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Double Aught's for Gold Hawks |
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Written by Steve DeDoes for Toledo Hawks Baseball
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Monday, 20 June 2011 07:05 |
Team Enjoys Pair of Saturday Shutouts
Behind great pitching - including a near no-hitter - the Toledo Hawks "Gold" blanked their guests from the Pittsburgh area in a pair of games on June 18 in Sylvania. In both contests, the Pandas fell prey to the Hawks hurlers by identical 2-0 scores.
The almost no-no belonged to Zak Esposito (Owens CC/Sandusky), and set the tone for the day and the weekend. Esposito allowed only a 2nd-inning single in a complete-game performance that saw him allow runners to reach the halfway point only twice in the game. In the course of his dominant, 91-pitch outing, Zak attacked the Panda hitters to the tune of five strikeouts while allowing three walks.
He got the only run he needed in the 4th, when Owens teammate Blake Schmenk (Perrysburg) led off with a single, stole second, and ended up riding home on a sacrifice fly by Eric Croak (Toledo/Toledo). Croak led the wood bat work for the Hawks by also contributing two singles in the game, including one that helped the Hawks score their other run. In the 6th, Croak's base hit was sandwiched between singles by Drew Kuns (Bowling Green/Oregon) and R.J. Rios (Adrian/Toledo), Kuns touching the plate on Rios' RBI.
Game Two saw similar theatrics by pitchers Kirk Stambaugh (Wayne State/Sylvania) and Jimmie Shaw (Lake Erie/Holland). Stambaugh tossed the first five innings, exiting the game with a 2-0 lead, after a 3-hit, four strikeout showing where he also allowed no walks. Shaw's two-inning save included two K's, though he issued three free passes.
In this game, it was Schmenk (two singles) and Kunz (double) who sparked the Hawks. In the fourth inning, Schmenk's single and Kunz' double resulted in a run that scored on Brett Howard's (Siena Heights/Toledo) sacrifice fly. An insurance run plated in the 5th when Eric Yunker (Ohio Northern/Holland) doubled, was sacrificed by Steve DiNanno (Oberlin/Northbrook, IL), and scored on a passed ball.
The doubleheader sweep elevated the Hawks to an 8-2 record in the Tri-State League.
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