One Dog down, one Dog to go

Canfield beat Lakeview 5-3 to set up a district final showdown with Poland.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- He was stuck behind Joe Fox and Joe Rosko last year. He's played in the shadows of Drew Turocy this year. He's unbeaten, unflappable and ... basically unknown.
Meet Canfield senior Steve Schoenfeld -- the second-best pitcher on the second-ranked team in the state.
"Steve has been a little underestimated this year," said Cardinals coach Matt Koenig. "He kind of flies under the radar and a lot of people don't know him. But he was 5-1 last year and he's 6-0 this year.
"He deserves a lot of credit."
And after Wednesday's 5-3 win over Lakeview in the Division II district semifinal at Cene Park, he'll get it.
Schoenfeld held the potent Bulldog lineup to one run through the first six innings before running into a little bit of trouble in the seventh. No problem. Sophomore reliever Jack Kucek was able to close it out, helping the Cardinals (24-4) advance to today's district final today at 4:30 p.m. against Poland, which defeated Ravenna 5-4 in the other semifinal.
Pair of aces
The final will pit arguably the area's two best pitchers in a rematch of a Metro Athletic Conference classic from mid-April. Turocy struck out 11 in a four-hit shutout, outdueling Cincinnati recruit Lou Coppola when Canfield won 1-0 on an unearned run in the sixth.
Schoenfeld did his part on Wednesday, giving up three runs in 61/3 innings, striking out five and walking five.
"I really wanted to finish it," said Schoenfeld. "But I was at 109 pitches. Coming out was the smart thing."
He got plenty of help from his defense -- the Cardinals did not commit an error and had two outfield putouts -- which was important considering Canfield led just 2-1 in the sixth inning.
"We weren't getting the big base hit, so we really needed good pitching and good defense," said Koenig.
The Cardinals finally got their big base hit in the bottom of the sixth, compliments of senior D.J. Haurin. With two outs and the bases loaded, Haurin hit a two-run single to score Mark Carrocce and Mike Hoelzel (who also had a terrific game at shortstop). Turocy, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, then scored on a passed ball to give the Cardinals some breathing room.
It was the first action in a week for Haurin, who pulled his pectoral muscle and was unable to swing a bat until Tuesday. He finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
"For him to get three RBIs was just fantastic," said Koenig.
Strong pitching
The loss overshadowed a very good performance from Lakeview's ace, Dave DeJacimo. DeJacimo went the distance, giving up nine hits with four strikeouts and five walks. After giving up two runs in the first inning -- it could have been worse, considering Canfield left the bases loaded -- he settled down before tiring in the sixth.
"We got a great performance on the mound from one of our senior leaders," said Lakeview coach Mike DeToro. "I'm extremely proud of all these guys. Obviously, we're disappointed in the loss, but at the same time we fought hard.
"That's all you can ask for."
Lakeview's No. 9 hitter, junior Kevin Cox, went 1-for-1 with an RBI single, two walks and a run. Senior Eric Pirtz added a two-run single in the seventh for the Bulldogs (16-11), who have won back-to-back Trumbull Athletic Conference titles.
"We had two goals -- one was to win the league and the other was to get to regionals," said DeToro. "We came up a little short on the second part, but I can't fault the effort.
"We gave them a run for their money."
scalzo@vindy.com