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  • Delweld’s Matt Donaldson beats out an infield hit as Youngstown first baseman Cory Johnson stretches for the throw during Wednesday night’s game at Point Stadium. Dave Lloyd

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August 12, 2009

AAABA Tournament: Staub blanks Youngstown as Delweld moves to 2-0

BY MIKE MASTOVICH

Matt Staub recalled his first AAABA Tournament experience in 2007.

The veteran Delweld standout remembered how the expectations that accompanied playing on the host Delweld team and the big-game atmosphere sometimes seemed overwhelming back then.

There were no nerves on Wednesday.

The Johnstown right-hander displayed the poise of a three-tournament veteran while tossing a three-hit shutout in a Delweld’s 11-0 victory over Youngstown in front of an estimated 4,000 fans at Point Stadium.

“My first time here I didn’t know what I was getting into,” said Staub, the local league’s MVP a year ago. “By my third time here, I knew what I had to do. I had to step up.”

Step up? As in a pitch count of 97 with 71 strikes?

Staub retired the first 10 Youngstown batters in order before an error allowed the Metros their first baserunner in the fourth. The righty put down the side in order six times and helped Delweld to a 2-0 start in the tournament.

In two games, manager Chris DelSignore’s team has outscored the opposition by a combined 24-0.

“That’s no accident,” DelSignore said after his team collected 10 hits Wednesday. “When you can add (pick-up players) Drew Shaulis and Matt Donaldson to what I think is an already formidable lineup, there are just a wealth of options we have at our disposal.”

Those weapons included two hits apiece by J.R. Tenney, Drew Westover, Donaldson and Spencer White. Tenney drove in four runs, and George Roberts, three.

But it was Staub who keyed the victory over 1-1 Youngstown.

“It felt real good from the start. I had good control of all of my offspeed pitches, which is really key for me,” Staub said. “I was just going right at people and they were beating it into the ground.”

Staub struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. He induced 15 groundball outs.

“Matt did a fantastic job out there,” DelSignore said. “He was in a zone. He was throwing his pitches for strikes and he used his defense. He wasn’t overpowering but he just did his thing. That’s what he does. When he’s on, he’s not going to throw a lot of pitches. He’s going to be around the zone and the infield is going to have a busy night.”

Delweld will meet Brooklyn at 7;30 tonight at the Point.

Youngstown faces Lansing at 10 a.m. today at the Point, with the winner meeting New Orleans at Johnstown Middle School at 3.

Westover’s sacrifice fly gave Delweld a 1-0 lead in the third.

An inning later, Roberts ripped a two-run double to right center during the rally, and Tenney plated a pair of runs with a single.

“I really just tried to get a fastball and drive it,” Tenney said. “The first one I got and drove it up the middle. The second one, luckily, he missed it.”

Shaulis walked and scored on Spencer White’s ground out in the seventh, and Roberts walked, stole second and scored on a Westover single in the eighth.

Tenney had another two-run single in Delweld’s three-run ninth to make it 11-0.

“It really has to do with us getting solid pitching, timely hitting and being patient, getting walked a lot,” Tenney said.

“We’ll just try to play it the same way we’ve been playing.”

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