Hot Stove Baseball: Midview Magic gets past North Ridgeville in Class E

WELLINGTON — It wasn't always easy for Midview as it opened Hot Stove regional tournament play Saturday against North Ridgeville at Wellington Community Park. But in the end the Magic prevailed with a 9-4 Class E (ages 16-18) win over the Rangers. Midview (9-2) scored a run in the second and two in the third to take a 3-0 lead. The Magic missed out on a chance to blow open the game early, leaving six runners stranded over the first four innings. "It was closer than we wanted it but we did what we needed to," Magic coach Phil Smith said. "Almost every inning we were getting runners on third base but we weren't scoring them because we didn't get the timely hits. "It was a long game, it was a slow game and that's not how we like to play, but the guys did a good job of keeping their heads in and getting the win." James May came off the bench to provide a spark for the Magic with a fifth-inning pitch-hit single that started a four-run rally. He also singled and scored in the sixth inning.. "I'm always ready, even if I'm on the bench I'm staying ready to hit," May said. "It was a close game so I knew I needed to be aggressive at the plate to get something going." Second baseman Nick Birth also had a big day at the plate with a pair of doubles, including one in the first inning that scored Mike Bilczo. "I was just looking to stay aggressive at the plate and swing at the first pitch if it was a strike," Birth said. "We did all right today but I feel like we could do a lot better. We're a team where once we're up we don't stop." Starting pitcher Tyler Smith got the win, striking out three and allowing two runs, one of which was earned. "We had a pretty solid day," Smith said. "We were aggressive on the bases, we made a couple of mistakes in the field. We always feel like we could do better." The Magic used four pitchers. Ethan Surdock came in with the bases loaded and two out to preserve an 8-3 lead in the sixth inning and earn the save. Both teams will be back in action today in the double-elimination Class E tournament. The Rangers offense was led by Nos. 8 and 9 hitters Vincent Kafer and Nate Storey, who combined for five of North Ridgeville's nine hits. Black River advances in Class F Black River needed a six-run sixth inning to pull away for a 9-3 win over the Grafton Scoop in Class F (ages 13-14). Christian Colegrove and Nick McConnell each scored two runs for Black River (4-17), which advanced to play the top-seeded Sheffield Cardinals today at 10:30 a.m. Grafton, which got runs from Jon Roy, Andrew Young and James Hensley, fell to 3-14. Sheffield scores early and often The Sheffield Cardinals scored 12 first-inning runs and never looked back in a 36-1 win over the Wellington Vipers in Glass G (ages 11-12). The Cardinals (17-1) sent 23 batters to the plate in the second inning, scoring 19 runs. Four Sheffield players — Trever Kitzberger, Ryan Albaugh, Colton Casey and Matt Menhnike — each scored five runs in the game, which was shortened to three innings due to the 15-run mercy rule. The Cardinals advanced to next Saturday's regional semifinals. Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.