Cavaliers, Redskins shut out in semifinals

ADA - The two Division III district baseball semifinal games on Thursday brought out some stellar pitching performances.

Unfortunately for Coldwater and St. Henry, solid efforts were not enough to extend their seasons.

Cavalier ace Derek Thobe pitched a four-hitter, but a fifth-inning run by Van Wert held up as Cougar Brant Henry shut out the defending state champions for a 1-0 win in the second game of the day at Wander Field on the campus of Ohio Northern University.

The Cougars face Western Buckeye League rival Ottawa-Glandorf on Saturday at 2 p.m. after Titans pitcher Brad Croy struck out 11 St. Henry batters in a 4-0 shutout win in the opening game.
Van Wert 1, Coldwater 0

Thobe and Henry had their A games going all the way through. Thobe had a slightly shaky start, walking Justice Tussing to lead off the game and allowing Ryan Stoller to reach on an error after a bunt attempt. Thobe rebounded by striking out the next two batters and getting the third to pop out to Malave Bettinger at first to end the threat.

The next three innings went by quickly. Thobe allowed only a walk in the fourth inning as the Cougars hit the ball right to Cavalier fielders.

"He came out not his normal self, but with two on he gets two strikeouts and a popup. Then he got rolling," Coldwater coach Brian Harlamert said.

Henry was equal to the task, retiring the first 11 Coldwater batters before hitting Bettinger with a pitch. Henry only struck out one batter during the first four innings.

"We only had 4-5 strikeouts and hit 2-3 balls right at people," coach Harlamert said. "(Henry) wasn't doing anything special. It was the conditions and where we're playing at. The ball wasn't carrying."

Thobe retired the first two batters of the fifth before Mason Carr doubled to left to break up the no-hitter. Tussing followed with a single to score Mason for the only run of the game. Stoller followed with a single before Thobe got a force out at third.

"It came down to a 2-2 hanging curve ball with our guy playing shallow and it falls in," coach Harlamert said. "That was (Van Wert's) break."

Coldwater threatened in the fifth as Kraig Schoenherr broke up Henry's no-no after 4 1/3 innings with a double and then Brandon Kunk walked. Henry and the Cougars bowed their backs, getting a force out of Kunk at second and enticing Chris (Petey) Post to fly to left to end the threat.

After retiring the side in order in the sixth, Henry was greeted in the seventh by Aaron Harlamert belting a single to left. Derek Thobe bunted his teammate to second. Henry wasted no time in extinguishing the threat, striking out Schoenherr before running the count full to Kunk and then getting a called third strike to end the game.

"I told (the team in the outfield), you win some and you lose some," coach Harlamert said. "Brant threw a great game and we battled. Unfortunately, we came up a little short today."
Ottawa-Glandorf 4, St. Henry 0

Mtichel Stammen, who has one of the best WHIPs in the area, had a spell of shaky control to start the game, walking Austin Verhoff and hitting Chandler Kersh with a pitch to bring up Croy, who belted a double to right to score both runs. Two wild pitches allowed Croy to score. Stammen lasted just 1/3 of an inning, walking three and allowing a hit, before coach John Dorner had to call on Ryan Mikesell to get the Redskins out of trouble. Mikesell made it through the final two outs without trouble.

"I can't think of anything different I would have done," Dorner said. "Mitchel hasn't walked many people all year long. They got one hit because (Croy) swung late and happened to find the chalk (the foul line). But even if he does that, if we didn't put anyone on base, it's a different game.

"You have to give (Ottawa-Glandorf) credit. We had an inning where we struggled on the mound and they took advantage of it."

Mikesell kept the Titans in check over the next five innings, striking out six and holding O-G to just one hit.

The Titans managed one more run in the seventh as Verhoff singed in pinch-runner Ryan Maas, who came on after Nathan Arrington walked.

Croy, who will play for Bowling Green State University next season, was in control even with the Redskins managing seven hits on the game. Only in the first and seventh innings were the Redskins able to get two runners on base. Both times Croy worked out of trouble. Croy walked one batter and struck out 11.

"He's a veteran pitcher. He knows how to get out of trouble," Dorner said. "He did a great job of that. I appreciate our effort. We never hung our heads and stayed in the game."