Astro Falcons win another Class B title

By Greg Gulas

sports @vindy.com

STRUTHERS

For the fourth time in five years, the Astro Falcons have won the Class B title, defeating Roth Brothers 10-0 in five innings to sweep their best-of-five championship series Thursday at Bob Cene Park.

Michael McDonough tossed a two-hitter, striking out eight, while Kyle Benyo had three hits, four RBIs and a home run to pace Astros.

“My goal from the start was to keep their hitters off-balance and I was able to do that the entire game,” McDonough said. “My fastball hit the spot where my catcher, Hunter Snyder, set his glove and I just dropped my curve in when I needed to.”

Despite the loss, Roth Brothers will join Astro Falcons beginning next Thursday for the NABF Senior World Series at Cene Park.

“When you put on the Astro Falcons uniform, the goal is always to win it all,” manager Andy Timko said. “Pitching was our strength all season long and despite losing our first, second and third basemen from last season, we brought in a bunch of hungry 16-year-olds who wanted to play and that was the ke. Our staff is seven, eight deep and is built for tournaments like the NABF, so we’ll give the players a few days off to relax and heal their arms and then get ready for next week’s World Series.”

Timko, after leading R&J Trucking to three Class B crowns, has managed seven of the last 10 league champions.

Astro took a 1-0 lead in the first. Riley Campbell led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third after he and teammate Jared Kapturasky pulled off a double steal and then raced home on Noah Laster’s single..

In the second inning, after Snyder, Jared Burkert and Matt Gibson led off the inning with walks, Campbell’s single plated Snyder for a 2-0 margin. When Jared Houser grounded to third, Gibson scored for 3-0 lead.

“Despite the long season, the goal was to get back to the championship game.,” said Campbell, a Wadsworth native who will play at Toledo next year. “Our pitching was the key.”

McDonough, who will be a senior this fall at Crestview and has already committed to Ohio State, set down the first nine Roth batters that he faced, including five via strikeout. He finished with eight strikeouts.

The Astros increased their lead to 7-0 in the third inning, the first two runs coming on the strength of Kyle Benyo’s homer and the last two on run-scoring doubles by Gibson and Campbell.

“I hit a fastball that was up-and-in and was able to turn on it,” Benyo added. “Everything just clicked for us today.”

Astros increased their lead to 9-0 in the fourth frame, sending eight batters to the plate for the second time and scoring on Benyo’s single and Gibson’s bases-loaded walk. Benyo’s bases loaded single in the fifth inning then scored Jared Houser to end the game.

“It’s a bittersweet time for us because we had a great year overall,” Roth manager Matt McGivern said. “We’ll take a few days off, come back refreshed and get ready to make a run in next week’s World Series.”