Fitch's Melnek tosses 2-hitter

Austintown plays Mentor today in Canton for a state berth.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANTON -- The windy weather conditions at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium favored the pitching style of Austintown Fitch High senior Bob Melnek.
"The winds saved me several times," Melnek said of the strong winds that blew in from the outfield at the former minor league stadium of the Akron/Canton Indians.
Pitching mostly inside to Green batters, Melnek induced 11 flyball outs and fashioned an impressive two-hitter to lead the Falcons to a 6-2 victory over the Bulldogs in the Division I regional semifinal.
Fitch (21-6) will play Mentor (28-2), the state's third-ranked team, in the championship game today at 1 p.m. The Cardinals defeated Twinsburg 2-0 in the other semifinal.
"I like to pitch inside and jam hitters, and that tends to make the ball go straight up in the air," Melnek said. "Fortunately, the wind knocked down some of the harder hit balls and the defense was just outstanding."
Difference
Green coach Jon Wallace said Melnek was the difference in shutting down the Bulldogs' high-powered offense.
"Melnek didn't back down from our hitters," Green coach Jon Wallace said. "That was a gutty performance by him.
"He had command of the game from the start," Wallace added. "You have to tip your hat to a performance like that."
Melnek (7-0) didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, but Green scored the game's first run in the second inning after a walk, a stolen base, an error and a groundout.
The Falcons answered quickly with a rally in the bottom of the inning that produced four runs.
Jeff Kotel reached base on an error and went to third on a single by John Mang. Matt Lutz tied the game with a single, and after a walk to Mike Brown, John Burnich drove in two more runs with a single to right. Dom Modarelli drove in the fourth run on a fielder's choice that scored Brown.
"That was a big inning for us," said Fitch coach Wally Ford. "It took the pressure off and let us turn the game over to Melnek and our defense."
Green rallies
Green (20-10) got to within 4-2 in the fourth on another unearned run, but the Falcons scored two insurance runs in the sixth.
Brown opened with a single and Burnich reached on a fielder's choice. Brown scored on a single by Melnek, and pinch runner Mike Scurti moved to third on the play. Scurti scored on a double steal.
Green finally reached Melnek in the sixth on a single to center by Brian Misutka. The Bulldogs added another single in the seventh inning.
"I knew I had a no-hitter going," Melnek said. "But I just wanted to finish and get us to the championship game."
"This was a big win," added Ford, whose Falcons will appear in a regional championship game for the first time since 1994.
Last year, Fitch lost to Massillon Jackson in the regional semifinals.
"This was a team effort," Ford said. "We got good pitching, timely hitting and great defense. We'll need more of the same on Saturday."