2019 Game Recaps

Portage South Advances to Consolation Final

Portage South woudl face the Akron Irish for the 5th time of the season for a spot in the consolation final.  The game would go scoreless through 3 and a half innings, but in the bottom of the fourth Portage South would break through with 4 runs.  Jacob Caruso would single to start the inning and Dave Frak would reach safely on his sacrifice bunt attempt.  Mike Haney would move both runners up with a textbook sac bunt.  Jesse Michel would follow with a single, scoring both runners.  Michel scored on a Mike Darrah single and Darrah would be plated by Ty Moorhead's single.  The Irish got a run back in the fifth inning, making it 4-1.  In the sixth inning, PS would tack on 2 insurance runs for the 6-1 lead.  Darrah would walk and steal second.  He would score on Lucius Ivory's single.  Ivory would steal second and score on a Moorhead single.  Eric Schaffer would get the complete game victory on the mound, scattering 5 hits and allowing just the one run.  Michel and Moorhead led the Black Squirrel offense with 2 hits and 2 RBI each. 

Kountis Strikes Out 10 in Portage South Win

Portage South Black Squirrels played the Tallmadge Knights on Tuesday night in the AA Tournament.  PS would get out to the early lead with a 3-run first inning.  Mike Darrah reached and advanced to second on a throwing error.  Lucius Ivory would single up the middle to score Darrah.  Ivory would steal second and score on a Ty Moorhead triple.  Moorhead would be plated by a sacrfice fly from Ron Spears.  The Black Squirrels would keep the pressure on with 3 more runs in the second inning, all with 2 outs.  Jeese Michel would walk to start the inning and Nate Renkes would bunt him over to second.  Ivory would also walk and Moorhead reached on an error to load the bases.  Michel would score on a wild pitch and Jacob Caruso would single to score Ivory and Moorhead.  It would remain 6-0 until the Knights got a run in the seventh to make it 6-1 final.  Jonathan Kountis would go the distance for the win, striking out 10 batters.  Moorhead would lead the offense with a triple and 2 runs scored.

Portage South Loses in Second Round

Portage South would face the Ohio Gamecocks in the second round of the tournament at Hudson High School Saturday morning.  The Gamecocks would take the early lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning.  Portage South would tie the game at 1-1 in the third inning.  Lucius Ivory would be hit by a pitch and advance to third on a Ty Moorhead single.  Ivory scored after Ron Spears singled to center.  The Gamecocks would take back the lead in the fifth inning with another run to make it 2-1, then in the sixth inning the Gamecocks would break it open with a 4-run inning.  Mike Darrah would go 5 1/3 innings on the mound, allowing just 6 hits and strking out six.  Moorhead was 2-3 to lead the PS offense.

Portage South Wins Tournament Opener

Portage South finished the regular season as the 4 seed in the league tournament and drew the Akron Irish in the first round on Thursday night at Erie Island.  Portage South would get on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning.  Mike Darrah would lead off with a double and advance to third on a sacrifice bunt by Lucius Ivory.  Ty Moorhead would score Darrah with a sacrifice fly to center, making it 1-0.  The score would remain 1-0 until the top of the sixth when the Irish were able to get a run across.  In the bottom half of the inning, PS would take back the lead with a 3 run frame.  Darrah would lead off the inning with a homerun to left.  Ivory would walk and score on Moorhead's double to deep center.  Moorhead would be brought home on a Ron Spears single.  Jonathan Kountis would retire the Irish in order for the win.  Kountis threw a complete game in the victory, striking out 10 batters.  Darrah was 3-3 with 2 2Bs and a HR for the PS offense. 

The Black Squirrels End the Regular Season with a Sweep

The Portage South Black Squirrels were playing a doubleheader with the Akron Rays in the final day of the regular season.  In game one, PS got 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Lucius Ivory would reach on a bunt single and Ty Moorhead followed with a single that moved Ivory to third.  Moorhead would then steal second base.  Ron Spears would score Ivory with a sacrifice fly and Jacob Caruso would single to score Moorhead.  Jesse Michel would then walk and Mike Haney would double to left center, scoring Caruso and Michel.  Mike Darrah would make it 5-0 in the second inning with a solo homerun to left field.  In the third inning, Caruso would single again and steal second then move to third on a wild pitch.  Haney would single to score Caruso.  Portage South broke the game wide open with 2 more runs in the fourth, making the score 8-0.  Darrah would reach on a fielder's choice and scored on a Moorhead double.  Moorhead would then score on a Spears single.  The Black Squirrels were able to end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Aaron Gangi would walk and move to second after a Darrah walk.  Larry McCain would follow with a walk to load the bases.  A double by Moorhead would score Gangi and Darrah to make it 10-0 for the win.  Darrah threw the complete game for a shutout victory, allowing 3 hits and striking out eight.  Haney was 3-3 with a double and 3 RBI to lead the offense.  Moorhead was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.

In game two, the Portage South bats stayed hot with a 4-run first inning.  Mike Darrah would be hit by a pitch to start the game, followed by a Lucius Ivory walk.  Ty Moorhead would follow with a double to score Darrah.  Ivory would score on a wild pitch and the throw back to the pitcher got by him to allow Moorhead to score.  Ron Spears singled and Steve Swiger would enter to run for Spears.  Swiger would advance to third on wild pitches then score on a RBI groundout by Matt Dile.  PS got another run in the fourth inning when Dile walked, moved to second and third on wild pitches and score on a fielder's choice by Dave Frak.  The Rays would score a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-1.  Portage South would add another run in the sixth inning.  Dile would single with one out in the inning and Mike Haney would reach after being hit by a pitch.  Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch and Dile would score on a groundout by Frak.  The Rays got their second run in the bottom of the seventh and end the game 6-2.  Alonzo Spears started and threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out four.  Jonathan Kountis would go the final 5 innings for the win.  Moorhead had a double and a RBI for the Black Squirrels.

Portage South Beats Irish to Take the Season Series

Portage South had split a doubleheader earlier in the season with the Irish and were looking to take the season series on Thursday night at Patterson Park.  The Irish took the early lead with a run in the top of the first inning  PS came right back in the bottom of the inning with 2 runs to go up 2-1.  Jesse Michel would walk, followed by a Ron Spears single.  Ty Moorhead would walk to load the bases and Michel would score on a Lucius Ivory fielder's choice.  Aaron Gangi would single to right, scoring Spears.  The Irish would get a 2-run fourth inning to grab the lead back again at 3-2.  The Black Squirrels would add 4 runs in the fifth inning, making it 6-3.  Michel singled and Spears followed with a walk.  Moorhead would double to left, scoring Michel.  Jacob Caruso would bring home Spears on a groundout.  Ivory would walk, then Larry McCain singled to plate Moorhead and move Ivory to third.  Jason Preising singled home Ivory for the 4th run of the inning.  The Irish would get 2 runs in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to 6-5, but PS would tack on an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning.  Moorhead walked with one out and scored on Ivory's double.  Eric Schaffer would throw a complete game for his 5th win of the year.  Gangi and Preising had 2 hits each to lead the offense. 

Portage South Beats Tallmadge Knights 3-2 in 8 Innings for the Second Time this Year

Portage South Black Squirrels and the Tallmadge Knights met for the second time this season on Tuesday night.  Portage South was able to grab the early lead with a run in the second inning.  Ron Spears would reach on a walk, then Jacob Caruso would reach on a fielder's choice with Spears out at second.  Jesse Michel would single with 2 outs, followed by a Dave Frak single that scored Caruso.  The Knights tied the game in the fifth inning with a run and then grabbed the lead with a run in the sixth inning. PS was able to tie the game back up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth.  Spears would single and Steve Swiger would enter to run for Spears.  Caruso would double to move Swiger to third.  Aaron Gangi followed with a groundout that scored Swiger.  For the second time in as many games, Portage South and Tallmadge would got to extra innings tied at 2-2.  In the eighth, Ty Moorhead would lead off the inning with a double off the fence in left center.  Spears would single to advance Moorhead to third.  Caruso was intentionally walked to load the bases and Gangi would hit a single down the left field line for the game winner, scoring Moorhead.  Jonathan Kountis threw a complete game for the victory, striking out 15 batters.  The 15 strikeouts ties the single game record for Portage South (Nic Carucci and Mike Darrah).  Spears went 2-2 with 2 walks, reaching base all 4 times in the game to lead the offense.

Black Squirrels Sweep Flying Squirrels

The Portage South Black Squirrels would face the Fairlawn Flying Squirrels on Saturday in a doubleheader.  In game one, Portage South got off to a great start with 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jesse Michel and Ron Spears would each single, followed by a Justin Nelson walk to load the bases.  Dave Frak would then walk and bring home Michel.  Lucius Ivory would hit a 2-run single, scoring Spears and Nelson.  Aaron Gangi singled to re-load the bases and Jason Preising singled to score Frak.  Nate Renkes would reach on an error to plate Ivory and make the score 5-0.  PS would add 3 more runs in the second inning.  Nelson would single with 2 outs to begin the rally.  Frak followed with a double, making it second and third for Ivory.  He would single to score both runners. Ivory then stole second and scored on a single by Gangi.  Fairlawn got on the board with 3 runs in the third, but the Black Squirrels pushed the lead to 11-3 with a 2-run stanza.  Spears would walk and Nelson would reach on a fielder's choice after Jacob Caruso singled.  Frak would single home Spears and Ivory again singled to plate Nelson.  Portage South really exploded in the fourth inning with a 7 run inning to put the game away.  Spears had a 2-run single and Caruso followed with a RBI single of his own in the inning.  Eric Schaffer would throw all 5 innings for the complete game victory.  Ivory was 3-3 with 6 RBIs to lead the offense.  The six RBIs is tied for fourth most in Portage South history for a game.

In game two, PS was able to keep the offense rolling with a run in the second inning for the early lead.  Justin Nelson singled and scored on a Lucius Ivory single.  Portage South then would get 2 runs in the third and fourth innings, consecutively.  Dave Frak had a big 2-run single in the third to score Ty Moorhead and Jacob Caruso.  Ron Spears singled home 2 more runs in the fourth inning.  Jason Preising and Jesse Michel scored on the Spears single.  Another 2-run frame in the sixth for PS made the score 7-0.  Caruso had a double that scored Michel and Steve Swiger.  Fairlawn would score a run in the bottom of the inning and the final score was 7-1.  Aaron Gangi went 4 innings on the mound for the win, striking out eight.  Alonzo Spears and Frak cleaned up the final 2 innings to preserve the victroy.

Portage South Drops Close One to Gamecocks

The Portage South Black Squirrels would face the Ohio Gamecocks on Wednesday night.  The Gamecocks scored first with a run in the bottom of the first inning.  They would add 2 more runs in the third inning and 1 more in the fourth to make it 4-0.  PS would come back to cut the lead in half in the fifth.  Aaron Gangi led off the inning with a single and Jason Preising followed with a double.  Lucius Ivory would single with 2 outs, bringing home Gangi and Ty Moorhead followed with a single to score Preising.  Portage South would get one more run in the seventh, but fell short, losing 4-3.  Ron Spears led off the inning with a pinch hit single and Moorhead would single to score Nate Renkes, who was running for Spears.  Jonathan Kountis threw a complete game in the loss, allowing just one earned run and striking out six.  Moorhead had 2 hits and 2 RBI to lead the PS offense. 

Portage South Gets a Win Before the Rain Comes

Portage South faced the Akron Tigers in a doubleheader on Sunday.  In game one, PS got on the board first with a run in the second inning.  Jacob Caruso would double to start the inning and advance to third on a wild pitch.  Lucius Ivory would single to score Caruso for the early lead.  In the fourth, Portage South would score 2 more runs, making the score 3-0.  Ty Moorhead reached on an error and was moved to third on a Caruso single.  Caruso would steal second and Phil Kaderle would single home Moorhead.  Caruso scored on a RBI groundout by Ivory.  The Black Squirrels opened up the lead with 2 more run in the sixth inning.  Moorhead would single and advance to third on Aaron Gangi's single.  Gangi would steal second and Moorhead was able to score when Kaderle reached on an error.  Jason Preising singled to score Gangi.  PS pushed the lead to 7-0 in the seventh inning with a couple more runs.  Jesse Michel singled to start the inning, followed by a single by Ron Spears.  Moorhead was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Michel scored on a wild pitch, then Steve Swiger, running for Spears, would score on a walk to Caruso.  The Tigers got 2 runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the game ended 7-2.  Eric Schaffer went the distance for the victory, striking out seven.  Caruso went 2-3 with a double and RBI.  Game 2 was rained out. 

Portage South Loses in Extra Innings to Nordonia

The Portage South Black Squirrels would face the Nordonia Renegades on Wednesday night.  Portage South got off to a good start when Mike Darrah led off the game with a homerun.  It would remain 1-0 until Nordonia got a run in the fifth to tie it.  In the sixth, PS was able to take back the lead with a 2-run frame.  Ty Moorhead would start the inning with a single, followed by a single from Jesse Michel.  They would both advance a base on a wild pitch, then Jacob Caruso would double of the left center fence to score both runners.  In the bottom of the seventh, the Renegades were able to tie the game with 2-outs and push it to extra innings.  In the eighth, Nordonia was able to get a run across and win, 4-3.  Jonathan Kountis started for Portage South and went 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit for the no decision.  Darrah went 2-4 with a homerun and double to lead the offense.  Moorhead also had 2 hits. 

Portage South and Irish Split Doubleheader

Portage South and the Akron Irish played in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.  In the first game, Ron Spears returned to Predator form of 2002, putting some good swings on the baseball.  PS would score first with a 4-run third inning.  Jason Preising would single and Lucius Ivory would reach on a fielder's choice after a throwing error would allow Preising to advance to third.  A sacrifice fly by Jesse Michel would score Preising from third, then Spears would double off the fence in left center to score Ivory.  Ty Moorhead would single, then score along with Spears when Justin Nelson reached on an error.  The Black Squirrels would add 2 more runs in the fourth to push the lead to 6-0.  Phil Kaderle would walk and move to second on a wild pitch.  Preising would single home Kaderle and advance to third after a wild pitch and throwing error.  Ivory would follow with an RBI single, scoring Preising.  Aaron Gangi would go six innings on the mound for his first Portage South victory.  Gangi allowed 4 hits and struck out nine.  Alonzo Spears would throw a scoreless seventh to complete the shutout.  Spears led the offense with 2 hits, a double and RBI.  Preising also had 2 hits in his 300th game with Portage South.

In game 2, The Irish would get on the board quickly with 2 runs in the first inning.  PS would cut the lead in half with a run in the third inning.  Mike Darrah would double off the top of the fence in left and score on a Ty Moorhead single.  Eric Schaffer would hold the Irish scoreless over the final six innings, but Portage South was unable to push another run across.  Schaffer allowed 6 hits, with 3 of them coming in the first inning, while striking out six.  Darrah and Ron Spears led the offense with a double each.

Portage South Splits with Vukgripz A's

Portage South played the remaining 4 innings of the season opener that was suspended with the Vukgripz Akron A's.  Leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth when the game resumed, PS and the A's played the next two innings scoreless.  Portage South was able to score 2 runs in the sixth to push the lead to 3-0.  Mike Haney walked and Lucius Ivory would run for Haney.  Ivory would move to second on a wild pitch and score on a double by Ty Moorhead.  Moorhead would then score on a single by Larry McCain.  Jonathan Kountis would throw all 4 innings when the game resumed for the win on the mound.  McCain was 2-3 with a run and RBI to lead to the offense.

In the scheduled game that followed the A's would score first with 2 runs in the first inning.  Portage South would cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth with a run.  Larry McCain singled, followed by Mike Haney being hit by a pitch.  McCain would score on a double by Aaron Gangi.  The A's would score 4 runs in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead to 6-1.  In the fifth, the A's would put the game with 5 runs in the frame, making it 11-1.  Jesse Michel led the offense for the Black Squirrels going 2-3 with a double.

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Gamecocks Defeat Portage South 6-3

The Portage South Black Squirrels faced the Ohio Gamecocks on Thursday night at Erie Island.  The Gamecocks got out to an early lead with a run in the first and added a second run in the third.  PS would come back and score 3 runs in the fourth for the lead.  Dave Frak would lead off the inning with a homerun.  Larry McCain would follow with a single and move to second after Jesse Michel walked.  Ron Spears would double home McCain and Michel.  The Gamecocks would come right back in the top of the fifth with 3 runs to take back the lead at 5-3.  They would add an insurance run in the seventh and win 6-3.  Frak led the Portage South offense, going 2-2 with an HR.  Jonathan Kountis made his debut on the mound for PS, going 4 innings in the loss.

Portage South Splits Doubleheader with Nordonia

The Portage South Black Squirrels would play the 2019 Greater Akron AA Champion, Nordonia Renegades in a doubleheader Sunday morning.  In game one, Nordonia got on the board with a run in the second inning and added to the lead with another run in the fifth, to make it 2-0.  PS would not be able to push a run across and would lose game one 2-0.  It was a pitcher's duel for sure with both teams combining for only 5 hits.  Kevin Haley went the distance on the mound in the loss, allowing just the 3 hits and striking out eight.  Jesse Michel and Ty Moorhead each had a single for Portage South's offense.

In game two, PS was able to score first in this contest with a run in the second inning.  Lucius Ivory reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt.  Ivory advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw and moved to third on a wild pitch.  Jesse Michel would single, scoring Ivory for the game's first run.  In the fourth inning the Black Squirrels added to the lead with another run in the frame.  Nate Renkes would reach on a walk, steal second and score on a Ron Spears single.  Portage South would add one final run in the sixth when Renkes would single for his first hit with PS and again steal second.  Spears would again single home Renkes to make it 3-0.  Eric Schaffer threw a complete game shutout in the 3-0 win, allowing 6 hits and striking out six.  Spears led the offense, going 2-3 with 2 RBI.