Sophomore provides boost for Mayfield

The victory against Mentor follows a walkoff win against Brush and a 7-5 triumph over St. Ignatius.

Mayfield sophomore Kevin Spehar began the week on the junior varsity team. By the end of it, the Wildcats called on him to start against one of the area’s top programs.

Injuries to Coach D.J. Rapposelli’s pitching staff created a need for someone to throw the extra innings, and Spehar was added to the varsity team before a matchup with Brush on April 12.

Spehar started his first varsity game at Mentor and pitched Mayfield to a 6-5 victory.

“I was a little bit nervous,” Spehar said.

“But when it’s my day to pitch, I don’t like to talk. I just zone in and trust my ability.”

Spehar (1-0) limited the Cardinals to one unearned run and a hit in six innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Nathan Birtley led off the home first with a single, which stood as Mentor’s only hit through the first six frames. Only five balls were hit to the outfield against Spehar.

The right-hander said he had a good feel for his changeup, which kept the Cardinals off-balance. He generated swings and misses with his off-speed pitches and rarely yielded sharp contact as he attacked hitters.

“I knew they were going to be a good lineup,” Spehar said. “I knew I had a good defense out there, so I was going to come in and throw strikes. Whatever happened, happened.”

The victory against Mentor follows a walkoff win against Brush and a 7-5 triumph over St. Ignatius. The Wildcats wondered postgame when the last time it was they beat Mentor and St. Ignatius in the same season, as they’ve jumped out to a 7-2 start.

“If we pitch well, we put ourselves in a situation where we can beat anybody,” Rapposelli said. “Defense is doing really good things out there. Offensively, we’re putting the bat on the ball in timely situations.”

Mentor starter Squire Chapman hit a batter and walked three to force in a Mayfield run. Sam Guerrini’s RBI single staked Spehar to a two-run lead before he threw a pitch. Bobby Snyder scored Joe Trivison from third in the second for a 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals scratched their run off Spehar in the fifth when Riley Grieco struck out but reached base on a passed third strike, then took second on a throwing error. Grieco scored on Birtley’s RBI groundout.

One of four Mentor errors keyed a three-run Mayfield seventh. Michael Canganelli reached when a grounder was misplayed, stole second and scored on Trivison’s single. Guerrini’s bases-loaded chopper past third sent two home for a 6-1 Wildcats lead.

Mentor rallied as Mayfield’s relievers struggled to find the strike zone, at one point throwing 10 consecutive strikes.

Tyler Knapp drew a bases-loaded walk to force a run home, Nick Smith’s two-run single drew the Cardinals within two before Tom Noll cut the lead to 6-5 and moved the tying run to third base.

Angelo DelBalso struck out Jeremy McClure to preserve Mayfield’s win.

Mentor coach Jeff Haase says his team has been a little “snakebit” to start the year, as a four-run rally fell one score shy. While the Cardinals have plenty of returning talent, he’s looking for leaders to emerge and ensure their teammates are able to work through miscues.

“Routine plays and throwing strikes still makes the world go round,” Haase said. “That’s where we struggled today, and I guess you could say the same for them near the end.”

The Cardinals are out to a 2-4 start, which includes losses to Greater Cleveland Conference foes Elyria, Medina and Strongsville. An arduous league schedule plus injuries to three key infielders haven’t helped as weather has prevented Mentor, and many other teams, from gaining traction on the diamond.

Through six games, Haase is fairly certain the Cardinals will win more than two by the end of the season. Then, in the postseason, is when he looks for Mentor to play its best.

“Everything builds to that,” Haase said. “People get caught up in 20-win seasons, 15-win seasons and what it’s really about is who’s left standing at the end. It’s a slow, building process. We’re feeling our way through it, but we’ll be all right.”