CLEVELAND — It’s the dream of almost everyone who grows up in the Cleveland area to play for the Indians and help beat the Yankees.
That’s what 19 Lorain County high school baseball players did Friday afternoon, but not in the manner that makes up most people’s fantasies.
The Indians, an all-star team with 19 of 21 players from Lorain County (two came from Fairport Harbor in Lake County) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Yankees, a mix of Lorain and Cuyahoga County all-stars, 6-4.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” Keystone pitcher Steve Wirth said, “especially at The Jake.”
Wirth can be excused for that verbal gaffe, as the home of the Cleveland Indians is now Progressive Field. Wirth pitched a scoreless top of the seventh and scored the tying run in the bottom of the inning on an infield ground ball by Aaron Overs of Open Door.
“It was a great way to end my senior year of high school,” Wirth added. “I thought of all the famous people who’ve been on that mound when I went out there, but I settled down and pitched my game.”
Wirth gave up a leadoff single to Tyler Sperli of Rocky River to start the Yankees’ seventh. He induced three groundball outs after that to keep the score 4-3.
Another star on the mound for the Indians was Amherst’s Logan Bruce, who pitched the first three innings and retired all six batters — four by strikeout.
“Before I started warming up I was nervous,” said Bruce, who will play baseball at Lake Erie College next year. “Once I got on the mound it was just another game.”
The Indians got two runs in the second inning on just one hit. The Yankees tied it in the third and the Indians grabbed a 3-2 lead after five innings. The Yanks made it 4-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth.
Wirth walked with one out in the Indians’ half of the seventh and advanced on an errant pickoff try. Tony Riolo of Columbia reached first on a throwing error before Overs hit a slow bouncer to first to score Wirth.
Riolo took third on a wild pitch and Avon’s A.J. Ruschau was hit by a pitch. Riolo came home just ahead of the throw to the plate on a double steal to give the Indians a 5-4 lead. Dominic Gentile of Firelands walked and Admiral King’s Matt Toth singled in Ruschau to make the score 6-4.
Riolo scored two runs and Overs had two runs batted in. Overs’ sacrifice fly scored Kyle Koberna of Elyria Catholic with the game’s first run. Riolo made it 2-0 when he came in on a single by Ruschau.
James DiBiasio of Westlake started the Yankees’ rally in the third as he singled and later scored on a throwing error. Ronnie Gunter of Brookside singled to put runners on first and third and Gilmour’s Chris Fagan singled for the equalizer.
Open Door’s Jake Dodd doubled to lead off the fifth. Dodd went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. The Yankees got two in the sixth as Brent Edmonds of Olmsted Falls scored on an infield error and Tyler Gerber of Oberlin came home on a single by North Olmsted’s Joe Tominc.
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

Indians 6, Yankees 4

Yankees      ab    r      h     bi
Knoblauch    1     0     0     0
Edmonds     1     1     0     0
Gerber       2     1     0     0
Evans        2     0     0     0
Tominc 2     0     1     1
Speicher      2     0     0     0
DiBiasio      2     1     1     0
Sperli        1     0     1     0
Francati      2     1     0     0
Gunter       2     0     1     0
Fagan        2     0     1     1
Upton        1     0     0     0
Rogers       1     0     0     0
Rodriguez     1     0     0     0
Alurovic      1     0     1     0
Saunders     1     0     0     0
Harnish 0     0     0     0
McClurg      1     0     0     0
Bekebrede    1     0     0     0
Belanger      1     0     0     0
Davis        1     0     0     0
Totals        28    4     6     2
Indians       ab    r      h     bi
Bruce        2     0     0     0
Harrison      2     0     1     0
Stewart      1     0     0     0
Sooy        2     0     0     0
Koberna      1     1     0     0
Wirth        0     1     0     0
Riolo        2     2     0     0
Overs        1     0     0     2
Ruschau      1     1     1     1
Gentile       1     0     0     0
Toth         2     0     1     1
Allen        1     0     0     0
Rua         1     0     0     0
Brattoli 1     0     0     0
Nieto        1     0     0     0
Rindfleisch    1     0     0     0
Traut        1     0     0     0
Dodd        1     1     1     0
Castro       1     0     0     0
Knotts       1     0     0     0
Burchett      1     0     0     0
Totals        25    6     4     4
Yankees      002   001   0 – 4  6     4
Indians       020   010   3 – 6  4     2
LOB – Yankees 7, Indians 6. 2B – Dodd. SAC – Overs. SB – Upton, Ruschau, Riolo. DP – None.
Yankees      ip     r      er     h     bb    so
Upton        1     0     0     1     0     3
Harnish 1     2     0     1     1     1
Knoblauch    1     0     0     0     1     0
Gerber       1     0     0     0     0     0
McClurg      1     1     1     1     0     2
Davis        1     0     0     0     1     2
Tominc (L)    1     3     0     1     1     0
Indians       ip     r      er     h     bb    so
Bruce        2     0     0     0     0     4
Burchett      1     2     1     3     0     1
Koberna      1     0     0     1     1     0
Castro       1     0     0     0     0     1
Rua         1     2     2     1     2     0
Wirth (W)    1     0     0     1     0     0
WP – Harnish, Knoblauch, Koberna, Rua, Tominc. HBP – Sperli (by Burchett), Ruschau (by Tominc).

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