Canfield advances -- bare-handedly

Dave Piersante's stellar defensive play gave Canfield a 4-3 regional win.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUDSON -- The Canfield High baseball team found itself in a bad position Friday in the last of the seventh inning against Notre Dame Cathedral Latin in a Division II regional tournament semifinal game at Ball Park at Hudson.
Although the Cardinals had a 4-3 lead with two outs, the Lions loaded the bases on three walks by reliever Frank Turocy, and batter Mike Zaluski worked Turocy to a 3-and-2 count. Then Zaluski hit a slow roller toward third base that had a base hit written all over it.
But third baseman Dave Piersante charged the ball, grabbed it in his bare right hand and in the same sweeping motion fired a strike to first baseman Chad Baker to get out Zaluski by a step, to preserve Canfield's 4-3 win and a berth in today's regional championship game.
The Cardinals (27-4) will play Kenston at 1 p.m. at Ball Park for a state berth. Kenston advanced with a 2-0 win over Canton Central Catholic in Friday's other regional semifinal.
A daring play
"I had the feeling I could make the play, [but] my mind was kind of blank," said Piersante, a senior who is headed for Youngstown State. "You don't get the opportunity to prepare for a play like that because you don't barehand a ball very often. It was some kind of new situation and I just made the adjustment."
Coach Tony Ross of Canfield said Piersante made a bold play.
"He went for it. He showed a lot of courage in that situation. He believed he could do it and he did it," said Ross.
Cathedral Latin committed six errors to Canfield's two.
"[It was] a good play," Cathedral Latin coach Jim Clark said of Piersante's play. "[Canfield] made the routine plays and we didn't. That's what it came down to. They're a good team. A very good team. They played good defense today."
Banna in form
Starter Rick Banna (9-0) pitched a seven-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks over six innings for the Cardinals' 4-3 lead, before Ross inserted Turocy to pitch the seventh inning.
"I had too many pitches -- 130," Banna, who will play at Cleveland State or Akron next season, said. "My arm wasn't tired and I was still throwing hard in the sixth inning. But I agree with [Ross'] call. It was the right call for the situation."
Turocy, who was playing right field, said he hadn't pitched in 1 1/2 months because of an army injury.
"I told my coach that if he needed me I have an inning in me," he said. "I like [being in] this [clutch] situation."
Turocy was bailed out in the seventh by first baseman Chad Baker, who made an outstanding catch of a throw in the dirt to get Kyle Smudz on a grounder; and then by Piersante.
The scoring
Canfield scored its first run in the second inning on Tim Novotny's sacrifice fly that brought in Joe Pitzer, who had singled.
The Cardinals added two more runs in the fifth on run-scoring singles by Mike Pulakos and Pitzer. They got their last run in the sixth when Piersante scored on an error. Pitzer finished with two singles.
The Lions (22-6) also scored their first run in the second on Zaluski's RBI double to tie it at 1-1, and tallied again in the fourth on Joe Bartolone's RBI single to take a 2-1 lead.
After Canfield rallied to take a 4-2 lead, the Lions got their last run in the sixth on Bryan Doberdruk's RBI single.
kovach@vindy.com