Durkin’s no-hitter helps Cards advance

May 13, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

CANFIELD

Canfield sophomore pitcher Bridget Durkin admitted she had no idea she had thrown her first varsity no-hitter until a coach told her after the game ended. She was in good company.

Senior shortstop Rachel Tinkey, one of the Mahoning Valley’s athletes most gifted with awareness, also didn’t know

“I knew she was pitching pretty well,” said Tinkey after Canfield’s 10-0 victory over Niles in Tuesday’s Division II sectional final. “I think it’s better that she doesn’t know so she can go out there and do her thing [minus extra pressure].”

Taylor Ziegler’s second-inning walk provided the Red Dragons’ only baserunner in the five-inning game. Durkin struck out four.

“I didn’t think about it,” said Durkin (5-2), who added that she didn’t know until an hour before gametime that she would get the start.

That’s because Canfield, like other top seeds Poland, Champion and South Range, are using multiple pitchers. The Cardinals’ other starters are senior Allison Fabry (8-2) and junior Kayla Troxil (4-3).

Head coach Ray Melewski says he’s using a rotation for regular-season games.

‘Pretty much, we stay with that roation,” said Melewski, adding that he’ll make a change based on an opponent’s trength. “Allison throws more of a fastball, Bridget has real good off-speed pitches.

“So if you have a team that’s real aggressive at the plate, we’ll throw Bridget. If it’s a team with slower swings, we’ll throw Allison and Kayla at them.”

Canfield advances to Monday’s district semifinals at Alliance as the top seed. Poland has the second seed. They split two games, with Poland capturing the first one with Ally Deemer pitching against Durkin.

In the rematch, Fabry won a duel with Kristyn Svetlak.

Tinkey said she’s not surprised that teams are using more than one pitcher.

“Especially when we see teams twice,” Tinkey said. “We have three who are very capable of giving us a strong chance of winning. It’s to our advantage to have multiple pitchers.”

Tinkey said she wasn’t surprised when Poland head coach Matt Campbell went with Sevtlak in the second game.

“He was trying to give us a different look,” Tinkey said. “Now we have two pitchers in mind we could possibly see.”

Senior outfielder Kara Rothbauer agreed.

“I think it was their way of seeing how we do off of Kristyn,” Rothbauer said.

Rothbauer was pleased to be part of Durkin’s no-hitter.

“On the mound, she works her butt off,” Rothbauer said. “In the field, we try to work just as hard as her.”

Rothbauer and Jill Baker each scored twice. Baker also contributed a two-run single while Amelia Manenti had three hits.

Ally Sammarco’s three hits included a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning that provided the 10-run margin.

Melewski said his rotation ends Friday after the last regular-season game.

“Once Monday comes, I’m throwing an ace out there,” Melewski said. “If [someone] is hot, that’s the one I’m going with.”