Presutto delivers extra-inning win for Clippers
SHEFFIELD TWP. — With the bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Clearview junior R.J. Presutto sent a walk-off double to deep center field, bringing home two runs in a 4-3 victory over Brookside in Patriot Athletic Conference action.
Senior center fielder Colin Watson began the inning by walking and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior shortstop Mark Andrews.
Brookside then intentionally walked junior Ian Mezlak. With the score 3-2 in favor of the Cardinals, senior first baseman Eric Thompson was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Presutto was ahead in the count, waiting for a fastball to drive.
“I took a pitch on a 3-0 count, but I could have hit that out of the ballpark,” Presutto said. “(The ball I hit) was a fastball, and I just tried to give my team the best chance to win. I was feeling a lot of pressure at the plate. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just hoping for the best.”
Brookside scored a run in the top of the eighth to break the tie but was unable to hold its lead.
Junior third baseman Nick Ackerman led off the inning with an infield single and stole second a batter later.
With one out, senior Stephan Moody dropped a double down the left field line, bringing Ackerman home.
Brookside could have added more, but the inning ended with a play at the plate.
With two outs the bases loaded, a pitch from Melzak got behind senior catcher Angel Flecha. Flecha ran to the backstop, picked up the ball and raced to the plate, diving to tag Brookside’s Rockey Radeff just before he got to the base.
“This team never gives up, they play hard and are real resilient,” Clearview head coach Dennis Pihlblad said. “It’s giving me a lot of grey hairs, but I’m real proud of the way they came through in the last inning.”
Senior Kyle Baughmann started the game for the Clippers, allowing two runs on six hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.
Baughman was replaced by Mezlak, who earned the win. He struck out four and walked two in two innings.
“Kyle pitched a fantastic game,” Pihlblad said. “His pitch count was in the upper 70s, and when you have a closer like Ian, we had to bring him in.”
At the plate, Mezlak tripled home the first run of the evening for Clearview in the first inning. He finished 2 for 3 at the plate with two RBI.
“I felt pretty good when I was pitching out there,” Mezlak said. “I was working my fastball and tried to use some changeups, but it was mainly my fastball. I’ve been good at the plate all year. A lot of hard work in the offseason put me there.
Brookside took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Ackerman hit a double to the gap in right field, scoring sophomore shortstop Hunter Skolnicki.
Radeff later brought Ackerman home with a hard-hit single through the left side of the infield.
Junior starter Tyler Tapaszi went seven-plus innings for the Cardinals, allowing seven hits, striking out four and walking none.
Baughmann and Tapaszi settled down after the first inning, going scoreless for the next four.
Clearview was able to do just a little more at the plate.
“They were able to do the little things, like moving runners,” Pihlblad said. “There are going to be close games, and you’re going to have to move runners.”
Andrews was a perfect example. He bunted two runners to second in the game, each of which ended up coming around to score.
Brookside next plays a doubleheader at home against Glenville today at 11 a.m.
Clearview travels to North Ridgeville to play a doubleheader at the same time.
