Shapiro, Wheeling savor the moment against Fenton

Tyler Shapiro raised his right arm and then gave a fist pump while letting out a big shout after the final out.

There haven't been many celebratory moments like this for Wheeling's baseball program in recent years.

But the Wildcats (3-3) hope there are more ahead. Shapiro threw a 4-hitter and was backed by flawless defense in a 7-3 win over visiting Fenton (2-5) on Wednesday afternoon.

"We're capable of playing with anybody if we have our confidence up," Shapiro said after the Wildcats' third straight victory. "We have to keep this up. It shows we can play the game of baseball and play with anybody we play against."

Shapiro retired 13 of the last 15 hitters and didn't allow a hit in that span in his first varsity start. The junior right-hander, who made relief appearances last year and this year, mixed in a nice changeup to throw 55 of his 88 pitches for strikes and finish with 4 strikeouts and 3 walks.

"He did a nice job," said Wheeling coach Mike Tice. "He's got a really effective second and third pitch and spots his fastball. He showed nice composure and I'm really proud of him."

Wheeling third baseman Steve Yfantis made a nice play in the first and handled 4 chances. Dave Scanlon also had a solid game at shortstop before moving to first base in the sixth, Theo Yfantis went from catcher to shortstop to make a nice running grab of a popup behind third base and second baseman Kalvin Thong handled 3 chances.

"Our defense played really well and helped me out," Shapiro said. "They played a great game."

Wheeling, which won only 5 games last year, took a 2-1 lead in the second when Scanlon and Anthony Spiezia scored on Theo Yfantis' perfect bases-loaded squeeze bunt. A Matt Hart (2-for-4) double and Steve Yfantis single tied it at 3-3 in the third.

Fenton had taken leads on RBI doubles by Juan Avila in the second and Danny Stevens (2-for-3) in the third as it looked to equal its win total of last year. But 4 errors in the Wheeling fifth led to 4 unearned runs.

"It's just a snowball effect," said first-year Fenton coach Brad Meyer. "Not only does it turn into a little pebble, but now it turns into a huge snowball and then it turns into an avalanche.

"We're one error away from a huge inning and we can't have that. We have to learn that error is over with and you have to move on."

Wheeling hopes this is another step in learning those lessons and continuing to move toward more success.

"This (streak) boosts up our whole confidence when we're playing good and making plays," Shapiro said. "Our hitting did a lot better - and today everything was working."