Mooney's quick start leads to win

The Cardinals defeated Springfield in the Division III district final.
STRUTHERS -- The tone for the Division III district baseball championship between Springfield and Mooney was set in the first inning.
Kyle McCarthy of Mooney needed just seven pitches to retire the Tigers in order on two grounders and a strikeout.
In the bottom of the first Mooney leadoff batter Dan Babyak turned an 0-2 count into a walk. McCarthy then hit the first pitch he saw to the wall in left-center for a RBI triple and two pitches later he scored on sacrifice fly by Joe Irwin, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after just 10 pitches.
Mooney used the quick start and an eight-run third to defeat the Tigers 13-0 Friday at Cene Park.
Black River is next
Mooney (22-4) will face Sullivan Black River (12-13) May 27 at 2 p.m. in a regional semifinal at Massillon High School.
McCarthy needed just 58 pitches in the five-inning game. He allowed one hit, a lead-off single by Mike Sobnosky in the third inning, then induced the next batter into a double play. McCarthy allowed just one other baserunner on a fifth inning walk with one out. The next batter then hit into a game-ending double play.
McCarthy (6-1) had seven strikeouts and faced the minimum, 15 batters.
"We thought [top of the first] was big for us, when Kevin [Drummond] made two good plays at third that kind of got us into the flow of the game," said Mooney coach Steve Leslie.
"Dan [Babyak] did a good job of getting on base after being down in the count, and Kyle got the big hit which set the table for us," added Leslie.
The Cardinals scored eight runs (four unearned) in the third inning. McCarthy led off by reaching on an error and stole second. Irwin then bunted and the throw to first was wild, scoring McCarthy and advancing Irwin to third. Irwin scored on a wild pitch, then Jon Grist, Josh Moffie, and Babyak had run scoring doubles.
Mooney added three more runs in the fourth inning.
Errors hurt Tigers
"Our key all year was to not get down," said Springfield coach Bob Beam. "They [Mooney] put the ball in play and then they started to hit doubles all over the park. Not one play decided the game, but if we make the first play in the third inning you never know. Then we made the error on the bunt and it snowballed from there."
Beam watched the game from outside the dugout as he was completed a two-game suspension following his ejection in a game last week.
"I put the blame on myself for not being able to coach today," said Beam.
Sophomore Jeremy Savaet (3-2) started and suffered the loss. He allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks in two plus innings. The Tigers ended the season with a 19-9.
Moffie had two hits and a pair of RBIs, and Grist also had two hits. Babyak and Irwin each had a pair of RBIs, while McCarthy scored three times, and Tony Brunetti twice.
Mooney pitchers allowed just three hits and one run with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings in the district.
"We can get the ball to a bunch of guys on the mound," said Leslie. "Our pitching has been phenomenal all year."