Ohio team slams Warriors

WASILLA — The Alaska Road Warriors had their walk-off moment on Thursday. But on Friday, another team had its turn.

Aaron Caputo hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Strongsville Dirtbags a 13-2 win over the Valley-based Road Warriors in a mercy-rule shortened five-inning game during the second day of the Todd Ryan Memorial American Legion baseball tournament at McManus Field Friday morning.

With his team leading 9-2, Caputo knocked a shot over the right field fence to force the mercy rule. It also capped 13 unanswered runs for the Northeastern Ohio power. The Road Warriors had led 2-0 in the third inning.

“I think we could have probably hung with them, but we just made too many errors,” Road Warriors head coach Myrl Thompson said after the loss. “We gave them a half-dozen runs unearned, and they busted loose.”

Caputo, an Ohio-Wesleyan recruit, finished 3 for 4 for the Dirtbags. He had two doubles with the grand slam, and drove in six runs. Caputo also scored twice.

Leadoff hitter Anthony Morino, who just finished his freshman season at Mount Union, was 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Trevor Ray and Kyle Slovick finished with two hits each.

Strongsville starter Daniel Kasian, another Ohio Wesleyan recruit, scattered five hits over five innings.

Jacob Butcher led the Road Warriors with a pair of hits. Ben Ross, David Newman and Damon Hammer each had a hit for the Warriors, who beat Service with Morgan McJimsey’s walk-off RBI single during the first day of the tourney, Thursday.

Newman gave the Road Warriors a lead with a two-run double in the third inning. Butcher singled to center field and Mitchell Chauvin reached on a fielder’s choice. Both players scored when Newman put a ball into the right center field gap.

Thompson said that could have been key for the Warriors, if it was not for a big bottom half of the frame for the Dirtbags.

“It could have been if we hadn’t of given up four right there after. It kind of took the air out,” Thompson said.

Overall, Thompson said the Road Warriors just gave the Dirtbags too many chances to capitalize.

“When you play a team of this caliber and you make errors, it’s not going to be a good outcome, no matter what,” Thompson said.

The Dirtbags, based in Strongsville, Ohio, have won three of the last four Northeast Ohio District Championships. Eleven of their players graduated high school in 2012 and two are fresh off their freshman season of college baseball. Thompson said, despite the outcome, it’s good for his players to see this type of competition.

“It’s really good for them. They need to see more of it,” Thompson said. “Sometimes the outcomes are a little rough when playing these Lower 48 teams, but it’s a great experience.”

Strongsville is one of two Outside teams in the Todd Ryan, which concludes today at McManus Field in Wasilla. A team from Castroville, Texas, is also in the tourney.

Outisde teams have been coming to Alaska to see action in the Alaska Airlines Tournament Tour, a group of Alaska American Legion tourneys that includes the Todd Ryan, the Bill Miller Big Fish Tournament (July 10-12 in Kenai) and the BP Invitational (July 12-15 in Anchorage).

“I hope they continue to do it,” Thompson said of the effort to bring Outside teams to Alaska. “It’s going to help us out.”

Strongsville, Castroville and a team from Columbia, Tenn., will hit the Bill Miller tourney. Castroville and Columbia will stay for the BP Invitational. The Road Warriors will also compete in the BP event.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.