43
1080 Media gets to Mack title contest
By john bassetti
STRUTHERS
Matt Shelton of 1080 induced Hubbard High School teammate Bo Slemons into a game-ending groundout to stop Ohio Glaciers’ five-run outburst in Friday night’s Connie Mack state tournament game, won by 1080, 7-5.
The win puts 1080 against Rondinelli in tonight’s state championship game at 7:30.
Left-hander Dillon Haviland had a one-hitter and 7-0 lead through six innings for 1080 and the McDonald, Pa., product didn’t give up his first walk until the sixth inning when Sutton Whiting reached base. Then, in the seventh, Haviland issued two straight walks to Dylan DeJane and Sean Gabriel, who quickly scored on a hit to right field by Joe Sekula.
With eight strikeouts in hand, Haviland gave up an inside-the-park home run to Whiting with Sekula and Collin Bowser scoring to close the gap to 7-5.
After Sam Porter walked, Shelton took over for Haviland with two outs and Slemons at the plate. Slemons grounded to second baseman Mike Watson, who fired to first baseman Justin Vrabel for the final out.
Shelton threw two pitches to Slemons, both fastballs.
“I knew he’s a great hitter, but I didn’t want to stay away from him, though, because I knew he’d be waiting back on a curveball. He knows me too, so I guess it was just a guessing game.”
Haviland said he lost gas.
“I guess my legs were going on me,” he said. “I was leaving a lot of things high. When I did get it down, I was short-arming it,” said Haviland, whose pitch count was about 77 before he threw 20 just in the final frame.
Of Shelton, Haviland said, “He stepped up. He’s a gamer.”
Haviland threw 81 pitches three days ago.
“He gutted it out and gave it all he had,” said 1080 manager Andy Timko.
Timko said he knew Slemons was Shelton’s high-school mate.
“With the game on the line, he’s a tough kid,” Timko said of Shelton.
Timko said tonight’s title game will be the eighth between the teams. He’ll send Justin Summers to the mound.
In 1080’s first at-bats, James Coates had a leadoff triple and scored on a fielding error at first base after Cavan Cohoes’ grounder was picked up and thrown by shortstop Sutton Whiting. However, with the bases loaded and two outs, Glaciers’ starter Jimmy Behnke struck out Mike Watson to end the threat.
1080 went up, 2-0, in the second when Coates scored from second base on Cohoes’ single to center field.
The Glaciers made a pitching change in the third after leadoff batter Dan Popio singled. Shane Parks replaced Behnke, but Anthony Raschilla got on base via a hit to left field. Matt Shelton’s sacrifice bunt advanced Popio to third and Raschilla to second before Popio scored on Mike Watson’s single for a 3-0 lead.
Sean Koury relieved Parks in the top of the fifth, but Popio greeted him with a double off the left-field fence and then Popio came home on Raschilla’s single for a 4-0 advantage for 1080. With the bases loaded and two outs, Koury was supplanted by Joe Hoelzel, but Coates walked to bring Watson home with 1080’s fifth run, then Cohoes walked to send Justin Vrabel across for a 6-0 lead.
After Popio’s walk to start the sixth and Matt Shelton’s single to deep right field, Watson’s sacrifice fly brought Popio home for a 7-0 lead.
Prior to the last inning, the Glaciers had their best chance to score in the bottom of the sixth when, with Whiting on base, Bo Slemons hit a high ball to left field. However, Joey Aulizia caught the fly at the fence to end the inning.
Ohio Glaciers 6, Rondinelli Tuxedo 2
Rondinelli Tuxedo suffered its first loss in the tournament.
Todd Kibby was the winner for the Glaciers, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking two and striking out 11.
Tony Koch had a hit and scored a run while Zack Stein had the lone RBI for Rondinelli.
Sean Gabriel led the Glaciers with a double among his two hits, with two RBIs. Collin Bowser had three hits and scored twice for the Glaciers.