H.S. Baseball: Avon overcomes rough start, routs Pioneers

AVON — The Eagles didn't exactly follow coach Pat Scholla's game plan. They got the job done anyway. Three Avon pitchers combined on a one-hitter and the offense pounded out 11 hits Saturday in a 15-5 Southwestern Conference win over Elyria at Mercy Health Stadium. Avon (5-3, 3-1 in the SWC) found itself trailing 4-2 after an inning. Starter Brody Papay walked four and hit a batter, allowing the Pioneers to score four times on just one hit, a Steve Furcron single. After Papay walked the leadoff hitter in the second, Scholla called on Maddux Matlak to come out of the bullpen. Matlak retired eight of the 10 hitters he faced to pick up the win and improve to 2-0 this season. "I just came in and threw strikes, I didn't have to do too much," Matlak said. "We have a lot of guys who can throw strikes, guys like (Brenton) Dill can pitch in any situation. Even though Brody struggled a little bit today, he's still our guy and we've got his back." Dill drove in the first run of the game with a first-inning single that scored Gavin Ehrhardt. Avon moved in front with three runs each in the second and third innings. Second baseman Leo Walters delivered a double that plated a pair of runs in the second. Third baseman Ian Cain drove in four runs — two on a third-inning double and two more in Avon's five-run seventh. Dill pitched the final three innings for the Eagles, holding Elyria to a run and allowing only two Pioneers to reach base. "I have really evolved as a hitter in the past year confidence-wise, I feel like I can hit any pitcher," said Cain, a sophomore who went 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a steal of home. "I put in a lot of work in the offseason and I feel like now it's time to show the skills I've gained since last year. "As a team our approach was to step on the gas. We scored in every inning except the fifth. When you score 15 runs the team feels like it's on top of the world, but have to stay ready because we have tough games coming up Monday and Tuesday." Walters and shortstop Ryan Sudbrook also had two hits for the Eagles, who swept the season series against the Pioneers. (Elyria 3-4, 1-2) scored a run in the seventh inning after Scotty Edgell reached base on a one-out walk, stole second and stole home as part of a double steal with J.J. Buckley, who entered in the seventh and got on base after hitting into a fielder's choice. Edgell reached base four times without an official at-bat, walking three times and getting hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. He was also one of four relievers who worked for Elyria after starter Nic Chernitsky left the game after allowing five runs in an inning-plus. The Pioneers, who played their third game in as many days, also struggled defensively, committing five errors. "We didn't play with energy, we're not making plays. We're a bad baseball team right now, we just have to find something to fix it," Elyria coach Jordan Connell said. "You can't walk 15 people and commit five errors and expect to win a game. We have to start believing in ourselves. When we start believing we can be one of the better teams in the this conference. When we turn that corner, it's going to be something special." Scholla was pleased with how his Eagles overcame a rough start to finish the game in dominant fashion. "We try to preach to the team, they chose to play this game that is so difficult that you fail more times than you succeed," Scholla said. "Our approach each inning, no matter the score, is to be where our feet are and fight and claw for everything. Our whole idea as a team is to go out and trust each other." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.