Canton's baseball team returns from southern trip with positive results

BY ED WRIGHT
April 10, 2010, 10:10 p.m.

  Canton's baseball team played like the "Big Red Machine "Saturday in the city where the famous nickname was born.

  The Chiefs not only wore Cincinnati Reds-like caps, they swung Cincinnati Reds-like bats, sweeping a pair of games in Cincinnati, 9-7, over Cincinnati Colerain High School, and, 8-7, over Milford (Ohio) High School.

  The pair of impressive victories improved Canton's record to 2-1 heading into Monday's 4 p.m. game at Salem.

  "We did a lot of very good things on the trip, but there are also some things we still need to work on, obviously," said Canton coach Mark Blomshield. "Overall, it was a good trip and I'm glad we did it. It was fun and we got to play some competitive baseball teams."
 
  The most impressive Chiefs on the day were seniors Andrew Tidwell, who picked up a win and a save on the mound; and Joe Galanty, who blasted a pair of George Foster-like home runs while knocking in six runs in the two games.
 
  Canton led 6-2 against Colerain heading into the bottom of the fifth before the Ohioans erupted for five runs to seize an 8-7 lead. However, the Chiefs pushed across the tying run in the sixth before scoring twice in the seventh.

  Canton starting pitcher Ben Staley was brilliant, striking out nine in 4 1/3 innings of work. In addition to Galanty's home run, Ryan Bazner added two hits and junior catcher Seth Tschetter went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and a double.
 
  Bazner started the nightcap against Milford and was rock solid, whiffing five Milford batters in the four innings.  He yielded just three hits and one earned run.
 
  Junior relief pitcher Art Chavez registered a crucial bases-loaded strikeout in the sixth inning.

  Milford had a runner on second base with two outs in the seventh when junior second baseman Bernabie Salinas dove into the hole to snare a grounder then threw out the batter to end the game in dramatic fashion.

  Galanty was 2-for-3 with three RBI and Tschetter contributed a huge bases-loaded, bases-clearing double to give Canton a 5-2 lead it would never relinquish.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.