Warren JFK bests Austintown Fitch, 6-2 | News, Sports, Jobs

Staff photo / Preston Byers Warren JFK pitcher Jaden Rishel moments after throwing the ball to an Austintown Fitch batter on Wednesday.

AUSTINTOWN — Warren JFK pitcher Jaden Rishel endured six cold and windy innings on the turf-covered mound in Austintown, but he was rewarded for it with a 6-2 Eagles victory over Austintown Fitch on Wednesday.

Rishel, who announced his commitment to Malone University on Tuesday, surrendered just four hits, one earned run and one walk, as the Falcons’ batters struggled to find their collective groove against the tall right-hander. Michael Bartoe relieved Rishel to start the seventh inning and allowed a run but forced three fly outs to close the game for Kennedy.

After the game, JFK head coach Jim Ciambotti said Rishel was “outstanding” Wednesday.

“He was a reason — that was the foundation for this win,” Ciambotti said. “He threw against a good ballclub, and on the day he signed his letter of intent with Malone earlier today, [I] think it was a great job for him to come out and show this.”

With the temperature in the 40s and a gray sky above, both teams’ bats and pitchers were relatively cold to start Wednesday’s games. Each team singled in the first inning and had at least another batter reach base either by error or walk in the second but remained scoreless.

Santino Ciambotti, Kennedy’s No. 9 hitter, kicked off the third inning with an infield single, and leadoff batter Michael Condoleon singled as well to put two runners on base without an out.

After a fielder’s choice, which advanced Ciambotti to third, Fitch pitcher Anthony Wibert committed a balk that allowed Ciambotti to score the first run of the game. Wibert managed to avoid any more damage in the half-inning, though, as Dom Ryan grounded into a double play, leaving a runner in scoring position stranded.

After a dominant bottom of the third from Rishel in which he retired the side in order, Wibert escaped a major incident after loading the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth. Wibert struck out both Nico Ciminero and Condoleon, in addition to preventing a run at home plate on a poorly-hit ball, to keep the score at 1-0.

The score did not stay that way for very long, though, as the Falcons’ Carson Fuller singled to leadoff the bottom of the fourth, and two batters later, Jackson Cheeks doubled to the gap in left-center, scoring Fuller from first to tie the game up at one run apiece.

Kennedy responded with force in the fifth; Caleb Hadley’s RBI double put the Eagles back in front before Dom Ryan singled to drive in Hadley and make it a 3-1 ballgame.

Wibert walked Freddy Bolchalk to lead off the sixth inning before throwing a wild pitch that allowed Bolchalk to advance to second base. Nico Ciminero then successfully put down a bunt, which Wibert fielded but then overthrew first base. The error gave Ciminero the time to stroll into second, while Bolchalk scored Kennedy’s fourth run of the game.

Jaden Wallace relieved Wibert on the mound following the error and, despite walking two and loading the bases, managed to get out of the inning without letting up any more runs. The Falcons made another pitching change to start the seventh inning, with Gavin Richmond replacing Wallace. Richmond’s relief appearance was rather eventual, unfortunately so for him.

Richmond’s second pitch struck Bartoe in the back, and after a fielder’s choice, Richmond hit Bolchalk with another pitch. Ciminero drew a walk, which set the proverbial table for Ciambotti, whose RBI single scored a run. The Eagles put their sixth on the scoreboard with a Condoleon sacrifice fly to center field, improving their lead to 6-1.

Before the seventh inning, JFK coach Ciambotti called upon Bartoe to close the game.

“Jaden’s pitch count was in the 90s. He was sitting in the cold weather, we don’t want him to stiffen up,” Ciambotti said. “We’re trying to stretch him out and fight a couple of injuries too along the way, so we just wanted to be careful.”

With Bartoe on the mound, Fitch’s batters connected on the ball well but couldn’t string together enough at-bats to rally in the bottom of the seventh. After a walk and double to put two runners in scoring position, Frank Senediak’s sacrifice fly scored the Falcons’ second run of the game. For the final out, Gavin Loomis flew out to Rishel, fittingly enough, who had moved to right field for the seventh inning.

Austintown Fitch coach Joe Paris said he anticipated Wednesday’s game being a tough one, considering Kennedy’s talent level and the hectic schedule the Falcons have and will keep playing.

“JFK, they’re really good and they have great pitchers, and they threw one of their top two against us tonight,” Paris said. “We came off two tight wins against Boardman, our archrivals, on Monday and Tuesday, so I was concerned about tonight being a letdown.

“We’re short staffed as it is. We have five games this week in six days. Luckily, on Monday and Tuesday, we had great starts from our top two pitchers. They went deep into the games.”

Ciambotti said the weather, which was less than ideal, particularly for pitchers, at least allowed the Eagles to play another game.

“If we could just play a baseball game, we’re happy. We don’t care if it’s 40 [degrees], 60,” he said. “Around here, you never know what you’re gonna get day-to-day. You just prepare for it. But they gotta play in the same conditions. You just go out and play baseball.”

Both teams are scheduled to play again today; Fitch is set to play Cardinal Mooney at Bob Cene Park in Struthers at 5 p.m, while Kennedy will host Crestview at 5 p.m., as well.

Have an interesting story? Contact Preston Byers by email at pbyers@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @PresByers.