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Coldwater's Baylen Blockberger dives back to the bag as Fort Recovery first baseman Gavin Faller waits on the throw in the second game on Sunday.
FORT RECOVERY - With Fort Recovery needing just one win to advance to state and Coldwater having to win two games, Sunday's ACME District 4 baseball championship was bound to be exciting.
After Coldwater won a 1-0 pitchers' duel to force a second, winner-take-all game, the Cavaliers found their batting prowess and picked up a 13-3 win in six innings to advance to state for the second straight season in action from the Stockade in Fort Recovery.
Coldwater (19-3) heads to Defiance on Saturday for the opening round of the state tournament, facing Perrysburg at 2 p.m.
"We did take the long way," said Coldwater coach Tom Brunswick, whose squad lost their opening game, then had to win four games in five days to make it back to state. "To go back to state, it never grows old. There's going to some great competition. I'm hoping we can do well there."
Fort Recovery, whose only losses this summer have come to Coldwater (one in the regular season, four in the postseason), ends the season at 12-5.
"We talked to the kids and said our Junior ACME team went to state (finishing runner-up) and our ACME team has gone the furthest as far as district finals and to be proud of that," said Fort Recovery coach Craig Evers. "We lost to just one team this season. Now we come back next season and build upon (the 2023 summer season)."
Coldwater's Cale Wenning celebrates after forcing out Fort Recovery's Sage Wendel (14) for the final out of the first game of the ACME District 4 championships on Sunday in Fort Recovery. The Cavaliers beat the Indians twice to win the title.
Both teams brought their aces to the mound in the first game.
The Cavaliers' Mason Welsch gave up two hits with one out in the top of the first inning, but quickly got two outs to end the threat, and Coldwater kept coming up with big outs when needed most. In the fourth, the Fort's Alex Gaerke reached on a one-out single and went to second on a passed ball, but Mason Diller grounded to Miles Pottkotter at third, who faked the throw to first to catch Gaerke between the bases and then threw to Braylen Harlamert for the force. Diller tried to steal second, but AJ Harlamert fired a perfect throw to Baylen Blockberger for the caught stealing.
"The first game was two aces on the mound with Alex and Mason," said Brunswick. "Runs were at a premium."
Alex Dues was equally up for the challenge in getting the start for Fort Recovery. With the extra day of rest due to Saturday's rainout after pitching three innings on Thursday, Dues allowed just four hits and a walk over six innings for the Indians and got spotless defense from his teammates.
The lone run of the game came in the second inning. After Cale Wenning was forced out at second on Kenny Bailey's fielder's choice, Blockberger singled to put runners on the corners for Brady Lefeld. Lefeld worked the count to 1-2 before lofting a fly to right deep enough for Bailey to dash home to make it 1-0.
"We had a pitchers' duel," said coach Evers. "They worked that run across the plate and that was the game. We played good defense. Just couldn't put the ball into play. Welsch did a helluva job pitching."
The Cavaliers tried to get insurance in the bottom of the sixth with runners at second and third with two outs, but Dues enticed Blockberger to ground to third for the out.
All the remained was for Welsch to get three outs, getting Diller to fly to left for the first out before Riggs Tobe reached on an error. Sage Wendel came out to pinch-hit and hit a 1-2 pitch to Pottkotter, who started the 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
"I didn't think that run would stand up," said Brunswick, "But Mason made it stand up."
Fort Recovery's Gavin Faller was the only player with a multi-hit game in going 2-for-3.
Where the first game was a pitchers' duel, the second game started with what looked to be the makings of a slugfest.
Coldwater, the visiting team in game two after winning the coin flip in the opener, quickly put three runs on the board as Braylen Harlamert led off with a walk, twin brother AJ Harlamert bunted his way on for a hit and Welsch doubled the twins home. Bailey later doubled Welsch home before Caden Grisez could get the final out.
The Indians response was swift, getting two singles and a runner reaching on a dropped third strike to start things. AJ Harlamert struggled, walking Tobe to bring home a run before an error on a grounder to third brought home two more runs make it 3-3. After another walk loaded the bases again, Brunswick wasted no time in bringing in Aaron Kaup, who got Sage Wendel to fly to left to end the threat.
Aaron Kaup pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball to help Coldwater advance to the state ACME tournament.
The end of the first also meant the end of the scoring by the Indians, as Kaup pitched 5 1/3 innings of five-hit baseball without issuing a walk.
"Can't say enough about Aaron Kaup," said Brunswick. "He came in there and just throws strikes. He's not afraid to throw to contact. We made good plays for him."
Grisez got through the second, but was pulled for Gaerke to start the third inning. A groundout fielder's choice by Lefeld scored Bailey to break the tie, then Cole Etzler doubled home Lefeld to make it a 5-3 game.
The coup de grâce was applied in the fourth as Coldwater sent 11 batters to the plate and Fort Recovery made two pitching changes in the inning. Cody Depweg singled home two runs, Braylen Harlamert hit a sacrifice fly and AJ Harlamert singled home a run as the Cavaliers raised the margin to 11-3.
"Second game we hit the ball better, but so did (Fort Recovery)," said Brunswick. "We got a nice three-run lead, but Fort Recovery battled back and got three, so it was like a new start."
"Coldwater did what Coldwater does well," said coach Evers. "We had a rough inning where we couldn't find a pitcher who could throw strikes."
The Cavaliers weren't able to tack on two runs in the top of the fifth to trigger the run rule, but in the sixth finally reached the 10-run margin as Braylen Harlamert came home on a error and Cale Wenning singled in AJ Harlamert to make it 13-3.
Fort Recovery fought to send the game to the seventh. Pinch-hitter Caden Homan singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but Troy Homan quickly hit into a 6-4-3 double play for two quick outs. Sage Wendel kept the hope alive with a single, but Kaup enticed Reece Wendel to ground into a 6-4 forceout to end the game.
"Fort Recovery is a very good team," said Brunswick. "We were fortunate to beat them in a doubleheader on their own field. Not easy to do. Proud of the boys for doing what they did."
