Tuesday, April 5th, 2022
Defending Home
Redskins beat Bulldogs in Dorner's return
By Tom Haines
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Seth Heitkamp slides into third base under the tag of Celina's Dylan Feister in the third inning at the Wally Post Athletic Complex on Monday. Heitkamp scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly moments later.
ST. HENRY - The St. Henry baseball team pushed across the go-ahead run in the third and tacked on three more in the sixth to spoil Celina coach John Dorner's return to the Wally Post Athletic Complex.
The Redskins were "just a little sharper", by Dorner's analysis, starting with pitcher Devin Delzeith. Delzeith spun a gem, pitching a complete game and holding the Bulldogs to two runs on six hits as the Redskins earned a 6-2 victory on Monday.
"Offensively, we're not quite where we want to be, but we got the sort of pitching performance we think we can get on a nightly basis," St. Henry coach Mike Gast said. "Devin was phenomenal."
With St. Henry (2-2) holding a one-run lead in the sixth, Celina reliever Brady Steinbrunner started to lose the strike zone. Nolan Schmitz earned a leadoff walk and Ben Moorman battled through eight pitches for another free pass to put the first two on.
Delzeith laid down a bunt on the left side, fielded by Quinn Andrew charging in from shortstop, but Andrew's throw to third was a tick late and the Redskins had the bases loaded with no outs for third baseman Mark Knapke. Knapke took a 2-2 pitch and stroked a line drive over the second base bag, bringing home two runs to cushion the lead.
With Knapke on first and Delzeith on third, the Redskins tried a double steal, and Andrew slipped on the dirt as he went to cut off the throw, which dribbled into the outfield as Delzeith trotted home to make it 6-2.
"We had a bunt defense on, just didn't get the guy out at third base, and that set them up for the inning," Dorner said. "We had the wheel play on to get the guy at third base, we just didn't get the out. All of a sudden, now they have bases loaded with nobody out, so they're totally in the driver's seat there."
From there, Steinbrunner regrouped, getting Nolan Kunkler to chase on a full count, Bryce Brookhart to pop up behind the plate and Seth Heitkamp to take strike three looking to end the inning.
Zach Greber gave Celina (3-2) one last gasp with a single through the left side with two outs in the seventh, but Delzeith got Steinbrunner to whiff on a pitch low and away to finish off the win.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Devin Delzeith delivers to the plate against Celina at the Wally Post Athletic Complex on Monday.
Delzeith finished with eight strikeouts and two walks on 97 pitches, scattering six hits and allowing one baserunner over the final three innings.
"He can throw a few pitches for strikes, which is great for any pitcher, at the varsity level especially," Gast said. "But to be able to do it when he's behind in the count, or a full count, and to be able to go to a curveball or a slider is such a weapon. He was really good tonight, and hopefully he can continue that."
St. Henry took the lead in the third after Seth Heitkamp hit a leadoff single to left, stole second, and then took off again for third. Catcher Carter Altstaetter's throw beat him to the bag, but Heitkamp managed to evade the tag and slide in safely.
Shane Franck promptly hit a fly ball to Greber in deep centerfield, allowing Heitkamp to score easily.
"(The second steal was) partially a mistake, a little cross-up on the signs," Gast said with a laugh. "I think we have some team speed, we can take advantage of some teams… Seth, luckily, was safe there at third, otherwise I might not have been too pleased. But he's a weapon, and we have a few other guys I think will prove to be weapons on the bases as well."
Celina had a chance to answer an inning later, leading off with Jack Hassan's single up the middle. With a 2-2 count, Hassan tried to steal and was gunned down by Clayton Everman.
The Bulldogs got another chance in the inning with a two-out rally, as Altstaetter took a four-pitch walk and Blayn Aller singled him over to second. Unfazed, Delzeith struck out Greber on three pitches to end the threat and didn't allow another runner to reach until Greber came up again in the seventh.
"We've got to be a little tougher out at the plate," Dorner said. "We've got to be able to work the pitch count up a little bit. That Delzeith boy threw a great game for them, kept us off balance."
The Redskins jumped out in front in the bottom of the first after leadoff hitter Brookhart was hit by a pitch and stole second, and two batters later, Franck hit a bloop single down the left field line to score Brookhart and make it 1-0.
Everman followed with a grounder that trickled through Aller's glove at second base, and the throw home bounced past Altstaetter, allowing Franck to score and Everman to move to second. Schmitz drew a walk to give the Redskins two on with one out, but Celina pitcher Zander Jones picked Everman off second and struck out Eli Horstman to stop the bleeding.
The Bulldogs answered in the top of the second, as Hassan led off with a walk and Altstaetter drove him in with a double to deep left. Delzeith got Aller to pop out, but balked Altstaetter to third, and Greber hit a line drive to left to tie the game at 2.
"The second inning, where they scored a couple, we felt like they were squaring up fastballs and sitting on fastballs," Gast said. "So (Delzeith) was able to make an adjustment and throw a lot of off-speed for strikes early in the count, which messed a lot of guys up, I think, and worked to his favor."
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Celina coach John Dorner shakes the hand of St. Henry coach Mike Gast after the game on Monday.
It was Dorner's first game back at the Wally Post Athletic Complex since 2019 after he coached the Redskins for 30 years, earning 544 wins and three state titles in St. Henry.
After the 2020 season was canceled, he stepped aside for Gast, who had played and coached under him, and took a year off before returning to the dugout with Celina this season.
"It was nice to come back to St. Henry to play a game," he said. "It was a little bit different. But yeah, good to be here, a nice welcoming."
"To see him in the other dugout's a little bit weird," Gast said. "But it's about the kids, and he knows that too. It's not that big a deal."
The Redskins kick off Midwest Athletic Conference on play on Thursday when they host Marion Local, while Celina returns home Friday for its Western Buckeye League opener in the Battle of Grand Lake against St. Marys.
