Streetsboro baseball head coach Chris Scisciani is surrounded by his players and coaching staff after winning the 200th game of his career.

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The Streetsboro Rockets’ baseball team has turned the last four days into a time for history.

First, on Saturday, head coach Chris Scisciani won his 200th career game, becoming just the seventh baseball coach in Portage County history to reach the milestone.

At the time of this story, the updated list of career baseball wins in Portage County looked like this:

• Larry Wiles, Field (1968-98), 456
• Bob Merritt, Crestwood (1982-2010), 352
• Dave Clegg, Southeast (1983-2018), 319
• Mike Haney, Kent Roosevelt (2002-present), 296
• Mark Knopick, Rootstown (1983-96 and 2008-16), 233
• Joe Peterson, Field (2013-present), 223
• Chris Scisciani, Streetsboro (2006-present), 200
• Keith Waesch, Rootstown (2004-07 and 2017-present), 188
• John Cravens, Mogadore (1975-76 and 1990-2002), 182
• Mike Paes, Garfield (2016-present), 130

It was fitting that the milestone win for Scisciani came in a historic way, too.

Pitcher Braden Craft delivered a masterpiece to lift the Rockets to a 4-0 win over Berlin Center Western Reserve.

Craft, a right-hander, struck out 19 on his way to delivering a no-hitter.

Just two days later, the Rockets’ pitching staff was back at it.

This time, in a convincing 10-0 win over Springfield, teammates Brady Long and Frank Muddy combined to deal a five-inning no-hitter.

Long threw the game’s first four innings and struck out seven. Mudery entered in the fifth to close the door on the game.

HERB PAGE’S QUIET CANCER FIGHT

Retired legendary Kent State golf coach Herb Page has not wanted attention for his ongoing fight against cancer.

However, with The Masters in the spotlight last weekend, Brentley Romine (NBC Sports and The Golf Channel) shared an update on Page as one of his former players, Corey Conners, was making a strong push at the top of the leaderboard at Augusta and another former player, Taylor Pendrith, made his August debut.

Romine’s social-media post read:

Retired Kent State golf coach Herb Page had never missed one of his players’ debuts in The Masters. He caddied a practice round for Ben Curtis in 2004 and was there for Corey Conners and Mac Hughes as well.

This year was Taylor Pendrith’s first start at Augusta National. Page, though, couldn’t make it.

As Pendrith teed off at 9:03 a.m. (Thursday) morning, a few minutes before Page, 74, was 675 miles away at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, receiving his third of six doses in his latest batch of chemotherapy.

“Im making the turn,” said Page, who’s kept his sense of humor even as he battles pancreatic cancer.

Page is hopeful that doctors caught it early enough and that a December surgery helped remove the cancer. As he was hooked up to an IV on Thursday morning, he was tuned into the live stream on his laptop while wearing a green Masters hat and green Masters polo.

“No one is more of a fighter than Coach Page,” said Conners, who fired a 4-under 68 on Thursday (and was currently tied for second place at the time).

Added Page of his players: “I’m not an inspiration to those guys; they’re an inspiration to me right now.”

CENTURY MILESTONE FOR TWO FALCONS

Just a couple of days apart, two Field softball standouts reached the 100-hit milestone for their careers.

The first to hit the mark was junior Lilli Sutkowy, accomplishing the feat, remarkably, in just 59 games.

Five days later, senior Tia Ulrich, a four-year starter for the Falcons at shortstop, accomplished the feat.

Both Sutkowy and Ulrich are returning All-Metro Athletic Conference players and have the Falcons poised to challenge for the MAC championship this season, as well as the potential for a deep tournament run.

WNBA CALLS FOR SELLERS

Aurora High School graduate and University of Maryland women’s basketball star Shyanne Sellers was drafted 17th overall at tonight’s WNBA Draft in New York City.

Sellers was selected by the Golden State Valkyries.

She is the only player in Terrapins history to score 1,500 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 500 assists.

She was named First Team All-Big Ten and helped lead her team to the Sweet 16.

Sellers is Aurora’s career scoring leader with 1,730 points, which ranks fifth in Portage County history.

She will become the first Portage County player to ever play in the WNBA.

EGG HUNT AT SOUTHEAST

The Southeast girls basketball program had a little team-bonding fun together last Friday with an egg hunt throughout the high school and middle school buildings.

Successfully finding the “golden eggs” were Vayda, Baylee and Abriella.

There is no denying that fun team events like these are vitally important for developing and sustaining a winning culture.

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

• Cole Walton, Aurora High School wrestling, Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.)
• Julie Tompkins, Mogadore High School track and field, Cedarville University
• Ari Tompkins, Mogadore High School track and field, Cedarville University
• Cade Rock, Garfield High School football, West Virginia Wesleyan University
• Hannah Ward, Crestwood High School basketball, John Carroll University
• Elijah Jurisch, Crestwood High School, soccer Geneva College
• Augie Schweickert, Crestwood High School track and field and cross country, Heidelberg
• Charlie Sommer, Crestwood High School baseball, University of Mount Union
• Maddie Dustman, Crestwood High School volleyball, Hiram College
• Nate Blasiole, Crestwood High School football, Ohio Northern
• James Durham, Crestwood High School track and field, Ohio Northern
• Audrey Fusci, Crestwood High School volleyball, Cuyahoga Community College
• Kayleigh Helm, Crestwood High School softball, University of Northwestern Ohio