PREP BASEBALL Canfield loses district final, 3-2

Canton Central Catholic will play Poland on Friday.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
JEFFERSON -- Minutes before Saturday's Division II district final was suspended by weather, the Canfield High baseball team found the momentum it had been lacking all day.
Just after the Cardinals scored a run to tie Canton Central Catholic 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning, rain came, postponing the game's completion until Sunday.
When play resumed, Canfield's momentum was absent as the Crusaders scored twice in the fifth inning en route to a 3-2 victory.
Friday at Cene Park, Canton Central Catholic (29-1) will battle Poland (23-3) in a regional semifinal.
After the Crusaders jumped ahead 3-1, the Cardinals' momentum returned in the top of the seventh as Canfield scored a run and threatened with two runners on base with two outs.
It wasn't enough, however, as a strikeout ended the game and Canfield's season.
"The delay obviously stopped our momentum," Canfield coach Tony Ross said after the game. "But our kids never gave up and they left everything on the field. There's nothing to be ashamed about knowing you did the best possible job you could.
"This was a game that could have gone either way," Ross said. "You're talking about a Central Catholic team that is 29-1. They'll be the team to beat. [But] our group would have really liked a rematch with Poland."
How it went down
Sunday's continuation of the district final began in the bottom of the fifth inning with Canfield senior Dan Leonard relieving Frank Turocy, who pitched four innings Saturday.
Leonard quickly got the first two outs of the inning, but then hit Central Catholic infielder Brett Lilley with a pitch. Zach Winkhard singled on a hit-and-run play that advanced Lilley to third base.
After a walk to Alex Schmid loaded the bases, Central Catholic pitcher Marc Nofer doubled two runs home for a 3-1 lead.
Canfield was blanked in the top of the sixth, but did the same to Central Catholic in the bottom half of the inning thanks to strong pitching from senior Jake Wargacki.
The Cardinals opened the top of the seventh with two strikeouts.
But after a Brent Parks walk and a single from pinch-hitter Mike Pulakos, Canfield had runners on first and second base. Leonard capitalized on the opportunity, hitting a single past Central Catholic third baseman John Mine, scoring Parks to make the score 3-2.
Nofer ended the game by striking out Chad Baker.
It wasn't without drama though as Nofer's first three pitches to Baker were very high and outside. He then followed them up with three straight strikes.
Ross said that even though the loss will be hard to swallow, he is looking forward to next season as most of his current team will return.
"With this group, we are losing a lot of relationships," Ross said. "The senior class has a strong bond. I'm looking for us to do good things next year. But today, Canton Central was a little bit better than us."