Warren JFK's ace Ellis dazzles to preserve win

The Eagles defeated Champion and play Campbell tonight.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Warren Kennedy High pitcher Mike Ellis has a good memory.
He also has a good fastball and breaking pitch.
Ellis relied on all three when Champion's Rudy Pekarovic came to the plate in the seventh inning Monday with the tying run on second base.
In the second inning, Pekarovic hit a chest-high fastball over the left-field fence for the Flashes' only run of the game.
In the final inning, with the Division III district semifinal game on the line, Ellis struck the junior right fielder out on a low curve ball.
Ellis then struck out Champion's final hitter to preserve the 2-1 victory for the Eagles.
The junior (8-0) pitched a four-hitter and struck out 10 to outduel Champion's Mark Kish (6-1) and lead the Eagles (19-9) to the district championship game today against Campbell Memorial at Cene Park.
Different pitch
"He's a good hitter and he hit a good pitch," said Ellis of Pekarovic. "I just wasn't going to throw him the same pitch."
The fact that the game came down to the final inning was no surprise to the managers.
"We went to all-state voting [Sunday]," Warren JFK coach Don Lee said. "Me and [Champion manager] Tim Cope sat and talked and he said, 'It's going to be a 1-0 or 2-1 ball game.' He must know what he's talking about."
Cope said, "We knew it was going to be a close game because of the pitchers. Unfortunately, someone had to go home and it was us."
After Champion (17-5) scored the first run of the game on Pekarovic's homer, JFK responded with single runs in the third and fourth innings.
In the third, Steve Orlosky singled with two outs to drive in Mike Witherow with the tying run.
Game-winning run
In the fourth, Mike Lepro led off with a walk and advanced to second on a walk to Ellis. With two outs, Allen Hoover singled in Lepro.
"We knew we would have to scratch out some runs against these guys," Lee said, "and we were able to do that with key two-out hits."
Kish scattered eight hits and worked out of some tight spots by striking out eight.
His best effort came in the fifth inning after giving up a hit and two walks to load the bases. Kish got out of the jam by forcing a fielder's choice and striking out the next two batters.
"[Kish] is a senior and I went out and talked to him a few times but he wanted to stay in there and work out of [trouble]," Cope said. "Being a senior, if he wants [the ball], I'm going to give it to him."
Ellis, who has never lost a varsity game, seemed to get better as the game went along. In the sixth inning, he struck out the side.
"Mike gets stronger as he goes," Lee said. "If he struggles in the early innings we don't usually worry because we know he's going to get stronger. He's 14 and 0 as a varsity starter."