Fort Loramie, Russia still alive for state berths
By Tim Langevin
Cinderella vs. Godzilla?
The D-IV regional baseball pairings have been established and two SCL teams remain in the hunt for a state berth next week in Columbus. A double feature at Springfield High School Thursday pits Russia (20-10) vs. Convoy Crestview (16-9) at 2 p.m., followed by Fort Loramie (26-3) vs. Cincinnati Seven Hills (21-5) at 5 p.m. The winners meet Friday at 5 p.m.
If Russia can defeat Crestview and Fort Loramie beat Seven Hills, Russia coach Bill Shoffner will get a third crack at upsetting the Redskins. Regardless, it has been a Cinderella season for the Raiders and third year coach Shoffner. They finished second in the SCL with a 10-2 mark, both losses coming to league champion Fort Loramie.
Before the 2010 campaign started, Shoffner said, “The league title runs through Fort Loramie, but I wouldn’t sleep on the Russia Raiders this year. I expect to be very much in the league race. There will be some upsets this year.”
Coach Shoffner is beginning to sound prophetic. Russia upset defending champ Anna twice and in first game against Loramie, only lost 3-0. Russia has finished strong down the stretch, including a 4-1 verdict over Tri-Village in the district finals Saturday. It was their first district title in eight years. Russia won a state title back in 1971 and returned again in 1975.
Russia has plenty of depth on the mound. The probable starter will be junior Jacob Hoying, who is 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Other pitchers include Nathan Wilson, John Magoto, and Mitchell Bensman.
Mitch Knight leads the Raiders in hitting with a .420 average. Catcher Tyler Goubeaux is hitting .383 with 13 doubles. Senior outfielder Jordan Brandt is batting .354, Bensman .325, and sophomore shortstop Colyn McEldowney .321.
And then there is 9th ranked Fort Loramie, the Godzilla of small school baseball the past five seasons. The Redskins won their fourth league title in five seasons with an 11-1 record. For the fifth year in a row, Loramie has won 20 or more games. The Redskins have earned four state appearances, winning it all in 2007 and advancing to the semi-finals in 2008.
Loramie lost to top ranked D-III Coldwater (25-3) 3-0 earlier in the season, but avenged the loss Monday in a tune up game when they pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 9-8 thriller.
Wearing their “good luck” Black Jerseys, Loramie defeated Southeastern 8-0 Saturday to capture a district title and advance to the regional tournament.
And what about the man who created Godzilla, long time coach Bill Sturwold. In his 18th season, Sturwold’s overall record stands tall at 339-146.
Fort Loramie is loaded with talent. Seven players are hitting over .300 and the team batting average is an insane .358. Talk about discipline at the plate. Senior catcher Jake Boerger leads the assault with a .448 average with 17 doubles. Mitch Raterman is batting .402 with 28 stolen bases. Senior second baseman Mitch Boerger is hitting .400. Andy Schieltz is batting .392 and Justin Hoying is hitting .367.
The ace hurlers are Hoying and Troy Plattner. When these guys take the mound, there is no such thing as democracy. They overthrow hitters like a dictatorship. Hoying is 7-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 55 strikeouts. Plattner is 7-0 with a 2.50 ERA and 50 strikeouts. More impressive, Plattner has allowed just 18 hits in 36 1/3 innings. The third ace is Schieltz with a 4-2 record.
Telling the Sidney Daily News Wednesday, coach Sturwold summed the big game best, “We just need to play solid ball and make the routine plays. It’s not who you play. It’s how you play.”
Black Jerseys or Red Jerseys, it sounds like a man who knows what he is talking about.
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