'It's awesome': Garfield wins first district baseball game in nearly a decade

STRUTHERS — After graduating 10 seniors a year ago, including two-thirds of its starting lineup and much of its rotation, Garfield knew it was an underdog entering the 2023 baseball season.

The G-Men knew people were counting them out.

They relished that fact.

And on Monday, No. 5 Garfield did something that even the remarkably talented teams of the past few years didn't do, picking up the program's first district win in nearly a decade, topping No. 4 Kirtland 11-1.

The G-Men thus earned a chance to play for a Division III Struthers District title against Lakeview on Wednesday.

"It's awesome," Garfield junior ace Eric Geddes said. "We came in, we had a goal this year. People didn't think we'd be that good. We all came together as a family. It's the most family-like team I've played on. We just came in, we had one goal to prove everybody wrong and we're doing it right now."

A spot starter on the mound a season ago, Geddes was simply dominant against Kirtland, setting down the first 10 batters he faced in his district debut.

"Coach always says, 'Have fun,'" Geddes said. "That's what we do. That's what we came out and did today."

The Garfield junior ace allowed just three hits and a single run in five impressive innings.

"The thing with him is he's played in big games with his travel ball league and all that kind of stuff," G-Men coach Michael Paes said. "So, he's used to big time on big fields and big spots."

While Geddes had his share of strikeouts with six, the G-Men (21-6) also stood out on defense, playing perfect baseball in the field until the fifth.

"The team backed me up," Geddes said. "[That's] one of the best games we've played all year. Everybody in the field, everybody had good plays, and backed me up really well today."

Garfield was similarly fundamental at the plate, simply putting the ball in play and forcing Kirtland to make plays.

Indeed, the G-Men's first run came without hitting the ball out of the infield as freshman Brandyn Bogucki reached on a swinging bunt, stole second, got to third on a grounder and then scored when he got caught in a rundown and the throw home bounced off his helmet.

"Just put the ball in the play, make them make a play," Bogucki said. "I mean, we put the pressure on them early and then just kept going."

The tone was set.

Bogucki was pesky all night long, racking up three hits.

The G-Men put the ball in play, striking out just four times. And they wreaked havoc on the basepaths.

"That's just what we do," Paes said. "I mean, we're just trying to put the ball in play and that's it and it can't be those weak pop flies. I say if we can put it in play and it can find some grass, something will happen and today most of the things that happened went our way, and I'm just proud of the kids."

In the second, after senior Carter Bates reached on an error, Alex Carter and Ian Hunt reached on back-to-back bunts to load the bases.

Carter's bunt would have been a perfectly good sacrifice except that the throw to first got away, allowing him to reach as well. Hunt's bunt was perfectly placed between third base and the mound to load the bases.

"I was kind of shocked," Hunt said. "I come up to the plate, Coach goes, 'You feel comfortable putting a bunt down?' I said, 'I don't know.' The first-base coach says, 'You're putting the bunt down.' I put it down and we moved the players. Got to put the bunt down and just move them around."

Bogucki followed by taking the first pitch of his second at-bat to the opposite field for an RBI bloop single and senior Jackson Sommer followed with a deep sacrifice fly. A fourth run scored on a wild pitch.

After playing small ball early, Garfield landed a couple of louder blows in the fourth as Geddes (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) boomed an RBI double to left and senior Vinnie Grandizio (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) sent a loud liner between third and short to push the lead to six.

The G-Men then added five more hits in the fifth, as six straight hitters reached, to set themselves up for the run-rule win.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Eric Geddes leads Garfield to OHSAA baseball district title