43
Canfield wins doubleheader for state title
By GARY HOUSTEAU
BOARDMAN
Canfield 11U slugged 10 hits and scored 13 runs in just three innings at the plate as they defeated Dover in a four-inning mercy rule rout, 13-2, to win the state championship at The Field of Dreams in Boardman.
But Canfield, the winners of the losers’ bracket, almost didn’t make it to the championship game as they had to rally for two runs in extra innings to earn the game-one victory, 7-6.
Down to their last strike of their last out in the bottom of the seventh inning of a win-or-go-home contest, Canfield trailed Dover 6-5 with two runners on base when Broc Lowry smashed a double to the left-center field gap. The first run in tied the game but the potential winning run was dead in its tracks with two full strides left to home plate when the ball reached the catcher. But when the ball rolled away from the catcher on the throw, Connor Miller was able to touch the plate and Canfield forced a game two for the state title.
“There’s 18 outs, in fact in this case there’s 21 outs. We preach to our players and try to pound it home that you play to the last out, the last strike. When you do that, that’s what happens,” Canfield manager George Beck said after the game-one victory. “What a great game, a back-and-forth game, both teams answered each other. It was a great Little League baseball game.”
Connor Daggett pitched 4 1/3 innings before he reached 80 pitches for Canfield and Jake Schneider came on to finish it out and grab the first win. Daggett also socked a two-run home run in Canfield’s four-run second inning while A.J. Havrilla doubled and hit a solo home run for the locals as Canfield earned an appearance in the title game.
That contest was all but over after Canfield’s two-run first inning and six-run second, highlighted by a pinch-hit two-run home run by Dominic Marzano, and five more in the third to win the state championship in a convincing manner.
“Look at the crowd here. It’s just amazing that all these people come out and support us. To win a state championship in your hometown like this is very special,” said Beck, who had to pause as he was choked up with emotions. “They’re all special (championships). I was able to do this with my older son in 2012 and 2014 and you come back with your younger son (Jameson) and you do it again last year and this year. It’s special. It really is.”
Ben Slanker pitched a complete game to earn the championship victory for Canfield.
But it was Havrilla who rose to the occasion at the plate once again in game two smacking two more doubles and knocking in three more runs. The son of former Chaney three-sport standout and YSU Penguin, Rick Havrilla, was four for five with four RBI and he scored five runs.
Havrilla, with a big smile on his face, acknowledged the team victory before his individual contribution.
“I’m just so happy that we got the team win. This was a really good team that we beat,” Havrilla said. “Hitting is my favorite part of the game and my dad spends a lot of time with me. I love to hit. I had a blast. I like meeting all the other kids from different teams.”
Beck was more than elated for the kids for winning yet another state title.
“Winning the state championship was our goal at the beginning of the year and we did it,” he said. “We had a long road, getting into the losers’ bracket we had to beat a lot of teams. We did the same thing last year, we got into the losers’ bracket and had to win twice last year and we won twice last year.
“These guys, they battle, they play hard and they swing the bats very well. It was such a great team victory,” Beck said.