Tuesday, May 24th, 2022
Comeback Cavs
Coldwater rallies for eighth-inning win in tourney tune-up
By Tom Haines
Photo by Nick Wenning/The Daily Standard
Lincolnview first baseman Landon Price swipes at Coldwater's AJ Harlamert after a high throw in the sixth inning at Veterans Field on Monday. Harlamert was safe to kick off the Cavaliers' rally.
COLDWATER - After defensive gaffes put Coldwater in a 2-0 hole, the Cavaliers' bats came to life just in time.
Runs in the sixth and seventh innings forced extras before Braxton Howell came around to score in the eighth to give Coldwater a 3-2 win over Lincolnview in one last regular-season baseball game at Veterans Field on Monday.
"It's a tournament-like atmosphere against a tournament team," Coldwater coach Brian Harlamert said. "They're a very good D-IV team, they're going to come here and play here this week, and for us to battle and get a couple late to win the ballgame is nice."
Lincolnview (19-6) returns to Veterans Field Wednesday to take on Perry in the first of two Division IV district semifinal games. Coldwater (19-7) continues its Division III tournament run Thursday against Bath in Elida.
After a sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Lincolnview in the top of the sixth, A.J. Harlamert started the Cavaliers off with a grounder that caromed off the mound, forcing shortstop Evan Miller into a rushed throw as Harlamert reached safely. Braylen Harlamert hit into a fielder's choice, went all the way to third on Reece Dellinger's single to left field, then darted home when Adam Hrycko hit a dribbler down the third-base line.
Photo by Nick Wenning/The Daily Standard
Coldwater's Braxton Howell hits a line drive in the sixth inning against Lincolnview at Veterans Field on Monday. Howell scored the winning run in the eighth.
Hrycko legged out the single to put the go-ahead run on first and Braxton Howell followed with a rocket down the third base line, but Austin Bockrath made a leaping grab and fired to second to double off Dellinger and preserve the Lancers' lead.
After AJ Harlamert retired the side in the top of the seventh, Josh Kaup led off with a grounder that Miller booted at short. An attempted pickoff went into right field, allowing Kaup to go to second, before Evan Harlamert laid down a bunt near the mound.
Reliever Keegan Farris' throw strayed to the right, Harlamert ran through the first baseman and knocked the ball out, and the umpires called him safe as Kaup raced all the way home.
"(Farris) is a solid pitcher, he threw strikes," coach Harlamert said. "We have to do a better job of attacking with the short, quick swings, a little bit long here and there. We're going to face good pitching the rest of the way, we've got to be short and quick."
Keegan Bruggeman hit into a fielder's choice for the second out, but two straight singles loaded the bases for Dellinger with a chance to walk it off. Dellinger hit a shot to Bockrath, who stepped on third to end the inning.
AJ Harlamert pitched around a two-out single in the top of the eighth and Howell hit a one-out single to bring up Kaup, who hit a high drive into right-center. Right fielder Jack Dunlap had trouble finding the ball and tried to backpedal at the last moment before the ball fell over his head.
The ball rolled to the fence and the throw didn't even get back to the infield before Howell had come around from first to score the winning run.
"Once I saw it get by him, I was going to send him again," coach Harlamert said. "You've got to gamble and get lucky."
AJ Harlamert was the fourth pitcher of the day as the Cavaliers tried to preserve their arms for the district tournament later in the week. Bruggeman, the starter, gave up a double to Ohio State-bound Landon Price to lead off the first, and Price scored on a throw to second that went between two fielders into centerfield.
Bruggeman stranded a runner at third and pitched a clean second before giving way to Josh Kaup in the third, and he pitched three innings, stranding Bockrath at third in the fifth after a double and an error, before Justin Kaup took over in the sixth.
Photo by Nick Wenning/The Daily Standard
Coldwater first baseman Reece Dellinger picks a throw from second baseman Braylen Harlamert out of the dirt to retire Lincolnview's Caden Hanf (11) as pitcher Josh Kaup looks on in the fourth inning at Veterans Field on Monday.
Dane Ebel led off with a single and Carson Fox laid down a bunt that AJ Harlamert, at catcher, couldn't grab from the grass as both runners reached safely. Caden Hanf hit a sharp ground ball to Evan Harlamert at third, but he fell down trying to make the throw and the bases were loaded.
Miller lifted a fly ball to shallow right, and Ebel tagged up and took off for home. Josh Kaup cut off the throw and fired the ball to the backstop as the other two runners moved into scoring position, but Bockrath flew out to end the inning.
"That was just bad baseball by us," coach Harlamert said. "Can't make a catch on a steal in the first inning, and a routine bunt is out, if we make those two plays. They had two decent hits in left field, both of them were catchable by our left fielder, who misplayed both of them. That's not our normal, acceptable defense, but we limited their runs after they got some guys on base."
Bruggeman, the two Kaups and AJ Harlamert scattered six hits and only walked one batter to give the Cavaliers a chance to get back into the game.
AJ Harlamert went 3-for-4 with a double while Josh Kaup added two hits.
