Charles W. Flanagan High School Baseball

Visitors to Falcons Field will be greeted by recent field improvments, made possible by the collective Fall fundraising efforts of the Falcons Baseball Booster Club, and the continued support from Bud Hall.  The baseball complex has added a Falcons turf halo behind home plate, turf to both dugouts, and cement and turf to the home plate area of the bullpen.  To view some of the progress, please click on the headline above, or go to http://gallery.me.com/coachgreenwood#100013

The 1st Annual Falcons Green/Black Series brought out some serious competition between the Fall roster of JV/Varsity players and between the coaches. The 3 game series had a little of everything you'd expect from a baseball game from grand slams to squeeze plays to a come from behind series clincher.

Game 1 was a high scoring affair as both teams traded runs for the better of 7 innings eventually won by the green squad 13-10.

Game 2 would be one sided as the black team exploded for 18 runs en route to tying the series at 1-1. The final score would be 18-4 in a 5 inning 10 run rule shortened game.

Game 3 Well it looked as though the black team would carry it's momentum from game 2 over into the 3rd game and early on they did just that as Mike Melendez would hit a 1st inning grand slam giving the black a 4-0 lead which would expand to 5-0 into the 4th inning. That's when the green team would take control scoring 2 runs in the 4th and posting an 11 spot in the 5th beginning with a lead changing grand slam off the bat of David Gonzalez giving the green team a 6-5 lead they would not reliquish in fact the 13-5 lead they would build after the smoke cleared would just fold the tent of the black team as they went down 1-2-3 in the 6th inning and with 1 swing of the bat in the bottom of the inning from Ricky Santiago the game and series would be over 16-5 as his 3 run home run would sail clear over the left centerfield wall.    

It was a game he would have loved to have played in, but a tragic car accident took him away from us way too soon.  However, on this night, Ryan Smith was here, remembered by the hundreds who came out for the fine young man he was, and for the spirit and passion in which he played the game of baseball.

In the 2nd Annual Flanagan Falcons Baseball Alumni Game, it was the odd year graduates Green squad defeating the even year graduates Black squad, 7-2, behind the solid pitching of Alumni Game MVP Andres Ortegano (3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB) and the 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI efforts from Jesse Mesa and Luis Penate.  Falcons Green would get all they would need with 4 runs in the bottom of the third inning, but picked up three more in the bottom of the 5th inning, with Ortgano getting in on the act with a run scoring double.  Falcons Black avoided the shutout with 2 runs in their final at bat, when a J.D. Martinez single was sandwiched in between three hit batsmen to start the inning.  Martinez was also a pre-game Home Run Derby finalist, but would succumb to eventual champion, Zach Jackson, who also thrilled the crowd with a magnificent catch off the wall in left field during the game.

Before first pitch, Smith was honored in an emotional memorial ceremony, where the Falcons coaching staff presented Ryan's framed Flanagan #19 jerseys, along with remembrance portraits, to his family.  The number 19 was officially retired by the program, with a Ryan Smith #19 banner now present on the left field wall.  A memorial was also unveiled under the Falcons "Wall of Honor" at the entrance to the facility.  $325 was collected in Ryan's honor during the game for the Ryan Smith Scholarship Award, which will be awarded to a Falcons Baseball senior at the end of year banquet.  Additionally, the "Coaches Award" presented at the end of year banquet will be renamed in his honor.

Moving forward, this game, played annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving, will be known as the Ryan Smith Flanagan Falcons Alumni Game, with every player, as they did this year, wearing Ryan's name and number on their backs, ensuring that he will always be a participant in this event.