Schools
Brecksville-Broadview Heights Boys Win On Walkoff
Rose's 2-run double gives Bees dramatic 9-8 win over Amherst
John Mutch figures the Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School baseball team can weather anything.
They proved him right Thursday with an exciting 9-8 win over visiting Amherst Steele that ran the Bees' record to 11-4, including 9-2 in the Southwestern Conference. The Comets dropped to 9-11, 6-5.
"I'm proud of this group and this game shows you why," Mutch said. "It was a good win but you get those when you have a team with 11 seniors backed with some juniors and sophomores who have mixed in well."
Find out what's happening in Brecksvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Bees bolted to a 7-2 lead, with Paul DeNigris' two-run homer sparking a six-run fourth inning. Matt Galland also homered for the home team.
The Comets got home runs from seniors Robby Jancsura and Kyle Hagerich, but had to endure a scary few minutes in the bottom of the fifth. Hagerich was hurt in a collision at first base with the Bees' Jack Rose, who hit a slow roller toward third base. Hagerich leaped for the high throw and came down on the bag just as Rose got there. Both players went down. Hagerich didn't get up.
Find out what's happening in Brecksvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Coaches and trainers from both teams attended to Hagerich, who was told to remain still. He was placed on a backboard and taken to Marymount Hospital, though he appeared to be moving his hands and legs.
The Comets responded with a six-run sixth inning off Bees reliever Ryan Kenny, who had replaced starter Mike Mancuso. After losing their slugger and following a 25-7 loss to Brecksville-Broadview Heights on April 26, the Comets were not going down without battling. The rally gave Amherst an 8-7 lead.
"Hopefully, that young man will be fine," Mutch said. "We had a lot of momentum in the game and when something like that happens, I think it affects everybody. I can't blame our guys or our pitcher after a long, emotional delay like that. What I can do is be proud of the way they responded under some stunning circumstances. And give their team credit, too."
The Bees came back to win it in the bottom of the seventh.
Senior Jeff Gennaro batted an infield single to shortstop to get the winning rally started. Junior Kyle Graham followed with a single to center and Mutch asked senior Colton Becker to put down a sacrifice bunt to get both runners in scoring position. The bunt down the first-base line was a good one and couldn't be handled by the Comets' first baseman. That loaded the bases.
Rose then blooped a two-run double to right, scoring Gennaro and Graham and was swarmed by the Bees in celebration. Rose went two-for-four with four RBIs overall. Sophomore Paul Karthan got the win in relief.
"This game was a challenge, but it plays right into what I've told the team all season and that is to go out and meet challenges," Mutch said. "I had a lot of confidence in their ability to come back. There's 18 guys on this team and they all work well with one another. Many of the seniors take upon a leadership role very well.
"(Senior Jeff) Gennaro at catcher helps all the pitchers and is a true team leader. So is Mike Mancuso, whether he's on the mound or in the field. (Outfielder) T.J. Becka, (infielders) Clay Myatt, Kyle Coronel and Steve Parr, all the seniors do a great job. Galland plays just about anywhere I need him and has stepped up as a leader."
Galland hasn't missed a beat from his strong junior season a year ago, when he hit .500 with 18 extra-base hits and drove in 36 runs for a team that went 23-5 and reached the district semifinals. He's part of a strong pitching rotation that includes the 6-6, 230-pound Mancuso, who already has a college commitment to the University of Georgia -- after hitting .468 with 25 RBIs in 2010 along with a 5-0 record, 0.94 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 37 1-3 innings.
"They're a big part of the program," Mutch said. "And it is a program with a good feeder system. We get guys from the Brecksville and Broadview Heights recreation programs, from travel squads. When they get to the high school, they have an idea of how to play."
Mutch knows about the tradition of Bees baseball. He played for the team, graduating in 1995 and went on to continue his baseball and football career at Walsh University, twice earning all-conference honors and winning one championship. He played baseball in Holland for one year, then became a Bees assistant coach in 2001 and is in his seventh season as head coach.
Mutch is hesitant to forecast what may come for this year's team, only because the weather forecasts have played havoc with the schedule all season.
"The big thing is that we've been forced indoors to practice a lot and nobody likes that," Mutch said. "The weather has affected every team in the area, though. I've talked to our guys as a group and told them that all of it is just another challenge, so they have done a good job in handling it. When we're able to take the field, we're ready to play.
"Right now, I'm not looking ahead to playoffs or even next week. I just want a dry day over at Olmsted Falls so we can play."
2011 BRECKSVILLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS
BOYS BASEBALL ROSTER
NO. PLAYER POSITION YEAR
1 Matt Galland OF-INF-P Sr.
2 Jeff Gennaro C-INF Sr.
3 Paul Karthan INF-P So.
4 Steve Parr INF Sr.
5 Paul DeNigris INF Sr.
6 Nate Korczynski INF-C So.
7 Parker Galbreath OF-P Jr.
8 Clay Myatt INF Sr.
9 Dan Richards INF-P Jr.
10 Jack Rose OF-P Jr.
11 T.J. Becka OF-P Sr.
13 Colton Becker INF Sr.
14 Jon Everett OF-P Sr.
15 Joe Domzalski INF-P So.
17 Ryan Kenny INF-P Sr.
19 Kyle Graham INF-P Jr.
23 Mike Mancuso INF-P Sr.
24 Kyle Coronel INF-P Sr.
Head coach: John Mutch
Assistant: Steve Sycz
Assistant: Bill Miko
Assistant: Dave Scott
Assistant: Lee Winick