By Roger Gordon

Correspondent

WINDHAM

Two pitching gems sandwiched a lopsided loss for Windham.

Senior Jack Eye started and went the distance May 7 in the Bombers’ 5-3 home win over Rootstown. Eye gave up five hits while striking out 10 and walking just two.

“Jack had great command,” head coach Jake Eye said. “His velocity was good, he was hitting his spots, he was pretty dominant on the mound. He just had a good day.”

Even in victory, the home team managed only three hits, all singles — from senior catcher Dylan McCune, freshman shortstop Keegan Kiser and freshman left fielder Alex Eye.

Five days later, on May 12, freshman Bryan Smithberger started and went the distance in Windham’s 9-1 triumph at Cardinal. The Bombers are now 10-8 on the season.

Smithberger yielded five hits and had five strikeouts and a walk.

“Bryan had probably the best pitching performance he’s given us this year,” said the elder Eye. “He had good tempo, he was in good rhythm. He threw a lot of strikes, he got ahead early in the count and was able to command all three of his pitches. He’s mature beyond his years. He’s pitched his entire life.”

Leading the charge at the plate were Jack Eye, who had a triple, a double, a single, two RBI and two runs, and Kiser, who singled twice and drove in three runs.

“Jack is just a juggernaut at the plate,” the coach said. “He’s a hard out to get, he doesn’t strike out often, he puts the ball in play and he has great power. He’s been intentionally walked six times this year.”

Three days earlier, on May 9, Windham lost 10-0 at Streetsboro in a game that was called after six innings due to the 10-run rule.

“Streetsboro hit the ball, they put the ball in play,” said Eye. “It’s not that we played terribly, we were just outmatched. Streetsboro is a solid team. The better team won.”

The Bombers managed just two hits — from Jack Eye and right fielder Gavin Kiser.

Eye believes his team is playing much better than it was early in the season.

MOGADORE

After a dozen defeats to start the season, Mogadore finally cracked the win column with

two rousing victories — 8-3 May 8 at Springfield and 11-0 May 12 at home over St. Thomas Aquinas in a game called after four-and-a-half innings due to the 10-run rule.

“It feels great to finally get a couple wins,” head coach Chris Williams said.

The Wildcats scored in every inning but two in the win over the Spartans.

“Going in, we were just trying to get disciplined. We’d been swinging at a lot of bad pitches, and we needed to clean that up,” said Williams. “I think we did that top to bottom. It was a return to basics and just trying to get good balls to drive in the gaps and hit our pitches instead of flailing at something we shouldn’t be swinging at.”

Junior catcher Tyler Pendergast had three singles and two RBI.

“Tyler has been struggling,” the coach said. “He’s been hitting balls on the nose but hitting them right at people over the second half of the season. He’s making good contact. They were good, quality at-bats for all three singles in this game.”

Sophomore third baseman Jake Hopkins doubled, singled and scored a run, while classmate Maddox Smith, the center fielder, singled twice, had two RBI and plated a run.

On the mound Lucas Umbright started and went five innings, giving up a run and five hits while striking out two and issuing six walks.

“Lucas is a guy who we expected to be one of our top pitchers all season,” Williams said. “He had a back injury that put him on the shelf until recently. He’s getting back to where we know he could be. He threw a good game, he commanded it. He was around the zone enough to induce some easy ground balls. He threw a lot of strikes, enough to get them swinging.”

Pendergast pitched the last two innings.

Because of a field renovation, the win over the Knights was Mogadore’s first home game of the season.

Senior Cole Reese started and went the distance, firing a shortened no-hitter. He struck out seven and walked two.

“Cole has come back from a torn ACL he suffered in football season last fall,” said Williams. “He came out and looked like Cole of last year. He was dominant. He was putting his fastball where he needed to, spotting it well, and mixed in the curve ball when he had the opportunity. It was great to see him out there dealing like that.”

Offensively, the Wildcats scored in every inning and were led by freshman designated hitter Jimmy Woods, who had two singles and three RBI.

“Jimmy is coming along and is starting to get daily at-bats and daily opportunities in the field,” said the coach. “He’s coming around real nice. He’s hitting the ball up the middle, and he can run faster probably than anybody on our team. So putting the ball on the ground and utilizing his speed is something we’re working on with him. It’s good to see him putting the ball in play.”

STREETSBORO

Streetsboro sandwiched a 10-0 triumph May 9 over Windham on Senior Night in a game called after six innings due to the 10-run rule between two excruciatingly narrow defeats — 2-1 May 8 to Chagrin Falls and 3-2 May 12 to Norton, which is ranked second in the state in Division IV. All three games were at home. The Rockets are now 12-6 on the season and are ranked 19 th in the state in the same division.

In the win over the Bombers senior Jack Batten started and went 4 2/3 innings in earning the win. He gave up just two hits and struck out four.

“Jack was on a pitch count,” head coach Chris Scisciani said. “He was so efficient, throwing 46 pitches, 38 of them strikes. He did an amazing job.”

Junior Frank Mudery pitched the final 1.1 innings.

At the plate Streetsboro scored in every inning except the first. Batten helped his own cause by tripling, singling, driving in three runs and scoring three times. Also with two hits were seniors Braden Craft, the catcher, and Josh Boldin, the first baseman. Craft added an RBI and two runs, while Boldin added an RBI and a run.

“We were happy for the seniors that they were able to experience a win on their Senior Night,” said Scisciani. “It was kind of cool to just watch those guys play and perform the way they did.”

The Rockets pitched a bullpen game in the loss to the Tigers in preparation for the postseason with Batten, juniors Scott Wilson and Brett Epple and freshman Jadeyn Dufala.

“Those guys were great,” said the coach. “They executed the plan, they threw their

pitches that they were supposed to throw, they hit spots. They did everything they needed to do to help us win, but we fell short by scoring only one run.”

Wilson started and went five innings in the loss to the Panthers, yielding three runs and seven hits while fanning seven and walking two. Batten pitched the final two innings.

Streetsboro’s pitching has been superlative this season. The team ERA is 1.43. Batten’s ERA is 1.09, Wilson’s ERA is 1.90, Craft, who also pitches, has an ERA of 0.29 and Brady

Long’s ERA is 0.00 in 13 innings pitched.

“Our arms have been unreal, and I feel good about our defense,” Scisciani said. “We just have to be able to score.”

WATERLOO

Waterloo sophomore pitcher Mason Biltz turned in an outstanding performance May 12 in an 11-1 victory at Campbell Memorial in a game shortened to six innings due to the 10-run rule.

The Vikings improved to 6-12 on the season.

Biltz started and went the distance in giving up just two hits while striking out 14 and walking four.

“Mason was mixing pitches up really, really well,” head coach Jeremy Randles said. “He has a really good two-seam that’s got good movement, he has a great curve ball that was working. We were just hitting different locations with him – inside, outside, hitting the zones, hitting the corners. He’s been really efficient for us all season long, and he showed that again in this game.”

Pacing Waterloo’s 13-hit attack with two hits apiece were senior first baseman Matthew Ralston, senior Trevor Simons, senior second baseman Vincent Mori and junior designated hitter

Jacob Fortney. Fortney also had three RBI and a run.

“Matthew’s two hits were bunt singles. He’s really fast,” said Randles. “Jacob puts the bat on the ball. He’s a guy who doesn’t strike out very often. He really put the ball in the gap when we needed him to with runners on base.”

Four days earlier, on May 8, the Vikings were outscored 17-9 at Jackson-Milton. Eight runs by the Blue Jays in the first inning dug the visitors a hole too deep to climb out of. Seven

Waterloo errors didn’t help.

Simons started and went two innings in giving up 10 runs (only two of which were earned) and seven hits. He issued three walks. Freshman Trevor Flarida pitched the next three innings, and senior Austin Hurst pitched the last inning.

Offensively, senior shortstop Aric May had a double, two singles, two RBI and a run. nMori had two singles and two runs, while Flarida singled twice and knocked in two runs.

The next day, on May 9, Waterloo lost 11-0 at home to Akron Manchester. The Vikings, like the day before, fell behind big early as the Panthers plated six runs in the first inning.

“Manchester is a good team,” Randles said. “They put the bat on the ball.”