RallyNorth.net

Typical Tito: Lancer sparkplug back and battling in opener

Tuesday, April, 06 By Hector Longo

LAWRENCE - For a teenager that walks the halls of Lawrence High's Humanities, Leadership and Development Academy with a constant smile, Tito Lluberes sports a long list of enemies.

"They've got me all wrong," said Lluberes, the Lancer baseball team's resident nooge. "I'm a nice guy."

Yesterday in the non-league season-opener with rival Central Catholic, Lluberes tripled and scored Lawrence's first run, got plunked by an Adam Johnson heater on his second at-bat then singled in another run in the Lancers' impressive 7-1 victory.

Typical Tito - right at the heart of all the Lancer commotion - the senior ignited Lawrence both with his actions and his trademark chatter.

"He's a pain in the neck, but I'm glad he's on our team," said Lawrence coach Brendan Neilon. "I'm sure he drives other teams crazy. I know he drives us crazy in practice. He's a pest, but when it comes to doing all the little things, Tito does them and does them well."

Lluberes, a three-year starter at second base,spends much of his time in the opposition's grill - well at least in their ears.

"You have to stay intense, stay in the game every pitch," says Lluberes. "I've been playing for three years like this and I haven't changed a bit. I think my teammates look for that from me."

Lluberes knack of gnawing at opponents has been well-chronicled. Last year, he was plunked by pitch 13 times - a tough way to boost the on-base percentage.

"At one point last year, he got hit in eight straight games," said Neilon. "I'm not saying teams try to hit him. But he doesn't try to get out of the way of too many pitches either."

Yesterday's unintentional heater to the hip promises to be the first of many for Lluberes.

"I'm not going to back down," he promises.

But Lluberes is looking for an awful lot more this spring than a handful of ugly multi-colored welts.

"I didn't do very well (.240 average) last year, and I have something to prove," said Lluberes, who has been accepted at Merrimack, Ithaca and his first-choice to study and play, St. Anselm College. "The whole team has put in a lot of hard work to get get ready."

Calzetta opens with win

Reigning Eagle-Tribune Baseball MVP Michael Calzetta got the ball from Neilon in the Lancer opener. The UMass Lowell-bound right-hander didn't disappoint, spinning six innings of one-run, five-hit ball, striking out eight and walking a pair.

It wasn't vintage "Calzy" - the two walks represented 40 percent of his 2009 season total of five - but he dictaed the terms all afternoon to the Raiders.

"Sometimes he's just a little too hyped up, he has to calm himself down a little bit," said Neilon. "He competes though, so you know what we're going to get."

Harvey Blanco singled in Lluberes for the first Lancer run, and Juan Ventura slapped a two-run single in the first as Lawrence staked Calzetta to a 3-0 lead in the first.

That was all the offense Calzetta would need, yielding to Victor Mendez, who mopped up in a perfect seventh.
Lluberes and junior Juan Ventura had two hits apiece for Lawrence.

Junior Zach Bardwell had two of Central's five hits on the day.