Canton goes 3-0 in talent-stocked Milan baseball tournament

April 18, 2010, 6:45 p.m.

  Saturday's cold weather didn't take the clout out of the Canton baseball team's bats in Saturday's Milan Tournament.

  The Chiefs exploded for 35 runs in three victories over three of the state's most-respected programs.

  Canton will take an 8-1 record into Monday's home Kensington Lakes Athletic Association cross-over game against Novi. The first pitch is slated to be thrown at 4 p.m.

  The Chiefs downed perennial power Ann Arbor Pioneer, 8-5, in the first game. Andrew Tidwell picked up the win in relief of Ben Staley after the Pioneers scored five runs in the top of the sixth to knot the game at 5-all.

  Staley threw well, tossing 4.3 innings of three-hit ball, striking out five.

  The hitting stars against Pioneer were Cody Blakita (two hits) and Chris Perkovich, who registered a hit and an RBI.

  Canton smoked Grandville, 13-3, in the second game thanks to a 13-hit attack that featured two-hit efforts from Kevin Delapaz, Cody Blakita, Joe Galanty, Staley, Bernabie Salinas and Perkovich. Ryan Bazner (2-0) earned the win, yielding just two hits in three innings.

  The Chiefs capped the day with a resounding 14-6 triumph over Grosse Pointe North. Garrett Bryden swung a blistering piece of aluminum, rocking a triple and a home run.

  Also dialed in at the plate were Galanty (grand slam), Delapaz (triple, home run, three RBI) and Blakita, who ripped a two-run home run.

  Art Chavez picked up with the win with 2.3 innings of solid mound work. Chavez yielded three hits and whiffed three. Tidwell picked up his second save of the campaign.