PREP BASEBALL Making amends for tie, Mahoning team reigns

The top senior players in the area competed at Cene Park.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Bragging rights in the inaugural Coca-Cola All-Star Classic weren't determined Saturday until dark overcame Cene Park.
The opening game, between the top senior baseball players in Divisions III and IV, ended in a 4-4 tie. That put the Div. I-II players in control of the rivalry, with Mahoning County defeating Trumbull County 5-2 under the lights.
"It would have been nice to finish. Nobody likes to walk away with a tie," Warren John F. Kennedy High and Trumbull County coach Don Lee said of the first game.
"But we let them play for 2 1/2 hours and we let everybody take some swings," added Lee, whose team also used eight pitchers. "You got to see the best in Mahoning and Trumbull counties."
Stalemate
Mahoning County took a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning, but Trumbull County scored three runs in the eighth to tie the score. The game was then called because of time constraints.
"It's a good opportunity for the guys to go out there and showcase their talent, so it's more of a relaxed atmosphere," Springfield and Mahoning County coach Cory Gregorino said.
"Ending in a tie is kind of anti-climactic, but it was a good game."
Gregorino's team was led by a couple of South Range standouts -- Ryan Maxwell and Greg Rohan.
"We're always coaching against those guys, with South Range being our rival," said Gregorino, in the Mahoning County dugout with South Range coach Dan Szolek. "To be on the same side as them was pretty fun."
Maxwell hit an RBI single, while Rohan singled, scored twice and pitched two innings. Youngstown Christian's Mike Byrdy added a double.
"Just having fun and trying to help out the team," Rohan, who will play at Kent State University, said of his effort. "It was the first annual game, so Mahoning wanted to win it bad. It's ironic that it would end in a tie."
Trumbull County was led by Newton Falls' Andrew Grunder with two singles and Badger's Bill Palette, who doubled and singled.
Nightcap
In the second game, a pair of Poland players pushed Mahoning County into the lead in the fourth inning. Bill Christian and Reid Lamport hit RBI doubles to help Mahoning County erase a 1-0 deficit.
Another Bulldog, Dave Yost, benefited from that support, pitching five innings to earn the victory, while teammate Dan Bertolini closed Trumbull out over the final two frames.
"In a game like this, you don't have to worry about anything," said Yost, who will play at Mount Vernon. "I started off a little slow, but when you have nothing to lose, it's easy to play well."
Upon walking and singling, Chaney's Adam Boris scored twice for Mahoning County. Trumbull County got two singles from Howland's Craig Dobos.
"This was a nice way to go out," said Trumbull County's Nick Canterino, a Girard senior who doubled and scored in the sixth inning, of the event in which players were nominated by their coaches.
richesson@vindy.com