Published: August 12, 2008 08:17 am      

Johnstown wins AAABA opener: Host entry takes advantage of wildness in win

Delweld shrugged off early nerves and what began as a dominating outing by Youngstown Metro left-hander Steve Gruver on Monday night at Point Stadium.

The Johnstown host entry eventually solved Gruver, who recorded nine strikeouts in the first three innings. Delweld won 11-3 in the official opener of the 64th annual AAABA Tournament.

“I think all the kids had a little bit of opening-night nerves, but once we scored that first run it seemed like everyone loosened up,” Delweld manager Rick Roberts said, referring to the hoopla that included a traditional parade and introductions, a crowd estimated at 7,000, and the Bomb Squad blasting away on the adjacent hillside.

Johnstown will play Maryland State at 7 tonight at the Point. Youngstown will meet Schenectady at Revloc at noon.

Youngstown pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts but also issued 14 walks.

Delweld left-hander Jake Rougeaux played the “tortoise” to Gruver’s “hare” early in the game. While Gruver was zipping strikes past Delweld hitters, Rougeaux quietly did his job before finding his groove.

Rougeaux retired 14 of 15 hitters from the third through seventh innings before leaving with a comfortable nine-run advantage. He retired the side in order in the fourth, sixth and seventh, and faced only four batters in the fifth for his ninth win of the season.

“The big lead helps,” said Rougeaux, an IUP pitcher. “I just went out there and tried to pitch. I was taking a little bit off and not trying to throw so hard. I never pitched in front of this many people. I figured once I got through the first inning my nerves would settle down.”

Younstown’s Gruver, a 6-foot-2 left-hander from the University of Tennessee, opened the game in often dominating fashion.

Scouts with radar guns behind the plate reportedly clocked Gruver at 91 miles per hour.

Gruver struck out six of the first seven Johnstown batters.

The first nine outs of the game were all by strikeout. But the big lefty also ran into control problems in Delweld’s two-run third and a three-run fourth.

“He was pretty much mowing us down early but I told them to be patient,” Roberts said. “He didn’t look like he was getting his off-speed over. The second time up we changed our approach a little bit. He had really good stuff. I thought the later the game went our guys would catch up to him.”

Gruver struck out nine and walked six. He threw 94 pitches before being relieved by Matt Tucker with two outs in the fourth. Youngstown used five pitchers.

Delweld shortstop George Roberts went 4-for-5 with a run and four RBIs. No. 2 batter Matt Staub followed the younger Roberts with three hits and two runs batted in.

No. 9 hitter Brandon Varmecky, Johnstown’s top hitter in the 2007 AAABA Tournament, added two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Brad Smith walked three times and scored three runs.

“It was nerve-wracking at first but once we got the first hit, it felt good,” George Roberts said. “The crowd was crazy. It was awesome. The adrenaline was flowing.”

Delweld had two unearned runs in the third, an inning highlighted by George Roberts’ single to right. Youngstown tied it in the bottom of the inning as Jim Pasquine singled in a run, and Dom Silvestri plated another with a sacrifice fly.

Back-to-back walks to Smith and Seth Roy, and Varmecky’s bloop single loaded the bases in the fourth. George Roberts and Staub each singled in a run.

Varmecky scored on a wild pitch.

Delweld added three more in the fifth as George Roberts hit a two-run double, and another three in the sixth as Roberts drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Staub singled home another to lead 11-2.

“This gives us confidence,” George Roberts said. “We hope the crowd keeps coming.”

Rick Roberts said he will start right-hander Matt Skoner tonight. “He’s a young kid but he’s been in big games before and he always gets it done,” Roberts said of the 18-year-old.