DIVISION III Mooney plants top seed United

Joe Irwin was a standout for the Cardinals on the mound and at the plate.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Behind the batting and pitching of junior left-hander Joe Irwin, the Cardinal Mooney High baseball team defeated top-seeded, state-ranked United 11-1 Monday in a Division III sectional final at Cene Park.
Mooney (13-10) will face Ursuline in a district semifinal at Cene Park next Monday.
Irwin had three hits, one of them a triple, and two RBIs, while allowing only two hits in six innings. He struck out 11 and the only run by the Eagles (20-4) was unearned.
The Cards jumped on United starter Travis Boyle for four runs in the top of the first inning.
Dan Babyak started the game with a double, then, after a one-out walk to Jeff Hehr, and a pop out, Irwin lined a single to center field. Babyak scored and Hehr followed as the ball was misplayed.
Jon Grist and Kyle McCarthy followed with run-scoring doubles.
Fast start
"I thought that it was important for us to get off to a fast start," Mooney coach Steve Leslie said. "Irwin's hit and Hehr's base running really got us going."
Irwin (4-3) struck out seven in the first three innings. He walked Tyler Boyle to start the third inning, and following a throwing error, scored on Travis Boyle's single to right.
In the fourth inning, McCarthy led off with another double and scored when Brennan Meenachan's bunt was misplayed. Babyak then singled to score Meenachan.
Mooney added three runs in the fifth inning on four hits.
"Every time you get a chance to score a run you want to do it, especially in a tournament game," Leslie said. "We did a good job of moving the runners along.
"The trip we took to Myrtle Beach [during spring break] has really helped us. We have been playing a lot of good baseball since," Leslie said.
Youngsters
"[Irwin] is a very good pitcher. He has lost a lot of close ones this season," Leslie said. "All of our starting staff are juniors, plus we only played two seniors today [Hehr and Dan Young]."
Babyak had three hits for Mooney, while Kevin Drummond, McCarthy and Jim Berry had two each. Grist had three RBIs.
Travis Boyle had five strikeouts in four innings. Alex Koch had United's other hit, a leadoff single in the fifth inning.
"A big factor for us was to get to play a home game in the tournament. United has a great program, they are a good baseball team. Playing at Cene Park really helped us," Leslie said.
Mooney and Ursuline will play for the fourth time this season. The Irish won the first game, 4-0, and Mooney won the last two, 8-5 and 7-5.