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TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS By: Don Engelhardt Date: 04/24/2000 The baseball tournament drawing was held at Louisville High School on Monday night. Stark County will have two Division 1 sectionals, with the winner of each advancing to the district event to be held in Youngstown. First round games will be played on Tuesday, May 2. |
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 B.J. Budd |
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TOURNAMENT PREVIEW By: Don Engelhardt Date: 05/01/2000 It's no secret that when the Tigers face GlenOak on Tuesday night they will have on the mound their ace pitcher, B.J. Budd. But that's not all. They will also field a batting lineup that is more potent than the Cleveland Indians, with four batters hitting over .400. |
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 Anthony Battle |
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PREVIEW (CON'T) By: Don Engelhardt Date: 05/01/2000 The top of Tigers' batting order this year includes Todd Helline, Dan Ackerman, Chad Marceric, and Anthony Battle. This group has give opponents fits and boasts of a .424 combined batting average. Leading the attack with a .453 average is Battle, who always seems to hit at the right time. |
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May 03, 2000
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| The Golden Eagles were knocking at the door, but Jason Savage slammed it shut on them in Massillon’s 4-2 victory in a first round Louisville Division I sectional tournament game at GlenOak, Tuesday afternoon. |
| With one out in the seventh inning, GlenOak had loaded the bases with a couple of hits and a walk. Savage came in to relieve starter B.J. Budd and struck out the next two batters to preserve the win. The Tigers will move on the face the Hoover Vikings next Tuesday in North Canton. Massillon coach Tim Ridgley was unsure at first about bringing in Savage, but was happy he did. "Here he is a junior pitching in his first sectional game, the bases are loaded, there’s one out and he has to come in and get a couple of outs," Ridgley said. "What kind of pressure is that on a kid? He came through." GlenOak coach Joe Gilhausen was pleased with his team’s comeback effort. "We told them before the ball game that we wanted to stay close and try to find a way to win it," he said. "We were in that position, but didn’t get it done. To their credit our guys kept playing hard after things started going against us." Budd and his GlenOak counterpart Jim Waller kept the game scoreless through the first three innings, but Massillon struck in the fourth. Down to the final out of the inning, first baseman Anthony Battle laced a shot into right field. Charles Hendricks beat out a ground ball to move Battle to second base. Savage hit a line-drive single up the middle to score Battle. The Tigers engineered two more runs in the fifth inning, thanks in part to a costly GlenOak error. Ryan Ridgley walked to lead the inning off. Dan Melito beat out a bunt which put men at first and second. A Todd Helline bunt was fumbled by the Eagle first baseman, loading the bases. A Dan Ackerman single brought Ridgley home and Chad Marceric’s sacrifice fly would plate Melito. GlenOak climbed back into the game with a two-run sixth inning. Matt McFarland opened the inning by blasting a pitch over the left field fence to make the score 3-1. Ryan Cavanaugh then reached on a tough error, and Rocco Milano doubled to the center-field fence to bring in Cavanaugh. Massillon scored its insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Savage singled to right and moved to third on consecutive wild pitches. Jason Abbott singled to score Savage and make the score 4-2. Budd pitched 6Ïinnings striking out 12 batters. Wallers went the distance for GlenOak and struck out seven. "B.J. Budd pitched well," Tim Ridgley said. "I’m happy for him. I’m happy for our program." Gilhousen gave the Tiger pitchers credit for the win. "I thought their pitching was excellent," Gilhousen said. "We had a really tough time with (Budd) and (Savage) threw strikes and kept his composure. He got the outs he needed, so you have to tip your cap to them." - - n GlenOak000 002 0 - 2 6 1 Massillon 000 121 x - 4 9 2 Jim Waller and K.C. Saunders. B.J. Budd, Jason Savage (7) and Charles Hendricks. WP- Budd (6-0). LP - Waller (1-4). S - Savage. HR - Matt McFarland. Records: Massillon 14-3, GlenOak 6-11. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
| More Tiger magic |
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May 10, 2000
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| Jason Guth of North Canton is tagged out at second base by Tiger secondbaseman Todd Helline. |
| The Massillon Tigers have gotten used to this last at-bat magic. |
| For the seventh time this season, the Tigers won a game in their last at-bat, as they rallied for a thrilling 3-2 eight-inning sectional-championship victory over North Canton Hoover when Jason Abbott hit a deep fly ball to left field that allowed Jason Savage to score from first base with one out. Massillon, which will now play one of the two Youngstown sectional winners at Struthers next week, was the designated home team despite the fact the game was played on Hoover’s home field. "It’s better to be lucky than good at this time of the year," a visibly exhausted Massillon coach Tim Ridgley said. "But you have to put yourself in position to be lucky. All I ask is that they stay close and give us an opportunity to win it." Abbott’s fly ball, which came off Hoover starter Judd Allen, appeared to have confused the Vikings’ left fielder, who started back tentatively before watching as the ball sailed over his head and all the way to the fence. "I hit a lot of balls like that," Abbott said. "I knew it was going to carry when it left the bat because I could see it rising." Ridgley wasted no time in sending the speedy Savage - who also got credit for the win after pitching two innings of relief - home to score the winning run, despite the fact he was on first base at the start of the at bat. "Jason stopped briefly at second," Ridgley said. "But I was sending him no matter what. They were going to have to throw him out at the plate." The eighth inning was one of the few times either team capitalized on the opportunities they were provided. Both teams had more than a few occasions to start a big rally, only to watch as the pitchers - either Allen for Hoover or B.J. Budd or Savage for Massillon - make a key pitch or get a big play from their defensive mates. Massillon stranded a total of eight runners on base, while Hoover left 10, including five in scoring position. The Tigers left six at either second or third base. "We left a lot of guys on base, and so did they," Ridgley said. "But Judd Allen is a heck of a pitcher and deserved to win that game.I didn’t think B.J. had his best stuff. But he doesn’t quit and really fought hard." After Hoover left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, the Tigers had a golden chance to win the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning when the first three hitters all reached base on singles, the last two on bunt singles which they beat out. But Allen induced a fielder’s choice ground ball to shortstop, who threw home to cut down the lead runner, followed by a pair of pop-ups caught by the second baseman. The last pop-up came off the bat of Anthony Battle - whose home run just inside the left-field foul pole in the second inning gave Massillon a 1-0 lead - on a 3-1 count after the pitch prior appeared to be off the plate for what would have been ball four. "Todd Helline was on second base and said it was six inches off the plate," Ridgley said. "But (the umpire) called that pitch all day." Hoover opened up the sixth inning with a sharp grounder by Sam Simmerman to short, which was hit too sharply for the shortstop to handle cleanly to allow Simmerman to reach safely. Simmerman was lifted for pinch runner Nate Daugherty, who went to third when Budd’s pick-off throw went by the first baseman. Doug Yoder followed Simmerman by hitting a grounder to third, but the throw was a little low and Battle could not dig it out in time for the out to leave runners at the corners with no out. Yoder was lifted for a pinch runner, John Hemric, who stole second base. Budd settled down to record a strikeout and a flyout to the outfield. But Allen laced a single to right field that scored both base runners to make it 2-1 Hoover. In bottom of the sixth, Chad Marceric led off with a solid single and moved to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Battle. After a fly-out made it two outs in the inning, Savage ripped a hot shot back up the middle that was misplayed by the second baseman before rolling into center field, allowing Marceric to score. - - - Hoover000 002 00 - 2 7 1 Massillon 010 001 01 - 3 9 2 Judd Allen and Sam Simmerman. B.J. Budd, Jason Savage (7) and Charles Hendricks. WP - Savage (), LP - Allen (4-2). HR - Massillon: Battle. Records: Massillon 16-5; Hoover 14-7. |
 TOUCHING THEM ALL. Massillon third base coach and head coach Tim Ridgley congratulates Anthony Battle after Battle’s second-inning home run against North Canton. In the foreground is North Canton pitcher Judd Allen. Repository / Scott Heckel |
| District matchups bring a whole new level of competition |
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| By TODD PORTER Repository sports writer  BACK IN TIME. North Canton Hoover base runner Doug Yoder gets back to the bag safely as Massillon first baseman Anthony Battle awaits the throw. Massillon beat North Canton, 3-2, on Tuesday and advanced to play Warren Howland next week. Repository / Scott Heckel They do not have much in common. That depends, though, on whether you are counting that both their names look like 50-point words on a Scrabble board. They do have scrappy baseball teams. They did not know anything about their next opponents, much less who they would be. The head baseball coaches at Howland and Boardman high schools were still savoring their sectional championships this week. They’re just glad to be here. You can bet that will change over the weekend as Howland manager Chuck Potashnik and Boardman’s Dave Smercansky inch closer to their district semifinal games. Howland will play Massillon, while Boardman takes on Perry Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Cene Park in Struthers. Massillon advanced to the district tournament after its 3-2 eighth-inning win over North Canton Hoover on Tuesday. Perry rode the right arm of pitcher Josh Mayle to a 2-0 sectional championship over McKinley. What about these teams from Trumbull and Mahoning counties? We will offer you a closer look at the two Struthers District teams. Massillon vs. Howland Of the two teams, Howland — also nicknamed the Tigers — appears to have the stronger of the two. At least on paper. The Tigers beat Warren Harding 8-0 to advance. “We played well defensively” Potashnik said. “Warren had runners on second and third in the first two innings, but both times there were two outs, and we managed to shut them down.” Howland, 11-5, is a solid team defensively. “We literally hit thousands of ground balls to our fielders during a season,” Potashnik said. “I have blisters on my foot from setting it down every time I hit a fungo.” Massillon will face the Tigers’ No. 1 pitcher Tuesday. They will throw junior right-hander Matt Hundley, who is 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA. He has four complete games and has struck out 46 in 33 innings. His brother, Jeffrey, is a southpaw in the Anaheim Angels organization. Hundley throws around 84 mph, according to his coach. Potashnik said several professional and college scouts have been tracking Hundley. “We’re a hot and cold team,” said Potashnik, who has been the head coach for 12 years. “When we’re hitting together, we put up a lot of runs. Our inconsistency has hurt us, but we’ve been playing pretty much hot during the tournament.” Howland’s last trip to the state finals was in 1958. The Tigers made it to the district finals in 1998. Offensively, Hundley leads the way as well. When he is not pitching, he covers a lot of ground in the outfield. Most pro and college scouts are looking at him as a center fielder. “Hundley is our leadoff batter, and he has some wheels,” Potashnik said. Left fielder Brad Moore is hitting .353 and leads the team with seven home runs. Kyle Moore is at third base, and he is at .475, tops on the team. The cleanup hitter is Nick Setting. He is not the typical power hitter in the four spot, but he hits line drives. If Hundley gets into trouble, Potashnik will go with either Setting or Ron Hooper. “Setting is more like Hundley, and Hooper is a junk ball pitcher,” Potashnik said. “Hooper throws an excellent knuckleball for a youngster.” And the odd note about Howland? Prior to coaching at Howland, Potashnik was in charge at Southington High School. If you’re racking your brain because you’ve heard that name, it is the former Ohio home of boxer Mike Tyson. “Actually, I had him in my class to speak to our kids,” said Potashnik, himself an All-Ohioan at Warren Harding High School with a .628 batting average, which earned him a scholarship to Kent State. “Tyson is really a good guy.” Perry vs. Boardman The Spartans are not entirely an unknown. There has been talk that Boardman would like to join the Federal League. Well, the Spartans have played three Federal League teams this season — a doubleheader against North Canton, Jackson in the Carnation Classic and GlenOak the first week of the season. Boardman is 14-8-1, but half of those losses came against Federal League schools. “I enjoy playing in Stark County. I think it’s great baseball,” Smercansky said. “Our conference is competitive, but as far as non-league games, I’d much rather play teams from Stark County because they are competitive.” Here is the thing about the Spartans: They smack the baseball all over the park. They are hitting .354 and beat favored Austintown Fitch 14-2 in the sectional championship game. “We’re like Jekyll and Hyde,” Smercansky said. “One day we come out and look like one of the team from our past that got to the regional finals, and the next we look like we’ve never play the game. Going into the season, our goal was to get better every day. We hit well and we play solid defense. The only thing that is suspect from time to time is our pitching. We get into mental lapses and it’s a parade of walks.” Boardman’s No. 1 starter is senior Zach Orr. He is 5-3, with the three losses to GlenOak, Ursuline and Jackson. In 50 1/3 innings, he has 51 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA. “He has a good fastball, but he also has a decent curve,” Smercansky said. “He does a good job mixing his pitches and keeping hitters off balance.” Most likely, the Spartan hitters will not be off balance. Andy Capraruolo is hitting a team-high .465 and is second with four home runs. He has a .789 slugging percentage. “He’s a little turd, but he can turn on the ball and he’s lightning fast,” Smercansky said. The No. 4 hitter is Matt Sammon. He has a .368 average. Sammon was Boardman’s starting quarterback until he tore ligaments in his knee. He lost some of his power, but he hits for average now. Todd Spencer, in the three hole, has a .394 average. The shortstop has six homers, tops on the team, and he is Smercansky No. 2 pitcher. Do not let the record deceive you. In 1991, Smercansky took Boardman to the state championship game and lost to Cincinnati Fairfield. When the tournament started, the team had an 11-11 record. They were in the regional finals in 1997, but lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius 1-0. “You have to have talent, but at this point you have to have luck, too,” Smercansky said. The odd note about Boardman? Smercansky went to Poland High School, one of Massillon football coach Rick Shepas’ stops before landing in Tigertown. He also graduated from Youngstown State University, Shepas’ alma mater. At YSU, Smercansky was a teammate of former San Diego Padre pitcher Dave Dravecky. Smercansky, a pitcher, was drafted by the Expos, but his career was cut short due to a rotator cuff tear. “Some people say I was better than Dave at YSU,” Smercansky said. “The thing is, Dave just went on and on and on, and got better and better.” |
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| Budd pitches Tigers to final |
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May 17, 2000
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| In Tuesday afternoon’s Struthers Division I district semifinal game against Howland, Budd was masterful in handling the opposing batters. He pitched hitless baseball the first five innings before settling on a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 Massillon victory at Cene Park. "B.J had great command, especially with his slider," said Massillon pitching coach Jerry Vance. "We’ve been working with him on that slider the last couple of weeks. "B.J. just keeps improving. He did a great job in this game hitting his spots." Budd, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior who improved his record to 7-0, walked only one batter while striking out eight. "My overhand fast ball was pretty mediocre, but I thought I threw my curve, sidearm fast ball and slider well," he said. The Tigers, who improved to 20-6 and are scheduled to meet neighboring Perry for the district championship at 6 p.m. today at Cene Park, staked Budd to a 6-0 lead after three innings. Instead of losing concentration with a big lead, Budd continued to pitch with the mindset that his team was locked in a tight struggle. "I think it’s easier to pitch with a big lead," Budd confided. "I clear out all the (screaming) voices and just concentrate on the catcher’s target and just keep thinking one pitch at a time." Massillon manufactured the only runs Budd needed in the last of the second inning. Jason Savage, who is expected to get the starting pitching assignment against Perry, hit a soft line drive single to left-center to start the inning. On a hit-and-run play, left-handed batter Jason Abbott slapped a single past third and into left field, with Savage taking third. With one out and Dan Melito at the plate, Massillon coach Tim Ridgley called for the suicide squeeze. Melito, the No. 9 batter, bunted the ball on a line near the first-base line. Howland first baseman Craig Bush made a diving attempt at the bunt, but it landed on the ground as Savage scored. Bush recovered and threw to first, but Melito beat the throw for a bunt single. The ball got away from the second baseman and Abbott zipped home with the second run. "That bunt by Dan was big," Coach Ridgley said. "It gave us a lead. "Our goal (each game) is to get the lead early. I think our team plays with more confidence when we get the lead." With Budd mowing down the Howland hitters, the Tigers didn’t appear to need any more runs. However, Massillon continued its offensive assault in the last of the third inning. Dan Ackerman singled, Chad Marceric was hit by a pitch and Anthony Battle walked, loading the bases. Charles Hendricks then singled home two runs. Abbott singled in another run and Ryan Ridgley capped the four-run outburst with a suicide squeeze bunt. "At that stage of the tournament, you have to be able to bunt," said Tim Ridgley. The Tigers used their speed to score their final run in the last of the fourth inning. Todd Helline singled, stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Ackerman lifted a sacrifice fly, completing Massillon’s scoring. After that, it was Budd and the Massillon defense that protected the shutout. Bush broke up Budd’s no-hit bid with a one-out single in the sixth. Matt Hundley, Howland’s starting pitcher added another single, putting runners on first and second with one out. Faced with his first pressure-packed situation, Budd responded with a strikeout for the second out and center fielder Ryan Ridgley hauled in a drive that was headed toward the left-center field gap. Nick Setting led off the Boardman seventh with a single, but was erased on a double play grounder to third. Marceric fielded the hard hit ball, whipped the throw to Helline at second and Battle hauled in the relay throw. Budd then fanned the next batter, ending the one-sided match up. "This was as good as we’ve played all year," Coach Ridgley said. "B.J. pitched a great game. We made some good defensive plays and we manufactured some runs." And that execution added up to Massillon’s third tournament victory of the 2000 season. - - - Howland 000 000 0 - 0 3 2 Massillon 024 100 x - 7 9 1 Matt Hundley and Corey Lewis. B.J. Budd and Charles Hendricks. WP - Budd (7-0). LP - Hundley (4-2). Records: Massillon20-6, Howland 12-6. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
 YES! Jason Savage (24) celebrates after scoring behind Jason Abbott (right) in the second inning to give Massillon a 2-0 lead on Warren Howland in Tuesday’s Division I district semifinal at Struthers. Repository / Scott Heckel |
| Another bus ride today |
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May 18, 2000
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| Massillon starter Jason Savage is pleased with himself after pitching a scoreless third inning |
| It seems only Mother Nature can pour cold water on the heated Massillon-Perry athletic rivalry. |
| A downpour hit Bob Cene Field in the bottom of the third inning of Wednesday’s Struthers Division I district championship baseball game, forcing the contest to be suspended with the Tigers holding a 3-1 lead over the Panthers. The game will be restarted today at 6 p.m. with Massillon at bat. There were runners on second and third base with two outs and the Tigers’ No. 5 hitter Charles Hendricks at bat when the game was stopped for the second and final time of the evening. But there were some fireworks in those first three frames as Perry coach Frank Gamble and Massillon coach Tim Ridgley exchanged words in the middle of the second inning moments after Gamble approached the home plate umpire with a complaint. "There was a lot of chatter between the teams," explained Ridgley, "and Frank was making sure we were directing it at our own guys. It just got a little heated, that’s all. "Because of everything that has gone on between the two schools, prior to the game the umps warned us both to make sure we took care of our own guys and no jabbering back and forth. I don’t understand why Frank was upset because there was nothing going on. He wanted to make sure our guys were talking to our guys." Perry jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Brian Gamble led off with a walk and Steve Piero reached on a check-swing single to right field. Both runners moved up on a passed ball. After Tiger starter Jason Savage retired the Panthers’ three-hole hitter on a pop-up, clean-up man Josh Mayle hit a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to get Gamble home from third base. Savage got out of the jam without further damage by inducing the next hitter to pop out to shortstop Dan Melito, stranding Piero at second base. Massillon came right back in the bottom of the first to tie the game and then take the lead. Todd Helline walked on a 3-2 count, and promptly stole second base. Dan Ackerman then bounced a single up the middle that didn’t reach the outfield but advanced Helline to third base. With runners at the corners and Chad Marceric up, Perry tried to execute a play but miscommunication foiled the plan. As Ackerman broke for second base on the first pitch to Marceric, the Panther catcher received the delivery then threw the ball quickly back to the pitcher, hoping to induce Helline to break from third. But the pitcher ducked out of the way of the throw, which landed in front of the shortstop and slithered under his glove, allowing Helline to score from third to tie the game at 1-1. Ackerman advanced to third on Marceric’s ground out to short, then scored when Anthony Battle hit a sacrifice fly ball to right field, making it 2-1 Massillon after one inning of play. Catcher Eric Heinzer led off the Perry second with a single up the middle but was erased trying to swipe second. That proved to be a big play as Jordan Henning drew a walk two pitches after the caught stealing. Panthers starter Brandon Villilo retired Massillon in the second with the aid of Heinzer, who gunned down a Tiger trying to steal second after a one-out walk. Perry went down quickly and quietly in the top of the third but Massillon did not return the favor in the bottom of the frame. Melito walked to lead off and Helline dropped a bunt single in no man’s land in front of the plate to put two on with none out. After Villilo got a strike out, Marceric hit a clean single to left field, scoring Melito. Helline advanced to third on the hit and Marceric took second base with some aggressive base running. One out later the heavens opened up and the field quickly became unplayable. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
 WAITING IT OUT. Massillon’s Dan Ackerman (left) and Jason Abbott watch the rain and lightning at Cene Park in Struthers. The Tigers’ district final against Perry was suspended because of the weather and will continue today. Repository / Michael S. Balash |
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May 19, 2000
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| It took two days to finish one baseball game, but the Massillon Tigers refused to allow an early lead to slip away. |
| With Jason Savage in command on the mound and the offense manufacturing enough run support, the Tigers went on to defeat the Perry Panthers 5-1 at Cene Park to win the Struthers Division I district championship. "It was tough to come back and resume the game, but Jason Savage just went out and pitched a great ball game," said Massillon head coach Tim Ridgley. When a cloudburst opened up in the last of the third inning on Wednesday evening, the Tigers were leading 3-1 and had runners on second and third base with two outs. Perry head coach Frank Gamble took a chance, opting to pitch Moe Elum instead of Brandon Villilo, the starting pitcher when the game began and who was still on the mound when the downpour hit Cene Park. Gamble’s move paid off. Elum came in and recorded a strikeout, allowing Perry to stay within two runs. "That was a big strikeout," Gamble said. "If Massillon gets a hit, they could have broken it wide open." While Massillon failed to plate those two runs in that inning, Savage never allowed Perry to regain any momentum in recording the complete-game victory. "Jason Savage pitched a great game," said Gamble. "Massillon deserved to win." Savage, who recorded his sixth win in eight decisions, finished with a five-hitter, walking five and striking out six. "My slider was working real well," said Savage. "My defense also made some fine plays behind me." The Tigers turned one double play and catcher Charles Hendricks gunned down two Perry runners trying to steal. "That’s the type of team we are," Savage said. "We don’t have one individual. Everybody picks one another up." It was a route-going effort that almost never happened before the game resumed. Ridgley confided he was considering going with another pitcher when Perry came to bat in the top of the fourth. "We had (Jason) Abbott warming up in the bullpen," said the seventh-year Massillon coach. "We were debating on bringing him in to start the fourth, but we decided to stay with Savage and let him pitch with a two-run lead and see what he could do." In the top of the fourth inning, the Panthers posed their first of two scoring threats after the game was resumed. Josh Mayle singled sharply to right-center leading off the inning. Glen Schering sacrificed Mayle to second. Following a strikeout, Matt Miller beat out a slow roller to shortstop, putting runners on first and third. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Savage got out of the jam by recording the third out on a pop fly to shortstop Dan Melito in short left field. "Massillon," Gamble said, "did a much better job manufacturing runs than we did." The Tigers, who improved to 21-6, had the leadoff batter reach base in five of the six innings they batted. That leadoff batter scored in four of those innings. In the last of the fifth, Massillon added to its lead. Melito walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Todd Helline and scored on a double down the left-field line by Dan Ackerman to make it a 4-1 game. "I wasn’t thinking about the score at that time or how important that hit was," said Ackerman, who had a pair of hits. "I just knew we had to go out and keep playing good defense and take it one pitch at a time." That was sound thinking, since Perry staged its last serious scoring threat in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Schering singled sharply to left and proceeded to steal second. Eric Heinzer then walked, putting runners on first and second, bringing the potential game-tying run to the plate. Ridgley never made a move. Savage was staying in the game. Rising to the challenge, Savage got the next batter on a dribbler to the mound, retiring the side and Perry’s last serious scoring threat. In the last of the sixth inning, Massillon made it a four-run difference. Hendricks singled to left and moved to second on Abbott’s line-drive single to center. Ridgley then removed Hendricks for pinch-runner Chris Franks. With two outs, Melito delivered a run-scoring single to center, completing the scoring. "We like to put pressure on people," Ridgley said. "We’ll steal bases or hit-and-run. It’s a lot easier scoring from second base on a base hit than from first base." Perry, which dropped to 15-10, received some effective relief pitching from Elum. In 4Ï innings, he allowed only two runs on five hits while striking out six. "Moe Elum did a fine job for us," Gamble said. "He allowed usch lost to Perry in a regular-season game, advanced to regional play with an 11-6 pounding of Upper Arlington in a Columbus district final, Thursday. - - - Perry100 000 0 - 1 5 0 Massillon 201 011 X - 5 8 0 Brandon Villilo, Moe Elum (3) and Eric Heinzer. Jason Savage and Charles Hendricks. WP - Savage (6-2). LP - Villilo (2-1). Records: Mass. 21-6; Perry 15-10 |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
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May 20, 2000
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| Massillon second baseman Todd Helline tags out Eric Heinzer on a stolen base attempt in district title game at Struthers. Defense has been a strength of the Tigers, who will meet Columbus-area power Dublin Coffman in a regional semifinal at Munson Stadium |
| When the Massillon Tigers take on the Dublin Coffman Shamrocks in a Canton Division I regional semifinal baseball game next Friday at Thurman Munson Stadium, they’ll be running into a team that is tournament tested. |
| Four Dublin Coffman starters were in the starting lineup a year ago when the Shamrocks fell to Toledo St. Francis in a regional final game. Ten players off that team dot the team’s 2000 roster. Tim Saunders has been at the helm at Coffman for 13 seasons. His teams have reached regional play four times, including last spring’s "Elite Eight" squad. The Shamrocks have posted a 19-8 record this year, winning the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division title with a 9-1 league slate. One of those eight losses was a 4-3 decision to Perry, Massillon’s district championship game victim. Saunders says this year’s Coffman team has been swinging the bats extremely well in post-season play. "We’ve scored a total of 45 runs in sectional-district play," Saunders reported Friday evening. "So we are putting up good numbers, although we haven’t faced any overpowering pitching yet. "We’re a singles- and doubles-hitting team. Our goal is to hit the baseball squarely. We try to go gap to gap and see what happens." In fact, Coffman’s leading home run hitter has collected the modest total of four round trippers this spring. On the mound, the Shamrocks are relying on a one-two pitching punch in post-season play. Both starters have posted 7-2 records this year and Saunders says he has equal confidence in either hurler, using one in relief of the other if the situation arises in the no-tomorrow format that is single-elimination baseball. "Neither one of our guys is overpowering," Saunders said. "They just go out there and throw strikes and our defense backs them up." Neither of Coffman’s starting pitchers is a senior. There is junior left-hander Travis Taylor and a sophomore righty. "Actually, they complement each other well," Saunders revealed. "One throws the ball a little harder and the other has a nice off-speed pitch." Taylor throws the ball in the low 80 miles-per-hour range and Saunders classified him as a pitcher that may interest a Division III college program. "Travis is a winner, a great competitor," said Saunders. "He gets overlooked by the bigger programs because of his (lack of) velocity. "None of my seniors is getting and Division I look. That helps our team chemistry because there isn’t any jealousy." Senior shortstop Jack Lucas carries the Shamrocks’ highest batting average. He’s hitting .435 this season. "We set team goals of getting 20 wins, winning a league title and getting to the district," Saunders said. "We’ve achieved two of the three. From here we’ll just take it game by game." |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
| Tigers part of loaded regional field |
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May 22, 2000
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| Massillon’s Anthony Battle, sliding in safely at second base in a regular-season game at North Canton, is one of several players on the Tigers with ample varsity experience. |
| The Massillon Tigers are one of 16 teams still in the running for the Division I baseball championship. |
| Massillon, which has a regular-season matchup against GlenOak set for today at 4:30 at Schroeder Field, is part of the four-team Canton regional tournament field that includes upcoming post-season foe Dublin Coffman. The Canton regional is scheduled for Friday, with the 21-6 Tigers and 19-8 Shamrocks paired in the 5 p.m. contest, the second game of a doubleheader at Munson Stadium. The opener pits 14-12 Hudson against 22-5 New Philadelphia. "Our two teams appear to be evenly matched," said Massillon coach Tim Ridgley. "We haven’t seen them, but I have a lot of confidence in our kids. "We have a lot of experienced kids playing very well." New Philadelphia, which defeated Central Catholic 12-1 in a regular-season game at Munson Stadium on May 13 and lost 9-6 to Perry in an earlier matchup, is making its second straight trip to Canton for regional play. The other three Division I regional sites are at Solon, Elida and Wright State University in Dayton. All four regionals have scheduled doubleheaders on Friday. "Our regular-season schedule has had a lot to do with our success," Ridgley said. "This has been the toughest regular-season schedule we’ve played since I’ve been at Massillon." Mansfield Madison, one of the new teams on Massillon’s regular-season schedule this spring, is still in the Division I tournament. Madison (23-6), which split a doubleheader against the Tigers at Schroeder Field on May 13, will meet Whitehouse Anthony Wayne in the second of two regional semifinal games at Elida. Ridgley, now in his seventh year as Massillon head coach, will be guiding his second team into regional play. The 1994 Tigers went on to win the Dover Division I regional, advancing to the state title game in Columbus, where they lost to Toledo Start. Start (19-0), a perennial Division I state power, also is one of the 16 teams left in regional competition. Start and Madison could tangle for the Elida regional title next Saturday. However, Start must get by Grove City (19-8) in a semifinal match up on Friday. Cincinnati Elder, which defeated Cuyahoga Falls for the 1999 Division I state championship at Munson Stadium, remains in the tournament field, competing in the Wright State regional. Elder (23-4) is scheduled to open regional play at 2 p.m. on Friday against Troy (15-9) with Cincinnati Moeller (21-4) opposing Miamisburg (23-6) in the second contest. The Solon regional has either Cleveland St. Ignatius or North Royalton meeting Brunswick (24-4) in the first game with Wadsworth (21-4) colliding with Euclid (21-6) in the second contest. St. Ignatius and North Royalton are slated to meet for a district championship today. Wadsworth eliminated 1999 Canton regional semifinalist Akron Garfield - another Massillon regular-season foe - in the Akron title game last week. Garfield had ousted Lake in the district semifinals. - - - When Massillon met Perry last Thursday, it marked the third straight year two Stark County teams met for the district crown at Struthers. North Canton defeated Jackson for the 1999 district championship, eventually advancing to the state tournament where it lost in the semifinals to Cuyahoga Falls. In 1998, McKinley defeated GlenOak for the district championship at Struthers. Dan Brooks, the Canton Division I regional tournament manager, says an inquiry has been made on having the district tournament moved back to Stark County. "The state told us the reason they took the district out of (North Canton) three years ago was because we had the regional and two of the state tournament games," he said. "Well, the two state tournament games were moved back to Columbus, so maybe there is a chance we can get the district back in this area." Munson Stadium would be an ideal site, although that venue has been used for NCAA Division III tournament games around the same time as the district the past few years. - - - Massillon’s tournament victories have been over GlenOak, 1999 state semifinalist North Canton Hoover, Howland and Perry. Not only did that 4-2 sectional first-round victory over GlenOak extend Massillon’s tournament run, one team member believes it fueled the team’s confidence level. "Beating GlenOak was big because we know they have a great program, but we finally won a tournament game after losing our first game the past three years," said Massillon shortstop and pitcher Jason Savage. "We seemed to play a lot looser in our next three games." |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
| 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 Monday’s 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. They’ve been in the program, both the high school program and our summer program, for four years. That’s huge. "I’ve 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 Ridgley’s 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 they’ve 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 Friday’s 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 |
 TUNEUP. Massillon second baseman Todd Helline tags out GlenOak runner Ray Frisbee who was attempting to steal in Monday’s regular-season game. Massillon lost, but plays in a Division I regional semifinal on Friday. Repository / Scott Heckel |
| Tigers ‘jockeying’ for regional title |
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May 24, 2000
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| One thing that sets the Massillon baseball team apart from other high school ball clubs in Stark County - other than the fact the Tigers are still in the hunt for a state championship with a Canton Division I regional semifinal tilt set for Friday at 5 p.m. at Munson Stadium - is their bench jockeying. |
| Being a bench jockey used to be a big part of the game of baseball. A player who was not in the starting lineup felt as if he was helping the team out by being a vociferous presence while sitting on the pines. Most of the time that meant shouting out encouragement to his teammates. But an effective bench jockey would also attempt to get under an opponent’s skin in the hopes of distracting his foe or causing him to lose focus. He would needle. He would chirp. He would belittle an opponent’s ability ..all in the cause of helping his own team. While directing comments from the bench at an opposing team’s players has been outlawed in high school baseball, the Tigers have the area’s loudest, most energetic dugout, shouting and chanting from the first pitch to the final out in most games. Tiger coach Tim Ridgley didn’t encourage this sometimes-irritating approach to the game but he is glad his charges have adopted it. "Every team you have takes on the personality of the kids who are on that team," Ridgley said. "They feed off of certain things, whether it be performance, the dugout, or both. "These guys started with this thing. I’ve been careful with it. I don’t care as long as we say things to our kids." Ridgley stressed that Ohio High School Athletic Association rules state a player cannot say anything to the opposing team or an opposing team’s player. That issue came up during the district finals against Perry. "The only thing I want to see is us win," Ridgley said. "I’m not going to put my foot down and stop something our guys feel is important to get them energized to win. "I have stepped on them at certain times about watching what they say to make sure the other team doesn’t think it is directed toward them." Ridgley admits bench jockeying isn’t what it used to be when he was an active player. "Part of it is part of the game," Ridgley said. "Things are said during the game and our kids get energized by it." While Ridgley embraces the Tigers’ vocal approach to the game, he acknowledges it hasn’t been a staple of his baseball program at Massillon. Prior to this year, the Tigers were a more passive group when in the dugout or on the bench. "It was like pulling teeth to get them fired up on the bench," Ridgley said. "Because of this team, our junior varsity and freshmen have picked up on it. "It’s kind of like hitting. Hitting can be contagious. Winning can be contagious. This has been contagious, and now our freshmen and JVs are doing it, too." Among some of the things you might hear from the Tiger bench: l When a Massillon player draws a walk, the players will chant, "Go. Go. Go," as the batter jogs down the first base line. Then when the player reaches first base, they shout, in unison, "Stop!" l When a Tiger base runner is leading off and the pitcher throws to the base, the team shouts, "Back!" Once the fielder throws the baseball back to the pitcher, the team will yell, "Clear." l One of the more creative chants comes when starting shortstop Dan Melito walks to the plate. The players will give a Wizard of Oz-like chant, "Muh-lee-tow, oh-oh. Muh-lee-tow, oh-oh." Anthony Battle is one of the Tigers more active bench jockeys but Jason Savage may be the loudest and most creative, says Ridgley. Another who makes a lot of noise is injured starting pitcher Jason Weick, who has refused to allow a season-ending injury diminish his enthusiasm for the game of baseball. Ridgley says this season’s Tigers do more bench jockeying than any team since he has been in charge of the program. The last thing his charges worry about is firing up the other team. "If that happens, we go another notch above them," Ridgley said. "They kind of thrive if the other team gets on it, too." There are those who don’t like Massillon’s vocal approach. Some say it can lead to hard feelings or even physical confrontation. Ridgley doesn’t subscribe to that theory. "Isn’t it a kid’s game," he said. "That’s what it’s about. "Some people might take offense to it. But the bottom line at this level is to win. It’s my job to make sure we have that opportunity and if this enters into it, we’re going to do it no matter what anybody says." NOTEBOOK: The Tigers will not play another regular season game this week to prepare for their regional semifinal contest against Dublin Coffman, Friday at 5 p.m. at Thurman Munson Stadium. ..Massillon may well square off against its own junior varsity team, which went 23-2 this season. "Those guys have running their lips a little bit," Ridgley said of his JV squad. "I’ve had (varsity) guys ask me, ‘Let’s play them. We want to play.’ We might do it on Thursday." ..Weick, who had a fine junior campaign for the Tigers and was very promising in the summer and fall leagues, hasn’t pitched in a game this season due to a torn pectoral muscle in the front of his right shoulder. Ridgley says Weick hasn’t missed one game this season and will coach one of the Orangeman teams this summer. ..Dublin Coffman and Massillon take a similar approach on offense. Both teams feature gap hitters who shoot for singles and doubles rather than the fences. But Massillon has far better team speed than Coffman and uses it to an advantage on the basepaths. ..Battle and Savage rank one-two in stolen bases for Massillon. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
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| Tiger nine is loose and ready |
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May 26, 2000
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| The radio was blaring the music of hard rockers Golden Earring over the loudspeakers at Ducky Schroeder Field Thursday afternoon as the Massillon Tigers worked out under blue skies and abundantsunshine in preparation for today’s Canton Division I regional semifinal game against Dublin Coffman at Munson Stadium. |
| The Tigers, 21-7 after last week’s district tournament victories over Warren Howland and Perry, were a loose team on Thursday, enjoying the weather, the music, each other’s company and the workout the coaching staff was putting them through. After getting past the tournament opener, Massillon mentor Tim Ridgley has made a conscious effort to lighten up on the reins a little during this post-season run. "It’s that time of the year you have to let them play and be loose," Ridgley said. "You don’t want to inflict pressure on them too soon because they’ll put plenty of pressure on themselves tomorrow to win the game. "We don’t talk about it. We have fun, kid with each other, listen to some music and get done what we need to get done. We’ve had a real good practice out here today." That’s not to say Ridgley has let the inmates run the asylum. Senior third baseman Chad Marceric says everyone still knows who is boss and everyone is still extending themselves for the finish line. "He’s still pushing us hard," insisted Marceric. "He’s got to. You got to keep us up. You can’t relax at all. We’ve got to keep going hard until it’s over ..until we win it all." The Tigers have gone where no Massillon baseball team has gone since the 1994 squad went all the way to the state finals. While the coaching staff is looking to keep things on the relaxed side, the pressure of playing for the right to be in the state finals is a fact of life with which the players have to contend. Of course, many of these same athletes were dealing with the pressure of post-season football play six months ago. There are similarities and differences. "I feel more confident now," said Tiger clean-up hitter Anthony Battle. "There was more on the line in football with the perfect season and everything. We’re all starting to come together in baseball and I feel more confident." "The butterflies were all gone after that first (tournament) game," said Massillon catcher Charles Hendricks. "We’re just playing for fun now and we’re just out to get the job done." Hendricks, a senior, will be on the receiving end of the offerings of starting pitcher B.J. Budd this afternoon. He says the junior left-hander is not the easiest hurler on the team to handle. "B.J. has like eight different pitches," Hendricks said. "He can come from a variety of different arm slots. He changes speeds a lot. He has his own personality on the mound. He’s a lot different than a lot of other pitchers. Sometimes he starts rushing himself and you have to slow him down." Budd was dominant in the 7-0 district semifinal victory over Warren Howland. Munson Stadium has a very large playing field. The outfield fences are major league dimensions. In short, it is a pitcher’s ball park. By contrast, there is a lot of ground for the Tiger outfielders to cover, especially against a gap-hitting team such as Coffman. "The size of the outfield doesn’t matter," insisted Tiger senior right fielder Dan Ackerman. "It’s like Coach Ridgley says, ‘Big players make big plays in big games.’" Although he hits in the two-hole, Ackerman confided that his primary focus in a game of this magnitude is to be solid with the glove. "We have enough guys who can do the job offensively," he said. "If I can get a hit here or there, score a run, steal a base or whatever helps the team out, that’s great. But it’s mainly defense for me." Todd Helline hits just in front of Ackerman, in the leadoff spot. And like Ackerman, Helline is a senior facing the end of his high school baseball career with each game. He won’t soon forget the camaraderie he enjoyed. "We’re like a bunch of brothers out here playing together," Helline explained. "Every game could be our last game playing together, so we have to go out and win so we can keep playing." In order for that to happen, the Tigers will have to beat a regional tournament-tested Dublin Coffman squad. The teams are similar in that they don’t boast a lineup full of long ball hitters, instead preferring to find the gaps for singles and doubles. However, the Tigers apparently have a significant edge in team speed and that could come into play on Munson’s spacious playing field. "We hit the ball in the gaps and we have some kids who can run," acknowledged Ridgley. "I’m not going to change our philosophy for this game. "There’s going to be certain situations where I’m going to make them throw us out. Being a big field like it is could help us out." But win or lose, Ridgley wants to make sure his young charges soak it all in. He wants them to take a moment to reflect on what they are experiencing and to realize all they have accomplished this spring. "There are only 16 teams left in the state and we’re one of them," Ridgley said. "I can remember back when I played football here and that was an exciting time. Then we (play for the state title) in 1994 and it wiped that memory out, and if we do it again this year I’m sure this memory will wipe that other memory out. "Athletes do live their lives in the past a little bit. They reminisce and talk about what they did in high school or college or whatever. So it is a real important time for the kids and our program." And if the Tigers have it their way, this "time" will continue into next week with a final four berth in Columbus. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
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May 27, 2000
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| Massillon’s Charles Hendricks slides into home plate as Dublin Coffman catcher Bart Hunton applies the tag in the bottom of the second inning in Friday afternoon’s Canton Division I regional semifinal at Thurman Munson Stadium. Hendricks was cal |
| A nightmarish first inning, during which Dublin Coffman batted around, left Massillon with a deficit it couldn’t close as the Tigers dropped a 10-3 Canton Division I regional semifinal game to the Shamrocks in front of an estimated 1,500 fans at Thurman Munson Stadium, Friday afternoon. |
| Coffman tallied five runs on four hits in that opening frame. Seven of the first eight Shamrock batters reached base. It was like a dream come true for Coffman head coach Tim Saunders. "Right after the Star Spangled Banner I told one of our coaches that it would be nice to get six runs right off the bat, and we got five," Saunders revealed after the game. "Massillon competed and they kept going but that was a great start for us and now our kids really believe in themselves." Coffman came into the game averaging over 10 runs a game in sectional and district tournament play and the Shamrocks kept up that pace against Tiger starter B.J. Budd. But Massillon hurt itself, issuing three walks (one intentional) in the decisive first inning. "B.J. wasn’t throwing well," Ridgley said. "He was sick. You get the ball up and they’re going to hit it all over the ballpark on you and that’s what they did." Jack Lucas led the game off for Coffman with a line shot single to center field and two-hole hitter Travis Thomas walked on four pitches. Jay Eastway bunted the runners over to second and third and Ridgley had Budd issue clean-up hitter Bart Hunton an intentional walk to load the bases and set up a force play at any bag. But Coffman’s Marc Crabtree ruined the strategy by blooping a single into short left field to bring home Lucas. Another walk plated Thomas with the Shamrocks’ second run and Brock Hunton drove a ball over the outstretched glove of right fielder Dan Ackerman to score his brother Bart and it was a 3-0 game. Brad Krause followed with a sharp single to left to bring Crabtree around and Andy Yates hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Martin to make it 5-0. It could’ve been worse if not for a fine diving stop on the play by Tigers first baseman Anthony Battle, who got to his knees in time to get a force out at second base. The damage had been done, however, and Massillon was in a deep hole early. "B.J.’s pitches were up and he struggled," explained Ridgley. "He couldn’t get his curveball across in the first inning and when he can’t get his curveball across, he’s in trouble." Despite the deficit, Ridgley was confident the Tigers could come back. He has seen his team do just that time after time this season and there was no reason to believe they couldn’t do it again. "I don’t ever wonder about these kids," he said. "I told our juniors if you learn one thing from the senior class, it is never to give up. This is a heck of a group of kids." Todd Helline led off Massillon’s first with a single to left-center field. With Ackerman up, Helline got the steal sign and took off, only to be gunned down at second base by Bart Hunton. "I had reports on how good of a catcher he was and I wanted to see," said Ridgley. "He has a cannon. He has a cannon. But you want to stay in your game plan." Despite the score, Saunders wasn’t surprised to see Helline take off. "We’ve heard they’ve been doing that," Saunders said. "That’s what wins them games. "If you’ve watched our catcher throw, any major college coach is going to say that kid can play. If they go, we invite them to go." Coffman added a run in the second on a one-out walk, an infield hit, a single and a sacrifice fly. It appeared Massillon got on the board in the bottom of the second, but Charles Hendricks was called out at home plate on Ryan Ridgley’s single to right field. Hendricks’ feet clearly slid across home plate before the tag but the umpire saw it differently. Helline walked with one out in the third, took second on a wild pitch and tallied the Tigers’ first run on Chad Marceric’s RBI single to left. Coffman added two in the fourth on an RBI triple by Eastway and Bart Hunton’s sacrifice fly to push Massillon’s deficit to 8-1. The Shamrocks got two more in the fifth and left the bases loaded on a check swing strike three for the third out. But the Tigers now trailed 10-1. Thomas, a junior lefty, kept Massillon at bay until the seventh when Helline and Ackerman singled to lead off the inning. Tyler Armbruster was summoned from the Coffman bullpen and was greeted by a Marceric single. Helline scored on the play on a wild throw from the right fielder. Battle lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Ackerman but that’s as far as the rally would go. "We had 11 hits and they had 11 hits but that first inning killed us," Ridgley said. "You’ve got to give credit to that ball club in the green. They hit the heck out of the ball." Coffman is scheduled to play Hudson this afternoon at 1 at Munson for the regional title. The Explorers edged New Philadelphia 3-2 in Friday’s first game. Massillon finishes the season at 21-8. COFFMAN 10, MASSILLON 3 COFFMAN MASSILLON ab r h bi ab r h bi Lucas ss 5 2 2 0 Helline 2b 4 2 2 0 Thomas p 4 2 1 0 A’rman rf 3 1 0 0 Eastway dh 4 2 2 3 Marceric 3b 4 0 2 1 Bt. Hunton c 2 1 1 1 Battle 1b 3 0 1 1 Crabtree 1b 4 2 2 1 Hendricks c 4 0 3 0 Martin cf 3 0 1 2 Savage ss-p 4 0 0 0 Br. H’ton rf 4 0 1 1 Abbott lf 2 0 1 0 Krause 3b 2 1 1 1 Ridgley cf 3 0 2 0 Yates lf 4 0 0 1 Melito dh-ss 3 0 0 0 Totals 32101110 Totals 303112 Coffman 510 220 0-10 Massillon 001 000 2-3 E-Bart Hunton, Melito, Brock Hunton, Stahl. LOB-Coffman 10, Massillon 10. 2B-Eastway. 3B-Eastway. CS-Helline. S-Eastway. IP H R ER BB SO Coffman Thomas W 6103022 Armbruster 110000 Massillon Budd L,7-1 4988 43 Savage 3 22 225 HBP-by Thomas (Abbott) WP-Thomas. T-2:30. A-1,500. |
| ©The Independent 2000 |
 Massillon’s Charles Hendricks is called out on a tag by Dublin Coffman catcher Bart Hunton Friday during a Division I regional semifinal game at Thurman Munson Stadium. Dublin Coffman won, 10-3. Repository / Joy Newcomb |