CANTON — With all the excitement surrounding Salem baseball this season, it felt like the Quakers could keep winning forever.
But, Akron Hoban used the Quakers’ formula en route to a 4-1 victory in eight innings as the Knights captured the Div. II regional title on Saturday at GlenOak’s Joe Gilhousen Field.
Over the past two months, Salem has been finding ways to score late in games and get lockdown pitching performances but the Knights were able to use that combination against the Quakers who were riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Knights, 21-9, scored three runs in the eighth off Salem reliever Carson Rhodes and never looked back.
“I think the momentum from not scoring in the bottom of the seventh kind of hurt us and that’s on me. Carson came in and did a heck of a job, but when your head coach makes base running errors it kind of deflates the team,” Salem head coach Mike DeBarr said.
The Quakers, 27-4, had runners thrown out at third and at home plate during the contest, which aided the Knights’ winning pursuit.
University of Cincinnati recruti Shawn Parnell helped stifle Salem’s lineup. The right-hander struck out 10 Quakers in six frames and seemed to gain more confidence as the game wore on. He also was active on the base paths as he reached on a bunt with a runner on in the eighth and he stole second base. Parnell would later score from third on a foul out to shallow left field.
“He struggled early to find the zone. I thought our guys did a great job being patient and then he really locked in during the middle and end of the game. They are a great baseball team and they definitely earned it today,” DeBarr added.
Carson Rhodes had a RBI single in the second inning for Salem, giving the squad a 1-0 lead.
“We’re not in this game if it wasn’t for Carson,” Lane Rhodes said about his brother. “It was back and forth the whole game. We fought out of a lot of holes today and it just seemed to be one too many. It was a big spot for a freshman to show up in.”
Hoban got two hits from Alex Givens and Caleb Kepler, who posted two RBIs. Pinch hitter Nate Shimmel drove in Parnell on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
“Ah man it’s unreal. These guys have worked their tails off all year and put in a lot of heart and effort,” Hoban head coach Andrew Bonnette said about the regional title victory. “Sometimes it takes that one kid to step up and one break to happen. Shawn’s a big reasons why we win this ball game. He’s got the stuff to win us a ball game.”
Despite a heartbreaking loss, Rhodes believes this season was a success.
“A 100%, I mean it stings a lot right now. We broke about every school record imaginable. It hurts right now, but I feel like a couple of weeks from now we’ll look back and say ‘wow we really did that,” Rhodes said. “It still kind of feels like a dream, but it was a great season and I love everyone of these guys.”
Game notes
¯Hoban will go to the state tournament for the first time since 2013. The Knights are set to meet Vermilion (26-6) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Div. II state semifinal at Canal Park in Akron. The Knights have already played at the venue having beaten traditional rival Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 6-1 there in April.
¯This was the first game the Quakers had scored two runs or less since losing to South Range on April 24, 14-2.
¯The Knights have won 13 games in a row.
H: 0-0-0-1-0-0-0-3 — 4-7-1
S: 0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0 — 1-5-1
H –Shawn Parnell (6IP, 4H, ER, 3BB, 10K), Caleb Kepler, wp (2IP, H, 0R, 2BB, 2K) and Nolan Holmgren.
S — Gavin Wilms (6IP, 4H, R, 2BB, 8K). Carson Rhodes, lp (2IP, 3R, 3H, 2BB, 2K) and Darius Beck.
The Link LonkJune 07, 2021 at 11:40AM
https://www.morningjournalnews.com/sports/local-sports/2021/06/quakers-wont-forget-winningest-season/
Quakers won't forget winningest season | News, Sports, Jobs - Morning Journal News
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment