West Branch shuts down Cards

May 21, 2010 at 12:06a.m.

By Joe Scalzo

STRUTHERS

For the first 62/3 innings of Thursday’s Division II district final, West Branch senior Jeff Deckerd dominated one of the area’s best hitting teams.

Then, when he ran into trouble by loading the bases, there was just one thought going through his mind.

“Get my reliever in there,” he said, chuckling.

Kolin Stanley came in, got the game-ending strikeout and the Warriors shut out Canfield 2-0 at Cene Park.

“He did exactly what he needed to do,” Canfield coach Matt Koenig said of Deckerd. “He kept throwing strikes and kept our guys off balance.

“I think this is the first time we’ve been shut out. Give all the credit to them. That’s a heckuva team over there and they were making plays.”

Deckerd (10-3) had just one strikeout but gave up ony three hits and two walks, working his curveball on both halves of the plate. He also benefited from terrific defense, including a diving catch in the sixth inning by left fielder Scott Rinaldi.

“They’re a good-hitting team,” said Deckerd, who watched the Cardinals’ district semifinal on Wednesday to get a feel for their hitters. “It seemed like they were looking at a lot of curveballs and we came out and established the off-speed stuff.

“We just kept them off-balance the whole game.”

Sophomore Matt Unkefer had two hits and both RBIs as the Warriors (19-9) scored runs in the first and third innings.

Senior Bo Beegle added a double and scored a run and freshman Brenden Wells singled and scored.

“These guys came together the last part of the season,” said West Branch coach Lynn Grove. “We had some pieces to replace and we finally figured out where we wanted to get guys and they got accustomed to where they wanted to play.

“We just became a team and bought into team baseball. Sacrificing your stats for the team.”

Senior Kyle Kesner pitched well for Canfield (19-8-1), tossing a five-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk.

But the Warriors were a little bit better, advancing to Thursday’s regional semifinal at Hudson High School against the winner of the Canton district.

“Jeff pitched really well,” Grove said. “You can’t go anywhere in the tournament without two good ones.”