The Strongsville Mustangs extended their win-streak to eight games, as Jaret Beechy tossed a complete game shutout on the road against Greater Cleveland Conference rival Brunswick on Tuesday, April 18.
Watch video highlights from the game, courtesy of OhioSportsNet.
The game started off with a rather bizarre tone, as Strongsville led off the top of the first with back-to-back hard hit singles to the outfield courtesy of Alex Gray and Parker Shannon.
What appeared to be a big inning in the making came to an abrupt hault, as number three hitter Noah Trizzino smoked a line drive right at the center fielder.
With the hit and run on and both baserunners already near second and third, Brunswick turned your standard 8-4-3 triple play to get left handed pitcher Jack Gleske out of the inning, facing the minimum.
“We got nervous there when those two guys came up, because we knew what they had coming up after them,” Blue Devils coach Grant Relic said after the game.
“We got lucky there that they decided to hit and run and neither one of them went back. We were able to make to the play. That’s something I thought would’ve given us a little momentum and been something to build off of, but with Beechy being the quality pitcher that he is, he was able to go out and shut us down.”
The theme of missed opportunities on offense did not end there.
Brunswick appeared to be in a good spot in the bottom half of the first, after a one out single by Brandon Szapo.
Jake Williams put another good swing on the ball, sending a shot right at the right fielder, who quickly fired the throw to first base to get Szapo and turn the 9-3 double play.
The second inning was less dramatic, as both starting pitchers made quick work of the opposition, but Strongsville had another big opportunity with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the third.
Gleske managed to navigate his way out of the jam, striking out cleanup hitter Giovani Lombardo to strand the runners and keep the game scoreless.
Beechy continued to cruise through Brunswick’s lineup and Gleske held serve heading into the fifth inning, when Strongsville had yet another bases loaded opportunity with one out.
The table was set after Gray drew a walk with one out, followed by Shannon’s second hit of the day, a double to left center.
Gleske intentionally walked Trizzino to loaded the bases and was able to retire the next two batters on a pop out and a grounder, keeping the Mustangs off the board heading to the bottom of the fifth.
Derek Kutrubs led the inning off with a single, giving Brunswick some momentum, as it was only the second hit allowed by Beechy and the first Blue Devils’ hit since the first inning.
Right on cue, Shannon delivered a huge play from behind the plate, firing a strike to first base to pick Kutrubs off for the first out of the inning.
“That inning I think they had a little momentum,” Shannon said.
“So that was huge to get that lead runner out.”
Dan Rogers proceeded to mash a double down the left field line, but Beechy promptly retired the next two hitters to end the fifth.
In the sixth, Gleske found himself in another jam, after a leadoff single by JD Duplain, a wild pitch and an error put runners at first and third with one out.
With the top of the order on deck, Strongsville coach Doug Cicerchi opted to insert pinch-hitter Zach Kasian.
“Zach’s been a great guy for us all year,” the coach said.
“This was actually the first game that he hasn’t started in about seven or eight games. He’s every bit as much of a starter as anybody else and it was an easy decision for us. Zach’s been a pressure player for us all year long and it didn’t hurt that he’s also a very good defensive outfielder, so we could leave him in the game once we did get the lead.”
Kasian went to the plate with an aggressive mindset, something most coaches at any level would hope for out of their pinch hitter in a clutch situation.
“In that situation, I’m swinging at everything,” Kasian said.
“Even if I don’t like it, I’m swinging because there’s two guys on and I need to get them in.”
The move certainly paid off, as Kasian drove in pinch runner Austin Mucurio with an RBI single, breaking the scoreless tie.
Gray drew another walk (his second of the game) to load the bases with one out for Shannon, who was already 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a single and a double.
The right-handed hitting catcher sent a fly ball to medium deep center field and Kyler Damm was able to tag from third and score, making it a two-run ballgame.
“I was just trying to hit the ball the other way and trying to hit the ball hard. That’s it,” Shannon said.
Shannon did a little bit of everything to help Strongsville get the win and his coach was proud of the leadership his catcher has shown both at the plate and behind the dish this season.
“He has shown as much growth from one year to the next as anybody that I’ve coached here at Strongsville,” Cicerchi said.
“He’s one of our unquestioned leaders. He’s a sub-two thrower behind the plate down to second base. He calls all of his own pitches. So does Trizzino, who started yesterday and is every bit as good behind the plate. They’re able to run the game and control our team. There’s a sense of calm in the dugout when they’re out there making the decisions. Part of the reason Beechy was able to throw so well today and Matt Brosky did yesterday was because of the fact that we have those two guys that can just run the game.”
“Obviously at the plate, (Shannon) swings the bat like crazy. He’s got as much power as anybody on our team, while also maintaining a good line drive stroke. He’s a fearsome hitter.”
Gleske induced a groundout to escape the inning without the deficit getting out of hand, but for as well as Beechy was pitching, a two-run lead may have felt bigger than usual.
The lefty proceeded to face only seven batters over the final two innings, finishing off the complete game shutout to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Beechy finished the day with only three hits allowed and two walks, with an efficient performance to complete the season sweep of Brunswick.
“In the seventh inning, I didn’t have a lot of stuff left,” Beechy said.
“My arm was getting tired, so I tried to put the ball in play and let my defense make the outs. In the last inning, I think I threw like seven or eight curveballs.”
“Beechy was incredibly sharp for us on the mound,” his coach said.
“He was just throwing strike after strike and used his ability to mix pitches. He pitched backwards a little more than he has in the past, which is something our pitching coach Ryan Bores, who is incredible, really encourages when a guy settles in.”
“There’s no doubt (Beechy) was comfortable. It probably didn’t hurt that these two cities are right next to each other. We know a lot of their players quite and they know us. Maybe knowing tendencies didn’t hurt and him being able to pitch to those tendencies. He threw a ton of strikes, threw his changeup for a strike and also was able to fade out of the zone and get some swings and misses.”
Despite the loss, Relic had some positive takeaways from the game, where a few little plays on both sides made the difference.
“It was two excellent jobs on the mound by Beechy and by our guy, Gleske,” the Blue Devils coach said.
“It just came down to the little plays right there and they were the ones that were able to execute and get out of there with a win. We just couldn’t execute what we needed to do.”
Strongsville has been rolling for the past three weeks, after starting the season 0-4, and Cicerchi attributes the win streak to the camaraderie of the team and the well-balanced style with which the Mustangs play.
“These guys came together and did not give in after we started the season 0 and 4. We went down to Cincinnati at the beginning of the year and played three of the top six or seven teams in the state (according to Prep Baseball Report Ohio’s rankings). We played Archbishop Moeller, Mason, Solon and then Archbishop Hoban, who’s also a very good ball club.”
“We knew we were struggling a bit, but at the same time, we knew we had a good team and our guys believed in themselves. It just helped getting that first win. We got that win against Shaker Heights on our field. It was kind of a damp field and it was a nasty day, but we found a way to battle through and get a win.
“From that point forward, we’ve really swung the bats well. Our defense is coming. We’re very good in the outfield. We need to get better in the infield, but we were better in the infield today. The bats have come along for a ride. I think our pitching is as deep as anybody in the area. I really like our ball club. I like where we’re heading. The kids really like each other.”
The Mustangs’ roster features a mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen, but Cicerchi doesn’t notice any divide between personalities.
“Sometimes when you get a team that has multiple kids in multiple classes, the sophomores and seniors may not get along, but this team doesn’t exist on this team,” he said.
“These guys play hard for each other. They’re a team. They’re together. I can’t wait to get on the field every day and be able to coach them. My two assistants are amazing. We’ve got a really nice thing going. Obviously winning eight straight doesn’t hurt either, but being able to enjoy every minute out there really helps. They’re a very coachable group.”
Strongsville (8-4, 6-1) heads to North Royalton for a non-conference game on Wednesday, April 19, which will feature two of the top-ranked Division I teams in Northeast Ohio.
Brunswick (6-5, 4-3) is back in action with another GCC match at home against Mentor on Thursday, April 20.
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