Falcons perfect at finish

July 6, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

Struthers

After nearly becoming the victim of a perfect game in the opener of their best-of-three Youngstown Class B Championship series, the Astro Falcons defeated Creekside Fitness 4-1 in extra innings Friday evening at Cene Park.

Creekside starting pitcher David Lemasters was three outs away from a perfect game in the top of the seventh inning before the Astro offense he had dominated all game awoke from a 1-0 deficit.

Astro center fielder and lead-off man Bubba Wells drew a full-count walk to become his team’s first baserunner before he advanced on Brendan Cox’s sacrifice bunt one pitch later.

Down in the count to Lemasters, no balls and two strikes, designated hitter Sam Fragale drilled a line drive up the middle that sent Wells home to extend the game and ruin Lemaster’s no-hit bid.

“Believe it or not, we had that happen to us once in the regular season,” said Astros coach Andy Timko, whose squad finished atop the Class B regular season standings with Creekside. “The guy had a no-hitter going against us and we were down two runs.

“It’s nothing new for the kids, they don’t quit.”

In the top of the ninth, Astros third baseman Jimmy Standohar sent a soft grounder to the right side of the infield. He broke hard for first.

“I knew I didn’t hit it great and got lucky where it was placed,” Standohar said.

Lemasters raced off the mound to accept the off-balance toss from Creekside first baseman Nick Stotler, but Standohar’s desperation stride was there first.

“I just ran my butt off to try and get there and beat him to the bag,” Standohar said.

With a two-one count, Troy Martin got the sign to try and advance Standohar to second. The soft, dying bunt down the third base line forced a hurried throw from third baseman Jared Wiesen that sailed wide of Stotler before rolling to the fence down the right field foul line.

Standohar never hesitated as he easily rounded the bases to give Astros a 2-1 lead.

“Anytime you get this far in the play-offs, and Creekside’s a great team, you’ve just got to manufacture runs and do whatever it takes,” Standohar said.

After another infield error, Martin came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Chris Wastchak before Nick Andrews capped the Astros’ big inning with a two-out single that scored Cox.

Astros starter Max Augenstein, meanwhile, was sensational throughout.

He tossed a complete game, three-hitter to pick up the win.

“My off-speed wasn’t working early, but I got it working later into the game,” said Augenstein, whose only blemish was an unearned run in the second inning. “I couldn’t have done it without my defense and the hitting, the best I’ve ever seen.”

He struck out only two Creekside batters, but allowed only one walk on which his infield, highlighted by second baseman Adam Becker’s somersaulting double play-turn in the bottom of the ninth, negated to end the game.

“My arm was getting a little sore, but I was just trying to get it over the plate and let my defense do the work.”

They will meet again today at 5 p.m. for game two.