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Struthers rallies to ground Rockets
By TOM WILLIAMS
STRUTHERS
With Thursday’s game against across-the-river rival Lowellville on the line, Struthers head coach Mike Donatelli didn’t mind seeing junior Joe Diloreto stroll to the plate.
“Joey works the count, he doesn’t just get up there and just swing,” said Donatelli after Diloreto’s one-out single produced the go-ahead run in the Wildcats’ 8-6 victory at Cene Park.
With the score tied 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning, the Wildcats loaded the bases on two walks and an error.
Facing the Rockets’ fourth reliever of the game, Anthony Alfano, Diloreto stroked an 0-1 pitch past the outstretched glove of shortstop Raymond Carlson into left field to score pinch-runner Ryan Young.
Diloreto said he concentrated on putting the ball in play and going with the pitch.
“I got an outside pitch so I just threw my hands at the ball and got it into the gap,” Diloreto said. “Sometimes you just have to put the ball in play and good things will happen when things are going your way.”
With two outs, Tyler Serich drew a walk to score Anthony Lariccia with the final run.
Lowellville coach Sam Pitzulo said playing a Division II program like Struthers (11-9) late in the season gets his squad (12-11) prepared for the Div. IV postseason that begins next week.
“Getting ready for tournament, we couldn’t ask for a better team to go up against and we couldn’t have played better ball,” said Pitzulo whose team jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first inning.
“Forget the pitching because of the walks but defensively, offensively, baserunning — they did their job,” Pitzulo said.
With the Wildcats ahead 1-0, the Rockets combined aggressive baserunning with a two-run error to score five times.
Louie Lebron, Mike Petronek and Matt Zackasee singled, Bryan Rossodivita brought home one run with a sacrifice fly and Bryan Schiraldi hit a two-out single to score another.
After a 28-pitch first-inning, Struthers starter Vince Cavanaugh settled down and pitched into the fifth inning. Justin Hughes, the other pitcher Donatelli will start in the postseason, finished to improve to 4-1.
Cavanaugh said rough starts have become his trademark.
“I usually don’t get too worried when I start off rough — that’s usually what happens about three-fourths of the time,” the senior pitcher said. “But once I find my groove and set in, I usually do all right.
“Pretty much if I make it out of the first inning, I feel all right after that.”
Donatelli agreed.
“He’s done that pretty much all year,” Donatelli said. “The first inning is his trouble inning. The longer he pitches, the better he gets, the more effective he gets.”
Three second-inning walks helped the Wildcats cut the lead to 5-4, with Anthony Lucas’ bloop single into shallow left field bringing home two runners.
“It’s always nice when you know that they’ve got your back,” Cavanaugh said. “When they put some numbers up on the board, it makes you feel a lot better when you go back out.”
In the sixth inning with Lowellville trailing 6-5, Tim Lisko singled and scored the game-tying run when pinch-hitter Randy Pavlicko singled.
Donatelli said that the team that wins the Div. II district will have to overcome plenty of talented teams, including Mooney, Hubbard, Poland and Canfield.
“Honestly, I think it’s one of the toughest in the state,” Donatelli said. “There are going to be a lot of good teams sitting at home [early] for not making it out of district. It will be a challenge.”