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The Falcons' 2008 season came to an end on Tuesday night as they were defeated 6-2 by visiting Waynesboro. Abingdon only managed four hits in front of a capacity crowd at Falcon Park. Seniors Justin Malone, Casey Payne, and Preston Pionk along with sophomore Josh Barker provided the offensive punch. The loss marked the end of the high school careers of six seniors. Falcon Baseball will definitely miss these fine young men. The Seniors included: Tyler Bailey, Brandon Ketron, Justin Malone, Casey Payne, Preston Pionk, and Matt Rasnake, Abingdon won the 2008 Region IV title for only the third time in school history, with their last title coming in 1987. Abingdon High School Baseball will hold their 3rd annual Youth baseball camp beginning on Monday, June 9th thru Thursday June 11th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The camp is for boys ages 6 to 12 and will be conducted by the Falcon baseball staff along with current and former players. The cost of the camp is $40.00. The link for the registration form can be accessed below:
In a nine inning thriller, the Abingdon Falcons claimed the 2008 Region IV title with a come from behind 11-10 victory. Senior Preston Pionk's solo homer in the top of the 9th proved to be the difference as Sophomore Zach Witt tossed a scoreless 9th to notch his 8th win of the season. Senior Justin Malone also provided 5 hits on the day. The Falcons are now 19-7 and will host Region III runner-up Waynesboro on Tuesday night @ 7:00 p.m. in the quarter-finals of the 2008 State Tournament. Details of today's game can be found in the Bristol Herald Courier and The Roanoke TImes.
The Falcons exploded for 11 runs and secured a bid in the 2008 state playoffs with an 11-2 victory over Blacksburg. Senior Justin Malone tossed a complete game to pick up the victory. Details of the game can be found in the Bristol Herald Courier. Abingdon will now play for the Region IV title tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. against Hidden Valley High School. The Abingdon Falcons defeated Salem High School by a score of 10-4 in a game continued from Tuesday night. Senior Preston Pionk had a 2 RBI single and a sacrifice fly to lead the offensive attack. Junior Zach Witt tossed a complete game to improve his record to 7-2. Senior Matt Rasnake added three hits and Junior Nathan Hagy added a 2 RBI single for the Falcons. Details of the game can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. Abingdon will travel today to Pulaski's Calfee Park for a 4:00 p.m. match up with Blacksburg High School.
Abingdon trio will continue their baseball careers at Alice Lloyd College:
Casey, Matt, and Joseph with Coach Francisco and Coach Stowers. Current Abingdon Falcon Seniors Matt Rasnake and Casey Payne, along with former Falcon Joseph Rasnake, signed letters of intent accepting scholarship offers to continue their baseball careers at Alice Lloyd College. The trio signed on Friday morning, May 23, 2008, in a ceremony held in the Library of Abingdon High School. Matt, a 3rd baseman, was an all district and all region IV selection in 2007 and has led the 2008 Falcons in RBI. Casey, a three year starter at catcher for Abingdon High School, was an all district selection in 2007. Joseph, a 2005 graduate of AHS, formerly played at Virginia Intermont College.
The Falcons dropped a heartbreaker in the finals of the Southwest District Tournament. Senior Justin Malone tossed six solid innings, allowing 2 runs. He left the game with the score knotted up at 2, but Richlands was able to score a run in the bottom half of the 7th on a bases loaded walk. Senior Matt Rasnake had a pair of RBI hits to lead the ofeense. Abingdon will now host Salem High School in a regional quarterfinal match up at Falcon Park. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. Abingdon moved into the championship game of the Southwest District Tournament with an 8-2 victory over Tazewell High School. Sophomore Zach Witt picked up the victory on the mound, while Junior Bobby Webb and Senior Matt Rasnake provided a pair of hits in the victory. The Falcons will face Richlands tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in the finals. The Falcons cruised to a five-inning 14-0 opening round victory oven Grundy. Senior Justin Malone picked up the victory on the mound, allowing 1 hit in 3 innings of work. Junior Nathan Hagy tossed two innings of no hit relief as the Falcons improved to 15-6 on the season. Malone was a perfect 4 for 4 on the night, with 2 doubles. Junior Zach Witt drove in three runs on a double and a single. Senior Preston Pionk provided a 2 RBI triple and Junior Bobby Webb added a 2 RBI double. The Falcons will now travel to Southwest Virginia Community College on Thursday for a 2:00 p.m. semi-final game against Tazewell. Abingdon closed out their regular season with an 11-1 victory over visiting Powell Valley High School. Sophomore Zach Witt, Freshman Alexander Nadler, and Senior Brandon Ketron combined to toss a no-hitter. Senior Justin Malone provided a pair of RBI doubles while Sophomore Josh Barker added 3 singles in the victory. The Falcons will begin Southwest District Tournament play on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. as they host Grundy High School in first round play. The Falcons were victorious on Senior Night, defeating Marion by a score of 16-2. Senior Justin Malone tossed 3 innings of 1 hit baseball and collected a pair of run scoring singles to highlight the offensive attack. Sophomore Taylor Read allowed 1 run in two innings of work. Tyler Bailey, Brandon Ketron, Casey Payne, Preston Pionk, and Matt Rasnake along with Malone were honored in a pre-game ceremony for their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the Falcon Baseball program. Nathan Hagy notched the victory in relief as the Falcons erased a 6-3 deficit in the top of the 7th to pull out an 8-6 victory at Tazewell. Sophomore Corey Spencer had a pair of hits and the game winning RBI to lead the Falcon offense. Zach Witt provided a run scoring double, while Hagy also added a pair of hits. Abingdon will host district foe Marion on Friday night @ 7:00. Zach Witt tossed a complete game 3 hitter as the Falcons defeated Carroll County 2-0 in Southwest District play. Senior Matt Rasnake picked up the game winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 1st inning. The Falcons only managed 3 hits with Justin Malone and Preston Pionk providing singles and Nathan Hagy adding a double. Abingdon will travel to Tazewell for a 6:00 p.m. contest. Senior Matt Rasnake provided the offensive punch with an RBI double and an RBI single as the Falcons defeated non-district rival Virginia High 4 to 1. Senior Justin Malone added a double and pitched three strong innings in the victory. Sophomore Taylor Read picked up the win on the mound, tossing 4 innings of 1 hit baseball. The Falcon defense was also sharp, turning a pair of crucial double plays. Abingdon will travel to Carroll County on Tuesday for a 5:00 start. Abingdon dropped a 9-2 decision to district foe Richlands. Justin Malone and Nathan Hagy had two hits each in the defeat. The Falcons will host Virginia High on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons improved to 7-1 in the Southwest District with a convincing 14-1 victory over visiting Tazewell. Zach Witt picked up the victory on the mound and provided 4 RBI's at the plate, while Nathan Hagy added a triple and a pair of singles to highlight the victory. Senior Justin Malone also added a pair of hits, while Seniors Matt Rasnake and Brandon Ketron as well as Sophomore Taylor Read provided 2 RBI's each. Details can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. Zach Witt notched the victory on the mound and hit a walk off home run as the Falcons defeated Graham by a score of 14-4. Witt also provided a 2 RBI double as Abingdon improved to 6-1 in the district. Sophomore Josh Barker had a single, a double, and a triple to highlight the offensive attack. Justin Malone, Nathan Hagy, and Matt Rasnake also added 2 hits each. Abingdon will host Tazewell on Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 p.m. Abingdon came away with a wild 16-7 victory at Grundy High School. Sophomore Taylor Read picked up the victory with a strong relief appearance and Freshman Alexander Nadler saw his first varsity action allowing no runs in his one inning of work. Nathan Hagy, Justin Malone, and Josh Barker provided 2 hits for the Falcons. Abingdon will host district oppenent Graham tomorrow night beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons dropped a 1-0 decision to non-district rival Virginia High. Abingdon out hit the Bearcats 6 to 1, and played error free baseball, but were unable to capitalize on any run scoring opportunities. Nathan Hagy and Zach Witt combined to allow only 1 hit in the loss. The Falcons travel to Grundy for a 5:00 p.m. start tomorrow. Senior Matt Rasnake's two out double in the bottom of the 7th scored courtesy runner Tyler Bailey as the Falcons defeated Sullivan Central 4-3. Senior Casey Payne had 3 hits, including the 2 out single in the bottom of the 7th that represented the evenual winning run. Sophomore Taylor Read pitched an impressive 6 2/3's innings and Junior Nathan Hagy struck out the only batter he faced in the top of the 7th to pick up his second win of the season. The Falcons improve to 6-4 and will play at Grundy on Tuesday. Game time is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. With bases load and trailing 5-3, Junior Nathan Hagy provided a 2 RBI single to center and Senior Preston Pionk scored from 1st base by aggressively advancing on an errant throw to the catcher from the outfield and the Falcons won a dramatic come from behind victory against Tennessee High. Junior Zach Witt had another impressive outing working 6 2/3's innings. Hagy also added a long triple to lead the offensive attack. Senior Justin Malone also added a pair of hits in the victory. The Falcons will host Sullivan Central tonight beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nathan Hagy notched the victory, as the Falcons defeated Grundy by a score of 12-2. Bobby Webb had a pair of hits and Senior Brandon Ketron pitched two strong innings of' relief as Abingdon improved to 4-1 in the district. The Falcons will host Tennessee High on Friday @ 7:00 p.m. Zach Witt notched his first victory of the season, striking out 12 batters in six innings of work as the Falcons defeated Marion by a score of 14-5. Senior Justin Malone had a pair of doubles and a triple to highlight the offensive attack. Details can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier.
Abingdon notched a 15-5 five inning victory over Carroll County on Tuesday night. Senior Matt Rasnake provided the offensive punch, with a 4 for 4 night at the plate. Junior Nathan Hagy picked up an RBI double to start the scoring and Sophomore Corey Spencer provided a 3 RBI, 2 out double as the Falcons jumped out to a 6-0 lead. Sophomore Taylor Read went the distance, notching the first victory of his high school career. The Falcons will travel to Marion on Friday for a 7:00 pm start and will travel to Virginia High on Saturday for 7:00 p.m. non district contest. The Falcons dropped a 10-1 decision to Southwest District opponent Richlands. The Tornado took advantage of 5 Abingdon errors to cruise to an easy victory. Sophomore Zach Witt pitched well in his 2nd start of the season, but fell victim to poor defensive play and a lack of offensive production. The Falcons will host Carroll County on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. The Falcons opened Big Six play with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Sullivan East. Matt Rasnake, Justin Malone, Preston Pionk, and Josh Barker each singled, as the Falcons were only able to manage 4 hits. Senior Justin Malone went the distance, striking out 12 batters as the Falcons opened district play with a 21-1 victory over Graham High School. Seniors Casey Payne and Matt Rasnake each hit solo homers and Junior Nathan Hagy provided a 3 RBI triple to highlight the offensive attack. Senior Brandon Ketron added a pair of hits, while sophomore Josh Barker had a pair of hits and 4 RBI on the day. The Falcons will now have an 8 day break before beginning the Big Six Tournament on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. as they host Sullivan East. Abingdon was defeated for the second time in a week by the John Battle Trojans. Junior Nathan Hagy had a strong performance for the Falcons, scattering a pair of hits over 5 innings of work. Senior Preston Pionk provided a pair of singles in the 4-3 loss. Abingdon will open district play on Tuesday as they travel to Graham for a 5:00 p.m. start. The Falcons dropped their home opener on Monday night, as they were defeated by John Battle 9-2. Abingdon was out hit 9 to 5 and were also the victim of 10 walks and 2 hit batsmen. Senior Casey Payne provided a run scoring double and Junior Nathan Hagy added a pair of hits in the defeat. The Falcons will travel to John Battle on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Nick Belcher-ETSU Dustin Howell-Ferrum Tyler Malone-King
Former Falcons in College: Seven former Falcons are currently playing baseball at the Collegiate level. Junior catcher Dustin Howell was recently selected as a team captain for the Ferrum College Panthers. Junior shortstop Nick Belcher was the fall World Series MVP at East Tennessee State University. Belcher accepted a scholarship to ETSU after two successful seasons at Walters State. Sophomore Tyler Malone continues to contribute to the King College pitching staff. Malone pitched in relief in the final conference playoff game for the Tornado. Sophomore Eric Silcox had a strong freshman season at first base for Sauk Valley College in Illinois, but has now moved closer to home after transferring to Wilkes Junior College. A trio of 2007 graduates are continuing their playing careers at the next level. Freshman Anthony Looney is a member of the Ferrum College pitching staff where he is expected to be an early contributor for the Panthers. Freshman outfielder Duran Carson is pushing for playing time at Division II power Tusculum College while freshman Derek Salyer is battling for playing time as an infielder for King College. The Abingdon Falcon baseball program is very proud of the accomplishments of these fine young men. Two Falcon baseball players were recently honored with state wide recognition. Senior outfielder Duran Carson and Junior pitcher/shortstop Justin Malone were both chosen as All State 2nd Team selections. The Falcons were well represented on the recent All Region IV team. Senior Duran Carson and Junior Justin Malone were 1st team selections. Senior Anthony Looney and Junior Matt Rasnake were chosen as second team selections. The All-Highlands District team has been released and several Falcons were recognized. Seniors Duran Carson and Anthony Looney and Juniors Justin Malone and Matt Rasnake were 1st team selections. Senior Derek Salyer and Juniors P. J. Russell and Casey Payne were 2nd team selections. Abingdon's 2007 campaign came to a heartbreaking end as the Falcons were defeated by Tunstall 2 to 1 in a well played, errorless contest. Details of the game can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. The Falcons claimed the final Highlands District Tournament title in dramatic fashion as Senior Duran Carson picked up the game winning RBI with a run scoring triple in the top of the eighth inning. Senior Anthony Looney notched the victory on the mound, allowing one hit in four innings of relief. The extra inning victory put an official end to the Highlands District. The Falcons ended their run in the Highlands by winning three district tournaments in the past four seasons. More details can be found in today's edition of the Herald Courier. Abingdon will now travel to Region IV powerhouse Tunstall for a 6:00 p.m. contest. Justin Malone tossed a complete game, striking out 9 as the Falcons defeated Lee High by a score of 7-1. P.J. Russell provided a double and 3 RBI; Matt Rasnake added two hits and 2 RBI; and Derek Salyer had three hits as Abingdon qualified for the Regional Playoffs. The Falcons will play for the District Tournament Championship on Saturday @ 7:00 p.m. Abingdon will also travel to Tunstall on Tuesday, May 29th for an opening round regional contest. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. The Falcons ended Highlands District regular season play, dropping a 5-2 decision to Virginia High. Details can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. P. J. Russell provided all of the offense the Falcons would need in their 11-1 victory over Marion High School. Russell launched a solo homer, a three run homer, and had a 2 RBI single as Abingdon improved to 12-7 on the season. Justin Malone tossed a complete game to earn his 5th victory of the season. Duran Carson had a pair of RBI singles and Matt Rasnake also had two hits. The Falcons will travel to Virginia High for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Friday. Duran Carson singled, doubled, and had a pair of triples as the Falcons exploded for 17 hits in their 13-4 victory over Tazewell High School. Anthony Looney added three doubles and Justin Malone had 3 hits as Abingdon improved to 11-7 on the season. Junior Brandon Ketron picked up the victory, allowing one run in four innings of solid relief. The Falcons travel to Marion on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. district contest. Senior Anthony Looney tossed a complete game one hitter as the Falcons defeated Lee High by a score of 12-0. Junior P. J. Russell provided a 3 run double to highlight the offensive attack. The Falcons travel to Tazewell for a 7:30 p.m. contest tomorrow. The Abingdon Falcon Baseball Camp will take place from June 11th to June 14th from 8:30 to 12:30. The camp is for kids ages 6 to 12 and will be conducted by the Falcon baseball staff along with current and former players. The link for the registration form can be accessed below:
Ryan Ramey tossed five strong innings, but it wasn't enough as the Falcons were defeated by Grayson County by a score of 3-2. P. J. Russell and Ramey had a pair of hits each for the Abingdon attack. The game was a well played defensive contest with both teams combining for five double plays. Abingdon will host district foe Lee High on Friday night @ 7:00 p.m. Friday is also Little League night at the park. Any little leaguer that wears his jersey will get free admission to the game. Abingdon defeated Richlands by a score of 5-3 to improve to 9-6 on the season. Anthony Looney tossed five strong innings and Junior Justin Malone pitched the 6th and 7th to notch his fourth victory of the season. Malone had 3 hits and 2 RBI to lead the offensive attack. The Falcons travel to Grayson County for a 4:30 contest on Tuesday, May 8th. Due to inclement weather conditions, a pair of Falcon baseball games have been rescheduled. Abingdon will host Richlands @ 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 7th. They will travel to Grayson County for a 4:30 contest on Tuesday, May 8th. The Falcons will host Lee High on Friday, May 11th @ 7:00 p.m. Abingdon will then travel to Tazewell for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Saturday, May 12th. The district contest with Marion has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 15th @ 7:00 p.m. Abingdon was defeated by Richlands by a score of 10-7. Matt Rasnake had a pair of run scoring hits to lead the Falcon offense. The Falcons will travel to Tazewell for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Wed., May 2nd. The Falcons were held to one hit in their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Virginia High. Details of the contest can be found in the Bristol Herald Courier. Senior Ryan Ramey tossed 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to notch the victory in Abingdon's 16-7 defeat of John Battle. Ramey also produced four RBI, including a three-run homerun. Duran Carson also blasted a three-run homer and Nathan Hagy had three hits as the Falcons improved to 8-4 on the season. Abingdon will host Virginia High School on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Abingdon dropped their first district contest of the season, losing 2 to 1 at Lee High School. The Falcons only managed 3 hits, highlighted by Ryan Ramey's solo homer in the 2nd inning. Abingdon will travel to John S. Battle on Monday for a 7:00 p.m. game. The Falcons improved to 7-3 with their 7-6 nine inning victory over visiting Tennessee High School. Anthony Looney picked up the win in relief and Junior Justin Malone had a pair of hits to lead the Abingdon offense. The Falcons travel to Lee High for a 7:00 p.m. district contest on Thursday. Abingdon's game at Tazewell for Tuesday, April 17th has been postponed due to poor field conditions. The game has been rescheduled for May 2nd at 7:00 p.m.. The Falcons will host Tennessee High on Wednesday and will travel to Lee High for a district contest on Thursday. Both games begin at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons opened Highlands District play with an 11-1 victory over Marion High School. Details of the game can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. Abingdon finished their spring break trip to Disney World with a 7 to 4 loss to Huntington, WV. Justin Malone and P. J. Russell had two hits each to lead the offensive attack. The Falcons fell victim to a pair of costly errors leading to 4 unearned runs. In their first game of the day, the Abingdon Falcons were defeated by Middle Township, NJ by a score of 4-3. Duran Carson had a pair of hits and 3 RBI in the loss. In the nightcap, Abingdon upended Princeton, NJ 13-5. Anthony Looney was 3 for 4 with 6 RBI, while Duran Carson was a perfect 4 for 4 with 3 RBI. Senior Derek Salyer picked up the victory as the Falcons improved to 5-2 on the season. The Falcons were defeated 9-5 by Springboro, Ohio in the opening game of their spring break trip at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Junior P. J. Russell had a pair of singles to highlight the offensive attack. In a wild slugfest, Abingdon improved to 4-0 with a 16-15 non district victory over Tennessee High School. Details can be found in today's edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. Justin Malone chalked up 15 K's in six innings of work as Abingdon improved to 3-0 with their 6-2 victory over visiting Tazewell. Duran Carson had three hits and three RBI in leading the Falcon's offensive attack. The Falcons picked up an 11-5 victory over visiting Elizabethton in a benefit game played Saturday evening. Senior Derek Salyer tossed four solid innings, leaving the game after the fourth inning with a 2-1 lead. Senior Ryan Ramey was impressive in his two innings of relief, picking up the victory. Duran Carson, Justin Malone, Nathan Hagy, and Matt Rasnake had two hits each and Junior P. J. Russell singled, doubled, and blasted a three run homer to lead the offensive attack. Abingdon erupted for 16 hits, improving to 2-0 on the season with a 17-0 victory over Grayson County High School. Anthony Looney allowed one hit in five innings of work to pick up his first victory of the season. He also helped his cause at the plate with three hits, including a three run homerun. Matt Rasnake added a pair of run scoring doubles, while Justin Malone, P. J. Russell, Brandon Ketron, and Preston Pionk each added two hits to the Falcon attack. The Falcons opened their 2007 season with an 11-0 victory over county rival John Battle High School. Junior Justin Malone had 9K's, while scattering 3 hits in 4 innings of work to notch his first victory of the season. Malone also helped his cause with a solo homer in the 1st inning. Duran Carson, Anthony Looney, Ryan Ramey, Casey Payne, and Derek Salyer also provided run scoring hits to help lead the offensive attack. The 2007 baseball schedule has been released. In addition to the always tough Highlands District, the Falcons will be faced with a challenging non-district slate. Along with four games with Southwest District powers Richlands and Tazewell, Abingdon will once again renew their rivalry with perennial state powers John S. Battle and Grayson County. Across the state line into Tennessee, the Falcons will face AAA power Tennessee High and will participate in a benefit game with Elizabethton High School--Northeast Tennessee's top rated AA program. During Spring Break, Abingdon will fly south to Disney World where they will play four games at the Atlanta Braves' spring training facility. The Falcons are scheduled to play Springboro High School, OH; Middle Township High School, NJ; Princeton High School, NJ; and Huntington High School, WV. College Update: Several former Falcons have began their 2007 college seasons. Adam Hall, who led Emory & Henry College in almost every offensive category last year while garnering several post season honors, is set to begin his senior season for the Wasps. Nick Belcher is beginning his sophomore season as the shortstop and leadoff hitter for Walters State. Last season, Belcher helped lead the Senators to the National Junior College World Series Championship. Sophomore Dustin Howell, in the process of recovering from shoulder surgery, is expected to see considerable playing time behind the plate for Ferrum College. 2006 graduates Tyler Malone and Eric Silcox are also continuing their careers at the collegiate level. Malone is a pitcher/infielder for King College and Silcox is a 1B/DH for Sauk Valley Community College. Both players are expected to be strong contributors to their respective programs.
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