DIV. IV BASEBALL Columbiana holds 3-2 lead in suspended tourney game

Rain halted the action which will be completed today at Cene Park.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Today at 4:30 p.m. at Cene Park, action will resume in the seventh inning of the Division IV district semifinal baseball game between McDonald and Columbiana.
Columbiana leads the game, 3-2. However, in the top of the seventh, the Blue Devils have the tying run at second base with no outs.
The winner will face Western Reserve in the district title game Thursday at approximately 6:45 p.m. at Cene Park.
Columbiana took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning despite not having any hits in the game.
A lead-off walk to Mike Welce was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Lorin Dickinson. A passed ball advanced Welce to third, and he scored on a groundout off the bat of David Vitko.
The Clippers scored again in the fifth inning. With one out, Cole Miller reached first on the first Columbiana hit of the game, an infield single.
Miller stole second and advanced to third when the throw went into center field.
Suicide squeeze
Brian Gustafson helped his own cause on the mound when he laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, scoring Miller for a 2-0 Clipper advantage.
The Blue Devils tied the game in the top of the sixth inning. A lead-off walk to Corey Vukovic was followed by a single off the bat of Keith Bixler.
After getting the next two outs, a wild pitch advanced the runners. Jordan Farr then hit a two-run, opposite-field double, which landed just fair down the right-field line to tie the game.
Columbiana answered in its half of the sixth. A lead-off double by Welce chased McDonald starter Mike Van Dyke. Dickinson then bunted the runner to third, and the go-ahead run scored on a single by Ryan Schmidt.
Tyler Stanley opened the top of the seventh with a single. On the first pitch to James Beedle, Stanley stole second base. The game was stopped at that point due to lightning and rain.
Van Dyke allowed just two hits in his five innings. He had four strikeouts and two walks. Gustafson allowed six hits and had four strikeouts and two walks in his six innings on the mound.
Division III at Euclid
EUCLID -- The LaBrae High baseball team posted a 4-3 victory over Middlefield Cardinal in the completion of a suspended Division III district semifinal game.
The contest was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning Monday because of inclement weather.
Behind 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning, the Vikings' (11-8) Mat Frederick hit a home run to tie the game.
Winning pitcher Jason Frederick (3-2), who struck out five, singled, stole second and moved to third on a passed ball.
Jeff Bosley walked, and when the Cardinal pitcher attempted to pick him off first base, he threw the ball away and Frederick scored the winning run.
Mat Frederick, Jason Frederick and Brian Howard, who singled home two runs in the second inning, each had two hits.
Tonight at 7:30, LaBrae will play Perry for the district title.