2018 Game Recaps

Portage South Suffers Tough Loss to End Tournament

Portage South would face the Ohio Gamecocks in the Consolation Final, with the winner advancing to the League Championship.  The game was scoreless through the first three innings, but in the top of the fourth PS grabbed the lead.  Phil Kaderle reached on a fielder's choice, followed by a Kevin Yelinek single.  Mike Darrah would then single home Kaderle for the 1-0 lead.  The Gamcocks would come right back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 1-1.  It would remain tied until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Gamecocks got a bases loaded walk off single to win.  Kevin Haley pitched a fantastic game on the mound, but took a tough loss.  Mike Haney and Darrah each had 2 hits for the Portage South offense.

Black Squirrels Win Close One Over the Irish

Portage South and Akron Irish would meet on Thursday in Hudson.  It was a very close game throughout.  PS got on the board first with a run in the 3rd inning.  Mike Darrah would walk with two outs.  Ron Spears would single, moving Darrah to second.  Ty Moorhead was able to single home Darrah to grab the early lead.  This is all they would need as Darrah was able to blank the Irish over 7 innings on the mound for the 1-0 win.  Darrah struck out 10 while allowing just 7 hits for the victory.  Moorhead had 2 hits, including a triple, to lead the Black Squirrels. 

Portage South Bounces Back with Big Win

After losing on Sunday, Portage South had to face the Akron Rays to work their way back through the tournament.  The Rays grabbed the early lead with 2 runs in the second inning.  PS would take the lead back in the third inning with a 4-run frame.  Kevin Yelinek would lead off the inning with a single.  Mike Darrah would follow with a homerun to tie the game.  Ty Moorhead would double and score on Tyler Mazzei's double.  Mazzei was brought home by Phil Kaderle's single.  The Black Squirrels offense kept coming in the fourth with another 5 runs.  Yelinek would walk and Jesse Michel singled before Moorhead's second double of the game, scoring both runners.  Mike Haney was hit by a pitch and Mazzei walked to load the bases.  Kaderle would clear the bases with a double.  Portage South would add 2 more runs in the 5th inning to make it 11-2.  Yelinek doubled and scored on Michel's homerun.  Moorhead had 3 doubles to lead the offense.  Kaderle also had 3 hits and 4 RBI.  Dave Frak went the distance on the mound, striking out eight, for the win.

Black Squirrels Fall to Nordonia

Portage South would face Nordonia Renegades in the second round of the AA Tournament.  Nordonia got on the board first with 2 runs in the first inning.  They came right back and extended the lead with a 6-run frame in the 3rd inning making it 8-0.  The Renegades pushed the lead out to 10-0 after a run in the fourth and another one in the fifth.  In the bottom of the fifth, PS would close the gap with 4 runs in the inning.  Mike Haney would reach on a fielder's choice.  Mike Darrah would follow with a double, moving Nate Ritchey, who was running for Haney, to third.  Ritchey would score on a single by Justin Nelson and Darrah would score on an error.  Ty Moorhead would single, followed by an Aaron Gangi single that scored Nelson.  Jesse Michel would double home Moorhead to make it 10-4.  Nordonia would add another run making the final score 11-4.  Moorhead and Nelson each had 2 hits to lead the offense. 

Portage South Wins Tournament Opener

Portage South Black Squirrels opened Leaue Tournament play with the Tallmadge Knights.  Portage South got out to an early lead with 6 runs in the first inning.  Mike Darrah would walk, followed by a single by Jesse Michel.  Ty Moorhead's single would score Darrah.  Tyler Mazzei would single to load the bases then Jason Preising would follow with a single that scored Michel and Moorhead  A Kevin Haley infield single would score Mazzei and Nate Ritchey plated Preising and Haley with another single.  It would remain 6-0 until the sixth inning when the Knights got a run, but PS would keep it there and win 6-1.  Dave Frak went the distance on the mound for the win.  Mazzei and Phil Kaderle each had 2 hits to lead the Black Squirrels offense. 

Portage South Finishes Regular Season with Sweep of Rays

Portage South ended the regular season strong with 2 wins over the Akron Rays on Sunday.  In the first game, PS got out to an early lead with a run in the first inning.  Mike Darrah singled and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Ty Moorhead would single home Darrah.  The Rays tied the game in the second inning with a run of their own, but the Black Squirrels were able to regain the lead in the third inning.  Ron Spears led off the inning with a single and would advance to third on a Jesse Michel double.  Justin Nelson walked to load the bases and Tyler Mazzei would score Spears with a sacrifice fly.  Portage South would open the lead up with a 3-run fourth inning, making the score 5-1.  Nate Ritchey single to start the inning.  Darrah would follow with another single.  A Spears single would score Ritchey and Moorhead would knock in Darrah with his single.  Moorhead would eventually score on a wild pitch in the inning.  The Rays got a run back in the fifth to make the score 5-2, but PS would get one more run in the sixth.  Jason Preising and Kevin Yelinek would each single, then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Ritchey.  Preising would score on a wild pitch.  Phil Kaderle started on the mound for Portage South and went 3 1/3 innings allowing just one run.  Darrah would throw the final 3 2/3 for the win, striking out six.  Darrah, Spears and Moorhead had 2 hits each for the Black Squirrel offense.

In game two, the Rays got a run in the top of the first inning, but Portage South came right back in the bottom half of the inning with a 3 spot.  Ron Spears would walk and move to third on Ty Moorhead's double.  Justin Nelson would follow with a single, scoring them both.  Nelson would score on a Tyler Mazzei double.  The Rays would tie the game in the fourth inning at 3-3, but once again PS was able to take the lead back in the bottom half of the inning.  Jason Preising doubled to start the inning then scored on Jesse Michel's homerun.  The Black Squirrels would put the game away in the sixth inning with a 5-run frame, making the score 10-3.  Phil Kaderle would single to open the inning, followed by Lyndon Rainey being hit by a pitch.  Michel would move the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, then Spears would single home Kaderle.  Moorhead would double and score Rainey and a Nelson single would plate Spears and Moorhead.  Nelson was able to score on a sacrifice fly by Nate Ritchey.  The Akron Rays would pick up a run in the seventh, but Portage South would win 10-4.  Eric Schaffer went the distance for his 7th victory of the year.  Mazzei had 3 hits, including a double and RBI.

Portage South Loses Late to Knights

Portage South Black Squirrels faced the Tallmadge Knights for the second time in three days on Thursday night at Roosevelt.  The Knights scored first with a run in the third inning.  Portage South would tie the game in the fourth inning when Ron Spears crossed the plate after a wild pitch to make it 1-1. PS took the lead in the sixth inning when Ty Moorhead walked, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout.  He would score on another wild pitch.  Tallmadge would would get 3 hits with one out in the seventh to plate 2 runs and go ahead 3-2.  The Black Squirrels were unable to score in the bottom of the inning and lost.  Kevin Haley went 7 innings on the mound, striking out six.  Jason Preising had a single to lead the PS offense.

Black Squirrels Get Win Number 15

The Portage South Black Squirrels looked to get back on the winning track after suffering their first loss in 12 games.  PS came out swinging and scored 7 runs in the first inning.  Michael Poole and Ron Spears each walked to start the inning.  Ty Moorhead singled to load the bases and Aaron Gangi scored Poole with his single.  Jesse Michel was hit by a pitch that brought home Spears.  Tyler Mazzei and Jason Preising each had an RBI single in the inning.  The Black Squirrels would get another 7-run inning in the third, pushing the lead to 14-0.  Phil Kaderle walked and scored on Poole's double.  Moorhead would single home Poole, followed by another Gangi single.  Dave Frak would double home both runners.  After a another single by Mazzei, Preising would deliver the big blow with a 3-run homerun.  Eric Schaffer went all 5 innings on the mound for his 6th win of the season, allowing just 2 hits and striking out eight.  Preising was 2-3 with a homerun and 4 RBI to lead the offense. 

Win Streak Snapped at 11 for Portage South

Portage South Black Squirrels carried an 11-game winning streak in Sunday's matchup with Nordonia Renegades at CVCA.  It was a very close game throughout, with PS grabbing the early lead in the fourth inning.  Aaron Gangi singled to start the inning and moved to second on a balk.  Jason Preising would single to right field, scoring Gangi for the 1-0 lead.  Nordonia would tie the game in the sixth inning with a run and force extra innings.  In the top of the ninth inning, the Renegades would get 3 straight hits to open the frame and score 3 runs for the 4-1 lead.  They would hand Portage South their first loss in 12 games.  Ty Moorhead went 3-4 with 2 doubles to lead the offense for the Black Squirrels.  Kevin Haley would throw into the ninth inning, striking out 11 in a tough loss. 

Portage South Wins Battle of the Squirrels

Portage South Black Squirrels and the Fairlawn Flying Squirrels would face each other on Thursday night.  PS jumped out to the early lead with 5 runs in the second inning.  Dave Frak walked and moved to third on Mike Haney's double.  Jason Preising would follow with a walk to load the bases.  Nate Ritchey would score Frak with a sacrifice fly.  Ty Moorhead would single and score Preising and Lyndon Rainey.  Moorhead would score on a bases loaded walk to Aaron Gangi later in the inning.  Fairlawn got a run back in the bottom of the third inning, cutting the lead to 5-1.  The Black Squirrels would explode for 9 runs in the top of the fourth to break the game open.  Gangi had a 2-run double in the inning and Tyler Mazzei added a RBI single, but the big blow came from Haney with a grand slam.  Rainey capped off the inning with a 2-run double.  PS would add 3 more runs in the fifth to make it 17-1.  Frak had a RBI single in the inning.  The Flying Squirrels scored one more run in the bottom of the fifth to make the final score, 17-2.  Eric Schaffer went 4 innings on the mound for the win, but saw his scoreless innings streak stop at 14 1/3.  Haney was 2-3 with a double, homerun and 5 RBI.

Portage South Sweeps Season Series with Irish

The Portage South Black Squirrels played the Akron Irish on Wednesday night, riding a 9 game winning streak and were 2-0 versus the Irish this season.  PS would score first with a 2-run third inning.  Nate Ritchey would reach on a fielder's choice, steal second and score on a Tyler Mazzei single.  Mazzei would move to second on a groundout by Ron Spears and Ty Moorhead singled home Mazzei.  The Irish would score a run in the bottom of the third to cut the lead in half.  The Black Squirrels would push the lead back to 2 with a run in the fourth.  Jason Preising would single and plate Kevin Haley.  Portage South tacked on another fun in the sixth to make it 4-1.  Aaron Gangi and Jesse Michel would both walk to start the inning, then Phil Kaderle would single to load the bases.  Mike Haney brought home Gangi with a pinch hit, sacrifice fly.  Dave Frak would throw a complete game on the mound for the victory, allowing just one run over seven innings. 

Portage South Makes it 9 Straight

Portage South Black Squirrels would take on the Akron Tigers in a double header Sunday.  In the first game, PS got on the board with a run in the first inning.  Michael Poole singled and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt.  He would score another throwing error.  The Tigers would tie the game in the fourth with a run, but the Black Squirrels take the lead back and put the game away in the bottom half of the 4th inning.  Dave Frak had a double to start the rally.  Phil Kaderle would add a 2-run double also and the Portage South offense would take advantage of 7 walks in the inning.  Steve Swiger picked up the complete game win on the mound, allowing just 1 run and 3 hits over the 7 innings.  Kaderle would lead the offense with 2 hits and 2 RBIs.  Game 2 was suspended in the first inning due to rain.

Portage South Gets Victory Over Fairlawn

The Portage South Black Squirrels met the Fairlawn Flying Squirrels for the second time this season.  PS scored first with 2 runs in the second inning.  Justin Nelson walked and stole second.  Mike Haney singled to move Nelson to third.  Nelson would then score on a RBI groundout by Jason Preising.  Preising would then courtesy run for Haney and score on a bases loaded walk to Jesse Michel.  Portage South then pushed the lead to 6-0 with a 4-run third inning.  Ty Moorhead, Aaron Gangi and Nelson each walked to start the inning and Moorhead would score on a wild pitch.  Tyler Mazzei would then be hit by a pitch to reload the bases.  Preising would single to right, scoring Gangi and Nelson.  Kevin Yelinek would then plate Mazzei on a sacrifice fly to center.  2 more runs in the fourth for the Black Squirrels made it 8-0.  Ron Spears would double, then Moorhead and Gangi were each hit by a pitch.  Nelson would score Spears on a fielder's choice and Moorhead would score on another wild pitch.  PS put the game away with 6 runs in the fifth inning, the big blow in the inning coming off the bat of Mazzei.  He hit a 3-run homerun to left.  Griffin Malick threw a 2-hit shutout, allowing his first hit in the fifth inning.  Mazzei and Preising each drove in 3 runs to lead the offense.

The Black Squirrels Take 2 From Ohio Gamecocks

Portage South Black Squirrels would face the Ohio Gamecocks on Sunday for a doubleheader.  The matchup is a rematch of last year's championship game.  In game one, the two teams would remain scoreless through the first 5 innings.  PS would break up the 0-0 tie with a run in the top of the 6th inning.  Jesse Michel and Justin Nelson would both single, followed by Tyler Mazzei being hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Kevin Haley would bring home a run when he hits a ball into shallow right that was caught by the second baseman.  Michel was able to tag and score.  Portage South would get 2 more runs in the top of the seventh inning to push the lead to 3-0.  Michael Poole and Ron Spears would each draw a walk.  Ty Moorhead would then single to load the bases again.  Michel singled home Poole.  Moorhead would score after a fielder's choice throw was off target.  Eric Schaffer went 6 scoreless innings on the mound for the win.  Haley threw the seventh inning for the save.  Michel was 3-4 with a run, stolen base and RBI to lead the offense.  Poole and Nelson had 2 hits apiece.

In game two, the Black Squirrels opened up the game with an 8-run first inning. Michael Poole would be hit by a pitch to start the inning. Mike Darrah and Ty Moorhead would walk to load the bases.  Jesse Michel walked to bring home Poole and Justin Nelson singled home Darrah to make it 2-0.  Mike Haney would draw a bases loaded walk to score Moorhead, then Tyler Mazzei would double to left center to plate Michel and Nelson.  Phil Kaderle had a RBI single bringing Haney home.  Mazzei scored on a wild pitch and Kaderle finished the scoring after a single by Ron Spears.  The Gamecocks would score a run in the fourth, making it 8-1, but PS picked up 2 more runs in the fifth.  Alonzo Spears reached on a fielder's choice, followed by a Darrah single.  Moorhead would double home both players.  Kevin Haley went 5 innings on the hill for the victory.  Moorhead and Mazzei each had a double and 2 RBI for the offense.

Portage South Wins Big Over Tallmadge Knights

Portage South Black Squirrels faced the Tallmadge Knights on Wednesday night.  Portage South scored first with a win in the top of the first inning.  Ty Moorhead reached on a fielder's choice, then stole second.  Moorhead would score on a single by Jesse Michel.  The Knights would come right back with 3 runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead.  PS opened up the game in the second with a 5-run frame, making the score 6-3.  Dave Frak and Tyler Mazzei opened the inning with singles.  Kevin Yelinek reached safely on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases.  Phil Kaderle was hit by a pitch to score Frak, then Justin Nelson walked bringing home Mazzei.  Ron Spears would hit into a fielder's choice that scored Yelinek and Kaderle scored on a throwing error.  Spears stole second and Moorhead singled him to third.  Michel would bring Spears home with a single to cap off the scoring in the inning.  The Black Squirrels scored 2 runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to push the lead to 9-3, before Tallmadge picked up 2 more runs in the bottom of the fifth, making it 9-5.  Portage South put the game away with 6 more runs in the sixth inning and won 15-5.  Aaron Gangi doubled to start the inning, moved to third on a single by Lyndon Rainey.  Steve Swiger would single home Gangi and Nelson doubled to score Rainey.  Kevin Haley would follow with another double that scored Swiger and Nelson and he would score on a Michel double.  Michel would score the final run of the inning after a single by Mazzei.  Griffin Malick went the first 3 innings for the win on the mound.  Michel had 3 hits, including a double to lead the offense. 

Portage South Gets Sweep in Weekend DH

The Vukgripz Akron A's came in to Roosevelt High School for a doubleheader with Portage South.  Game one had the Black Squirrels jump out to a 2-0 lead with 2 runs in the first.  Jesse Michel walked to start the game, followed by singles from Ron Spears and Ty Moorhead to load the bases.  Justin Nelson would bring home Michel with a groundout, then Michael Poole would walk to re-load the bases.  Tyler Mazzei would reach on an error and Spears would score.  The A's would get a run in the second and another in the third to tie the game at 2-2, but Portage South would take the lead back with a run in the fourth.  Michel singled with 2-outs and Spears followed him with a double that scored Michel.  PS would add 2 more runs in the fifth to push the lead to 5-2.  Poole would single, steal second, move to third on a wild pitch and score on another wild pitch.  Mazzei walked and moved to second on the wild pitch that scored Poole and he would score on a single by Dave Frak.  The A's get another run in the sixth, but were not able to get any closer as Portage South won, 5-3.  Kevin Haley threw his second complete game of the season for the win.  Spears led the offense with 3 hits, including 2 doubles.

In game two, the A's were able to take the early advantage with a run in the first inning.  The Black Squirrels came back with 4 runs in the second to take the lead.  Michael Poole and Justin Nelson started the inning with back-to-back singles.  Nate Ritchey would walk to load the bases, then Lyndon Rainey and Phil Kaderle would both draw bases loaded walks to score Poole and Nelson.  Ritchey would score on a sacrifice fly by Jesse Michel and Ron Spears would single home Rainey.  PS would add another run to the lead in the third when Tyler Mazzei walked and stole second.  He was able to score on a single by Ritchey.  The A's battled back with 2 runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh to make it a 5-4 game, but Portage South held on for the win.  Eric Schaffer went the first 3 innings, allowing just one run.  Griffin Malick threw 2 scoreless innings in relief.  Spears again led the offense with 2 hits and an RBI. 

Black Squirrels Over the Irish 5-2

Portage South played the second matchup of the year with the Akron Irish Wednesday night.  PS came out with 2 runs in the first inning to take the lead early.  Ron Spears doubled and moved to third on a single by Ty Moorhead.  Moorhead would steal second, followed by an RBI groundout by Aaron Gangi to score Spears.  Justin Nelson singled home Moorhead to make it 2-0.  The Irish would get one back in the second to cut the lead in half, but Portage South got a run in the bottom half to push the lead back to 2.  Jason Preising walked to start the inning and he would eventually score on a Jesse Michel single.  Akron would once again close the gap with a run in the fourth inning, making the score 3-2.  The Black Squirrels added 2 runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.  PS would load the bases with 3 straight singles, but then picked up 2 outs with no runs across.  Tyler Mazzei was able to get a 2-out, 2-run single scoring Gangi and Nelson.  Kevin Haley went the first 4 innings for the win.  Dave Frak threw 3 scoreless to finish the game for the save.  Spears and Moorhead each went 3-4 in the game to lead the offense. 

Portage South Splits DH with Nordonia

Portage South traveled to CVCA to play Nordonia Renegades in a doubleheader.  Game one, PS got 3 runs in the top of the first inning.  Justin Nelson singled and moved to second when Nate Ritchey reached on an error.  Jesse Michel would double to score Nelson.  Ritchey would score on a ground out by Kevin Yelinek.  In the second, the Black Squirrels extended their lead when Tyler Mazzei was hit by a pitch and stole second.  He would score on Nelson's single.  It would remain 4-0 until the 4th inning when PS plated 3 more runs.  Lyndon Rainey would single, moved to second when Mazzei was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game.  Nelson would sacrifice the runners over with a bunt and Rainey would score later on a wild pitch.  Michel followed with a 2-run homerun, scoring Mazzei.  Kevin Haley went the distance on the mound, allowing no runs and striking out eight in 7 innings of work.  Michel led the way for the Black Squirrels with a double, homerun and 3 RBI.

In game two, the Renegades would score first with 3 runs in the first inning.  Portage South would come back with a run in the second, but Nordonia scored again in the third to keep the lead at 3.  PS would score a run in the sixth to close the gap to 2, but would get no closer as they lost 4-2.  Ron Spears and Kevin Yelinek had 2 hits apiece for the offense.

The Black Squirrels Fall to the Ohio Gamecocks

Portage South would face the Ohio Gamecocks in a rematch of last season's championship.  The Black Squirrels would get out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning.  Nate Ritchey would double to lead off the inning and score on a double by Phil Kaderle.  Kaderle would score on an error later in the inning.  The Gamecocks tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth, but PS would come back with another run in the bottom half to regain the lead, 3-2.  In the fifth, the Gamecocks pushed 4 runs across and held Portage South scoreless the rest of the way.  Ty Moorhead led the offense once again, going 2-3 with a walk.  Griffin Malick made his PS debut, pitching the first 4 innings and allowing only 2 runs and striking out 7.

PS Picks up Second Win in Extra Innings

Portage South would take 10 innings to secure the second victory in as many tries this season.  PS took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ty Moorhead would single and eventually score on a Mike Haney single.  The Irish would tie the game in the bottom half of the second.  The Black Squirrels would get a run in the fourth and 2 more in the fifth to lead 4-1.  Moorhead would again get things started, this time with a double.  Aaron Gangi would single and score Moorhead.  In the fifth, Jason Preising would single, advance to second on a wild pitch and take third after a single by Tyler Mazzei.  Mazzei would steal second and Ron Spears would follow with a single, scoring them both.  Akron would get a run back in the fifth to make it 4-2.  In the seventh, the Irish would get 2 more runs to tie the game and send it into extra innings.  Both teams played a scoreless 8th and 9th inning, but Portage South was able to push 3 runs across in the top of the tenth and hold on for the 7-4 victory.  Gangi and Preising each had RBI singles in the inning.  Kevin Haley went the first 4 innings, allowing just 1 run while striking out four.  Eric Schaffer threw 4 innings in relief, including a scoreless 10th for the win.  Moorhead was 3-4 with 3 runs and a double to lead the offense.

Portage South Opens Season with Victory

After being rained out on opening weekend, the Portage South Black Squirrels faced the Fairlawn Flying Squirrels.  PS would get on the board first with a run in the second inning.  Ty Moorhead singled, then stole second.  He would advance to third on a passed ball and eventually score on a Tyler Mazzei groundout.  Portage South would open the game up in the third inning with a 6-run frame.  Phil Kaderle would be hit by a pitch to start the inning, then steal second.  A double by Nate Ritchey would score Kaderle.  Mike Darrah would follow with a double that scored Ritchey and Darrah would advance to third on a passed ball.  Ron Spears hit a sacrifice fly to score Darrah, making it 4-0.  With 2 outs in the inning, PS would real off 5 straight singles accounting for the next three runs in the inning.  Justin Nelson plated 2 runs with his single in the inning.  The Flying Squirrels would get a run in the fifth inning to make it 7-1, but the Black Squirrels scored 5 more runs in the fifth to end it 12-1.  Darrah had a 2-run triple to end the game.  Kevin Haley started the game and allow only 1 hit while striking out 4 in 2 innings of work.  Darrah went 3-4 with a 2B, 3B and 3 RBI.