BRADFORD - Warren's 2012 baseball season got off to a cold start Saturday at Bradford with first-pitch temperatures hovering near 40 degrees.
It didn't take long for the Dragons to warm things up.
Warren exploded for seven runs in the opening two innings, shook off a lapse in the fifth inning and won the season opener over the Owls by a 10-5 count.
"For it being the opening game of the season, I thought we had a lot of highlights," said Warren coach Jeff Passaro. "No matter what part of the game you look at, it was definitely a strong team effort today."
That strong team effort started in the top of the first as Warren jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Kory Thomas led off with a walk and moved to second when a sacrifice attempt by Andrew Bevevino was misplayed for an error. With two on and nobody out, Hank Morrison knocked in the first run of the season with an RBI double.
Moments later, Kevin VanOrd walked to load the bases and Chris Danielson next cleared the bases with a three-run two-bagger to make it 4-0 Dragons.
Fact Box
WARREN (10): ab-r-h-rbi: Thomas, ss, 4-2-1-0, Bevevino, c, 2-1-1-0, Morrison, 3b-p, 4-3-3-2, VanOrd, dh, 1-1-1-0, Ord, pr-dh, 1-1-0-0, Fantaskey, 2b-rf, 1-1-0-0, Walters, 2b, 0-0-0-0, Jaskolka, rf-p, 5-0-2-2, Danielson, cf, 4-1-1-3, Dorunda, p-2b, 4-0-1-2, McIntosh, 3b, 0-0-0-0, Fantaskey, cr, 0-0-0-0, McMeans, 1b, 2-0-1-0, Maeder, lf, 2-0-0-0, Cerra, ph-lf, 1-0-0-1, Totals: 31-10-11-10
BRADFORD (5): ab-r Holzwarth, c, 1-0-0-0, Burke, lf, 0-0-0-0, J. Burke, p, 2-1-1-0, Rinfrette, p-cf, 3-1-1-3, Fishkin, lf, 3-1-0-0, Dixon, rf-p, 4-0-1-0, Cavallero, ss, 3-0-0-0, Zimbardi, cf, 1-0-0-0, Smith, 3b-p, 2-0-0-0, Packard, 2b, 2-1-0-0, Sampson, 1b, 2-1-0-0, Totals: 23-5-3-3
Warren 430 100 2 - 10 11 1
Bradford 000 050 0 - 5 3 1
2b-Morrison (W), Jaskolka (W), Danielson (W). 3b-Rinfrette (B). WP-Dorunda. LP-Rinfrette. Save-Jaskolka.
Junior varsity baseball
Warren 204 100 7 - 14 13
Bradford 001 000 0 - 1 3
2b-Hultquist (W), Stanton (W), Tyger (B). HR-Hultquist (W). WP-Bradley. LP-Corignani.
That lead was extended to seven runs in the second on the strength of a Morrison RBI single and a two-run base hit by Eddie Dorunda. By the time the fourth inning ended, the Dragons were on cruise control with an 8-0 lead thanks to a fourth-inning RBI sacrifice fly from Carter Cerra.
Warren's only speed bup of the day came in the bottom of the fifth. A number of Dragons walks and defensive errors allowed the Owls to plate five runners in the inning, cutting an 8-0 lead to just three runs.
"That inning was a great reminder about just how fast momentum can change in high school baseball," said Passaro. "We were cruising with an eight-run lead and the next thing you know it's 8-5. You've got to be on your toes for all seven innings each time out."
Thankfully for the Dragons, that was as close as the hosts would get on this day. Bradford stayed stuck on five runs the rest of the way and Warren added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
Bevevino led things off with a walk and advanced on Morrison's third hit of the day. Two batters later, Matt Jaskolka finished the day's scoring with a two-run double.
Dorunda was the winning pitcher in the season opener, allowing just two baserunners - both on walks - in three innings of work. He also struck out two. Jaskolka pitched the final two and one-third innings to earn the save.
Warren will look to make it 2-for-2 on Wednesday when they play Slippery Rock in the season's home opener.
The Dragons claimed victory in the junior varsity contest by a 14-1 count.