Bulldogs Go 2-2 Over Three Day Stretch

Stow's varsity baseball team was busy as they played four games in three days.  The Bulldogs won a close 4-3 game over Cardinal Mooney on Thursday in Youngstown.  On Friday they travelled to Mayfield and lost 4-2 despite an outstanding pitching performance.  On Saturday they then travelled to Boardman High School in Youngstown where they split a double-header.



Stow 4 Cardinal Mooney 3

Junior left hander Troy Johnson started for Stow and threw four strong innings.  Mooney was able to scatter three hits against the lefty who also struck out three batters.  

On offense, after getting runners on base in the first two innings, but being unable to score, Stow took the lead in the third inning.   Senior Adam Porto, playing in the outfield, reached on an error to lead off the inning.  He scored when Sophomore Mike Urban, playing third base, singled  and  Mooney made a throwing error on the play as well.   Later in the inning Senior Dan Garner, the DH in the game. singled when the second baseman could not make a play driving in the second run in the inning.  In the fourth inning Stow got two more runs when Senior second baseman Kyle Scelza got a bunt single to lead off the inning.  Urban followed with another bunt and was also safe.  Mooney had trouble in the field on the play and Scelza was able to come around and score.  Senior Catcher Chris Choler then followed with a single to drive in Urban making the score 4-0 for Stow.  The Bulldogs would not score again as they managed two more hits in the last three innings.

After Johnson's solid start, Senior right hander Kevin Schirra took the mound in the fifth inning.  Two runners reached base in the fifth and one scored, but Shirra worked out of it with a grounder back to himself to end the fifth and in the sixth Mooney went down in order to keep the score Stow 4, Mooney 1.

In the last at bat for Mooney, they were able to get their first two runner on base with hard shots off the mound.  They both would score following an error on a play and then a double on the next play.  With the score now 4-3 and with the tying run on second, coach Celyck went to the bullpen again and brought in right hander Senior Alex Barry.  Facing the lead off hitter, Barry got a critical strikeout and then closed the game with the save when the next batter grounded to the shortstop, senior Thomas Gulley, who scooped the ball and flipped to Scelza at second for the final out.



Mayfield 4 Stow 2

On Friday afternoon the Bulldogs travelled to Mayfield to take on a tough Wildcat team.  Pitching for Stow was Senior left hander Dan Garner.  The game would take shape as a pitchers duel with two great performances from the respective hurlers.  As is the case in tight games, the team that plays better defense usually wins and that was the case with this contest.

The Bulldogs went down in order in the first inning.  Garner, also batting in the game, led off the second inning with a single but was unable to score as the next three Bulldogs struck out.  In the third inning Senior outfielder Adam Porto reached base on a double to left field.  The next batter, Sophomore Mike Urban, playing third base, single to center field.  Porto raced around third to score, but Mayfield executed sound baseball, when they fired the ball to their cutoff man who fired home in time for Porto to be tagged out at the plate, which kept Stow scoreless after three.

However, Mayfield was struggling as well with the big Bulldog lefty.  Garner got the first out of the first inning with a fly out to center fielder Sophomore Brian Groves.  He then struck out the next two batters to end the first.  In the second inning Garner threw 10 pitches and struck out all three batters, the last two swinging.  After getting the first out in the third inning, the first Mayfield batter reached base on a walk on a 3-2 pitch.  However, Garner responded by striking out the next two batters swinging to end the third inning.  He had struck out seven of the first ten Mayfield batters in the ballgame.

In the fourth the Bulldogs went down in order.  Mayfield got their lead off batter on base with a Stow error.  The runner stole second base.  The number three hitter for Mayfield and Garner then did battle for nine pitches as the Mayfield hitter kept fouling off two strike pitches.  It was then a moral victory for pitcher and batter as Garner got a fly out to center for the out, but the runner advanced to third on the tag up.  The four hitter for Mayfield then saw an inside pitch and took it in the shoulder as he found that a easier way, but possibly more painful, to get on base.  He then stole second base and the throw got through the infield allowing the run to score from third making it Mayfield 1, Stow 0.  Garner kept control, though, and struck the next two batters out again to end the inning.

In the top of the fifth, Stow got the first to batter on base with singles from Junior first baseman, Bryan Reginald, and Senior Alex Barry, playing outfield.  After a sacrifice bunt from Senior Kyle Scelza moved Reginald to third, he could not score, though, as the next two Bulldogs struck out.  The tough luck for Stow continued in the bottom of the fifth.  Mayfield led off with a single, their first hit in the game.  The next batter bunted, but Garner fielded it and got the lead runner at second.  Another strikeout made it two outs.  But the next batter hit a swinging bunt that Garner fielded, and tried to go to first, but the coverage was late and the runner was able to score on the throw.  That followed with the runner now on first stealing second and then third and then scoring on a single before the inning ended on a grounder to the shortstop Gulley.

Trailing 3-0, Stow again got the first two batters on base in the sixth, but could not score when the next three batters got out.  In the bottom of the sixth, Mayfield added an insurance run when the lead off hitter, the four hitter, again took a pitch in the back.  He was able to come around and score with stolen bases and then an errant throw.  Garner gave up no hits in the inning, but did record another strikeout for a total of eleven.  In the impressive complete game effort, he had struck out half of the batters he faced and allowed only two legitimate singles and one other infield hit.

In their last at bat and down 4-0, the Bulldogs did mount a rally.  After one out, Scelza walked and pinch hitter, Junior Greg Grecco, hit a sharp single to start the rally.  Mayfield went to their bullpen for a tall right hander.  Urban came to the plate and then reached base on a walk.  Another pinch hitter came in for Stow, Junior Andrew Hurd, and he came through with a single to drive in two runs.  The tension was high as the tying runs were on base.  However, Stow could not complete the comeback as the next two batters got out to end the ballgame for the Mayfield win, 4-2.



Stow 10  Boardman 8

After the tough loss Friday, The Bulldogs travelled to Boardman High School for an afternoon double-header on Saturday afternoon.  A cold wet drizzle that persisted throughout game 1 made it a far from perfect baseball day.

Stow took the lead in the second inning when Andrew Hurd, playing first base, and Kevin Schirra, playing third base, scored.   They were driven in on a hit by Senior Kyle Scelza, playing second base.  In the fourth inning, the Bulldogs plated four more runs as they took charge.  Seniors Alex Barry and Adam Porto reached base on a single and a walk.  Barry scored on a single from Senior catcher Chirs Choler.  Sophomore Mike Urban, playing shortstop followed with a single to drive in Porto.  Senior Dan Garner, the DH, followed with a double to drive in two more runs.  

With a 6-1 lead, things seemed well in hand, but Boardman rallied in their half of the fourth.  Junior right hander Ben Geopfert started the game for Stow.  Geopfert cruised through the first three innings allowing only one run on two hits in the third inning.  He started the fourth with a strikeout.  But after a walk and an error on what could have been a double play ball to the infield, Boardman was able to string together consecutive hits.  Junior Bryan Reginald was called upon and he worked out of the jam, but Boardman had taken the lead 6-6 after four innings.

Stow took a one run lead in the fifth when Schirra led off with a single and was able to score when Barry singled later to drive him in for a 7-6 Stow lead.

Boardman did not score in the fifth.  But after the Bulldogs did not score in the top of the sixth, Boardman would take the lead in their half of the sixth.  They scored two runs in the inning.  Stow went to Sophomore right hander Brian Groves, who was able to limit the damage and get out of the inning, but Stow now trailed as they came up for their last time down 8-7.

Schirra led off the top of the seventh with a double.  After the first out in the inning, Senior Thomas Gulley, was then called on to pinch hit, and Gulley followed with a single to center to put runners on first and third.  After a strikeout, Stow was down to their last out when Adam Porto came to the plate.  Porto responded with a clutch single to left to drive in the tying run.  Chis Choler followed with another single that drove in two runs for a 10 - 8 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Stow went to their bullpen again to bring in right-hander Alex Barry.  Barry worked through the inning and ended the game with a strikeout to clinch the Bulldog victory.



Boardman 12  Stow 2

In between games the players were treated to a lunch prepared by their Boardman hosts.  But the whole thing must have been a devious plot as the Bulldogs did not appear to be the same baseball team in the second game.  Boardman jumped out to a 11-0 lead after two innings.  On the bright side, the Bulldogs outscored them 2-1 for the rest of the game as Boardman won a 12-2 ballgame.

The Bulldogs will stay busy as they host Mayfield at Stow for a league Game Monday afternoon at 4:30.  Twinsburg will then visit Stow on Tuesday as well.