Too little, too late: Early deficit drops Fitch, 6-1

Mentor took a 3-0 lead in the first inning to pull away for a 6-1 victory.
By KURT SNYDER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANTON -- Missed opportunities will haunt the Austintown Fitch High's baseball team as the Falcons' season came to an end with a 6-1 loss to third-ranked Mentor in Saturday's Division I regional final at Thurman Munson Stadium.
The Falcons, who were making their first regional final appearance since 1994, fell behind 3-0 after one inning. The Falcons (21-8) had opportunities to rally most of the afternoon but left 11 men on base.
"We had our chances and just couldn't make it happen today," Falcons' coach Wally Ford said. "We left way too many guys on base.
The Falcons got on the board with two outs in the third as junior first baseman Mike Eliseo dropped a two-out single into left to score pinch-runner Matt Laskovics to cut the deficit to 3-1. But after an infield single loaded the bases, senior center fielder Jeff Kotel's blooper to center was caught by the Cardinals' Bill Mustard.
The Falcons then put two on with nobody out in the fourth and fifth innings, but both innings fizzled thanks to a strikeout and line drive to short each inning. The line drive in the fourth inning turned into a double play, and Kotel bounced to third to end the fifth.
After Mentor (29-2) added two runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons loaded the bases in the sixth, but senior shortstop Bob Melnek grounded into a fielder's choice to short.
Ford said the clutch hit never came.
"That's just baseball," he said. "A couple of them we hit right on the money and hit right to guys. You have to give them credit. They made the plays when they had to."
Strong pitching
Cardinals' senior right-hander Tom Abbott (10-0) pitched the first six innings. The Cardinals will play the winner of the Cincinnati Sycamore-Reynoldsburg game at Dublin Thursday at 10 a.m. at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium.
Junior right-hander John Mang (4-4) pitched the first 4 1/3 innings for the Falcons and took the loss. No Falcons player had more than one hit, and Eliseo had the only RBI.
The Cardinals built their 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Senior first baseman Mike Pascoe drove in the first run with line single to right to score Mustard, who singled and stole second with one out. Two batters later, senior designated hitter Tom Doty drove in Pascoe with a line single to right-center before senior third baseman Ryan Swaney hit a sacrifice fly to center to finish the scoring.
Swaney drove in a three more runs with two singles in the third and fifth innings respectively.
Mentor coach Len Taylor said the first inning gave his Cardinals the afternoon's momentum.
"Right after that, I think we settled down," Taylor said. "The early nerves kind of really get to you."
The Falcons' season ends as they went one step further than a year ago when they lost in the regional semifinals. Ford said they did not hang their heads.
"This team is never going to give up," he said. "They play every out, every inning. They've done that all year. It's a credit to them. I really think the game was closer than 6-1."
ksnyder@vindy.com