’Cats claw out a victory

April 28, 2011 at 12:10a.m.

STRUTHERS

Struthers baseball coach Mike Donatelli summed up his team’s performance in one sentence Wednesday afternoon.

“We made plays when we needed them and we got hits when we needed and we came away with the ‘W’”, he said following the Wildcats 5-4 All-American Conference victory over Salem at Cene Park.

“With the weather like it is this spring it’s important to take advantage of every playing opportunity you get and to make to most of those opportunities and I think we did that today,” Donatelli said.

Ryan Young tossed a four-hitter, striking out seven and issuing only one walk as Struthers (7-6, 2-1 AAC) jumped out early against the Quakers (3-8, 2-1).

“We came out strong in the first inning with three big hits, but give their pitcher [Dan Saltsman] credit because he hung in there the rest of the way and I kept telling our kids that we needed more runs,” Donatelli said.

Saltsman, a senior, went the distance and pitched well, but a couple of miscues by the Quakers proved costly.

One of those miscues led to a two-run fifth inning for the ’Cats and proved to be the difference in the outcome.

With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Struthers’ Joe Deloreto led off with a single. Anthony Lariccia then dropped a sacrifice bunt, but the a bad throw allowed Deloreto to score and Lariccia ended up at third base, from where he scored on a ground out.

“Out kids fought back and we still had a chance at the end, but couldn’t finish it out in the seventh,” said Salem coach Aaron Alejars.

The Wildcats jumped on Saltsman in the opening inning as Deloreto led off with a double to deep left field and with one out Dylan Duchek ripped a triple off the fence in center field. Nick Gigay followed with a double to left-center.

The Quakers rallied in the third to take the lead. With one out Brendon Webb got the first hit of the game off Young with a single to left. Alex Weikart then grounded to third that looked like a double play, but a throwing error put runners on second and third.

Keaton O’Brien then tripled to deep left and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Storm Haueter.

Struthers tied the game in the bottom of the third on a double by Lariccia, a single by Gigay and a ground out by Mike Kunzer.

Salem closed the gap in the sixth when Haueter singled, stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Saltsman.

In the seventh Salem’s Mike Crittenden led off with a walk, the only one issued by Young, but was thrown out trying to steal second.

The Quakers had another opportunity when Brendon Webb reached on an error and stole second, but Young struck out Weikart to end the game.