Tigers thrive on summer ball |
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By Joe Shaheen, City Editor |
May 23, 2000
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The first season Tim Ridgley coached the Massillon Tigers varsity baseball team, they went all the way to the Division I state championship game at Ohio State University. |
That was six springs ago. When Ridgley steps onto the field at Thurman Munson Stadium on Friday in a Canton Division I regional semifinal game against Dublin Coffman, there will be a distinctly different feel in the pit of his stomach than the one he had back in 1994. "I was the lucky guy that first year," admitted Ridgley prior to Mondays regular season game with GlenOak. "I was so fortunate to be associated with such a great team and such great people. I just guided the ship. They did the rest. "This team is more like our kids. Theyve been in the program, both the high school program and our summer program, for four years. Thats huge. "Ive invested a lot and so have they. So it does feel more like these are my kids than that great team my first year." The Orangeman summer program, in Ridgleys estimation, is a big reason the Tigers have come up big all season long. He points out the summer travel team philosophy, one that includes a 60-game schedule, worked long before he instituted it at Massillon. One local example is GlenOak, which posted back-to-back state baseball titles in 1995 and 1996 under head coach Joe Gilhousen. "I believe in my heart and soul that the No. 1 reason (the Tigers) are what they are is because of their families," Ridgley said, "and No. 2 is what theyve done in the summer program." One of the primary strengths of this edition of the Tigers is their pitching depth. Southpaws B.J. Budd, Jason Abbott and David Broome and right-hander Jason Savage have been outstanding in starting roles this season. They each had the opportunity to apply extensive polish to their skills through the Orangeman programs. Another impact of the Orangeman is the cohesiveness it fostered for this edition of the Tigers. "The reason these kids have gelled is because of that summer program," Ridgley said. "I think it has been phenomenal." Dublin Coffman, the Tigers regional semifinal opponent, has its players on an American Legion team during the summer months, playing a 30-35 game schedule, according to coach Tim Saunders. - - - The Tigers dropped a 7-5 decision to visiting GlenOak in a regular-season matchup at Ducky Schroeder Field on Monday. Mike Beard belted a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, erasing a 5-4 Massillon lead. The Tigers, now 21-7, scored all five runs in the last of the sixth inning. Charles Hendricks and Jason Abbott had run-scoring singles, and Ryan Ridgley lifted a sacrifice fly, making it a 4-3 game. Dan Melito then gave Massillon its first and only lead with a two-run single. Tim Ridgley used everybody on the roster, including five pitchers. Junior left hander B.J. Budd, who will get the nod in Fridays regional semifinal against Dublin Coffman, worked the first three innings. "This game was a good tuneup for us," Ridgley said. - - - GlenOak003010 3 - 784 Massillon 000005 0 - 590 Amucenal and Saunders. B.J. Budd, Chris Swenson (4), David Broome (5), Jason Abbott (6), Jim Barkan (7) and Charles Hendricks, Drew Feucht (6). WP - Amucenal. LP - Barkan (1-1). HR - (G) Beard, Saunders. Records: Massillon 21-7 |
©The Independent 2000 |
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ORANGEMAN SCHEDULE By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/13/2000 Here is the complete Massillon Orangeman baseball schedule. This is a 17-18 year old team that plays a 49-game schedule plus a couple of tournaments. It's comprised of many players off of Massillon's 21-8 district championship team. |
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Fri | Jun | 2 | NWO MAVS | A | 6:00 | 5-0 | 1-0 |
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NWO MAVS | ![]() |
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6-11 | 1-1 |
Sun | Jun | 4 | BB Rooners | H | 12:00 | 4-3 | 2-1 |
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BB Rooners | ![]() |
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6-9 | 2-2 |
Tue | Jun | 6 | Stark County Stars | A | 6:00 | 3-6 | 2-3 |
Wed | Jun | 7 | Northwest | H | 6:00 | 4-2 | 3-3 |
Thu | Jun | 8 | Nordonia | H | 6:15 | 15-5 | 4-3 |
Fri | Jun | 9 | Lorain MTM Stars | A | 6:00 | 0-11 | 4-4 |
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Lorain MTM Stars | ![]() |
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6-11 | 4-5 |
Sat | Jun | 10 | Valley City | H | 1:00 | 1-11 | 4-6 |
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Valley City | ![]() |
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5-3 | 5-6 |
Sun | Jun | 11 | Norton | H | 1:00 | 10-0 | 6-6 |
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Norton | ![]() |
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12-1 | 7-6 |
Tue | Jun | 13 | GlenOak | A | 7:00 | 10-4 | 8-6 |
Thu | Jun | 15 | Northwest | A | 6:00 | 3-8 | 8-7 |
Mon | Jun | 19 | Stow Red Sox | H | 6:15 | 15-5 | 9-7 |
Tue | Jun | 20 | Ohio Eagles | A | 6:15 | 2-5 | 9-8 |
Wed | Jun | 21 | Medina Highland | H | 6:15 | 13-0 | 10-8 |
Thu | Jun | 22 | Medina Highland | H | ![]() |
1-4 | 10-9 |
Fri | Jun | 23 | GlenOak | H | ![]() |
8-2 | 11-9 |
Sat | Jun | 24 | H | ![]() |
11-4 | 12-9 | |
Mon | Jun | 26 | Ohio Eagles | H | 6:15 | 3-8 | 12-10 |
Tue | Jun | 27 | Stow Reds | A | 6:15 | 11-7 | 13-10 |
Wed | Jun | 28 | Olmsted Falls | A | 6:00 | 11-7 | 14-10 |
Fri | Jun | 30 | Ohio Eagles | H | 4:30 | 17-8 | 15-10 |
Sat | Jul | 1 | Medina Highland | H | 4:30 | 12-2 | 16-10 |
Sat | Jul | 2 | Vermillion | H | 9:00 | 15-4 | 17-10 |
Sun | Jul | 2 | Stark County Knights | H | 4:30 | 13-5 | 18-10 |
Wed | Jul | 5 | BB Rooners | A | 6:00 | 5-6 | 18-11 |
Thu | Jul | 6 | Brecksville (2) | A | 12:30 | 2-3/7-5 | 19-12 |
Fri | Jul | 7 | Twinsburg | H | 6:15 | 14-4 | 20-12 |
Sun | Jul | 9 | Medina (2) | H | 10:00 | 14-10/12-1 | 22-12 |
Mon | Jul | 10 | Aurora | A | 6:15 | 13-3 | 23-12 |
Tue | Jul | 11 | Nordonia | A | 6:15 | 14-4 | 24-12 |
Wed | Jul | 12 | Twinsburg | A | 6:15 | 13-6 | 25-12 |
Thu | Jul | 13 | Newbury | A | 6:15 | 14-3 | 26-12 |
Sat | Jul | 15 | Aurora | H | 1:30 | 12-6 | 27-12 |
Wed | Jul | 19 | Springfield Armoloy | A | 3:00 | 8-2 | 28-12 |
Thu | Jul | 20 | Astro Falcons | A | 5:30 | 0-11 | 28-13 |
Fri | Jul | 21 | Vermilion | A | 10:00 | 6-1 | 29-13 |
Sat | Jul | 22 | Diamond Boys | A | 12:30 | 1-9 | 29-14 |
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AB | R | H | RBI | SO | BB | SB | OBP | Ave. | |
1 | 122 | 41 | 51 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 12 | .467 | .418 | |
2 | Melito | 123 | 45 | 51 | 39 | 13 | 21 | 6 | .507 | .415 |
3 | Budd | 98 | 26 | 38 | 22 | 7 | 22 | 1 | .492 | .388 |
4 | Nadzam | 80 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 18 | 20 | 7 | .500 | .363 |
5 | 89 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 11 | .455 | .360 | |
6 | 118 | 42 | 41 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 12 | .442 | .347 | |
7 | 87 | 29 | 28 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 9 | .436 | .322 | |
8 | 85 | 18 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 5 | .392 | .318 | |
9 | Marks | 102 | 38 | 32 | 19 | 14 | 26 | 7 | .459 | .314 |
10 | 113 | 23 | 34 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 8 | .391 | .301 | |
11 | Groff | 38 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 1 | .300 | .263 |
12 | 38 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 3 | .475 | .237 | |
13 | Austin | 30 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .400 | .233 |
14 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 1 | .321 | .182 | |
15 | Weise | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .600 | .625 |
Org. | Total | 1150 | 360 | 396 | 255 | 200 | 216 | 84 | .448 | .344 |
Player | IP | H | R | ER | SO | BB | W-L | SV | ERA |
Budd | 33.1 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 37 | 12 | 4-1 | 1 | 1.26 |
Abbott | 34.1 | 28 | 21 | 12 | 43 | 18 | 4-0 | 0 | 2.45 |
Savage | 23 | 21 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 3-0 | 0 | 3.04 |
Nadzam | 19 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 3-1 | 2 | 3.68 |
Groff | 51.2 | 70 | 39 | 30 | 38 | 14 | 6-3 | 0 | 4.06 |
Marks | 32 | 44 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 10 | 4-0 | 0 | 4.16 |
Franks | 39 | 47 | 38 | 37 | 35 | 27 | 3-5 | 0 | 6.64 |
Strubel | 21.1 | 34 | 36 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 1-3 | 1 | 9.19 |
Campisi | .1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0.00. |
Ridgely |
4.2
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3
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4
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3
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2
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7
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0-0
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0
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4.50
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Duplain |
6.2
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9
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12
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8
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3
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5
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1-0
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0
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8.40
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Melito |
5.1
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8
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7
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7
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4
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11
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0-1
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0
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9.19
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Totals |
270.2
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310
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219
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170
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254
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163
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29-14
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4
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4.40
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MASSILLON ORANGEMAN By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/13/2000 The Massillon Orangeman baseball team will play a 49-game schedule this summer plus a couple of tournaments as they prepare for next year's high school slate. The games come on the heels of a very successful 2000 season where the Tigers were 21-8 and won the district championship. |
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ORANGEMAN UPDATE By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/19/2000 The Massillon Orangeman 17-18 year old baseball team is well into their summer season and currently sports an 8-7 record. Rick Ullum, a coach with the Orangemen, was kind enough to provide some stats of the games played to date. Watch for his reports as the season progresses. |
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ORANGEMEN FLY HIGH By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/19/2000 The Massillon Orangemen ran their record to 9-7 with a convincing 15-5 win over the visiting Stow Red Sox. The contest lasted only six innings due to the 10-run rule and was highlighted by a barrage of Massillon runs that put this one away much earlier than the sixth. |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | RUNS | HITS | ERR |
Stow | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
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STOW GAME PHOTOS By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/19/2000 Caption: (1) Dan Melito scores the winning run, (2) winning pitcher Jason Savage, (3) B.J. Budd lays down the bunt, (4) Jason Abbott fouls one off, (5) Melito takes away the double, (6) Savage scores for Massillon, (7) Ryan Ridgley takes the big lead, and (8) Hank Austin takes the big cut. |
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ORANGEMEN SPLIT By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/22/2000 The Massillon Orangeman baseball team is now 10-8 after splitting their last two outings. On Tuesday they lost on the road to the Ohio Eagles 5-2 and then rebounded to best Medina Highland 13-0 on Wednesday at home. |
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ORANGEMAN RESULTS By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/25/2000 The Massillon Orangeman baseball team captured two of their last three games in improve their record to 12-9. The wins came in the four-team Orangeman/Dumonts Classic against GlenOak and North Royalton/Brunswick. Unfortunately, Sunday's schedule was rained out. |
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![]() Joe Nazdum |
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EAGLES/ORANGEMEN By: Don Engelhardt Date: 06/26/2000 The Ohio Eagles scored in the late innings to beat the Massillon Orangemen 8-3. The Orangemen were in this one, down just 4-3 after five innings but it slipped away in the sixth. A seventh inning lead off triple by Joe Nazdum went for naught as he failed to ignite a late rally. |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | RUNS | HITS | ERR |
Eagles | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
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ORANGEMAN WIN By: Rick Ullum Date: 6/29/2000 The Orangeman won two away games in preparation for this weekends Orangeman/Dumont Classic. By identical 11-7 scores the Orangeman beat Stow Reds (GABF) and Olmsted Falls (CVBA). See story for details and tournament schedule. |
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![]() Dan Melito |
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ORANGEMAN WIN By: Rick Ullum Date: 7/1/2000 In a rain delayed opener for the Orangeman they beat GABF rival the Ohio Eagles 17-8 at Schroeder Field Friday afternoon. The tournament resumes at 9:00AM today with the Orangeman scheduled to play CVBA opponent Medina Highland at 4:30PM. See tournament schedule for complete results. |
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![]() B.J. Budd |
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ORANGEMAN UNBEATEN By: Don Engelhardt / Rick Ullum Date: 7/1/2000 The Orangeman remained unbeaten in the Orangeman/Dumont Classic after mercy ruling Medina Highland (CVBA) 12-2. They finish the tournament Sunday with games against Vermilion (9AM) and the Stark Knights (4:30PM). All games are at Schroeder Field. |
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ORANGEMAN DOMINATE By: Don Engelhardt / Rick Ullum Date: 7/2/2000 The Orangeman continued their hot hitting winning the Orangeman/Dumont Classic in convincing fashion. After mercy ruling fellow Big Ten rival Vermilion 15-4 they won the final game clinching the championship with a 13- 5 victory over fellow GABF member the Stark Knights. |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
Vermilion | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | - | 15 | 11 | 1 |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | - | 13 | 14 | 2 |
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ORANGEMAN PHOTOS 1 By: Don Engelhardt / Rick Ullum Date: 7/2/2000 Here are some photos of the tournament champions, the Massillon Orangeman. The Orangemen played outstanding ball throughout the tournament, plating over fifty runs in the four games. The next home game is on Tuesday at 10:00 am against Vermilion. |
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ORANGEMAN PHOTOS 2 By: Don Engelhardt / Rick Ullum Date: 7/2/2000 Here are some more photos of the game against Stark County. These guys sure know how to relax when the pressure is off. Led by designated cheerleader Jason Savage, this is an awfully fun group to be around. |
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Orangeman perfect in start of weekend tournament play |
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Inde Staff Report |
June 25, 2000
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The Massillon Orangeman 17-18 year-old baseball team are off to a 2-0 start in the Orangeman/Dumonts Classic held at Schroeder Field. |
The Orangeman, now 12-9, handed North Royalton an 11-4 setback Saturday afternoon. A six-run sixth inning helped the Orangeman blow the game wide open. Andrew Marks drilled a two-run double that keyed the frame. Entering that inning, the Orangeman only led 5-3. Jason Savage led the offensive charge, collecting four hits, including a two-run home run in the last of the first inning. He also tripled and singled twice. The Orangeman, which finished with 11 hits. Jason Abbott and B. J. Budd both singled and doubled. Abbott drove in two runs. Budd had one RBI. Hank Austin also had a run-scoring double. On Friday, the Orangeman opened the tournament with an 8-2 victory over GlenOak. Orangeman bunched its runs, scoring two in the third, four in the fourth and two in the fifth. Trailing 1-0 heading into the last of the third inning, the Orangeman took the lead. Matt Duplain singled in the tying run and Marks drove in the go-ahead run withaground out. Drew Feucht keyed the fourth inning outburst with a two-run single. Marks led off the fifth inning with a home run, padding the lead. The Orangeman, the only undefeated team left, have scheduled games against Strongsville at 2 p.m. and GlenOak at 4:30 p.m., both at Schroeder Field. |
©The Independent 2000 |
Jackson Post 419 getting by thanks to young talent |
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June 28, 2000
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Quinlan, the coach of the Jackson Post #419, knows the cards are stacked against his baseball team most of the time, but the long-term results often help the Polar Bear varsity squad. Playing with a young roster comprised exclusively of Jackson High students, Post #419 has recorded a 7-15 record so far. Many of their games are against teams that take players from several different schools according to Quinlan. That considered, Quinlan is happy with his teams efforts. "They are great kids," Quinlan said. "A lot of the kids in American Legion ball are 18 and 19. Ive got kids that are 16 to 17, but theyre coming together. That intimidation they felt earlier is gone." That strong competition might result in a fair number of losses for the team, but it toughens them up in the long run. "(Yingling) expects us to get our butts kicked," Quinlan said. "It toughens us up. I see theyre getting tougher." Things may be getting a little better for Post #419. After struggling early in the season, the club has won four of their last five games. Among the leading batters on the Jackson team are Nick Maragus, who saw some varsity action this year, Jason Quinlan and David Bules. All of whom are hitting in the .350-.375 range, Quinlan said. "(Bules) hurt his knee and was out for a year," Quinlan said. "He has really helped our team. Hes a tough kid." Also providing regular hitting this year have been Zach Moody and Matt Wilson. The team strength lies in its pitching Quinlan said. Another with experience with the varsity Polar Bears, Wes Steiner, is the clubs ace pitcher. Bules, Quinlan, Shawn Nottingham and Brad Cochran round out the staff. "(Nottingham) was clocked at 88 miles-per-hour in the gym," Quinlan said. "He can regularly throw in the mid-eighties and when he has his control, he is strong." - - - When you post a 45-8 record, it is a difficult thing to repeat. Thats what the Orangeman baseball club is in the process of finding out. So far this year, the Orangeman has posted a 12-10 record with a group of hitters that is still trying to find its groove. Assistant coach Rick Ullum thinks they are beginning to find it with recent wins over North Royalton and Greater Akron Baseball League wins over Stowe and Medina Hilland. By playing in the GABL as well as the Cuyahoga Valley League, the Orangeman players have a schedule of nearly 55 games per year Ullum said. "We lost a number of starters, but when you play this many games you give everyone a chance to play," Ullum said. "We give the kids a good mixture of opponents. The hitting is starting to come around." That is a good thing as the Orangeman is going into its Orangeman/Dumonts Tournament this weekend at Schroeder Field. It will play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday against Northwest and the Ohio Eagles respectively. Saturday they will play Medina at 2 p.m. and Vermillion at 4:30. The Orangeman has a strong Massillon Tiger element to it with Jason Abbott, Jason Savage and Dan Melito among its leading hitters. Abbott leads the team with a .438 average. Savage is second with an average of .356. As well as carrying one of the Orangemans big sticks, Savage is one of the teams top hurlers. So far this season he carries a 3-0 record with a 3.04 earned run average. Andrew Mark carries a 2-0 record with a team best ERA of 1.26. Mike Groff is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA. |
©The Independent 2000 |
Orangeman get off to a quick start |
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July 01, 2000
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JAMES ZEMKO/The Inde Orangemans Dan Melito, left, handles the ball on a flip from Matt Duplain, right, for the force of Ohio Eagles Adam Benshoff during the Orangeman/Dumonts Classic Tournament at Ducky Schroeder Field Friday. |
The Orangeman baseball club got off to a good start in its own tournament with a 17-8 pounding of the Ohio Eagles out of Kent in the first round of the Orangeman/Dumonts Classic Friday afternoon at Ducky Schroeder Field. |
A couple of huge innings in the second and fourth innings doomed the Eagles. The Orangeman tacked up six runs in the second inning to make the score 7-0, only to have the Eagles cut their lead to a 7-5 by the fourth inning. As if waking an angry giant, the Orangeman posted seven more runs in their half of the fourth inning and effectively putting the Eagles out of the game. While the Eagles coughed up five errors in the game along with walking six batters, the Orangeman earned most of their runs by slugging out 14 hits. "We put the ball in play a lot," Orangeman coach Steve Kertes said. "Offensively that is our best attribute. Were not going to drive the ball. They had trouble today throwing the ball around, and we took advantage." The Eagles had played a game that morning in which they beat Northwest 7-2. Eagles coach Mark Hairston said his team just slept through the second game of the day. "Its too bad you didnt see us play the first game," Hairston said. "We played baseball and this one we didnt. (The Orangeman) did what they had to do and we didnt." After two quick outs in the first inning against the Orangeman, the Eagles committed an error that would lead to the Orangemans first run of the game. Joe Nadzam hit a routine ground ball to the second baseman, who overthrew first base. After Dan Melito singled to move Nadzam to third base, the Orangeman pulled off a successful double steal that saw both runners safe and the score 1-0. Eagles pitcher Denny Highsmith escaped the first inning after giving up only one run, but he would not be so lucky in the second inning. Chris Franks and Drew Feucht led off with back-to-back singles. Andrew Marks moved them up a base with a sacrifice bunt. Matt Duplain walked to load the bases for Nadzam, who doubled off the left field fence to score Franks and Feucht. Melito would follow with another double to drive in Duplain and Nadzam. One strikeout later, Mike Groff slashed a ball past a diving third baseman that brought Melito around from second. Ryan Ridgely would finish things up with yet another double to plate Groff. Up 7-0, the Orangeman might have become a little complacent going into the visitors third inning. Either way the Eagles started a modest comeback bid with a big inning of their own. After recording the first out of the inning, Orangeman starter Andrew Marks gave up a six singles and a walk, paving the way for the Eagles four-run inning. The Eagles Matt Yoder singled and D.J. Gross walked. Clean-up hitter Brandon Hairston smoked a ball past the second baseman to score Yoder and move Gross to third. Hairston and Gross pulled off a double steal of their own to make it a 7-2 game. Adam Benshoff singled to left, bringing Hairston to third. Brandon Krowka connected on a half-swing that dropped the ball into shallow right field to plate Hairston and send Benshoff to second. Curtis Rhoads laid down a picture perfect bunt that hugged the third baseline to load the bases. Brian Hussel hit a hopper that bounced through the gap to score Benshoff and make the score 7-4. At this point, B.J. Budd came in to relieve Marks and forced a pair of ground balls to end the inning. The Eagles scored another run in the top of the fourth to make it a two-run game, but a long fourth inning would end that. The Orangeman would hit three hard shots off Eagles pitcher Jeff Pyles, who relieved Highsmith at the beginning of the third inning, but it would be walks and errors that would prolong the rally. As well as a triple off the bat of Marks, a double that got by the left fielder by Budd and a Melito single, three batters walked,two reached on errors, and a third reached on a passed ball. Duplain pitched the final two innings for the Orangeman giving up three runs on three hits. The Orangeman was in the midst of another big inning when the game was called in the sixth inning because of time constraints. They had added another three runs and had an out remaining. As well as losing to the Eagles Friday morning, Northwest also was on the short end of a 7-6 decision to the Stark Knight later in the day. Today, Northwest will take on Vermillion at 11:30. The Orangeman will play back to back games against Medina (at 2 p.m.) and Vermillion (at 4:30 p.m.). All games are at Ducky Schroeder Field. |
©The Independent 2000 |
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July 02, 2000
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Northwests Steve Spradling tries to turn a double play with Vermillions Matt Kalester sliding into second base during the Orangeman/Dumonts Classic Saturday afternoon at Schroeder Field. |
Saturday afternoon at the Orangeman/Dumont Classic featured two teams going in opposite directions. |
Northwest remained winless in three tournament games with a 14-8 loss to Vermillion, while the host Orangeman baseball club won its second game of the tournament in a 12-2 cakewalk over Medina Hilland. Through the first five innings of its game against Vermillion, Northwest kept things close. Going into the Vermillion half of the sixth inning, the Indians were down 5-4. However during the sixth, the Indian pitchers lost their grip on their pitches and Northwest lost its grip on the game. "We had one bad inning," Northwest manager Steve Spradling said. "We had a pitcher hit three kids in a row and throw a wild pitch. Through the first five innings we played a good game. Justin Clark pitched excellently. We replaced him with Chuck Ellison and he had a bad outing." Clark started the sixth inning and promptly gave up a single to Steve Coughlin when he was taken out and replaced by Ellison. Struggling with his control from the first pitch, Ellison proceeded to plunk the next three batters in a row followed by a wild pitch. By the time Spradling relieved Ellison with Matt Fahrney in the sixth the score was 7-4. The first Vermillion batter to face Fahrney, Mike Fowler, knocked a single into left field to score two more runs. Mike Kallister would plate Fowler with a triple and score himself on a subsequent fly ball off the bat of Mike Dembak to make it a 11-4 spread. Northwest attempted to battle back in their half of the sixth inning scoring four runs thanks in part to singles by Eric Spradling, Aaron Lowery, Adam Winter, and a two-rundouble by Tom Noffsinger. Earlier in the game, Steve Spradling Jr. had helped keep his team close with a two-run first inning home run and a third inning triple that drove in two more. "Theyre 16 and 17 years old," the elder Spradling said. "Theyre all Northwest kids. Theyre all from Canal Fulton, just trying to make the Northwest baseball team a little better. We dont take any graduated kids." While the Indians were struggling to keep their pitches under control, Orangeman starter Chris Franks cruised to the decision against Medina Highland. After giving up a couple of runs in the first inning, Franks shut Medina down for the next three innings, before Joe Nadzam came on to finish the game out. Orangeman manager Steve Kertes said Franks had beat Highland 13-0 earlier in the season and gave him the nod. "Hes got an above average fast ball and he hits his spots on the outer third of the plate," Kertes said. "Thats what youve got to do as a pitcher. Thats the way you get those little pop ups and those weak ground balls. He did a good job for us." Not that Franks needed a whole lot of run support, but he got it in droves. The Orangeman tacked up runs in each of the games five innings, before it ran into the ten-run rule two-thirds of the way through the fifth inning. Up 2-0, Highland looked like it was on its way after recording a quick two outs in the Orangeman half of the first, but Highland would commit two costly errors to pave the way for an Orangeman comeback. The number-three batter, Jason Savage, began things with a single up the middle and quickly stole second. Clean-up hitter Jason Abbot hit a solid grounder that ate up the Highland second baseman. In the mean time, Savage scored from second base. A walk would put Abbott at second and Dan Melito at first when B.J. Budd hit a shot into left field. Instead of fielding the ball cleanly and holding Budd to a single, the left fielder fumbled the ball. Both Abbott and Melito came home and Budd ended up at second. After another pair of runs in the second and third, the Orangeman put the game on ice with a fourth inning hitting display that would plate four runs. |
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July 03, 2000
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The Orangemans Drew Feucht beats the throw to home plate as Massillon defeated the Stark Knights Sunday. (Inde photo by Meri K. Ross) |
When youre swinging a hot bat, not much is going to stand in your way. |
In the four-day Orangeman/Dumonts Classic, which was completed Sunday afternoon at Ducky Schroeder Field, the Orangeman were the team wielding the red-hot war clubs, and they came away with the tournament championship. "The kids have been hitting the ball real well lately and the pitching has been great," said Orangeman coach Steve Kertes after his team clinched the title with a come-from-behind 13-5 victory over the Stark County Knights. "We scored double figures all four games, which doesnt hurt any. Weve averaged 13-14 runs a game. When you do that, its easy to win." The Orangeman showed just how easy they could come up with runs in their final game of the tournament against the Knights, which is comprised of players off of the St. Thomas Aquinas roster. Things did not start out very well for the Orangeman, who found themselves in a 3-0 deficit before they could record the first out of the game. The first four Knights reached base thanks to a throwing error on the first hitter of the game followed by three base hits. However, Orangeman starter Jason Abbott settled down to record a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a flyout to get out of the inning without any more damage. Andrew Marks led off the bottom of the first inning for the Orangeman with a solid single and went to third on a double by Matt Duplain. An infield pop-up for the first out forced both runners to stay put, but Dan Melitos slow grounder to first allowed Marks to score and Duplain to move to third with two outs. B.J. Budd came through with a single to right field to score Duplain, and then advanced to second when the Knights right-fielder overran the ball. Joe Nadzam followed with a single to score Budd with the tying run, but Nadzam was left on first when Knights starter Greg Jenoir recorded a strikeout for the third out of the inning. "Getting down by two or three runs isnt going to bother me at all," Kertes said. "Were going to put the ball in play a lot and score some runs. Well get a lot of doubles and hit-and-runs. We cant hit a lot of home runs, but we can score." Things remained quiet for both teams until the home half of the fourth. Drew Feucht drew a lead-off walk and stole second base, then moved to third on a groundout. Marks then stepped to the plate and rifled a single to score Feucht with the Orangemans fourth run of the game. Marks also stole second base and went to third when Duplains hot smash to third was not handled cleanly by the third baseman. Keeping with the aggressive nature of the Orangeman on the base paths, Duplain stole second before going to third on Jason Savages RBI groundout which plated Marks to make it 5-3 Orangeman. But the lead was short-lived as the Knights added a pair of runs to tie the game at 5-5. The Orangeman responded to the two-run fifth by the Knights by putting a five spot of their own up in the home half of the inning. Nadzam gave the Orangeman the lead for good with a run-scoring double to plate Budd, who had walked. Chris Franks moved Nadzam to third on a sacrifice bunt, and Feucht and Ridgley came through with back-to-back RBI hits - Ridgleys being of the two-base variety - to make it an 8-5 game. Ridgley scored on Marks sacrifice fly to right field. Duplain walked and came around to score on a Savage single to make it 10-5. The first three Orangeman hitters in the sixth inning all reached base and scored against Knights reliever Matt Kohler to put the game out of reach for all intents and purposes. In the first game of the day, the Orangeman posted a 15-4 five-inning victory over Vermilion. The key was a 10-run second inning in which eight different Orangeman players scored at least one run. Marks registered three hits, while Savage and Ridgley each had a pair of hits to pace the Orangeman offensive attack. |
©The Independent 2000 |
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ORANGEMAN SPLIT 4 By: Rick Ullum / Don Engelhardt Date: 7/7/2000 The Orangeman let 2 games they led late slip away wasting fine pitching performances by Mike Groff and Chris Franks. The Orangeman lost to BB Rooners, split with Brecksville both in away games and beat Twinsburg at home. Next up is Medina, 7/9 for a doubleheader starting at 10AM. |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -- | 6 | 8 | 3 |
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
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TWINSBURG PHOTOS By: Don Engelhardt / Rick Ullum Date: 7/7/2000 B.J. Budd took control right from the get-go as the Orangemen opened a 9-0 lead after two innings and cruised to a 14-4 win over Twinsburg. With about two weeks remaining in the season, the Orangemen now sport a fine record of 20-12. |
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ORANGEMAN ROUNDUP By: Rick Ullum / Don Engelhardt Date: 7/10/2000 The Orangeman head into the last week of the season attempting to gain one of two available bids in the CVBA to qualify for the state AABC tournament the third week of July in Struthers. A heavy schedule of CVBA teams is on tap this week with all games but Friday on the road. |
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1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 2 | |
Newbury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 1 | |
Nordonia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
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1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 0 | |
Aurora | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
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Medina | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | - | 14 | 12 | 4 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 1 | |
Medina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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ORANGEMAN QUALIFY By: Rick Ullum / Don Engelhardt Date: 7/15/2000 The Orangeman wound up their regular season this weekend with CVBA games at Aurora and Strongsville. They have qualified for the State AABC Connie Mack tornament in Struthers and will play Springfield at 3PM Wednesday at Austintown Fitch High School. See story for results. |
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Aurora | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
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SUMMER SEASON ENDS By: Rick Ullum Date: 7/19/2000 The Orangemans' summer season ended Saturday afternoon with a 9-1 loss at Boardman H.S. The Orangeman finished the summer with a 29-14 record and a strong 2-2 showing at the AABC Connie Mack State Tournament. |
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0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 0 | |
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3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 0 | |
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Orangeman still alive in tourney |
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Inde Staff Report |
July 22, 2000
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The Massillon Orangeman won two of their first three games and remain alive in the 38th annual Ohio State Connie Mack tournament (17-18 year olds) held in the Youngstown area. |
The Orangeman, 30-13 overall, moved into the consolation semifinals of the tournament following a 6-1 victory over Vermilion Friday at Cene Park in Struthers. Jason Abbott scattered six hits while striking out 10 in recording the victory. Abbott, a left hander, had impeccable control, throwing 98 pitches, 72 for strikes. The Orangeman, which scored at least one run in each of the first four innings took a 1-0 lead in the last of the first inning on a single by Matt Duplain and triple by Jason Savage. Savage had two triples, Duplain added a three-base hit, while B.J. Budd and Joe Nadzam each cracked a single and double. Ryan Ridgley and Dan Melito also doubled. That victory followed Thursday's 11-0 loss to the Youngstown Astro Falcons, a team comprised of incoming college freshmen and considered the tournament favorite. The Orangeman opened the tournament with an 8-2 victory over Springfield Armoloy at Austintown Fitch on Wednesday. Budd pitched a four-hit, complete-game victory, walking two and fanning four. Swinging the big bat for the winners was Dan Melito, who homered twice and drove in five runs. His three-run blast in the third erased a 2-0 Springfield lead. He added a two-run shot in the sixth capped the scoring. Chris Franks added three hits while Savage and Drew Feucht contributed a pair of hits to the offensive output. The Orangeman are scheduled to meet the Diamond Boys at 12:30 this afternoon at Boardman. |
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![]() Coach Steve Kertes |
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SUMMER SEASON WRAPUP By: Rick Ullum Date: 7/24/2000 A key to the success of the Massillon Varsity Baseball Program starts with summer baseball. The mix of varsity and JV players competing together as a team for the first time goes a long toward in determining what kind of season the varsity will have in the spring. See story for highlights. |
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AB | R | H | RBI | SO | BB | SB | OBP | Ave. | |
1 | 122 | 41 | 51 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 12 | .467 | .418 | |
2 | Melito | 123 | 45 | 51 | 39 | 13 | 21 | 6 | .507 | .415 |
3 | Budd | 98 | 26 | 38 | 22 | 7 | 22 | 1 | .492 | .388 |
4 | Nadzam | 80 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 18 | 20 | 7 | .500 | .363 |
5 | 89 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 11 | .455 | .360 | |
6 | 118 | 42 | 41 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 12 | .442 | .347 | |
7 | 87 | 29 | 28 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 9 | .436 | .322 | |
8 | 85 | 18 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 5 | .392 | .318 | |
9 | Marks | 102 | 38 | 32 | 19 | 14 | 26 | 7 | .459 | .314 |
10 | 113 | 23 | 34 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 8 | .391 | .301 | |
11 | Groff | 38 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 1 | .300 | .263 |
12 | 38 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 3 | .475 | .237 | |
13 | Austin | 30 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .400 | .233 |
14 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 1 | .321 | .182 | |
15 | Weise | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .600 | .625 |
Org. | Total | 1150 | 360 | 396 | 255 | 200 | 216 | 84 | .448 | .344 |
Player | IP | H | R | ER | SO | BB | W-L | SV | ERA |
Budd | 33.1 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 37 | 12 | 4-1 | 1 | 1.26 |
Abbott | 34.1 | 28 | 21 | 12 | 43 | 18 | 4-0 | 0 | 2.45 |
Savage | 23 | 21 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 3-0 | 0 | 3.04 |
Nadzam | 19 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 3-1 | 2 | 3.68 |
Groff | 51.2 | 70 | 39 | 30 | 38 | 14 | 6-3 | 0 | 4.06 |
Marks | 32 | 44 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 10 | 4-0 | 0 | 4.16 |
Franks | 39 | 47 | 38 | 37 | 35 | 27 | 3-5 | 0 | 6.64 |
Strubel | 21.1 | 34 | 36 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 1-3 | 1 | 9.19 |
Campisi | .1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0.00. |
Ridgely | 4.2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0-0 | 0 | 4.50 |
Duplain | 6.2 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1-0 | 0 | 8.40 |
Melito | 5.1 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0-1 | 0 | 9.19 |
Totals | 270.2 | 310 | 219 | 170 | 254 | 163 | 29-14 | 4 | 4.40 |