RELEASE DATE: 7/03/03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  CORNING, HORSEHEADS, TIOGA WIN OPENING ROUND GAMES OF STEPHENS TOURNAMENT – TIOGA’S ROB BRANT THROWS ONE-HITTER WITH 12 K’S – CORNING’S JOSH MURDOUGH FIRES TWO-HITTER

MANSFIELD – Corning Post 746, Horseheads Post 442 and Tioga (PA) County All-Stars each won games on the opening night of the Joel Stephens Invitational Wooden Bat Tournament Friday night.

Tioga County beat defending champion Hornell by a score of 5-2 behind Rob Brant who went the distance allowing just one hit while striking out 12. Tioga County scored three runs off four Hornell errors in the first inning and Brant dominated allowing just a sixth inning single by last year’s MVP Jamie Rose. Brant closed out the game by striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.

At Williamson, Corning rapped out 11 hits and Josh Murdough went the distance, allowing just two hits while striking out five in a 7-0 shutout. All 11 of Corning’s hits were singles with Nate Matusick going 2-4. Zach Housworth drove in two runs and Lennon Rubin, Chris Crans Dave Aiello each added an RBI.

At Kelly Field, Horseheads Nate Jones and Bath’s Gary Freas locked up in a pitching dual with Horseheads picking up a 3-2 win. Horseheads scored two runs in the first inning and added one more in the second. Freas went 2-3 from the plate and drove in Bath’s only two runs.

Corning            7-11-2

Athens              0-2-1

Game 1

Corning (1-0): Josh Murdough and Andy Baker

RBI – Zach Housworth 2, Lennon Rubin, Chris Crans, Dave Aiello

Athens (0-1): Matt Traver and Dan Reilly

2b – Brad Gilbert

Game 2

Tioga County (1-0): Rob Brant and Gary Ball

2B – Gary Ball

RBI – Ball, Will Osgood

Hornell (0-1): Zach Coleman and Ryan Covel

GAME Three

Horseheads (1-0): Nate Jones and Jason Hurley

2b – Matt Manganaro

RB I – Manganaro 2

Bath (0-1):  Gary Freas and Ben Brown

2b – Ben Brown

RBI: Gary Freas 2