DeFalco throws third no-hitter as Niles downs Southeast

May 10, 2017 at 12:09a.m.

NILES

There’s an old adage in baseball which suggests that it is a no-no for anyone to mention a no-hitter while it is in progress.

However, entering the top of the seventh inning of Tuesday’s Division II sectional final game between Niles and Southeast, Red Dragons coach T.C. Guarnieri couldn’t resist.

As Niles junior Marco DeFalco settled in on the mound, Guarnieri balked at the age-old superstition.

“I looked over to my brother and I said, ‘I don’t think anybody here realizes the kid is going to throw another no-hitter,” Guarnieri said.

Just four pitches later, DeFalco proved that not even one of the oldest superstitions in baseball can slow down what has become an historic run.

DeFalco’s second consecutive no-hitter — and third of the season — propelled Niles to a 7-0 home win over the Pirates.

With the victory, Niles advances to district play, where it will face West Branch.

He no-hit Jefferson on April 5. He duplicated the feat against Lakeview in his last start last Wednesday.

“This shows you what hard work can get you,” Guarnieri said. “He’s a kid that comes in every day and works his butt off. He had at one point twelve first-pitch strikes, which sets it off. Again, his fastball was dominant, and toward the end of the game the curve ball was just as deadly as the fastball.”

“I just love him. He’s one of those kids who just comes out and battles and battles. The fact that he should be a sophomore is the scary part. He’s just 16-years-old.”

Like the previous no-hitters, the Red Dragons offense gave DeFalco all the run support he needed in the first inning. The Dragons scored three runs in the bottom of the first as Tre Martin, DeFalco and Tyler Srbinovich reached on consecutive singles. Srbinovich’s base hit scored a run, then with two outs Nicholas Guarnieri plated a pair of runs with a base hit to give Niles a 3-0 advantage.

Nicholas Guarnieri and Corbin Foy collected RBI base hits in the third inning, then the Dragons tacked on two more runs in the sixth on RBI by Srbinovich and Damion Coleman.

Niles pounded out 14 hits.

“Our offense getting those early runs really helps a lot,” DeFalco said. “Every time I’ve dominated this year, the offense got on the board early and that really helps take a lot of pressure off my back.”

“It’s playoff time, and I know we’re going to face good teams from here on out. So, we have to continue to improve each week. We still have to grow as a team,” he added.

DeFalco retired the first 11 Southeast batters in order before issuing back-to-back two-out walks in the fourth. However, he made quick work of Pirates catcher Gabe Carrington with a three-pitch strikeout to get out of the frame.

DeFalco recorded nine strikeouts. He lifts his record to 7-0 (six shutouts) with an 0.44 earned run average. He has 83 strikeouts this season.

“It was huge getting ahead of runners early. That allows me to be more selective and more aggressive,” DeFalco said.

Niles entered the tournament as the top-seeded team in the Struthers District. Srbinovich says the Dragons simply need to “stay the course” in order to keep its season alive.

“We just have to play focused, play loose and have fun,” Srbinovich said. “Our motto is just stay with the plan. We try to attack early and stay focused the entire game.”

Niles and West Branch will play Monday at Cene Park. The winner will play either Canfield or Poland on Tuesday in the District title game.