STEUBENVILLE - A day after throwing a no hitter and striking out 14 in 9-0 win over Martins Ferry, Mark Smyth made his presence felt at the plate during the Wildcats' 8-5 win over Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 4A rival Steubenville Big Red at Vaccaro Field Tuesday.
"A win is big anytime," said Edison head coach Mike Collopy. "Especially the way we got to it. It wasn't very pretty. There were a lot of mistakes made, not always mistakes you see us make during a game. There was a point there where the game could have swung either way and we just kept trying to win pitches and at-bats."
In the top of the fifth, with two men on and Edison trailing 4-3 following a Greg Stagani RBI single, Smyth crushed a shot over Big Red center fielder JoJo Pierro's head for a triple that drove in Josh Pasek and Stagani.
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AT THE PLATE — Edison’s Mark Smyth reaches past Big Red catcher Ryan Vojvodich to score a run during the Wildcats’ 8-5 win Tuesday at Vaccaro Field. Smyth hit a two-run triple before scoring on an error on the play.
-- Fred Younce
Smyth also took advantage when the throw home to get Stagani went to the backstop to score as well to give Edison a 6-4 lead.
Stagani, who pitched the sixth and seventh for the Wildcats, added a run-scoring double in the top of the sixth just moments after stepping out from warming up in the bullpen. Koby Sronce picked up an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a single that plated Phil Hilt.
"If your pitcher doesn't throw strikes and doesn't get ahead in the count, your defense gets on its heals and when your defense doesn't make plays you don't win games," said Big Red head coach Fred Heatherington.
"You can't give teams extra outs, extra at bats, and extra bases. We were terrible defensively and we pitched terrible.
"The game came down to pitching and defense and we didn't do either one."
Big Red did threaten in the bottom of the seventh after a single by John Linn drove home Pat Pizzoferrato and left runners on first and second with two outs, but Stagani forced Mason Heatherington to ground out to Smyth who stepped on third for a force out and the 8-5 final.
Edison scored its first run in the top of the second when Nolan Marcus knocked in Alec Jones with a single. The Wildcats also picked up a run in the third when Pasek scored with the help of an error on what looked to be an inning ending double play off the bat of Smyth.
Big Red took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second when Bryan Pierro drove home Michael Camilletti and Matt Petrella with a single and a 4-2 lead in the third on a two-run home run by Pizzoferrato that brought home JoJo Pierro.
"We put the ball in play and got some runs, but you have to make plays in the field and you have to throw strikes," said Heatherington.
"We didn't do that. We're aggressive at the plate.
"If you're aggressive at the plate hopefully you put the ball in play and run the bases."
Marcus started on the hill for the Wildcats, striking out three, and giving up four runs. Chad Wickham entered in the third, surrendering no runs and striking out one to pick up the win.
Stagani closed out the game, giving up one run and striking out three.
"Our pitchers did a great job," said Collopy. "Nolan didn't have his best stuff, but he battled his tail off. Wick came in in a tough situation and he was able to give us a chance to bring in Greg late."
Justin Corsi went the distance for Big Red, striking out one and surrendering five earned runs.
Both teams take to the diamond today with Edison (14-2) visiting Martins Ferry and Big Red (11-4) at John Marshall.
Edison 8, Big Red 5
Edison 011 041 1 - 8 10 2
Big Red 022 000 1 - 5 12 3
EDISON (14-2): (Marcus 3K, 0BB), Wickham (WP, 3rd, 1K, 1BB), Stagani (6th, 3K, 0BB) and Glasure. Wickham r; Pasek 3r; Stagani s, d, 2rbi, r; Smyth t, 2rbi, r; Jones s, r; Hilt 2s, r; Marcus 3s, rbi; Sronce s, rbi.
BIG RED (11-4): Corsi (LP, 1K, 4BB) and Vojvodich. B. Pierro 2s, 2rbi; McClurg s; J. Pierro r; Pizzoferrato hr, s, 2rbi, 2r; Camilletti 2s, r; Petrella 4s, r; Linn s, rbi.
