Deluge forces Division IV postponements at Cene Park

May 19, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

STRUTHERS

An entertaining inning-and-a-half between Western Reserve and Warren JFK at Cene Park on Monday ended up being just that.

The Division IV district semifinal was suspended after game officials waited nearly an hour to see if the skies would clear enough to play.

Lightning in the area caused enough concern to cancel both semifinal games. Jackson-Milton and Sebring were scoreless in the top of the third on another field when play was suspended.

The teams will have to wait until today at 6:30 p.m. to conclude what they started on Monday.

“Yeah, it’s a little frustrating because the guys were ready, but we’ll just have to get it going again [today],” Western Reserve coach Ed Anthony said.

The game was tied at 1 when heavy rain began to fall. They will resume play with the Blue Devils at the plate to begin the bottom of the second inning.

“I’d rather come back than to play under these conditions,” Warren JFK coach Don Lee said, staring at a water fall of rain dropping from the dugout roof.

“It’s a big game and it wouldn’t be fair to either team to have to play under these conditions.”

Both offenses got to the starting pitchers before the rain came. Preston Caparanis singled to lead off the top of the first and stole second to get into scoring position. Two batters later, Anthony Marzullo drove in Caparanis with a single to right field.

Western Reserve answered in the bottom of the inning, starting with a two-out walk to Jacob Clark. Cleanup hitter Jeep DiCioccio hit a fly ball to left-center field that hit off a diving Dante Munno’s glove, allowing Clark to come all the way around from first to score.

Eagles lefty Ryan Lee needed 23 pitches to retire the side in the bottom of the first. It took Western Reserve starter John Clegg 22 pitches to get through the top half.

The Blue Devils’ senior righty retired the side in order to start the second inning.

“One minute he’s painting a Rembrandt, and then sometimes it’s finger paint,” Anthony said of Clegg’s pitching.

“It started looking like a Rembrandt there in the second inning as he got into a groove a little bit.

“But he’s a senior and he helped carry us in our state run last year. I think he’s the type of player who will be ready to go again [today] and we’re going to need him again [today].”

Both coaches said they would like to throw their original starters when the game resumes this evening. However, both were going to wait and see how their pitchers felt before making a decision.

“I go about three pitchers deep,” Lee said. “So if I put him back on the mound [today] and he doesn’t have it, I’ll bring in somebody else.”

The defending district and regional champion Blue Devils began their quest to return to the Division IV state tournament with a sectional final win over Mineral Ridge last week. The Blue Devils are the top seed in the Struthers district with a 19-4-1 record.

Warren JFK beat Youngstown Christian and Mathews to reach the district semifinal. The Eagles (10-12) are the fourth seed.