With strong 1-2 punch at top of rotation, Kiski Area baseball gets off to solid start

By: Jerin Steele
Thursday, April 6, 2023 | 6:15 PM

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First-year Kiski Area baseball coach Michael Manning’s initial impression of his players was they were ready and willing to learn.

At the same time, Manning also was learning, and he is starting to see the areas where the Cavaliers can have success.

They have two top starting pitchers, Jake Smith and LeBryn Smith, as well as some strong hitters in their lineup.

It was nearly enough to pull off a sweep of Indiana in the opening week of Section 4-4A play Monday and Tuesday. The Cavaliers took the first game 5-1 and had a 3-1 lead in Game 2, but Indiana scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to steal an 8-3 win.

“We got bit (Tuesday) night, giving up seven runs in the sixth inning, but up until then, we had played 13 innings of pretty good baseball,” Manning said. “It was 3-1, and before you blinked, it was 8-3. But like I said, we had played really good baseball up until that. They just got us in one half inning.”

All six teams in the section split their series this week. The Cavaliers are 3-3 overall.

Manning brings a wealth of experience to the Kiski Area dugout. A native of Bradford, Manning pitched at St. Bonaventure and was drafted by Cleveland in 1999. He spent two years in Cleveland’s farm system. He was at Avonworth the last two years and has coached at MacMurray (Ill.) College.

Jake Smith, a junior, threw a complete game in the 5-1 win over Indiana. He struck out 12 and yielded only three hits. LeBryn Smith, a senior, had a solid outing Tuesday going into the sixth inning before being lifted because he had reached the pitch count limit.

The pair will front the pitching staff with junior Blake Fritz as a top reliever.

“The No. 1 thing I like about Jake is that he throws multiple pitches for strikes all seven innings,” Manning said. “He wants the baseball. He wants to finish the game and eat up innings. LeBryn also has a starter’s type mentality. He throws two pitches for strikes. He’s very similar to Jake in terms of pitch selection. I see them as our Monday and Tuesday starters.”

Dom DiNinno has hit .412 , and Fritz has a .357 batting average with a pair of doubles. Jacob Bucci leads the team with three doubles.

As a team, the Cavaliers have 10 doubles.

Manning’s overall philosophy is for his players to swing hard and get closer to home. That sounds simple, but there are nuances to it such as testing a catcher for a stolen base or attempting take an extra base on a hit by putting pressure on an outfielder to make a strong, accurate throw.

“These guys swing the bat hard from the top to the bottom of the lineup,” Manning said. “No one has an identical approach. It’s not like Coach Manning came in and said, ‘Hit like this.’ Everyone’s their own guy up there. Just swing at strikes and get closer to home is how we approach things.”

The Cavaliers continue Section 4-4A play with a two-game set with Hampton on Monday and Tuesday.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Kiski Area