HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

By Jon Moffett

Astro Falcons, Rondinelli Tuxedo roll in CABA openers

The two teams combined for 27 runs and shut out their opponents.

STRUTHERS — The clouds subsided Monday afternoon, but that didn’t stop a storm from brewing. Baseballs came off of the bats of two local teams and fell to the ground like rain. And although the noise coming from the bats was less ominous, the thunder sticks were booming.

Astro Falcons and Rondinelli Tuxedo of the Youngstown Class B League played their first games in the Continental Amateur Baseball Association (CABA) 18-and-under World Series, which began with pool play Monday at Cene Park. In the first game, the Astro Falcons defeated the Old Brooklyn Hurricanes (Cleveland) 12-0. Rondinelli defeated the Connecticut Blue Jays 15-0 in the second game.

Scott Ruark, the coach of the Astro Falcons and the tournament director, credited the Youngstown teams’ lopsided victories to the home feel.

“We love Cene Park,” Ruark said. “We play 27 games here during the league and playoff games, the Connie Mack and every other tournament we hold, and this is our home.”

The Astro Falcons sent southpaw Steve Gruver to the mound, and he set the tone early. Gruver struck out the side in the top of the first. Gruver sat down the first six batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the top of the fourth inning.

Having a strong offense helps a pitcher, Gruver said.

“It always feels good to know you’ve got a team behind you working their hardest getting runs,” Gruver said. “I just came out and hit the zone, pound it in there and try and make them do something; make them show that they can hit it, and if they can’t you just keep pounding the zone.”

The second game started off similarly for Rondinelli. Pitcher Cory McGinnist allowed a walk to the Blue Jays’ leadoff hitter and walked the next batter, but followed by striking out the side. McGinnist also was the beneficiary of a potent offense. Rondinelli scored six runs in the bottom of the inning to give McGinnist enough run support.

If the lights out pitching wasn’t enough, McGinnist’s teammate Todd Kibby proved how seriously the team was taking the game. With a runner on, Kibby stepped up to the plate and launched a ball to deep center field. As Kibby arrived at third base, he was given the green light to go home. The cutoff man threw home, but Kibby plowed into catcher Ryan Ritell and scored. Ritell remained down for a few moments, but was able to continue.

“I couldn’t hook-slide because he was too far up the line, so it was the only thing I had to do to score the run,” Kibby said.

Blue Jays coach Adam Taraska argued with the umpire for a few minutes, but admitted the play was clean and he was trying to pump up his team.

“You never want to call an 18-year-old kid dirty, and I don’t really think it was a dirty play, but I’m trying to protect my catcher,” Taraska said. “I want to show my boys that if they’re not playing with fire, somebody has to have a little fire and intensity. I thought that was a good moment to try and put some juice; some life back into my team by going out there and getting into a discussion with the umpire.”

The Youngstown teams are just two of the 16 teams participating in the aluminum bat series. Teams in the tournament come from California, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Ruark said he hopes other teams will give the tournament a shot in the future.

“It’s nice to have these guys come in from San Diego, Indiana, Connecticut seeing our ball park and maybe come every single year and have this thing grow to 30 or 40 teams,” Ruark said.

Gruver said that the home field advantage is nice, but the goal is the ring for winning the tournament.

“I think we have a great chance,” Gruver said. “We have a real good team with real strong defense and a lot of good hitters. I think we have a lot of potential and we’re hoping to get out there and make some noise here.”

Ruark admitted that he’s thought about having an all-Youngstown final for the tournament.

“Hopefully maybe in the final we get an all-local final with us and Rondinelli. We’re here to win, there’s no doubt. There’s no other reason why we’re even playing. It’s a great way to cap off a great year.”

All the teams in the tournament play two games today. Astro Falcons and Rondinelli both play at 2 and 7 p.m.

moffett@vindy.com