Canton base-runner Angelo Lanava and Plymouth first baseman Matt Priebe anticipate the next pitch during the second game of Wednesday's double-header.

Chiefs sweep crucial South Division doubleheader from Wildcats

BY ED WRIGHT
April  29, 2010, 10:15 p.m.

  It took nearly 21 hours for Canton pitcher Art Chavez's sterling pitching effort Wednesday afternoon to turn into an official win.

  But it was worth the wait for the junior right-hander.

  After shutting out Plymouth on just two hits over four innings, the second game of Wednesday's cross-campus double-header was suspended until Thursday afternoon.

  That's when senior Andrew Tidwell took to the hill for the Chiefs and preserved Chavez's gem by shutting out the Wildcats over the final three innings, yielding just a fifth-inning single to Ben Wohl and and walk to Jimmy May.

  In the meantime, Canton's bats were on fire, pushing across four runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh to finish off the 12-0 victory.

  Chris Perkovich and Kevin Delapaz had RBI singles in the fifth while Cody Blakita had an RBI hit in the seventh.

  The Wildcats were hurt by three errors in the final three innings.

  The victory improved Canton's record to 12-3. Plymouth slipped to 6-8.

  The Chiefs scored Wednesday's only runs in the third when Perkovich led off with a double, advanced to third on Delapaz's bunt single and scored on Seth Tschetter's sacrifice fly.

  Delapaz, who stole second and moved to third on Tschetter's long out, scored when Blakita grounded out to first.

  The Chiefs then mounted a three-run, two-out rally when Joe Galanty singled, Staley, Tidwell and Bazner walked before Angelo Lanava laced a two-run single up the middle, scoring Staley and Tidwell.

  "I thought Art threw really well," said Blomshield. "He's one of those kids we're going to be relying on down the road."
 
GAME 1: Canton 10, Plymouth 6

  Plymouth's baseball team struck early in the first game of Wednesday's  double-header at Canton, but the Chiefs struck early and often to post a 10-6 victory.

  After Mike Nadratowski launched a two-run home run in the top of the first to stake the 'Cats to a 2-0 lead, the Chiefs responded with five in the bottom of the frame and three more in the second.

  Plymouth chiseled away at its deficit, closing to 8-6 in the sixth, but the Chiefs countered with two insurance runs in the sixth on a Cody Blakita double.

  Canton starting pitcher Ben Staley persevered through some rough sailing early on to earn his  first victory of the season.

  "I was impressed with the way we bounced back after giving up that two-run shot to Nadratowski in the first," said Blomshield. "Ben didn't have his best stuff today, but he hung in there and kept them off balance.

  "The ironic thing is Ben pitched better in his first three or four starts than he did today and didn't get a 'W'. It was nice to see him hang in there and get his first win."

  The Wildcats managed to mount a comeback thanks in large part to the effort of Zach Yokum, who relieved starter Matt Priebe with nobody out in the second and  silenced the Chiefs' bats for 4.1 innings.

  "Zach kept us in the game, there's no doubt about it," said Plymouth coach Bryan Boyd. "We had a horrible stretch in the first couple innings when everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  My hat is off to Canton, though. They took advantage of our mistakes."

  Ryan Bazner and Andrew Tidwell pitched well in relief for Canton. Tidwell earned the save after coming in with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth.

  Garrett Bryden and Jason Lynch both ripped two-run doubles in the Chiefs' difference-making first inning. Bernabie Salinas added a sacrifice fly.

  Plymouth lead-off batter Wohl reached base four times, singling twice and getting hit by two pitches. Rich Guglielmi, who didn't register his first hit until the Wildcats' fourth game, raised his batting average to close to .500 with a pair of hits. Phil Emminger knocked a pair of doubles.