Avon All-Stars cruise to Little League victory

BELLEVUE — The only thing hotter than the weather Sunday was the Avon Little League All-Stars. Avon got the District 7 Majors (ages 10-12) tournament underway with an impressive 15-2, four-inning, victory over Elyria at Norman Provonsil Field. Miles Kopp set the tone early for Avon on the mound, retiring five of the six Elyria batters he faced, three by strikeout, before exiting the game after throwing 19 pitches, thereby maintaining his ability to pitch again today in Avon's championship bracket semifinal. Kopp also singled, walked twice and scored three times. "It felt good knowing they trusted me to start the first game," Kopp said. "I was feeling really good after I got them three-up, three-down in the first inning." Avon hit the ball hard, three of its eight hits were doubles, but what it did best was show patience and discipline at the plate, drawing 13 walks and reach base three times after getting hit by pitches. Those free runners led to 10 runs. "The game pretty much went according to plan," Avon coach Dave Zwierecki said. "We couldn't ask for anything more from Miles. He did exactly what we wanted." Coby Hughes and Keene Snacki also pitched for Avon. Snacki recorded three strikeouts in the fourth and kept his pitch count under 20 as well. Catcher Sean Martin delivered the big hits for Avon, going 2-for-2 with a double and five RBIs. He also drew a walk in the first. "It was nice to get some runs in for us," Martin said. "I always try to stay calm at the plate. I was waiting to see my pitch and hit. I could tell off that bat that double was going to get some runs in." Avon scored four times in first with just one hit, a Luke Felice single, and extended its lead by batting around the 12-man order in the second to extend the to 11-0. Conner Pavey and Mason Kopp had back-to-back second-inning doubles for Avon. "We put a strategic batting order together to make sure there is pop everywhere in the lineup," Zwierecki said. "Sean (Martin) is a big pop in the lineup. He bats anywhere between clean-up and fifth or sixth. He's a smart player with a high baseball IQ and he has a good eye at the plate." Elyria fell behind 15-0 in the top of the third but battled back to extend the game for one more inning. Devin Kozman walked to led off the third and Caleb Scott followed by delivering Elyria's first hit, a triple to left field to score Kozman. Scott scored on a throwing error after getting caught in a rundown between third and home. Declan Santo Domingo and Jamarr West also had hits for Elyria. "We were really locked in from the start today. We just have to keep that going for our next games," Martin said. Felice, Miles Kopp and Grayson Libassi each scored three runs for Avon. "We need to keep the energy high," Zwierecki said. "You hope to keep winning and get some days off. We want to keep practicing throughout the tournament so we can work on things we didn't execute perfectly." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.