Fort Loramie-Newark Catholic rematch set for D-IV final
By Tim Langevin
The start of the D-IV state semifinal baseball game between Fort Loramie and Toledo Ottawa Hills was delayed for over an hour due to rain. As a consequence, this matchup at Huntington Park played out like the song entitled “MacArthur Park”.
Fort Loramie looked dominant, but Ottawa Hills must have “left their game out in the rain and couldn’t take it any more ’cause it took so long to play it and they never found that recipe again. Ohh no.”
The mighty Redskins run-ruled the Bears 13-1 in five innings at the 83rd Annual OHSAA State Baseball Championships in Columbus Thursday. Loramie advances to the title game Saturday at 10 am against Newark Catholic.
In the other semi-final game, the Green Wave advanced by edging Columbiana 1-0 in a thriller. This one will be long-remembered as the “Duel in the Sun” between two outstanding, young hurlers in Jimmy Lough of Newark Catholic and Hank Schlueter of Columbiana.
Both pitchers went the distance, allowing a combined eight hits. The Green Wave’s lone run was scored in the top half of the fifth inning on a fatal infield error.
Back to the game, Loramie head coach Bill Sturwold said, “It was a team effort. That’s what it takes at state. Everybody contributing. I didn’t expect it to be easy and it really wasn’t. We scouted these guys so we were well-prepared.”
Once again, the mantra of balanced pitching and balanced hitting were the keys. The tag team pitching of Justin Hoying and Jared Albers stymied the Ottawa Hills batters, allowing two hits and one run.
In the process, Hoying racked his 13th win against zero defeats. He pitched three solid innings, facing just 11 batters and throwing 42 total pitches. The lanky righty allowed one run and one hit. His streak of 30 scoreless innings in six tournament outings was snapped when JJ Buckey hit a RBI triple in the third inning with two outs.
On the season, Hoying has pitched 73 innings with a .77 ERA. That is complete command of the mound.
“My arm feels great. My ankle hurts more than my arm when I sprained it on the rubber in the second inning,” Hoying said looking for sympathy. “Everything seems to work smoother when we get a quick lead. The defense is more relaxed. I am more relaxed.”
Asked about his string of 30 scoreless innings broken, he replied, “I don’t think much about the past. Just wanted to pitch my game by staying in the present.” He added, “The key is to throw first-pitch strikes to each batter. That keeps the hitters off-balance. Like to mix things up. My slider is a good first pitch. Get them to chase it. Pitching is more than just throwing the ball hard. When I don’t throw strikes, they know the fastball is coming and then it is easier to hit.”
Hoying had nothing but praise for his catcher Jake Boerger, “Jake called a great game. He always does. About 90% of the time, I go with what he calls. He reads the hitters real well by watching the way they swing.”
Albers pitched the final two innings for the save, allowing no runs on just one hit. The sophomore faced six batters, striking out two.
Coach Sturwold said of his young, rising star, “Albers did a great job. All the hard work with coach Kevin Phlipot is paying off.”
A proud Albers said, “This feel great. I’m glad I got the chance to show coach. My fastball and curveball worked well. The key was throwing strikes. I know my defense is back there to help me out.”
Fort Loramie scattered nine hits for the game, paced by lead-off hitter Mitch Raterman. The senior outfielder, who Sturwold calls his “Pete Rose”, stroked a double and a triple, driving home three RBIs and scoring three times.
DH Brad Frilling doubled and drove home two RBIs. Mitch Boerger hit 1-of-3 and scored twice. Jake Boerger singled home a RBI and scored two runs. Alex Wolf was 1-of-2 and scored two runs and Jacob Eilerman singled home two RBIs.
In all, seven Loramie batters collected nine base hits and eight players scored.
The boys in the Red Jerseys struck first with five runs on four hits in the top of the second inning. Nine batters stood at the plate. Jake Boerger led off with a walk. Hoying blooped a single to right field, advancing Boerger to third, which allowed Hoying to advance to second base on the play at third. Eilerman walked on a 3-2 count and the bases were loaded with no outs.
Jake Bowles, who led the team with three put-outs in left field, lined a shot to the right fielder for the first out. Alex Wolf reached first base on a fielder’s choice, scoring Jake Boerger. Then with two outs, Frilling and Raterman jacked back-to-back doubles to right field. Hoying, Eilerman, and Frilling all scored. Raterman then scored the final run on an infield single by Mitch Boerger.
Coach Sturwold was pleased with his team’s opposite-field hitting, “The impressive thing about today was we went to right field and didn’t try to yank it. They stayed within themselves.”
Like the regional final, Loramie capitalized on mistakes. The Redskins exploded for six runs on three hits in the fourth inning, thanks to a throwing error, two walks, and two HBP.
JJ Bucky, no relation to JJ Huddle, issued back-to-back walks to Bowles and Wolf. Frilling struck out and then Raterman ripped a triple to the right field wall, scoring Bowles and Wolf. Mitch Boerger got hit by a pitch. With runners on first and third base, Andy Schieltz smashed a long, sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Raterman, who easily tagged from third.
Jake Boerger was hit by another pitch. This time, with runners on first and second base, Hoying made the Bears pay with a single to right field, scoring Mitch Boerger. Then again, with runners on second and third, Eilerman singled home Jake Boerger and pinch-runner Brett Quinter.
Ottawa Hills coach Chris Hardman had seen enough and brought in new pitcher Kyle Jarecki, who retired Bowles with a strikeout to end the inning.
Loramie led 11-1 after four innings, but coach Sturwold wasn’t satisfied, “I didn’t want to play those last two innings. I didn’t want to use up any more pitchers. I wanted to put this team away so I have a full staff ready on Saturday.”
The Redskins added two more insurance runs in the fifth to secure the win. Albers retired the Bears in order in the bottom of the fifth for the save.
Wow! Deja vu! Fort Loramie vs. Newark Catholic. These same two teams clashed in the 2007 state title game which Loramie won 4-0. Back then, Loramie was the underdog. This time Newark Catholic is a heavy underdog. And for good reason.
The green Wave struggled all season, entering the tournament with a 8-19 record. Since then, NC has won seven straight games to improve to 15-19.
Meanwhile, Fort loramie improves to 29-3 and look invincible. This 2010 team set the school record for most wins in a single season and will be gunning for a second state crown in four years.
“I am not making a full committment,” Sturwold said. “But I am leaning toward Hoying to start Saturday and use him seven innings if needed.”
| 
