A little late misfortune kept the Cleveland Heights baseball team from sweeping a doubleheader at New Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
Up two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, an error and a walk against pitcher Joe Eyerman started a big rally for New Philadelphia as it scored three runs to beat the Tigers, 5-4, in the nightcap.
Trey Hopkins went 2-for-3 with a home run and a stolen base to lead the Tigers to victory in the opener, 5-4.
The Tigers are 4-3 to open the season, and coach Mike Dillon feels the team is coming around despite some minor bumps and bruises with on-field mistakes.
“We’ve had a few too many mental errors, which kind of hurt us in the losses, but I’m pleased with where we’re at right now. The pitching’s been pretty decent, and the hitting’s been sufficient. I think we’re making progress,” Dillon said.
In the second game, lefty sophomore starter Michael Houdek gave up one run over four innings. Eric Becker went 4-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Eyerman (1-2) took the loss.
Wil Sharon (2-0) got the win in the first game, while Eyerman collected his second save of the season with a scoreless seventh inning.
Earlier in the week, the Tigers posted a pair of huge home shutouts defeating Bedford, 15-0, on Wednesday and Warrensville Heights, 19-0, on Thursday.
Against Bedford, Tyler Rudy had a grand slam, double, five RBI and scored twice. Sam Gillispie (1-1) got the victory.
Hopkins had a double, three RBI and scored a run against Warrensville Heights. Sharon got the victory.
The Tigers host Euclid on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and host Bedford at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. After traveling to Shaw on Thursday for a 5 p.m. start, the Tigers host Benedictine for a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
Girls' Lacrosse
The Tigers fell, 17-12, to St. Paul’s School for Girls for their first loss of the season in a trip to Baltimore on Saturday.
All-American junior midfielder Meg Lentz had six goals and two assists to lead Cleveland Heights (3-1). Lentz, who has verbally committed to Stanford, has 33 goals in four games. Senior goalie Kelly Rosenbaum had 12 saves. Senior Olivia Lash, who has committed to San Diego State, had four goals, bringing her to 12 for the season.
“St. Paul’s is considered one of the top teams nationally,” Tigers girls’ lacrosse coach Terry Saylor said. “We traveled seven hours to play them at their field and played extremely well.”
Saylor also cited strong defensive play from Nicky Rosenbaum, Kelly’s sister, senior Madison Apple and sophomore Isabel Collins.
Earlier in the week, the Tigers defeated Chagrin Falls, 13-9, on Thursday and its match against Hudson Monday was rescheduled for April 25 due to inclement weather.
The Tigers will travel to Western Reserve Academy on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. start and will be at Shaker Heights for a 5 p.m. start time on Thursday.
Boys' Lacrosse
The Cleveland Heights boys produced a hard-fought effort against host Green and held a 9-8 edge in the third quarter but succumbed to a huge run as they lost, 21-9, on Saturday in theopening game of their season.
Senior attacker Mike Bryant had five goals, while senior midfielder Mac Jones had four goals. Senior Sam Brown anchored the defense, while goalie Mike Arnold had 21 saves.
First-year coach Curt Kassigkeit sees some good possibilities for the Tigers going forward.
“We have a good, solid senior class, but we lack depth and experience,” Kassigkeit said. “We need to get them in the game and getting them as many looks as we can.”
The Tigers are scheduled to host Kenston on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and go to Gilmour Academy Thursday (5 p.m.) and end the week at Mentor on Saturday (3 p.m.)
Weather delays during the week pushed the Tigers’ match at Benedictine to April 26 at 7 p.m., while Roosevelt’s new time is still to be determined.
Girls' & Boys' Track and Field
Shelton Gibson won the 100-meter dash in 10.89 seconds and was part of the Tigers’ winning 4x100 relay team at the Maralyn H. West Invitational at Collinwood High School in the school’s first meet of the year Saturday.
Gibson, a sophomore, led Cleveland Heights to a fourth-place finish with 76 points. Mentor won with 146 points, followed by Glenville (119) and Canton McKinley (108.5).
In the relay, sophomore Marcus McShepard, sophomore Camerin Cross, junior Dionte Saffo and Gibson, who ran anchor, won in 43.86. Cleveland Heights also finished second in the 4x200 with a lineup of McShepard, senior Charles Hill, Cross and Gibson in 1:31.92.
Junior Bryce Jones placed high in three events with a third-place finish in the high jump (6-0) and a pair of fourth-place finishes in 300 hurdles (41.86) and 110 hurdles (15.01). Senior James Moore finished third at 3200 (10:21.17).
In the girls’ competition, freshman Krystal Ubani finished second in the shot put (32-01). The girls finished with 10 points for 11th.
Cleveland Heights will host Mentor in a dual meet on Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m. and will participate in the two-day Mansfield Mehock Relays at Ashland University on Friday and Saturday.
