Michael Kmentt came up short in his bid for a no-hitter but Kirtland still defeated Harvey, 8-2, on Tuesday to complete the season sweep of the Red Raiders.
“We got another W under the belt,” said Kirtland coach Luke Smrdel. “Harvey did a great job. They bounced back very well. We viewed this game almost as a trap game because we had a big win on Monday and we came back and didn’t have a letdown.”
Kmentt struck out 14 in 5 2/3 innings of work in his first start of the season. He didn’t allow a hit through 5 1/3.
“He started on the disabled list there the first couple of games,” Smrdel said. “He came out and from start to finish was in command. He was throwing strikes and he did a great job of getting ahead of batters.”
The Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third then broke it open with four more in the fourth.
Harvey pulled to within 5-2 in the top of the sixth but the Hornets put it away with three in the bottom half of the inning.
“It was a good win,” Smrdel said. “Harvey did a good job of bouncing back.”
Palmer Capretta, Owen Loncar and Jacob Boyd all had two hits for the Hornets.
Capretta and Loncar were 2-for-3.
“Palmer got his opportunity at the plate today, he starts at shortstop every day, and he ran with it. He’s hitting the ball all over the field. He had a good day at the plate,” Smrdel said. “Loncar was hitting line drives all over the place.”
Boyd was 2-for-4.
“He’s hitting the ball hard all day,” Smrdel said. “It’s line drive after line drive. Jacob is in a groove right now.”
The Hornets host a pair of non-conference games on Wednesday and Thursday. They play West Geauga on Wednesday and Wickliffe on Thursday.
