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Campagna’s single drives in game-winner for Ohio Glaciers
Ohio Glaciers win twice, including
a one-run victory against Troy
By Greg Gulas
STRUTHERS
Joe Campagna’s single in the bottom of the sixth inning scored Joe Zufall with the game-winning run as the Ohio Glaciers defeated Troy American Legion Post No. 43, 2-1 in opening-day action Thursday in the Bob Cene Memorial Tournament at Cene Park.
The Glaciers, one of six Youngstown entries in the 24-team, round-robin field, went 2-0 on the day and will next play Stark County at 10 a.m. today.
Campagna, who was held hitless in his first two at-bats, was looking for a curveball with a 1-2 count.
“With the count 1-2, I was thinking that he wasn’t going to give me a fastball so I was looking for a curve, but hoping fastball. He threw the curve, I caught it just right and was able to get it through the infield,” Campagna said.
Pitcher Matt Gordon, a Grove City product who pitched at Binghamton University this past season, allowed just one run while scattering nine hits for a complete-game victory.
It was the first time he pitched in nearly two months. He will join Campagna on the Slippery Rock University baseball team next season.
“We got the clutch hit when we needed it and by them stranding eight runners after the first four innings, that was big,” Gordon said. “I haven’t pitched in nearly two months so I just wanted to pound the strike zone with fastballs and stay around the plate. It took a little longer to get settled in but once I did, it really felt good to be back on the mound.”
Despite stranding seven runners through the first three frames, Troy managed to break a scoreless tie in the third inning. Michael Hale stroked a one-out double and scored on Trenton Wood’s single.
The Glaciers tied the game at a 1 in the fifth when Bobby Dulay laced a one-out double, advanced 90 feet on a passed ball and scored on Pat Carano’s sacrifice fly.
Gordon held Troy to just one hit over the final three innings, which set up Campagna’s game-winning RBI.
Earlier in the day the defending NABF champion Glaciers pounded out 10 hits, scoring eight unanswered runs in an 11-7 win over the Ohio Clippers.
“We have kids that never quit and they’re finally realizing that the game is never over until it’s over,” Glaciers manager Don Pletcher said. “Matt Gordon pitched on our championship team last year and was ready to go today, despite an extended layoff. Our bracket, with both Troy and the Stark County Terriers, is almost identical to our NABF bracket last year.”
Troy manager Frosty Brown, who has entered his team in local tournaments since 1974, was disappointed that his team left so many stranded. He was frustrated with an inability to manufacture runs early in the game.
“You could tell that Matt Gordon had college experience. He threw a super game today,” Brown said. “We went into the game feeling like we had to throw all first pitch-curves, changeups on fastball counts and not get caught having to throw fastballs on hitters’ counts. We did what we were supposed to do, but it just didn’t work out for us.”
The tournament continues today with four games at 10 a.m. — three at Cene Park and the other at Pemberton Park.