Clippers fall to Fitch

AUSTINTOWN — Columbiana managed just two hits in a 10-0 loss to Austintown Fitch on Wednesday.

Avery Young and Hunter Davanzo had hits for the Clippers.

Jackson Davis was the losing pitcher with five walks and a strikeout in four innings.

Columbiana is 9-10 and will host United in a key Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference game today.

CO: 0-0-0-0-0 — 0-2-2

AF: 1-1-0-3-5 — 10-3-0

Warriors swept by Boardman

BELOIT –Boardman swept West Branch 5-0 on Wednesday in boys tennis action.

West Branch falls to 8-7 and will host Heartland Christian on Monday.

Boardman 5, West Branch 0

FIRST SINGLES: Gabe Hammerton (B) def. Austin Hawk 6-2, 6-2

SECOND SINGLES: Charlie Beichner (B) def. Damon Edwards 6-3, 6-1

THIRD SINGLES: Brady Snyder (B) def. Cameron McCartney 6-1, 6-4

FIRST DOUBLES: Cooper Mraz-Sam Pickens (B) def. Jeremy Augustine-Blake Robbins 6-1, 6-2

SECOND DOUBLES: Andrew Walston-Jackson Lewis (B) def. Connor Loper-Mason Cosma 6-1, 6-2

Mount hosts OAC softball tournament

ALLIANCE — The Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament will be held today through Sunday at Mount Union’s 23rd Street Softball Field.

The top-seeded Purple Raiders are 29-5 overall and 15-1 in the OAC, the lone loss to Baldwin Wallace on April 8.

Area players on the Mount Union roster are senior utility player Sydney Mercer from West Branch, senior shortstop Lydia Brunner from Minerva, sophomore utility player Allison Jones from Western Reserve, sophomore oufielder Lindsay Jones from Western Reserve and junior pitcher Haleigh McCalla from Springfield Local. Former Minerva High School standout Megan Simons is in her 10th season as Mount Union’s head coach.

The winner of the single-elimination tournament receives automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.

Action begins today with No. 3 Baldwin Wallace vs. No. 6 Capital at 1:30 p.m. and No. 4 Heidelberg vs. No. 5 Wilmington at 4 p.m.

Play continues Friday with No. 1 Mount Union vs. the lowest remaining seed at 11 a.m. and No. 2 Muskingum vs. the second-lowest remaining seed at 2:30 p.m.

The championship game will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Mount Union hires new coach

ALLIANCE — The University of Mount Union has promoted Josh Twiddy as head men’s basketball coach.

Twiddy, a 2006 graduate of Mogadore High School, has had two stints at Mount Union.

After being on the Purple Raiders staff in 2012-13, he went to be a graduate assistant coach at the University of Akron for Keith Dambrot for two seasons before coming back to Mount Union.

He replaced Mike Fuline, who left after 15 seasons as head coach to join Jerrod Calhoun’s staff at University of Cincinnati. Fuline will be an assistant coach and high school relations coordinator for the Bearcats.

Guardians stop the bleeding

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Joey Cantillo and four relievers combined on a four-hitter, Chase DeLauter hit a go-ahead, two-run single and the Cleveland Guardians beat Kansas City 3-1 to stop their three-game skid and the Royals’ five-game winning streak.

Kansas City starter Cole Ragans left after three scoreless innings because of left triceps and elbow soreness.

Cantillo (2-1) allowed one run, three hits and three walks in five innings. Matt Festa, Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis combined for three hitless innings and Cade Smith worked around Vinnie Pasquantino’s one-out single for his ninth save in 11 chances.

The game ended after a 1-2 curveball to Isaac Collins on the inside corner that initially was ruled a ball by plate umpire Edwin Moscoso. Catcher Austin Hedges challenged and the ABS changed the decision to a called third strike. Six of eight challenges in the game were successful.

Salvador Perez put Kansas City ahead with a third-inning sacrifice fly that scored Bobby Witt Jr. but DeLauter hit a two-run single in the fifth off Luinder Avila (0-2). David Fry added a run-scoring groundout in the eighth.

Cleveland went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Up Next

Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (1-4, 6.56 ERA) against Royals RHP Seth Lugo (1-1, 2.68) start Thursday’s finale of the four-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb