Austintown Fitch falls to Walsh Jesuit 9-0
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MACEDONIA -- The assignment was always going to be daunting. The result showed exactly why.
Tasked with facing a state championship-caliber Walsh Jesuit squad Tuesday at Nordonia High School, Austintown Fitch fell behind early and never managed to get back in the mix, falling 9-0 to the Warriors in the Division I Macedonia District semifinal.
The Falcons conclude their season at 16-11 overall.
"We kind of knew what we were up against," said Fitch coach Joe Paris. "(Walsh Jesuit is) the No. 3 team in the state of Ohio, and they've got a ton of college recruits. So we knew we had our work cut out for us, and to beat this team, we had to play a perfect game. We didn't do that. We walked some guys, and they hit the ball. They're just a very, very good baseball team, and they're going to be tough to beat."
Walsh Jesuit (22-3-1) took control early. Starter Ryan Piech worked a brisk three up, three down inning to kick off his stellar day, and then the Warrior offense responded in kind with a five-run bottom of the frame.
Fitch starter Jack Knight surrendered a pair of walks to begin the first, and then Mason Eckelman drove those runners in with a sharp double on a liner into left-center. A few batters later, Matthew Serdinak drove Eckelman in with an RBI single. The Warriors scored a couple more on a walk and a Fitch error.
The inning ended on a double play, as Fitch right fielder Hayden Warmouth collected a fly ball and then cut down a Warrior runner at home plate.
That was all the run support Piech needed. The Xavier commit went six innings, giving up just one hit and three walks while striking out 12. Kevin Holland worked a three up, three down seventh to put the game away.
Donavan Bell-Sullivan had the Falcons' lone hit, a single in the fourth inning. That set up Fitch's only true scoring threat, as the Falcons had runners on first and second with two outs. But Piech picked up a strikeout to end the inning.
"He throws probably low 90s, his curveball was nasty. He's going to be a great pitcher in college, and he just had great composure," Paris said of Piech. "He's just a good all-around pitcher."
The Warriors added four more runs in the third. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases, and then Raul Gamez drove one in on a sac-fly.
Alejandro Covas added a two-RBI triple, and then Walsh scored its final run on another error.
In all, Walsh Jesuit racked up its nine runs on 10 hits and five walks.
Nik Kyprianou came on in relief for the Falcons and went 3 2/3 innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out two.
"He did a great job," Paris said of Kyprianou. "He just throws off-speed, he was throwing strikes, kept the ball down, and we made plays defensively."
The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Fitch, whose rollercoaster season was full of both winning and losing stretches.
With an eye to the future, Paris says he's excited for what's to come as the Falcons head into the offseason with plenty coming back in 2024.
"When we play a team like this that has 10-12 college commits, and I look out and see a sophomore at first, a sophomore at second, a sophomore at short and a sophomore in center -- we have a bright future here at Fitch," Paris said. "I'm glad to be a part of it, and I'm excited for it."
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com