Friday, May 20, 2011
By Pete Mollica
STRUTHERS
It took them two days to do it, but the Springfield baseball team made the most of both days to win the Division IV district championship Thursday afternoon at Cene Park.
The Tigers (15-6) jumped out to an early 14-1 lead on Wednesday over Columbiana before lightning and rain halted the contest in the third inning, then came back on Thursday and finished up a 15-3 victory.
Springfield advances to regional tournament play for the second time in three seasons.
“Eight walks and a hit batsman and seven of them scored, that was the ball game,” said Columbiana coach Scott Knox. “They hit the ball well, but if we don’t have all those walks it’s a whole different ball game.”
Added Springfield coach Matt Weymer: “It was something that we talked about before the game, being patient at the plate. The last time we played them they walked 12 batters and we won the game on only four hits.”
On Wednesday Tigers around in each of the first three innings.
In the first innng they used four walks and two doubles to score five runs. Cory Pitzo had a leadoff double and Brad Ferraro had a three-run double.
In the second inning two walks, a hit batsman and a Columbiana error led to four more runs with Jake Noble driving in a pair of runs with a single.
The third inning produced five more runs on two walks and four hits include two-run doubles by winning pitcher Nick Russell and Noble.
Thursday’s action included one more run by the Tigers in the fourth inning when Russell, who finished with four RBIs, drove in Joe Ohlin with a single.
Russell allowed just three hits over the five innings. He gave up a lead-off double to Kyle Shaffer to open the game and allowed just two other singles while striking out one and giving up two walks, both in the bottom of the fifth when the Clippers scored their final two runs.
Russell and Noble each had two hits and four RBIs for the Tigers, while Jason Horn and Ohlin added two hits each.