Cincinnati defends league title with 4-2 win over Southern
Ohio Courtesy: GreatLakesLeague.orgRelease: 08/8/2009
Steam become first team since 2002 to capture back-to-back GLSCL titles
XENIA,
Ohio â?? For the
second time in as many years, the Cincinnati Steam took home the Great Lakes
Summer Collegiate League title following its 4-2 win over Southern Ohio on
Friday night.
The Steamâ??s Matt Weber (Findlay) recorded his best start of the
season in the victory, tossing 6.1 innings of scoreless ball to make Cincinnati
the first team since Northern Ohio (2001-2002) to capture back-to-back league
titles. His performance, coupled with the Steamâ??s 10 hits, capped off the GLSCL
postseason tournament in which the No. 3 seeded team went 3-1.
Cincinnati scored each of its four runs in separate innings
to take a 3-0 lead through seven innings before Southern Ohio rallied for runs
in the eighth and ninth innings, but it proved to be too little too late for
No. 5 seeded Copperheads. The Steam got things rolling in the third inning on Travis
Shawâ??s (Kent State) bases loaded walk, then added two more on sacrifice
flies in the sixth and seventh innings.
The Copperheads added a run of their own on a sacrifice fly
from Jake Plata (Akron) in the eighth and then another on Justin
Marreroâ??s (Sinclair) RBI-single in the ninth, but fell just short of its
first league title in its eight-year existence.
Weber took the win on the hill after his six-plus innings of
work, holding the Copperheads scoreless on six hits. Michael Schum
(Wright State) closed out the final inning and two thirds for his second save
of the tournament. Andy Onak (Ohio Dominican) took the loss on the mound
despite tossing three innings of one-run ball. The depleted Copperhead pitching
staff used four pitchers in the season finale as they finished the tournament
2-2.
Cincinnati opened the tournament with a 3-2 win over No. 2
Grand Lake before falling No. 4 Licking County 5-3 in its second game. It then
rebounded with a 7-0 win against No. 6 Xenia to earn a bid into the
championship game. Southern Ohio, meanwhile, opened up its tournament play with
a 5-2 win over the Settlers, then fell to No.1 seed Lima 2-1 on Thursday. A 3-2
victory over the Mariners on Friday morning though propelled them back into the
title game later that day.
For complete results of the 2009 GLSCL tournament, please
click HERE.
FINAL TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
1. Cincinnati Steam (3-1)
2. Southern Ohio (2-2)
3. Licking County (2-1)
4. Lima (2-1)
5. Grand Lake (1-2)
6. Xenia (0-3)
