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Astro starts CABA on winning note
Photo
Astro Falcons pitcher Jason Revesz watches as catcher Dan Popio makes a play for the ball during a Continental Amateur Baseball Association game Monday against the Greenville Spartans at Cene Park in Struthers. The Falcons won 14-2 in four innings.
By Joe Scalzo
Struthers
Throughout the Class B season, as the Astro Falcons rolled to the league’s best record and top seed in the playoffs, there were whispers around the league that another team was better.
“People said Dave Sugar was the better team, we just happened to have the better record,” said Astro catcher Dan Popio. “It made us have a little chip on our shoulder and say, ‘We have something to prove here.’”
Astro had fallen short in the Class B playoffs the previous two years — “We knew what it took to get there and we knew how much we wanted it,” Popio said — but had to survive a heart-stopping finish in the fifth and deciding game of the Class B championship series.
After scoring two runs in the first inning, Falcons pitcher Ryan Gallagher allowed just one run through the first six innings.
Then things got dicey in the seventh.
“We won it on a diving play to the shortstop with a guy on third base,” said manager Andy Timko. “It was pretty cool.”
“We kept chucking away and proved we were the best team in the league this year,” outfielder James Coates added. “It meant a lot to us.”
The next day, the Falcons started the Connie Mack tournament and went 6-1 to roll to their second straight title, beating Rondinelli Tuxedo 16-6 in the championship game.
“Those tournaments are tough,” said Coates. “You play a lot of doubleheaders, three in a row, stuff like that.
“You just had to grind out games. We hit the ball, pitched it fielded it, did everything we needed to do. Just found a way to win.”
Added Popio, “I was really proud of everyone. We played a bunch of doubleheaders, being here [at Cene Park] until 1 o’clock in the morning.
“We just stuck together as a team and won it and it’s tough to do.”
Monday, Astro was back on the field for the CABA World Series, albeit with some reinforcements. Timko picked up several players from the Class B league — including Dave Sugar’s Jason Revesz, who lost the championship game to Gallagher — for the 18-under aluminum bat tournament.
“This is more of a fun tournament,” Timko said. “It’s sort of like an All-Star team, with Rondinelli and us.
“We just loaded up on pitching. I think we’ve got 12.”
Timko only needed one Monday night against Greenville (N.Y.). Revesz gave up two runs in the first inning — he was hurt by an outfield error — then held the Spartans scoreless the rest of the way as Astro bludgeoned their way to a 14-2 victory in 31/2 innings.
Coates went 3 for 3 with a triple and three runs, Dan Mioni added three hits, two runs and four RBIs and G.J. Senchak tripled and scored three runs.
And they’re not done yet.
“Once you get us to the championship game, they won’t lose,” Timko said. “They’re good kids.”