Another disappointing end for Tri-Valley baseball
OLD WASHINGTON — There was a sense of disbelief in Tri-Valley's dugout on Wednesday evening.
The second-seeded Scotties had opportunities at the plate in the Division II district final.
However, the clutch hit eluded them, and fourth seed Wintersville Indian Creek took advantage of a Tri-Valley error to escape with a 1-0 victory at Buckeye Trail.
The Redskins advanced to the regional semifinal to face top seed St. Clairsville next Thursday, while Tri-Valley finished 22-3-1.
Tri-Valley coach Marc Hadley lamented his team's offensive chances, while praising the effort of losing pitcher Gavin Harrold, who had nine strikeouts and two walks in a two-hitter.
"Gavin pitched the game of his life. They only had one hard-hit ball against him," Hadley said. "I told our guys before and during the game that the team with the least amount of mistakes would win. Unfortunately, we made one more than they did."
Tri-Valley offense failed to deliver
The first inning proved to be an omen for the Scotties. Ethan McClellan led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, but was caught stealing second base. Brady Kaufman then drew a one-out walk, but was picked off first by Indian Creek pitcher Sal Barcalow.
Tri-Valley went on to have at least one runner on in every inning but the sixth. In the second, Harrold led off with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt. He took third on a passed ball, but a groundout to the Redskins' third baseman Stan Amis didn't allow Harrold to come home. A flyout then ended the inning.
More: Big hits were rare for Sheridan baseball as its district title drought reached 35 years
In the third, Nate Better had a one-out single, and McClellan reached on an error to put runners at first and second. The Scotties followed with a groundout and a fly out to finish that frame.
The fourth was the Scotties' best opportunity. Harrold led off with a single and Kian Drummonds reached on an Indian Creek error for runners at first and second and no outs. Courtesy runner Carter Dinan took third on defensive indifference and tried to score on Kade Hindel's bunt, but Barcalow fielded it and tagged out Dinan on his way back to third. After a strikeout for the second out, Daniel Huffman was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Better flew out to end the inning.
The top of the sixth saw Harrold walk Ty Householder to open the frame. The Redskins followed with a sac bunt to move Householder to second. Landon Pownall's ground ball to short was then fielded by Kaufman, but an errant throw to first allowed Householder to score the game's lone run.
Tri-Valley was retired in order in the sixth and saw its first two batters retired in the seventh before McClellan reached on an error. However, a pop out to the shortstop ended the game.
"I can't fault our guys' effort," Hadley said. "They are one of the toughest group of kids I've coached. They battled to the last swing."
Barcalow scattered five hits with one strikeout and one walk in the complete game win.
Indian Creek coach Mike Cottis praised both pitchers in a game that went down to the wire.
"This is tournament baseball. They had traffic on the bases, but we didn't tuck our tails, and Sal threw an amazing game," he said. "Their pitcher pounded the zone. We were able to put a few balls in play, and we took advantage of their mistake. It was a great game, and we were fortunate enough to win."
More: New face to lead West M boys basketball
Another disappointing finish for the Scotties
It was the second straight season Tri-Valley had its season end in the district final. Hadley appreciated what the four seniors, Better, McClellan, Ashton Sensibaugh and Kyler Brennen, brought to the program despite another disappointment.
He also hopes this loss fuels the underclassmen, as his team will return several players, including his top three pitchers in Kaufman, Harrold and Hindel.
Harrold collected two hits, and Kaufman, McClellan and Better had a single each for the Tri-Valley offense.
"Our four seniors set the bar extremely high," Hadley said. "We have a lot of work to do to build a team like we had this year. Those guys looked me in the eyes, and I know they are up for the challenge."
bhannahs@gannett.com; X: @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Tri-Valley falters in district final loss
