LEOPARDS COME ALIVE AGAINST BOARDMAN
BOARDMAN, OH- Zach Root was the hero for Louisville Leopards, driving in four runs on five hits to power past Boardman 13-9 on Monday. Root kicked things off with a bang, smashing a two-run homer to center in the first, then kept his hot streak with singles in the second and sixth innings.
Louisville jumped ahead early thanks to Root’s blast in the opening frame. But Boardman wasn’t about to roll over. They quickly knotted it up in the bottom of the first with some smart plays—Tyler Kirlik’s sacrifice fly and Grayson Eicher’s fielder’s choice each brought a run home.
The Leopards didn’t let that tie last long. In the second, Andrew Corona singled to drive in two runs, and Root followed up with another RBI single, pushing Louisville ahead 5-2. Boardman answered in the lower half with Landon Whippo going deep to left, trimming the lead.
Louisville unleashed another offensive barrage in the fourth, adding four runs, highlighted by Cole Miller’s three-run homer to center and aided by an error that brought in another run.
On the mound, Graziani bagged the win despite a challenging outing, giving up five runs on five hits through nearly four innings of work. Ryan Neffy struggled for Boardman, yielding nine runs over three and a third innings. Miller not only did damage with the bat but also nailed down the save.
Louisville was a hitting machine, racking up 17 hits in total. Miller, Cooper Rice, Corona, Graziani, and Jakeb Beard all had multi-hit games. The Leopards were also swift on the bases, stealing four bags during the game.
Boardman, while outgunned, still put up a respectable nine hits, with Ryan Conti leading the way with three. Charlie Young and Kaden Mayhew also made their presence felt, contributing with key hits and walks.
Next up, Louisville Leopards are set to host Hoover on Tuesday. If their bats stay as hot as they were today, it should be another exciting game. Boardman will be back in action on Tuesday as well on the road against South Range.
