by Michael Leonard

Sports Editor

Macedonia -- After rain canceled their first match April 28, the Twinsburg and Nordonia baseball teams met April 29 in a chilly affair at Nordonia.

The cold weather put a freeze on both team's sharpness early, but the Tigers recovered well enough to score a mercy-rule win over their backyard rivals.

After falling behind 2-1 early, Twinsburg put up 12 unanswered runs to score a 13-2 win over the Knights in five innings.

Twinsburg improved to 12-6, 3-0 in the Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division with the win, while Nordonia fell to 5-11, 2-1 in the Lake Division.

Game two of the home-and-home series was rescheduled for April 30 at Dodge Field, but results weren't available at press time.

Twinsburg coach Don Jones said his team wasn't at its finest, but did a good job bouncing back from some early errors.

"We need to come to the ballpark every day ready to play all 42 outs," Jones said. "We didn't play our best baseball in the second inning. It's a credit to these kids' character that we were able to come right back."

While Jones was displeased with one inning of mishaps, Nordonia coach Eric Cormell admitted the entire game for his team was "pretty rough."

"We're fighting through a lot of youth, inexperience and a lot of kids still learning the game," Cormell said. "The wheels really came off here tonight. They have five bunts for hits and we didn't get one bunt down with their third baseman playing on the outfield grass."

Twinsburg's bunting game went to work right away. After third baseman Omar Santiago singled, designated hitter Chuck Rice laid down a sacrifice bunt and went to second when pitcher Eric Simon threw wide of first.

Simon struck out center fielder Doug Holmes, but first baseman Justin Szydlowski hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to give Twinsburg a 1-0 lead.

The game stayed at 1-0 until Twinsburg's defense abandoned them. After Matt Wallin walked catcher Jason Jacobs and right fielder Adam Pike and an error moved Jacobs to third, left fielder Jason Sabo ground out to first to plate Jacobs.

Center fielder Andrew Janezic then hit a grounded right to short, but shortstop Mike Mencini had the ball go right past him, allowing Pike to score.

Mencini led off the third inning with a single to center, followed by back-to-back bunt singles from Santiago and Rice to load the bases. Holmes then hit a sacrifice fly to center to tie the score.

Szydlowski then bounced a ball back to the mound, but Simon threw to second base came with no one covering the bag, allowing Rice to slide in safe.

Wallin then smacked a base-clearing double down the first base line to give the Tigers the lead for good. Wallen would come home when Nordonia shortstop Bryan Nowack misplayed a grounder.

Indeed, Twinsburg jumped on more poor fielding in the fourth inning, as Mencini reached on an error leading off. Santiago then walked and Rice hit another bunt single to load the bases, before a blood single from Homes scored Mencini.

Szydlowski hit into a fielder's choice, where Santiago was cut down at the plate, but a bases loaded walk to Wallin and a sacrifice fly by second baseman Rob Smaltz made it 9-2 after four innings.

Twinsburg found the run they needed in the top of the fifth to invoke the 10-run mercy rule.

With one out, Mencini and Santiago singled, but Rice flew out. However, an RBI double to right-center by Holmes spelled the end of the day for Simon.

Reliever Mike Domzalski failed to register a single out. He walked Szydlowski to load the bases and gave up a bases loaded walk to Wallen. Smaltz then hit a two-run single wide of second base to make it 13-2.

Twinsburg will return to NOC Lake Division action when its hosts Valley Forge May 5 at Dodge Field and then travels to Valley Forge May 6. Game time both days is at 4:30 p.m.

E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113