The visiting Hudson baseball team won a 3-2 decision over Cleveland St. Ignatius May 1.
The Explorers (11-5) scored two runs in the top of the first inning and one in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. St. Ignatius (17-4), which was ranked No. 2 in a recent Division I state poll, scored its only two runs in the fifth. Both teams had eight hits and one error.
Todd Odell started the game and was relieved in the sixth by Brian Riedel. Odell, who allowed seven hits in five innings of work, got the win to improve to 2-2 on the year. Riedel picked up his first save.
Odell escaped some trouble in the fifth inning. He got a key double play and a nice over-the-shoulder catch from first baseman Sam Schilling with the tying run at third base to end the frame.
Chad Opalich singled home two runs in the first and Ryan Pavlik singled home Aaron Pack with what proved to be the winning run in the fourth after Pack had doubled down the left-field line to lead off the inning.
"It was a great high school baseball game with a tournament-game atmosphere," said Explorers head coach Chuck Schilling.
Hudson got the sixth seed in the Hudson District. Cuyahoga Falls got the top seed and Twinsburg got the second seed.
Rounding out the top five seeds were Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Wadsworth and Kent Roosevelt.
"I had at least seven teams on my sheet that deserved a look at being one of the top four seeds with us being two or three," said Schilling. "We had beaten Twinsburg in five innings, beat Kent, and beat Stow-Munroe Falls, which had beaten Falls twice but the rest of the coaches didn't see it that way."
"We got a good draw however, playing Nordonia in the first round of the sectional at home on May 14 and then playing on the road against the winner of Barberton and Wadsworth for the section title and a chance to advance to the Hudson District.
The Explorers were scheduled to host Northeast Ohio Conference rival Garfield Heights May 5 before heading to Garfield Heights May 6. Results of those contests were not available at press time. They are set to host Gates Mills Gilmour Academy and Trinity in a three-game affair May 10. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
-- From staff reports
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