District action takes center stage

May 17, 2010 at 12:10a.m.

By TOM WILLIAMS

YOUNGSTOWN

Several Mahoning Valley softball and baseball teams have unfinished business from 2009 they plan to address over the next few weeks.

Two of them (Ursuline softball and Springfield baseball) finished state runners-up last season.

Ursuline, led by senior pitcher Casey Lower, is hoping for a return to the Division III state competition at Akron’s Firestone Stadium. Last year, the Irish lost to Hebron Lakewood, 5-0, in the state title contest.

The Irish (20-4), who needed an extra inning to eliminate Liberty (7-13) in the sectional final, will have their hands full beginning today when they face archrival Mooney (22-5) in a district semifinal at Lisbon’s Dickey Complex.

The other semifinal features Girard and South Range (26-1).

This spring, Champion (24-1) has been assigned to the Jefferson district. It’s quite possible that the survivor of the Lisbon district could meet the Golden Flashes in the regional final at Massillon’s Genshaft Park.

In baseball, Bob Beam’s Springfield lost several key players from last year’s state team including Todd Kibby and Bryan Visingardi. Still, the Tigers have compiled a 21-6 season and return to the Div. IV district competition at Struthers’ Cene Park to face Mathews in a semifinal game on Thursday.

The other semifinal game pits Columbiana (16-10) against McDonald (18-3).

Baseball and softball aren’t the only spring sports gearing up to crown champions. In boys tennis, the Div. I district competition begins on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Oberlin. The Div. II meet will be at Canton.

Track and field district meets begin Wednesday when Div. I athletes gather at Fitch High in Austintown and Div. III competitors will perform at Springfield High in New Middletown.

The Div. II meet will begin on Thursday at Salem.

Poland’s softball squad (24-1) arguably is the Mahoning Valley’s strongest team with the best chance to secure a state crown. In Reid Lamport’s 31 years of coaching (including a state runner-up team in 2001), these Bulldogs might be his best squad.

Sophomore ace Erin Gabriel is 16-0 as the Bulldogs prepare for the Jefferson district. Last year, Poland was the regional runner-up, losing to Tallmadge 1-0.

In Div. I, Boardman (14-6) and Canfield (16-11) are on course for a district final showdown at Boardman’s Fields of Dreams.

Last year (the Spartans’ first under coach Mike Trell), the Spartans were regional runners-up, losing to Hudson, 1-0.

Boardman pitcher Alex DiDomenico, who has recovered from a broken pinkie on her pitching hand, says the Spartans “need to step it up more. We have a lot of good competition ahead of us and we plan on making it pretty far.”

In baseball, the most competitive bracket is found in Division II. On Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Cene Park, Canfield (18-3) will take on Hubbard (23-2) in one semifinal while Mooney (18-6) takes on West Branch (17-9). The Warriors advanced by ousting last year’s regional runner-up, Poland, in the sectional final.

Howland and Warren Harding are the surviving teams in Div. I district play which begins today.

In Div. III, the local survivors are Ursuline (13-14), South Range and LaBrae (10-11). The Irish squad, which features four freshmen infielders, began the season 0-4 before clicking.

“It’s always nice to make it back to district, but [our] run’s not over yet,” Irish senior catcher David Rossi said. “This team has a great baseball tradition and we’re going to uphold that this year.”