Two seasons removed from winning a state championship, this year’s version of the Chardon Hilltopper baseball team still has many players who were part of that team and know what it takes to win at the top level.
Game photos click here.
Two seasons removed from winning a state championship, this year’s version of the Chardon Hilltopper baseball team still has many players who were part of that team and know what it takes to win at the top level.
They also want to use all the basics of the game to get back to the finale of state competition.
On a great baseball-weather day April 16 at Munson Township Park, Chardon took a solid 4-2 victory in Western Reserve Conference action from rival Riverside.
Good fundamentals keyed the win, with several players making huge contributions to the victory, as they are expected to do the same all season long by Head Coach Brian Long.
“Pitching and defense keep you in games, and timely hitting will usually help get the win,” he said. “Today we got all of those things, and having Austin back from a football injury was a key thing as well. Add in some of the regular things our guys do all the time, and it adds up to today’s win.”
He referred to the return of senior Austin Leszynski. After a serious knee injury from football, his return was a great thing for him and his teammates to enjoy.
“This was a huge thing for me today,” Leszynski said. “Just to be back with my teammates again was good. I have tried to put in the effort to get back, to maintain my confidence along the way, and to put in the time, as I was directed by everybody, to take my time to get it right. I feel great, and today was really exciting.”
Leszynski’s return got going with major trepidation, as his first pitch of the game plunked the hitter in the shoulder. The next hitter sent a screaming liner to left center, but out that way was Hilltopper Leo Colombi in his normal spot. The senior has big game experience, and it showed as he raced into the gap to make the catch.
The next hitter sent a sharp liner up the middle for a single, and the first run of the game crossed the plate.
Leszynski got sharper after that first frame, using mostly a pinpoint fastball in cutting the corners of the plate, and capping things off with an occasional curveball that kept the Beavers off balance all day.
Good teams also take advantage of breaks, a key element in the Topper arsenal for the season.
With two outs in the bottom of the first frame, Stone Fawcett sent a high pop-up into short left-center. Looking into a bright sun and dealing with a soft but persistent breeze, the shortstop settled in for the catch, but his glove didn’t cooperate. Fawcett was on base, a walk to Kyle Gunnoe and infield singles from Logan Gunnoe and Jayden Buth plated the tying run, and Vinny Colombi drilled a liner to right-center for two more runs and a 3-1 lead.
A stout defense, opportune hitting late in the game, and great bullpen work from Daniel Joaquin capped the victory for Chardon as the team moved to 7-4 on the season.
“Every team deals with injuries over the course of a season,” Coach Long said. “Today was special in having Austin back again. We were also missing our normal leadoff guy, Will Francis, who has a foot injury. We’ve missed our other top pitcher, too, in Mason Wolf. But the kids have worked so hard, I’m just so proud of that as well.”
With a core of nine seniors on this team, Long has a plethora of players with good experience in big games. They all contribute.
This contest, Colombi had that first-inning double and also walked twice. Beside his great catch in the first frame, he made a diving catch in the left-field corner to rob the Beaver hitter of extra bases, and that lifted everybody up a ton.
An infield chopper down the third-base line could not have been walked to its stopping point any better for a single, and Leszynski fanned the next trio of hitters and induced a fly ball to center that Ty Roediger easily corralled to end the threat.
The only error of the day, in the top of the fifth for Chardon, led to an unearned run for the Beavers, cutting the gap to 3-2. But again, Chardon responded accordingly with a manufactured run. Colombi led off with a walk, promptly stole second, and moved to third as Chad Prince dropped down a perfect bunt for a sacrifice. Then pinch hitter Tyler Gideon delivered a long fly ball to center for the final run of the game.
Joaquin induced three straight outs in the seventh to finish things up.
“I’m basically looking to use a five-man starting rotation for the season,” Coach Long said. “It all starts with Austin, moves on with Mason Wolf, and then we can go with Kyle McCoy, Charlie Clark, freshman Tim Robertson, who can be a good one, and if it works out, Tyler Noerr, who is hurt right now. And it’s just amazing that we can go to Daniel (Joaquin) like we did today.”
This game, the Hilltoppers started Roediger in center, Clark, Fawcett behind the plate, McCoy at second as Francis heals, Gunnoe in right, Buth at third, Colombi in left, Prince at first, and Justin Smith at short.
Everybody made plays and did things to help. The Toppers only managed five hits, but got a lead and held onto it.
With nine seniors on the roster, depth is at a premium for Coach Long. Look for another deep tournament run for this team as they smile and hustle their way through a tough league season as well.
“Every year is a tough road for us in our league,” Long said. “The competition is amazing, but the kids enjoy it and work hard to make it happen. They have a next-man-up mentality all the time, and that’s how you build a winning team.”
