The Summit Conference Tournament championship game featured the perfect match-up between two pitchers on the top of their game when No. 1 seed Norwood hosted No. 2 seed Hartville last Thursday.
Norwood pitcher Garrett Davault and Hartville pitcher Brody McNiel did not disappoint as they combined to strike out 18 batters in a game that barely lasted an hour and a half due to the effectiveness of both players on the mound.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, their hitters were unable to shake McNiel. McNiel tossed a complete game shutout and allowed just two hits while piling up 12 strikeouts to lift the Eagles to a 3-0 victory. The win clinched Hartville yet another conference baseball title. McNiel also helped to pick off two runners.
“Brody made some nice decisions in the game,” said Hartville head coach Clint Horn. “…When Brody’s on, we feel like we have a chance to do something…He makes coaching easy.”
The win gave Hartville a 17-4 record overall as they ended their season on a nine game winning streak. Their pitchers also allowed just one run in their last 28 innings pitched.
“When you do that, it’s hard to lose,” Horn said about his pitchers at the end of the season.
In the finals, Hartville’s offense picked up its first run when McNiel’s RBI single scored Eli Cook.
McNiel struck out the side in the first inning before Norwood’s offense appeared ready to tie the game in their second at-bat as a single and an error gave them two runners on base. Unfortunately, McNiel picked off a runner then struck out a batter to end the threat.
After McNiel struck out the side in the third inning, Hartville caught a Pirates’ runner in a run down to end an early threat in the fourth.
In the top of the fifth inning, Cook had an RBI single to score Isaac Boyer for the Eagles’ second run.
Hartville’s final run came in the sixth inning when Rory Kirkpatrick hit a single that scored Braden Branstetter on a throw to get Kirkpatrick out at second trying to stretch a single into a double.
Cook finished the game with two hits, one RBI and one run scored while Boyer had two hits and one run scored.
For Norwood, Dylan Calhoun and Zack Black each had singles in the loss.
Davault picked up the loss on the mound in spite of tossing seven innings and allowing just three earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
Before the championship game, the Eagles took on rival Mansfield and held off an improving young Lions team, 4-1.
Hartville’s three-run third inning was all they needed in the win that featured just seven total hits between the two teams.
McNiel led the Eagles with three RBIs and one run scored; Kolton Cogdill added one RBI; Cook scored twice; and Piper had two hits and one run scored.
Branstetter picked up the win after tossing three and two thirds innings allowing one earned run on three hits with one strikeout. He also had six walks.
McNiel tossed one and one third inning of shutout ball and struck out four. Piper tossed two innings of shutout ball and also struck out four.
As for Mansfield, the Lions scored their lone run in the top of the fourth inning on Dylan Robertson’s sacrifice fly. Kile Gray scored the run.
Dylan Henry allowed four earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts in the loss. Kellar Davis tossed three innings of shutout relief and gave up just one hit and added three strikeouts.
In the first round, the Eagles shutout Fordland, 9-0.
Hartville scored seven runs in the middle innings to pull away for the big win.
Lowery and Wilson combined to toss seven innings of shutout ball. Lowery went six innings and allowed just three hits with nine strikeouts while Wilson tossed one inning of no-hit ball.
Cook had two RBIs and three runs scored while Branstetter added three RBIs.
McNiel had one RBI and two runs scored while Piper had one RBI and one run scored.
