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Loramie wins, plays in regional finals

Thursday, 29 May 2008

By Tim Langevin

HUBER HEIGHTS — All pomp and no circumstance for Franklin-Monroe.

The Jets were in command of the game, leading defending state champ Fort Loramie 7-1 through the top half of the fourth in the Division IV regional semi-finals Thursday at Wayne High School.

Then came the meltdown. The Redskins scored 16 times in a three-inning stretch to run-rule the Jets 17-7 in a six inning game that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.

Fort Loramie coach Bill Sturwold said, “I have never seen anything like it. What a crazy game.”

The 20-11 Redskins advance to the regional finals for the second straight year and will face 19-6 Delphos Jefferson, a 10-0 winner over Lehman in the other semifinal game. The first pitch is today at 2 p.m. at Wayne.

Franklin-Monroe scored one run in the first on a home run by Cody Nealeigh; another run in the second with a double by Justin Cox, followed by two singles from Heath Kaufmann and Reed Johnson, three runs in the third inning; and another two runs in the fourth.

But that would prove to be the Jets’ final runs of the game.

Coach Sturwold spent more time on the mound than his pitchers. In all, the Redskins relied on four pitchers. Starter Andy Long pitched 11/3 innings, Jake Boerger pitched 1/3 inning, Mitch Ahlers lasted 11/3 innings, and Derek Coverstone lasted the longest and picked up the victory, pitching 22/3 innings with no runs, two hits, and two strikeouts.

“We needed a one-two-three inning bad,” said Sturwold. “We were desperate. We made our fourth pitching change in as many innings.”

Whether it was circumstance or strategy, coach Sturwold has starter Andy Long, as well as the rest of his pitching staff available for the Delphos Jefferson game. Asked who he might start, Sturwold said, “I don’t know. I need time to digest this game and see how the Lehman game turns out.”

Franklin-Monroe starter Austin Pressly was sharp in the early going. The junior fireballer allowed one run on three hits through three innings, but then wore down his final 11/3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits.

His reliever Justin Cox didn’t fare any better, allowing nine runs on five hits.

According to coach Sturwold, “The key to the game was the fifth inning when they had runners on first and second with one out and Ethan Nealeigh hit into a double play to end another possible scoring threat.”

The Redskins gained momentum from that defensive play and scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for the first time 9-7. Mitch Boerger, DH Andy Shieltz, Tregg Barga, and Coverstone all collected singles.

It was the diabolical sixth inning that doomed the Jets. Franklin-Monroe committed four errors, threw three wild pitches, walked two batters, was called for two balks, and hit one batter. If that wasn’t enough, Barga blasted a grand slam home run over the right field fence. The Redskins scored eight times to end the game with two outs.

“That sixth inning saved us,” Sturwold said. “We knew when we were down 7-1 that we had to chip away. There is no such thing as a six-run home run. Our goal was to get as close as possible with a chance to win it in the seventh.”

Barga added a double to his grand slam for five RBIs. Jay Schulze also homered and finished with three RBIs. Mitch Ahlers added a double and Coverstone went 2-for-4.

It was an up and down game in an up and down season for Fort Loramie, but the Redskins are just one victory away from another trip to Columbus.

The linescore

R H E

Franklin-Monroe 113 200_ 7 9 4

Fort Loramie 010 538_17 14 3

Pressly (LP), Cox (5) and Nealeigh; Long, Boerker (2), Ahlers (3), Coverstone (4) and Coverstone, Boerger (4).

Records: Fort Loramie 20-11, Franklin-Monroe 18-7.

Next game: Today, 2 p.m., regional championship vs. Delphos Jefferson.