Portage South Ends the Season as Champions
After finishing second in the league tournament, Portage South was looking to end the season
on a high note in the Wood Bat Classic. In pool play, PS had to play 4 games and went 2-2 to earn the 3rd seed in the
single elimination tournament. Portage South lost to the Bomb Squad in the opener then came back to beat the Warren
Cardinals 15-1. PS then lost to the Play Ball Academy A's 2-0 and finished pool play with a win over Metro Ice. In
the tournament, Portage South would face the Bomb Squad again. Mike Darrah threw a one-hit shutout,
while striking out 10, for the 1-0 victory. In the finals, PS would face the Warren Cardinals. Portage South got
on the board first with 2 runs in the first inning. Ron Spears doubled and scored on a Mike
Darrah homerun. They would tack on another run in the third when Darrah doubled and was plated by a Phil
Smith single. The Cardinals would cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth, but PS scored 2 more in the sixth to win
5-2. Kevin Haley went the distance on the mound for the win, striking out nine.
Nice Tournament Run Sees Portage South Finish Runner-up
Following a tough regular season, Portage South was looking to make a run in the league tournament.
In the first round, PS drew South Akron Kraken. they had lost 3 of 4 during the regular season to the Kraken,
but a late homerun by Mike Haney broke a 2-2 tie for the Portage South win. PS then played Ohio Gamecocks and got out
to an early lead with a 7-run second inning. The Gamecocks rallied with an 8-run sixth inning to cut the lead to 11-10,
but Portage South held on for the victory. In the semifinal, PS would face Play Ball Academy A's for a spot in the Championship.
Portage South got a run in the fourth, 2 in the fifth and 2 more in the seventh to win 5-0. Mike Darrah
threw a 3-hit shutout to put the Black Squirrels in the championship game without a loss. In the championship, PS would
again be matched up with the A's, as they made their way back through the consolation bracket. The A's were able to
shutout Portage South in 2 consecutive games to take the title.
Early Injuries Leads to a Tough Regular Season for PS
The Portage South Black Squirrels 2014 season got off to a rough start by dropping both games
of a doubleheader, but then split the next 8 games to end up at 4-6 through their first 10 games. Then PS was hit heavily
with the injury bug. Even some of the players brought in to replace the injured ones were injured and Portage South
struggled a bit. They were 7-10 and had a chance to get back into the regular season title race with 4 straight games
with the league leading, Play Ball Academy A's. PS dropped all 4 games and then ended the season with a 9-15 record.
There were some bright spots with the regular season. With the pitching staff thin to begin with and some young
arms learning, Kevin Haley came and had one of the best seasons in Portage South history on the mound. There was also
plenty of offense as 5 players finished the regular season hitting over .400.
