Youngstown Cene opens PONY play with a victory

July 31, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Struthers

Youngstown Cene overcame a sluggish start to defeat Kiski Valley, 2-0, in a first-round game in the PONY Palomino East Zone tournament Thursday at Bob Cene Park.

Mike Boswell, one of just three 17-year-olds on the team, threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six while Mitch Wood had two hits and a run batted in to pace Youngstown.

“My goal was just to throw strikes and for the most part, I was able to do that,” Boswell said. “My curveball wasn’t breaking like I had hoped it would, so I just relied on my fastball and mixed in my changeup as well.”

Manager Andy Timko noted that Boswell’s overhand curve might just be his best pitch.

“Mike has a wicked overhand curve but it wasn’t working like he hoped it would today,” Timko said. “Everyone was sluggish at first and I think they were all a little nervous. All we had was one practice together, which lasted a little over an hour and a half, so the more they see each and play with one another, the better they will get. You see the talent that’s here so they’ll mesh a little more with each game that they play.”

Youngstown Cene also won its nightcap, 9-1 over Clinton Park behind Josh Greggs’ complete game. Mitch Wood had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Scoreless through four innings in the opener, Youngstown Cene broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Kyle Benyo roped a triple with one away and after Dalton Davis was hit by a Josh Bell pitch, Wood delivered a run-scoring single. It was his second of two hits on the night.

“We struggled at the outset, but as the game progressed we seemed to get more comfortable with each other,” Wood said. “Mike threw really well as he was able to locate his pitches, but the key was he was able to work ahead in the count.”

Youngstown increased its lead to 2-0 the following inning when Greg Popatak led off with a single, later scoring on Jake Smith’s groundout.

In the seventh inning, two infield errors and a single loaded the bases for Kiski Valley but after Jake Poremski field out to Wood for the second out, Wood turned and then threw a strike to Smith at the plate, who applied the tag to Kiski runner Nick Luciano for the game’s final out.

Youngstown plays Chartiers Valley today at 8 p.m.