Widrig helps Boardman sweep season series against Warren Harding

May 13, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

Widrig helps Boardman sweep

season series against Warren Harding

BOARDMAN

Even though the results were positive, Boardman senior pitcher Hudson Widrig says he will not miss pitching against Warren Harding.

“I guess I just can’t [cruise against] Warren,” said Widrig after the Spartans defeated the Raiders 4-1 in Thursday’s Division I sectional final. “Last time, I also wasn’t on my game.”

Widrig scattered seven hits and was backed up with several strong defensive plays as the Spartans (15-10) won for the third time against the Raiders.

“For two years now, Hudson has been our ace,” Boardman coach Joe Gabriele said. “He throws a ton of strikes, he gets ahead of batters.

“He does exactly what you want your main guy to do and he always keeps us in games.”

Widrig struck out six and walked one.

“To start it off, I felt decent, but I didn’t feel like today was one of my best performances,” Widrig (6-1) said. “In the later innings, I started getting tired, with the [warmer temperatures].

“But in the sixth, seventh innings, I started feeling [strong] again.”

With the Spartans ahead 2-1 in the fifth inning, the Raiders had runners at second and third with one out. Marcus Masters lined out to second baseman Alex Cardona who fell to the ground next to second base to make the catch and tagged the bag to retire Shawnel Ferebee for a double play.

Trailing by three in the seventh, the Raiders (9-12) threatened again after Doug Painter singled with two outs. Ferebee hit a the ball to shortstop Mark Melewski, taking him deep. Melewski chose not to throw the ball to first base as Painter noticed third base unguarded.

Painter raced for third and Melewski caught him just before he reached the bag to end the game.

“Mike’s a pretty fast kid — I thought he had a chance,” said Dom Stilliano whose fourth-inning double ignited the Spartans’ offense. “You don’t see that very often.”

Widrig was relieved.

“It was a team effort today,” Widrig said. “If he didn’t make that play, the tying run would have been up.

“That would have made me a little nervous.”

The Raiders ended a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with an unearned run.

With one out, Grant Williams reached base on an error. After Antonio Walker singled, an outfield bobble allowed Williams to take third. He came home on a fielder’s choice.

For the Raiders, Masters retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced.

“He pitched a hecukva game,” Harding coach Andrew Burnett said. “We knew what we had to do. They are a good team, you can’t give them extra outs. You’ve got to play a clean game — we did for four or five innings.”

With one out in the fourth inning, Spartans Lou Cardona and Gaven Strines walked.

Stilliano doubled to deep left field to send Cardona home with the tying run and Strines to third. Nick Stamp’s fielder’s choice scored Strines with the go-ahead run.

The Spartans scored two more runs in the fifth inning as the Raiders committed three errors. Alex Cardona and Luke Cardillo had hits to spark the rally.

The loss was the final varsity game for Harding’s seniors (Painter, Ferebee, Mark Herron and Masters.

“Those four are at the top of the order,” Burnett said. There’s a reason why they are up there, you can’t replace them. They are leaders on and off the field. I’m proud of them.”

Boardman advances to the Struthers district where they will play today’s Howland/Stow-Munroe Falls winner in Wednesday’s semifinals at Bob Cene Park.