Player-manager Justin Scanlon went 3-for-3 with three RBIs to ensure Verona would stay in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the Home Talent League Western Section playoffs.
Scanlon and James Rae, who had four hits, powered Verona to a 12-2 Sunday League win over Ridgeway in eight innings on Sunday, July 6, at Stampfl Field.
With the win, Verona improved to 7-1 in Sunday League play. The Cavaliers (7-1) lead Dodgeville (7-2) by 0.5 of a game. Arena (6-3) is third place and 1.5-games behind the Cavaliers. Verona hosts Arena on Sunday, July 13.
“Arena is a must-win for us because they would hold the tiebreaker over us,” Scanlon said. “They are a young squad and playing well.”
Rae knocked in two runs on a game-high four hits.
“To have James come up big in some spots as well as myself, was good,” Scanlon said. “James has been scuffling a little bit this year and kind of hasn’t been his normal self. It was good to get him going.”
After the Cardinals scored two runs off Verona starting pitcher Owen Davis in the top of the first, the Cavaliers rallied. Scanlon walked to lead off the bottom of the first. Rae then lined an RBI single to right to score Scanlon to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 2-1.
Verona’s Owen Davis struck out four and gave up just two hits in three innings against Ridgeway.
Photo by Mark Nesbitt
“Owen was put on short notice,” Scanlon said. “I didn’t let him know he was starting. I knew it was going to be a bullpen game and get a few guys some innings. He has earned it. We wanted to give Aidan (Williams) a rest because he has been used a lot.”
Verona took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. Verona’s Jacob Slonim beat out an infield single in the bottom of the inning. Scanlon laced an RBI single to left to score Slonim. The Cavaliers then scored two runs on an error to take a 5-2 lead. Rae came through with an RBI double to right center to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to four runs.
Ridgeway lefty Wyatt Peat pitched six innings and gave up 10 earned runs on 13 hits. The Cavaliers had 14 total hits. Colby Davis and Slonim each went 2-for-4. Tristan Largent drove in two runs. Slonim, Mason Fink and Scanlon each scored two runs.
“We haven’t necessarily seen arms quite like that this year,” Scanlon said. “We had to adjust. With a soft throwing lefty you need to have more of an approach to the opposite field. We just have to be better situationally.”
Scanlon had a two-out RBI single to right in the fifth to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to 8-2. Rae led off the sixth with a double to left center. Tristan Largent then delivered an RBI double to right. The Cavaliers scored their third run of the game on an error to take a 10-2 lead.
Slonim hit a high chopper to left for an RBI single in the eighth to give the Cavaliers the victory by the mercy rule.
Verona used four pitchers. Davis started and gave up two unearned runs on two hits and struck out four in three innings. Dylan Hesch tossed three two-hit shutout innings in relief and struck out four to get the win.
“The big difference maybe in some of the games some teams have kind of hung around is they pounded the zone and they got a bunch of ground balls,” Scanlon said.