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POLAND WINS JUNIOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DISTRICT TITLE
Poland staves off Boardman for another title
BOARDMAN
After one inning of Poland and Boardman’s Junior League Baseball District Championship game at Fields of Dreams, it appeared to be a contest that would end early.
Boardman was down a game in a best-of-three series and was losing 8-0 after half an inning. But while Poland eventually won 12-7, Boardman, much like the old man in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” wasn’t quite dead yet.
“I have to give credit to [Boardman],” Poland manager John Pelles said. “It’s easy to quit when you’re down a game and then go down that much in the first inning.”
Poland sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning. Seven reached on hits while four were aided by Boardman errors.
The win advances Poland to state competition, which will start July 22 in Ironton.
Things got rough early when Carmen Lefoer singled to left to lead off the game, then went to second on a bad pickoff throw, third on a wild pitch and home on a wild pitch — all on the next three tosses from pitcher Justin Jones.
Seven of the next nine batters came around to score in what was ultimately the decisive inning. It wasn’t unlike the opening inning to Thursday’s game where Poland eventually won 14-4.
If it weren’t for a cutoff on a throw to home after a single by Anthony Perry to tag out a runner heading to third, it’s unclear how long the top of the first would have continued.
“It happened yesterday too,” Boardman manager Ed Maloney said. “One bad inning cost us. One bad inning can cost any team their season.”
But all wasn’t jolly rotten in Maloney’s view. He was able to look on the bright side of the game.
“That team played with a lot of heart,” Maloney said. “I couldn’t be happier they turned it into a ballgame. They did it all themselves. They knew it was their last chance this season and they gave it their all.”
Poland kept their lead strong in the second when Anthony Koolianos brought home Christian Colosimo on a sacrifice fly to make it 9-1. But Poland left the inning with the bases loaded. In total, Poland stranded nine runners on base and couldn’t quite put the game out of doubt. For Boardman, the eight-run deficit arguably was merely a flesh wound.
“It was a little uncomfortable,” Pelles said. “Because they are kids.”
Poland starting pitcher Mason Planey rebounded from a shaky first inning of his own when he walked home a run after retiring the first two batters. He came back in the second inning to record four strikeouts after Boardman’s Jimmy Whippo advanced to first on a dropped third strike.
Planey found trouble in the third however when Steven Hiner, Justin Maloney and Frank Bero each had RBI singles to trim Poland’s lead to 9-6.
But Colosimo pitched 51/3 innings of relief to earn the win. He struck out seven while allowing three hits and three walks.
“Christian did a great job coming in a throwing hard,” Pelles said. “Our catcher, Ian Francis, did a great job too. He calls all the pitches himself. He’s a manager out there and he loves to catch.”
It will be the second-straight year of state competition for this Poland group, who finished third a year ago.
“This is a great experience for the kids and a nice opportunity for the kids to travel, keep playing and enjoy the fruits of their labors,” Pelles said. “We want to build off last year.”
One man who hopes Poland brings home the Holy Grail is Maloney.
“They’re a great team I have to give them props,” Maloney said. “They’re big, fast and they can all throw really well.
“I hope they bring it home for Youngstown.”