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Boardman rallies to edge Liberty with sacrifice fly
By Greg Gulas
BOARDMAN
Nate Knaus scattered eight hits as the Boardman High baseball team defeated Liberty on Saturday.
Nico DiIanni’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning scored the winning run.
“It was Senior Day and all 14 of our seniors contributed,” Spartans coach Bob Beam said. “We’re very fortunate in that all of the seniors played a part in our success this season.
“While it remains a challenge for a coach to keep everyone happy, winning has a way of keeping everyone focused,” Beam said.
It was the final game of the season for Liberty (11-11-1) with Coach Gary Knittle, who was a member of the 1993 Spartans state semi-finalist squad.
Knittle tried to utilize senior Jared Wiesen by having him play every position in his final scholastic game.
Wiesen fell short of accomplishing the feat as he failed to throw a pitch, yet his title as the Leopards’ “Mr. Versatility” is a well-deserved moniker.
Wiesen doubled in the first inning; threw a runner out trying to steal third that same inning and along with shortstop Justin House, turned a double play in the fourth frame while playing first base.
It was all in a day’s work for the center fielder who hit in all but two of the Leopards’ games this season.
“When Coach [Knittle] approached me at midseason about the opportunity, it sounded very interesting and was something that I had never even thought about,” Wiesen said.
Knittle called Wiesen “the hardest-working player that I have coached at any level; someone who has done whatever we have asked of him.”
“He’s a four-year letterwinner who started for us at shortstop as a freshman, split time between shortstop and the outfield as a sophomore and was our centerfielder the past two seasons.
The Spartans (17-7) took the lead in the opening frame when Cameron Rogers’ single scored Dan Popio.
Liberty knotted the game in the fourth inning when a House single drove home courtesy runner Matt Pontutti.
The Leopards took a 2-1 lead in the fourth frame when Lou Rivera’s sacrifice fly scored Mike Moamis.
The Spartans knotted the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning when Danny Kratofil’s single up the middle scored Jade Koury.
DiIanni’s sacrfice fly scored Bobby Diamond.
“It was a fast ball that hung right over the plate,” DiIanni said. “I was just trying to make contact and drive it far enough. Knaus (3-3), who struck out six en route to his second complete game of the year, said he felt a little nervous when they were trailing 2-1.
“I was a little antsy when we were down by a run, but deep down felt that our bats would get going much like they have all season long.”