Week Ahead 5 Things to Know: Perry-Hoover showdowns await in two sports; Big series for Cleveland

Big Federal League showdowns in baseball and softball highlight some of the big things to watch around the area this week.

Federal fight for first, Part I

Perry and Hoover have been the standard-bearers for Federal League softball for the last couple of decades. They have the state championship trophies to show for it, as each have played a big role in Stark County's dominance in the sport.

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So, not surprisingly, the Panthers and Vikings are once again setting the pace on top of the league standings as mid-April arrives. Perry is 10-0 overall after sweeping Louisville and Hillsdale on Saturday, while Hoover is 7-1 after a non-league win over Brecksville.

The two will meet for the first time this season at 5 p.m., Wednesday at Hoover. Before then, the Panthers have a league game at Lake on Tuesday, while the Vikings will play host to Hoban in a Monday non-league game and McKinley in a league tilt on Tuesday.

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Perry is currently 3-0 in the league, while Hoover is a half-game behind at 3-1. The Vikings' lone league loss came last Tuesday, a 7-6 setback to Green.

The two teams' second meeting of the season is slated for May 10 at Perry.

Federal fight, Part II

Hoover and Perry won't just be jockeying against each other for position in the softball standings this week. They will also square off in two baseball games this week — Tuesday at Perry, Wednesday at Hoover — that could go a long way toward solidifying the top spot in the standings. Both games start at 5.

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The Vikings are fresh off a two-game sweep of Jackson last week, ending the Polar Bears' 55-game league win streak in the process. Mike Ferritto's perfect game against Cuyahoga Falls on Saturday helped them improve to 8-0 overall, with a 4-0 league mark.

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The Panthers broke out the bats in their last two games, non-league wins over Alliance (12-6 on Friday) and Marlington (20-10) to improve to 5-3. They sit a half-game behind Hoover in the league standings at 3-1, with their lone loss coming to GlenOak.

A sweep by the Vikings could go a long way toward them establishing a vice grip on first place. A sweep by the Panthers or a split could create quite a race over the last month or so of the season.

Surging independents

Central Catholic and Massillon won't meet on the baseball diamond until May 10 when the Crusaders pay a visit to Ducky Schroeder Field. Both teams hope that when that matchup does arrive, they can still be riding the wave of momentum on which they currently find themselves.

Central improved to 7-0  with a 6-5 win over Lake on Saturday. The Crusaders, who trailed 4-0 and 5-4 at different points in the game, scored the winning run on Brody Donley's RBI.

Massillon, meanwhile, won its sixth consecutive game with a 15-3 pounding of Ellet on Saturday. That win came on the heels of the Tigers' 6-0 win over archrival McKinley on Friday, a game in which Shane Rue tossed a five-hit shutout.

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Speaking of rivals, Central will see a couple of them this week when it travels to St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday and then Perry on Friday. The Crusaders also have games at Lake Center Christian on Tuesday and at home Saturday against Cardinal Mooney.

For Massillon, the week ahead includes a home-and-home with fellow independent Louisville, with Tuesday's game on the road and Wednesday's at home. The Tigers then get the home rematch with McKinley on Friday before a road game Saturday at Green.

Cleveland heads to Windy City for big AL Central series

It's only the second full week of the Major League Baseball season, but that doesn't mean the games don't count, especially when they're within the division. Cleveland has righted the ship, sweeping Detroit over the weekend and have won four straight after dropping three of its first four games of the season.

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However, all of those games have either been against Detroit or Kansas City, two teams expected to be among the worst in the American League. This week, Cleveland gets its first crack at a White Sox team that was the trendy pick to not only win the American League Central, but maybe even contend for the league championship.

The two Central Division rivals will open the first of six series between them this season with a four-game set on the south side of Chicago on Monday. The teams will play three night games at 8:10, before a Thursday afternoon game wraps up the series on MLB's Jackie Robinson Day. The Tuesday night game will feature each team's ace on the mound — reigning Cy Young winner Shane Bieber for Cleveland and Lucas Giolito for Chicago.

Cavs-Warriors not the same thing now

Remember the days when a visit to Cleveland by the Golden State Warriors brought not just local, but national attention? When a game between the two pitted arguably the two best teams in the entire NBA?

Ah, those were the days.

Unfortunately for both the Cavaliers and Warriors, Thursday's 8 p.m. tipoff at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse isn't going to be one of those days. Cleveland entered Sunday's game against New Orleans at 19-33, tied with Washington for the 12th-best record in the Eastern Conference.

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Golden State, meanwhile, is 25-28 and holds the 10th-best mark in the Western Conference. The Warriors currently hold the final spot in the play-in tournament in the West.

One of Golden State's 25 wins this season: 129-98 over the Cavs back on Feb. 15 in San Francisco.