CLEVELAND — Being able to beat a good team like Hudson and being able to do it under the lights at Progressive Field took a little bit of the sting out of a disappointing season for Avon Lake.
Four Avon Lake pitchers combined to shut out Hudson 3-0 on Sunday in the final game of the Hardball Classic. The Shoremen ended their season with an 8-14 record.
“This is the way to go out,” Shoremen coach Jeff Stratton said. “We were inconsistent all year. We didn’t play the way we wanted. But the way we played here is the way we are capable of playing.”
Sunday’s non-conference game was the makeup from an April 27 rainout. The original game was to have been played at 10:30 a.m.
“I was happy we didn’t play then,” said Michael Dillon, who drove in two of Avon Lake’s runs. “Playing the last game of the year here, at night, is better.
“I’m glad we finished strong because we had a tough year. We played like pros here.”
Dillon singled home Peyton Armbrecht for Avon Lake’s second run in the second inning and gave the Shoremen a 3-0 lead with a single that scored Bryce Alurovic in the fourth.
“Mike’s hitting started to come around,” Stratton said. “I wish we had more games.”
Dillon, Avon Lake’s catcher, preserved the shutout when he tagged out Billy Rillero trying to score on a double steal in the third inning.
Other Shoremen echoed Dillon’s feeling about when the game was held and what time of day it started.
“I was disappointed until I heard we were playing under the lights, in prime time,” said Dan Outcalt when asked about the April rainout.
This was the only night game for the Shoremen this year. A 6:30 game at Westlake was postponed because of rain and made up as a day game.
“This is the best,” Scott Shaffer said. “You never get any bad hops here. Last year we got out of school early to play here. This year we get to play under the lights.”
Avon Lake lost to Westlake in the 2007 Hardball Classic game.
Alurovic scored two runs in Sunday’s win. He led off the second inning with a single and went to third as Ryan Turkovich failed to make a diving catch and the ball rolled behind him. Armbrecht singled Alurovic to the plate and stole second ahead of Dillon’s RBI hit.
Alurovic began the fourth with a single and took third base on Joe Janicek’s single down the right field line with two outs. Dillon singled up the middle to bring in the final run.
Sophomore T.J. Thompson (2-1) started the game and picked up the victory. Hudson fell to 16-9 for the year.
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. 

Avon Lake                    Hudson
    AB    R    H    BI        AB    R    H    BI
Shaffer    2    0    0    0    Rillero    2    0    0    0
Kirkpatrick    0    0    0    0    Riedel    2    0    1    0
Morissette    2    0    0    0    Booth    4    0    1    0
Weimer    1    0    0    0    Opalich    1    0    0    0
Hamilton    2    0    1    0    Dunlap    3    0    1    0
Latsko    3    0    0    0    Pavlik    2    0    1    0
Alurovic    2    2    2    0    Stribrny    1    0    0    0
Outcalt    0    0    0    0    Perkins    1    0    0    0
Armbrecht    2    1    1    1    Thornlow    2    0    0    0
Aussem    1    0    0    0    Odell    1    0    0    0
Thompson    1    0    0    0    Schilling    2    0    0    0
O’Connor    1    0    0    0    Calabrese    1    0    0    0
Haehn    1    0    0    0    Furlong    0    0    0    0
Jeske    1    0    0    0    Johnson    1    0    1    0
Janicek    1    0    1    0    Turkovoich    1    0    0    0
Herrera    1    0    0    0    Pack     2    0    1    0
Dillon    2    0    2    2                   
Stephens    1    0    0    0                   
Totals    24    3    7    3    Totals    26    0    6    0
LOB—Hudson 8, Avon Lake 6. 2B—Hamilton, Pack. SB—Armbrecht, Booth, Pavlik. SAC—None. DP—Hudson 2.
Hudson    000    000    0    —    0    6    1
Avon Lake    020    100    x    —    3    7    2
    IP    H    R    ER    BB    SO
Avon Lake
Thompson (W, 2-1)    2    1    0    0    1    0
Campo     1    1    0    0    1    0
O’Connor    2    2    0    0    2    2
Hart (S)    2    2    0    0    0    3
Hudson
Gleixner (L, 0-1)    2    3    2    0    0    1
Finkes    2    3    1    1    2    2
Kordel    1    1    0    0    1    1
Charette    1    0    0    0    0    1
WP—Gleixner.

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