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GlenOak bests Boardman
By Greg gulas
BOARDMAN
John Birkbeck scattered six hits and struck out 11, and Alex Sedon had four hits, including a home run and three RBIs as Canton GlenOak defeated Boardman, 8-1 in a Federal League baseball game on Thursday.
“Despite the final score, I thought that our one through six hitters hit the ball hard,” said Boardman coach Bob Beam. “They got a few breaks early, made some plays and that set the tone of the game.
“High school baseball is about putting pressure on your opponent and forcing them to make plays,” added Beam. “We did that [in a 9-4 win at GlenOak on Wednesday] and won while they did that today.”
The Golden Eagles (2-1, 1-1) took an early run advantage when Frankie D’Orazio’s single plated Jordan Shank in the opening frame.
They increased their lead to 4-0 in the second stanza on a run-scoring single by Sedon, and another single by D’Orazio that scored both Shank and Sedon.
Birkbeck, whose father, Mike, is a former University of Akron and Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets pitcher, said he felt great his first time out.
“My curve was working and that really helped us to our quick start,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to pitch when you have the lead as opposed to trying to play catch-up.
“Overall, it was pretty much what I expected for the first time out,” Birkbeck added.
The Spartan with Birkbeck’s number was catcher Dan Popio.
A junior, Popio had two hits and his double in the third inning was the only extra base hit for the Spartans (3-1, 1-1). That hit scored Nico DiIanni.
The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in each of the final two frames, the first coming on a double by Turner Anderson in the sixth and Sedon’s solo homer in the final frame.
“Boardman came over to our place on Wednesday and just thumped us,” said GlenOak coach Greg McClellan. “They swung their bats aggressively and just did everything right.
“Tonight, we were able to jump out to the early lead and that was a big difference.”
McClellan said “[Birkbeck] threw around 100 pitches and that was going to be his limit. Last year, his ERA was in the low two’s so it’s safe to say that his senior year is off to a good start.
“As for [Sedon], his strike zone is from his nose to his toes so I was happy to see him come back with a strong performance at the plate.”