The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Consummate Kirtland claims CVC perfection
The Hornets complete an undefeated conference season for only the second time in school history.
If Kirtland was to make history, it relied on the arm of Andrew Spencer when it took on Berkshire in Chagrin Valley Conference play.
With a win, the Hornets complete an undefeated conference season for only the second time in school history.
Spencer was up to the challenge and then some, as he went the distance and struck out 11 as Kirtland went on to win, 5-0, to finish conference play unblemished.
The Hornets are now 18-6, while Berkshire fell to 15-7.
Spencer was dominant from the mound, not just with the strikeouts, but he limited the Badgers to just three hits on the day.
The senior knew he needed to get ahead in the count, which then allows for him to open up his repertoire of pitches.
“First-pitch fastballs and get ahead in the count,” Spencer said. “Then they are going to struggle to know what’s coming next. It helps keep the batter guessing as to what is going to come next.”
While Spencer got things done from the mound, his teammates were able to help him from the plate. Gage Sullivan brought home two runs, and Danny Davidson and Anthony DeMarco brought in a run apiece to build up the lead.
It was enough runs to get the job done for the Hornets.
The group now joins the 2014 Hornets as the only teams in school history to go undefeated in conference play.
Coach Luke Smrdel knew it was going to be a challenge for the Hornets, and not one that they were going to chase after.
But to accomplish something of this caliber speaks volumes about his team.
“We have great senior leadership this year,” Smrdel said.
“They’ve really stepped up for us day in and day out. There were some bumps in the road, but we were able to get it back together and that’s a great thing to see. It’s hard to go undefeated in conference, especially in the CVC. It’s a great job by our guys to achieve this.”
Despite the loss, Berkshire was able to stay in the game, despite not being able to put the ball in play like Kirtland was. Jack Jacobs
had a solid outing, going 4 1/3 innings and striking out six, but the Badgers failed to capitalize on his performance.
Berkshire was named as one of the four seeds for the Division III postseason, and Coach Nick Burzanko knows his team is capable of much more, knowing he has a talented team on the diamond.
“We were voted to be a four seed for a reason — we’re a good baseball team,” Burzanko said.
“In these last few outings, we haven’t shown that.
In these big baseball games against the likes of Cardinal and Kirtland, you need to be able to respond to the highs and lows of the game. Our guys will need to figure it out over these next couple games and find their stride before next week.”
With the playoffs looming, both teams are looking to go in with big wins. Berkshire travels to Perry for another CVC clash May 13, while Kirtland now heads out of conference play to take on Mentor on the same date.