Sky high

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Sixteen days after the Fitch High softball team's biggest win since the late '90s, the Falcons topped themselves with a whale of an encore.
On April 26, the Falcons (12-7), coming off a 1-21 season in 2004, rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Federal League rival Boardman, 5-4, in eight innings.
Thursday, Nicole Smaldino's sixth-inning home run over the center-field fence gave the Falcons a 2-0 victory in a Division I sectional final, snapping the Spartans' eight-year streak of advancing to the district.
"To beat them last time was amazing," said Smaldino after clubbing Boardman pitcher Ashley DiDomenico's 1-2 offering. "To come out to their field and beat them again is indescribable. She's an awesome pitcher.
"I knew it was a pretty good swing, but I didn't notice it was over until I was halfway to second base," the Falcons shortstop said. "I just tried to keep my weight back and stay ready for the changeup."
Streak snapped
Scoring from first base was Staci Balkan, whose two-out bloop single snapped DiDomenico's streak of 12 retired batters.
"Ashley pitched a great game and she deserved to win, but we didn't give her any offensive support," said Boardman coach Bill Amero, who lost his first sectional game in nine seasons.
"But you can't take anything away from [Fitch pitcher Jen] Purnell -- she also pitched a great game.
"Our season has been described as one of missed opportunities," Amero said of the Spartans' 13-8 season. "This game was a direct reflection of that.
"We hit the ball hard and a couple of them got hung up in the wind," Amero said. "But Smaldino's hit sliced through the wind like a hot knife through butter."
DiDomenico gave up four hits, three in the sixth inning. With two outs in the first inning, Smaldino doubled and was stranded when DiDomenico recorded one of her 10 strikeouts.
Three-hitter
Purnell (12-7) scattered three hits and twice stranded Spartans at third.
The first time was in the first inning when Spartans sophomore Danielle Burin doubled on the game's second pitch.
Addie Carothers' groundout advanced Burin to third. After walking DiDomenico, Purnell retired Mallory Hay and Emily Hays.
"It's almost unbelievable," said Fitch coach Melody Rice who grew up in Boardman and played for Amero from when she was 10 years old through high school. "To get a win against a man who is a master of the game is amazing."
Was Rice concerned by Boardman's early threat?
"Easy to say now, but I was not worried at all," Fitch's first-year coach said. "[Purnell is] an excellent pitcher with a lot of knowledge and experience and we have an amazing defense."
Purnell said she forced her self to shake off Burin's long hit.
"Before the game, I said that any ball hit to the outfield with the fence being 176 feet was going to make my heart drop," Purnell said.
But the longer the game remained scoreless, the stronger Purnell said she felt.
Line-drive catch
In the fourth inning, DiDomenico drew a lead-off walk and moved up on a sacrifice bunt and groundout. Falcons center fielder Jessica Reigrut caught a line drive off of Holly Holman's bat to end the threat.
"It felt good to beat them when it counts," Purnell said. "Sectional champs thing -- it's been a while.
"We've worked so hard so we knew we were going to be competitive this year," Purnell said. "We knew we might not win the Federal League, but we knew something good was going to happen."
A former Kent State outfielder, Rice said, "This is a big step for us. I don't think I've ever seen them determined as they were today."
On May 19 at 4:30 p.m. at Boardman's Fields of Dreams, Fitch will play Solon in a district semifinal game.
williams@vindy.com