area Schedule and results which includes articles and highlights through Moon's 2nd miraculous run to the PIAA Class AAA Championship game and GOLD medal just click here : The 2002 Moon Area H.S. Baseball Schedule and Results:Check out last year's 2nd run to the PIAA Class AAA Championship and Gold medal

Click here to listen to the achived rebroadcast of the 2002 PIAA Class AAA Championship game on Tuesday June 18th which was broaadcast live on NSNSports.com and WBVP/WMBA AM Radio

NSN Sports.com internet archived broadcast:Moon Area vs. Bethlehem Liberty - 2002 PIAA Class AAA Championship game

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To view 2001 Moon Area Schedule and results which includes articles and highlights through Moon's first ever run to the PIAA Class AAA Championship game and GOLD medal just click here : The 2001 Moon Area H.S. Baseball Schedule and Results:Check out Moon's run to it's first PIAA Class AAA championship

MOON AREA H.S. BASEBALL RECORD BOOK ONLINE (1963- PRESENT)..........

The Moon Area High School Baseball Record Book Online (1963-2003) is just an excerpt of a NHM Publication that was last released in 1992. Here you can see who holds the most important statistical records in Moon Area H.S. Baseball History. SINGLE SEASON and CAREER LEADERS in every statistical baseball department from pitching to hitting are available by just clicking the LINK right here. COMING SOON !!! A MAHS COACHING STAFF HISTORY PAGE, MOON AREA H.S. Baseball Year by Year Win-Loss Records, and hopefully this year .... A NEW !!! MOON AREA H.S. BASEBALL RECORD BOOK (1963-2003).

The Moon Area Varsity Baseball Record Book Homepage: Moon Area H.S. Varsity Baseball Records 1963-2002

The COMPLETE LIST OF WPIAL AND PIAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONS AND LISTING OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Just click this link (and follow the prompts) and you can see who has won every WPIAL (1944 - PRESENT) and PIAA ( 1979 - PRESENT) Baseball championship . This link is courtesy of the WPIAL Homepage .....

WPIAL Homepage: Complete list of WPIAL and PIAA Baseball Champions 1944/1979 to 2002

2004 MOON AREA Varsity Schedule as of: 5/13/2004

Date	Day	Time	EX-LEAG	Location	Opponent	H/A	W/L	Score	Record
3/26/2004	Fri	4:00 PM	EX	Pine-Richland H.S.	Pine-Richland	A	LOSS	18-8*	0-1-0
3/29/2004	Mon	4:00 PM	EX	Moon Field	New Brighton	H	TIE	4-4	0-1-1
3/31/2004	Wed	4:00 PM	EX	Trinity H.S.	Trinity	A	PPD	RAIN	0-0
4/6/2004	Tue	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	Montour	H	WIN	9-8	1-1-1
4/10/2004	Sat	12 NOON	LEAG	West Allegheny H.S. Field	West Allegheny	A	LOSS	6-3	1-2-1
4/10/2004	Sat	2:00 PM	EX	Plum H.S.	Plum	A	CXL	0-0	1-2-1
4/12/2004	Mon	4:00 PM	EX	Moon Field	Erie McDowell	H	CXL	RAIN	1-2-1
4/15/2004	Thu	4:00 PM	LEAG	Colella Field	Hopewell	A	WIN	7-6	2-2-1
4/16/2004	Tue	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	Ambridge	H	WIN	24-14	3-2-1
4/17/2004	Sat	12:00 NOON	LEAG	Montour H.S.	Montour	A	LOSS	11-3	3-3-1
4/20/2004	Tue	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	West Allegheny	H	LOSS	5-2	3-4-1
4/21/2004	Wed	4:00 PM	EX	Moon Field	Carlynton	H	WIN	15-2*	4-4-1
4/28/2004	Wed	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	Hopewell	H	WIN	13-3	5-4-1
4/29/2004	Thu	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	Montour	H	WIN	7-3	6-4-1
5/1/2004	Sat	11:00 AM	LEAG	Ambridge H.S.	Ambridge	A	LOSS	13-9	6-5-1
5/4/2004	Tue	4:00 PM	LEAG	West Allegheny H.S.	West Allegheny	A	LOSS	13-3*	6-6-1
5/6/2004	Thu	4:00 PM	EX	Blackhawk H.S.	Blackhawk	A	WIN	7-4	7-6-1
5/8/2004	Sat	1:00 PM	EX	Moon Field	Langley	H	WIN	11-5	8-6-1
5/10/2004	Mon	4:00 PM	LEAG	Moon Field	Ambridge	H	LOSS	16-15	8-7-1
5/12/2004	Wed	4:00 PM	LEAG	Colella Field	Hopewell	A	WIN	8-7	9-7-1
5/15/2004	Sat	1:00 PM	EX	Moon Field	Sto-Rox	H	PPD	0-0	9-7-1