Kirtland took control of the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division with a 4-2 win over visiting Berkshire on Thursday.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 13-3 overall and 8-1 in league play with three conference games left to play. Berkshire dropped into second place with a 6-2 record.
“We came into the game with the mindset that this was a must-win,” said Kirtland coach Luke Smrdel. “We did the little things right. We got some situational hits and plated a couple of runs in tough situations. The guys did a nice job.”
After Gino Blasini pitched out of a jam in the top of the first—Berkshire used a walk and a double to post runners at second and third with one out—the Hornets responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Tyler Turk drew a one-out walk and Luke Chuko reached on an error. Adam Knaak followed with a two-run double to left field.
Will Bates reached on an error with one down in the fourth and moved to third on Blasini’s single. Tommy Gogolin then hit a sacrifice fly that pushed Kirtland’s lead to 3-0.
The Hornets added another run in the fifth when Trip Thaler drew a leadoff walk and scored on Macguire Boyd’s RBI single.
Kirtland leaned on Blasini’s arm the rest of the way.
Berkshire climbed back into the game with a run in the sixth when Joey Czekaj singled and scored on Sam Barcikoski’s RBI single.
The Badgers loaded the bases in the seventh on two errors and a Patrick Brancel single. Lou Filby earned an RBI the easy way when he was hit by a pitch that cut Kirtland’s lead to 4-2, but Blasini pitched out of that jam to earn a complete-game victory.
He allowed two unearned runs on six hits and struck out eight in seven innings of work.
“During the last two innings, I hate to say it but I’ll give them credit, they started hitting off of me. I made a few mistakes myself as well,” said Blasini, who was 3-for-3 at the plate. “It feels great to be able to help my team out on both sides of the plate because it also boosts my confidence while I’m pitching, and when I’m pitching well, it boosts my confidence at the plate.”
Blasini superstitiously prefers to pitch on odd days, but the Hornets needed a big-time performance on the mound on May 4.
That forced Blasini out of his comfort zone.
“I had to persevere through the even day,” he said. “I know all my teammates and coaches trusted me throughout the whole game. No matter what day it is, they always have my back.”
Turk finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and Knaak knocked in a team-best two runs.
“These guys find a way to win,” Smrdel said. “They’ve been doing it all year. In close games, they seem to thrive. They want to be in close games, and they live for the big moment.”
Brancel recorded three hits for Berkshire.
Kirtland hosts Crestwood on Monday and then travels to Crestwood on Tuesday. The Hornets close out their conference schedule on May 19 at Berkshire.
The Hornets can win the conference title outright with back-to-back wins over Crestwood and a Berkshire loss. The Badgers travel to Crestwood on Friday and to Edgewood on Monday.
