43
Larimer, Astro Falcons blank SBA Aces
Gallery
STRUTHERS — Early start time? No problem for Western Reserve product Wyatt Larimer.
The starting pitcher was dominant for Astro Falcons in a Class B 18-U game at Bob Cene Park. The Falcons shut out SBA Aces 6-0.
Larimer allowed just one hit in six innings of work, strking out six and working around four walks.
Photo Gallery: Astro Falcons vs SBA Aces
On offense, Astro Falcons were led by Jack Anderson. The catcher went 3 for 4 with two RBI doubles. Leadoff hitter and third baseman Joe Rock went 2 for 4 with an two-run single.
All that was more than enough with Larimer on the mound.
“He had his good fastball today,” Astro Falcons head coach Andy Timko said. “He’s the real deal.”
Larimer seemed to get more effective as the game went on. He faced the minimum in the third, fourth and fifth innings and only had to face a fourth batter in the sixth inning due to an error. The right-hander said he learned SBA was having trouble keeping up with his hard stuff.
“I knew that if I started them off with my off-speed and then came back with two straight fastballs almost everybody was behind them really,” Larimer said. “I was really comfortable the whole game.”
Those fastballs were coming in as quickly as 84 mph according to the radar gun of a Kent State scout who was sitting behind home plate. Larimer, a 2017 high school graduate, will walk on with the Golden Flashes this upcoming season.
SBA pitcher Nick Bensen hung with Larimer for much of the game until the wheels came off in the sixth inning. With the Falcons leading 1-0 after one of Anderson’s RBI doubles in the first inning, Noah Laster led off the sixth with an infield single.
Dylan Rotz walked and after a fielder’s choice to get Laster at third, Anthony Michalski was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Brendon Myers hit a slow roller toward second baseman Matt Costello. Michalski slowed his run to screen Costello from the ball, but he was ruled to make contact with the fielder, allowing just one run to score instead of two. It became a moot point the next batter though when Rock singled in two runs to bust the game open at 4-0.
“The second and third times through our kids saw [Bensen] a little bit,” Timko said. “He did a good job. A break here or there and it might have been a different ball game.”
One of those breaks came in the first inning when SBA had runners on first and second with one out. Kyle Campbell ripped a line drive that was sure to get into right field but it struck baserunner Anthony Coffi in fair territory. By rule, Coffi was out and the ball was dead. Larimer struck out the next hitter to end the threat.
With Larimer holding a four-run lead in the later innings, that lead easily could have felt like double digits.
“I knew I had my teammates behind me and they’re a good defense,” Larimer said.
The win pushes Astro Falcons to 14-2, comfortably in first place in the Cene Division with the best record in Class B. SBA saw its two-game win streak snapped, falling to 4-12.
“The played us tough last time too,” Timko said. “We only won by [three] last time. Any time you have a morning game and they have a decent pitcher like they had on the mound [it’ll be close].
“But they didn’t have everything Wyatt had.”