Boardman team wins on Humphreys’ home run

STAFF REPORT

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ELYRIA

Trent Humphreys’ two-run, walk-off home run with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning enabled Boardman to beat Mount Vernon, 9-7, in the state 11- & 12-year-old Little League tournament Wednesday.

Boardman (3-1) plays North Canton (2-1) in the loser’s bracket finals today at 5 p.m.

Also on Wednesday, Hamilton (3-0) beat North Canton, 9-4.

After Gino Beato was hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the sixth, Humphreys took a 1-0 curveball and drove it over the left-field fence at Vic Janowicz Memorial Park.

With Mount Vernon ahead, 2-0, Boardman tied the game in the third. Beato doubled home Jack Lynch who had walked, then Humphreys singled to score Beato.

Lynch will be a seventh-grader at St. Charles, while Beato and Humphreys are will be in the eight grade.

After Mount Vernon scored five runs in the fourth with the aid of errors, Boardman added four runs to pull within 7-6. Boardman knotted the score 7-7 in the fifth, starting when Lou Cardona doubled to lead off, then reached third on an error. After Dan Boerio walked and Alex Duda ran for Cardona, Devon Curd’s infield single with two outs enabled Duda to reach home.

After pitching 52/3 innings, Boerio was relieved by Humphreys, who struck out a Mount Vernon batter to end the top of the sixth.

Boerio gave up six hits and had five strikeouts.

Boardman finished with 10 hits, but committed four errors.

The winner of today’s game plays Hamilton in the championship on Friday at 5 p.m.

An extra game could be played on Saturday.