DIVISION I BASEBALL Boardman is district champion

The Spartans (22-5) drilled Shaker Heights, 10-3.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Boardman High used two rallies to defeat Shaker Heights 10-3 and win the Division I district baseball championship Thursday at Cene Park.
The Spartans advanced to regional play next Friday at 5 p.m. at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton.
Boardman (22-5) scored five runs in the second inning and added four more in the fifth, finishing with 14 hits.
The Spartans were paced by Chris King, who was 3-for-4, with a home run, triple and three runs scored. Mike Krieger had two hits and three RBIs for Boardman, while Sean Curry and Nelson Navaro added two hits apiece.
Matt Repec (9-0) struck out seven and walked just one.
Second-inning blast: King led off the second inning with a high drive that carried over the left-field fence for a home run.
Ten Spartans batted in the inning, and Boardman had seven hits while taking a 5-0 lead.
Boardman batted around in the fifth inning and scored four more times, with Krieger capping the frame with a two-run single.
With Boardman ahead 5-2 in the fifth inning, the Raiders (14-8) got back-to-back singles with none out.
Boardman catcher Tony Dellapena then picked off the lead runner at second base, and Repec retired the next two hitters.
"It broke the momentum of the inning," Boardman coach Scott Knox said of the pick-off throw.
"That was a huge out for us," he said. "Our kids responded well, starting with Repec. Defensively and offensively, we executed well, also."
King led off the sixth inning with his third hit of the game, a triple, as Boardman scored again.
He came home on a wild pitch to make it 10-3.
"I felt good," King said. "It seemed like I got all the pitches I needed.
"Matt pitched a great game. He did a great job of keeping the ball down."
Repec struck out two of the final three batters to finish with an eight-hitter.
"Our seniors did a great job of leadership," Knox said. "Our underclassmen also responded."