ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Rocky River came up on the short end of a hard-fought Great Lakes Conference West Division battle on Monday afternoon. The Pirates led 2-0 early, but the visiting Warriors came through with a late surge as Fairview defeated River 6-2.
On what marked Senior Day for the Double-R, senior southpaw Ethan White gave the Pirates a gutsy pitching performance. White dueled Fairview junior right-hander Ben Leslie through the early innings on a spectacular sunny day at Rocky River Field. The Sons of Blackbeard struck first when senior right fielder Grant Scott knocked in sophomore Thomas Rossi with a sacrifice fly in the home half of the second. Rossi had singled and advanced into scoring position on a subsequent base knock by junior Gavin O'Brien.
White cruised through his first three innings, retiring nine of 10 Fairview batters over that stretch. The veteran port-sider was staked to a two-run lead when senior center fielder Jacob Florentine singled and came around to score an unearned run in the River third.
The River moundsman -- who entered the game with a 3.82 ERA on the season -- yielded half that cushion in the top of the fourth. But White avoided a much worse fate after a leadoff double was backed up by a single and a throwing error and a subsequent base on balls. A monster double play -- started by senior third baseman Braedon Spies and turned by sophomore second baseman Anthony Ferchill -- extricated White and the Pirates from the jam.
With his team trailing 2-1, Leslie retired 6-of-7 batters over the fourth and fifth frames. The Warriors then turned two walks and two singles into three runs in the top of the sixth. Again a double play -- of the fly-ball variety with left fielder Thomas Rossi doubling up a Warrior runner at second -- got the Pirates out of worse trouble still.
But Ben Leslie continued to deal. He retired River's No. 3, 4, and 5-batters in order in the bottom of the sixth. Leslie and his mates then upped their lead to 6-2 with a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Leslie himself keyed that inning with a double.
Senior first baseman Andy Brown led off the Pirate seventh with a single. But Leslie than finished off the game, getting a tailor-made double-play grounder and a fly out to left. For the game, he scattered five singles without walking a batter. Leslie fanned four and threw 61-of-86 pitches for strikes.
The top of the Fairview order -- Leslie, sophomore second baseman Nolan Reis, and junior shortstop Josh Hill -- combined to go 6-for-10 with four runs batted in and five scored. Reis reached base four times on three singles and a walk.
White went the route for the Pirates, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks. He struck out four.
Jacob Florentine was the lone Rocky River batter to reach base more than once. He went 2-for-2 in raising his season on-base percentage to .487.
The loss marked River's third in a row and its 10th in 11 games since April 13. But the game was a well-played one by both sides. And with the weather, was a glorious setting for the first of back-to-back meetings between the denizens of Wagar and West 210th. (River and Fairview will meet at Bohlken Park Tuesday.)
For the the Pirate Greybeards who call the Bus Yard on Wagar their home park and have for four years, Monday's weather was justice: a well-earned moment in the sun.
CANNON FIRE ...
STREAK SENSE: Braedon Spies went 0-for-3 and had a five-game hit streak snapped. Spies went 8-for-16 (.400) over that stretch and is batting .475 (19-of-40) for the season. ... Jacob Florentine has hit safely in five straight games. Florentine is hitting .382 (13-for-34) this season and has eight stolen bases.
ALL THE WHITE STUFF: Ethan White has given the Pirates six innings or more in 3-of-his-last-4 starts. White leads the team in innings pitched with 32-2/3. He owns a 3.33 ERA over that stretch.
CATCHING UP: On Thursday, the Pirates were defeated 9-5 by Elyria Catholic. Nate Mitchell, Braedon Spies, Joshua Mommers, and Jacob Florentine tallied two hits each in that game. Hudson Wissman gave the Double-R 5-1/3 strong innings out of the bullpen (three runs allowed -- all unearned -- on four walks and four hits).
by Skip Snow
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