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Walked away at sectionals: Bases loaded pass gives Van Wert comeback win over Wapak Jr. ACME |
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
 Van Wert players celebrate after scoring the game-winning run Tuesday. By CHRIS VOLOSCHUK
Sports Editor
CONVOY — One more out.
That’s all the Wapakoneta Redskins Junior ACME baseball team needed Tuesday to advance to the Crestview sectional finals.
One more out meant Van Wert was heading home early and that Wapak was going to get another crack at the host Crestview Knights, this time in the final game of the tournament.
One more out meant Wapak would have bounced all the way back from a last at-bat loss to Crestview Sunday to advance to the next level of postseason competition.
But, sometimes, that final out can be the most difficult to secure out of the bunch. And Tuesday, it was not meant to be for the Redskins.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, Van Wert designated hitter Terrin Contreras showed nerves of steel at the plate, drawing a game-winning walk off reliever A.J. Etzkorn. What had started as a 3-2 Wapak lead became a 4-3 loss and an end to the Jr. ACME season.
“I really thought A.J. pitched well,” Wapak Jr. ACME coach Drew Golden said. "We got a couple of close calls that didn't go our way, but that's baseball. We have to work through it but we didn't. Baseball is a funny game Wapak reliever A.J. Etzkorn issued the game-ending walk.
In the top half of the seventh, it looked like Wapak was taking control of the game after six innings of back-and-forth baseball. With two outs and Andy Faller on third, Brandon Miller came up with the biggest hit of the afternoon, lining a base hit to center field to break a 2-2 tie and give the Redskins their first lead of the game, 3-2.
It looked like the end of the line for Van Wert and starter Cody Woods, who threw an otherwise terrific game — seven innings pitched, three runs, seven hits, two walks, seven strikeouts.
“It was a very well played game," Van Wert Jr. ACME coach Mark Hurless said. "We were fortunate enough to come out on top. We're real happy about that."
But no matter how it looked at that point, Van Wert still had one last rally in it.
With Etzkorn on the mound for his second inning, Cody Heitz opened things up with a single. Joe Moonshower came up next and grounded to the shortstop, who booted the ball into the outfield for an error, allowing both runners to advance into scoring position. With one out, Aaron MacClellan hit an RBI single to tie the game at three.
With first base open, Wapak elected to intentionally walk Mason Krugh. Etzkorn struck out the next batter, then walked Contreras to end the game.
“When we weren't playing well this season, it's because we were walking guys,” Golden said. "They're killer. Base  Van Wert starter Cody Woods threw a complete game and picked up the win.
Despite the outcome, Golden said he was more than happy with the strides his team made through the hectic one-month summer schedule.
“I really saw a lot of improvement,” Golden said. "That's the most important thing, especially with the younger guys. The older guys on the team have been through this before and I expect them to be leaders. I think those younger guys learned a lot. We look to be pretty solid next year."
Tuesday’s match-up was a great one for pitchers. While Woods threw a complete game for Van Wert, Golden went with a sort of starter-by-committee approach, mostly because all of his typical starters were working on short rest. With pitch counts in mind, Faller (one inning, one run on four hits), Johnny Crawford (two innings, one run, one hit and two strikeouts), Marshall Gerlach (two innings, two hits) and Etzkorn all took the hill. Andy Faller started the game for Wapak and threw two innings.
Until the very end of the game, the plan worked.
“The pitching, I thought, from both teams was outstanding,” Hurless said. "It was an extremely well-played game all the way around."
Offensively, Van Wert struck first. With no outs and a runner on third in the first inning, Woods hit a fly ball to left that Matt Greer couldn’t keep his glove around, allowing a run to score. They would get another run in the third on a MacClellan single to left that scored Jake Moonshower.
Wapak would tie the game at one in the top of the second when a botched pickoff attempt at third gave Greer the opportunity to scamper home. Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, Miller hit a grounder to the shortstop that went for an error, allowing Faller to score and make it 2-2.
Then came the late-game dramatics, one out making all the difference.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 July 2009 )
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