Four for Fort Mitchell: Beechwood outlasts Highlands to win 9th Region championship
After Beechwood's semifinal win over Dixie Heights, head coach Kevin Gray said a win in the championship game against Highlands would have to be earned and not given. Despite myriad mistakes by both teams in the title game, the Tigers came away with a 6-5 win and their fourth straight Ninth Region championship, matching the Bluebirds' run from 2015-2018.
"We've had a lot of different guys be a part of it," Gray said of the Tigers' dynasty. "I wish I knew the recipe because I'd definitely keep doing it."
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In total, the game featured 11 walks, six hit batters and eight wild pitches. Starting pitchers Logan Weber and Chase Flaherty didn't last more than three innings. Neither team pitched a three-up, three-down inning until the fifth inning.
Beechwood struck first, scoring a run in its first at-bat without recording a hit. Highlands answered in its first at-bat, thanks to a Jack Hendrix single and Drew Barth double. The Tigers added three more in the second inning thanks to two walks and four wild pitches, chasing Weber after 1.2 innings pitched.
The Tigers played add-on in the third and fourth, scoring their final run on a Cameron Boyd home run. It only made sense that Boyd, who leads the state with 12 home runs, hit the first and only round-tripper of the tournament with an inside-the-park homer to give Beechwood a 6-1 lead.
"I'd been cold the whole tournament. I was just trying to get something going," Boyd said.
Highlands mounted their comeback in the bottom of that inning. Ryan DeBurger and Brennan Kelsay singled before Carson McAtee walked to load the bases. Matt Kappes struck out Hendrix, but Zach DeSylva hit a ball to left field that hopped over Nazario Pangallo's glove, scoring three runs to make it a 6-4 game. Barth laid down a squeeze bunt, but Kappes flipped the ball to Carson Welch to tag DeSylva, a controversial call that impacted the outcome.
"There wasn't much discussion about the play at the plate. It was a safe/out call. There's not much you can do about it," Highlands head coach Jeremy Baioni said.
Gray felt during the game that his team would need to score more than six runs to win, and Baioni believed that if they could keep Beechwood scoreless in the final few innings, the Bluebirds could win. Neither outcome happened, just another quirk in a game that was full of them.
After Kappes pitched three innings, Gray brought in senior closer Torin O'Shea. He wanted O'Shea on the mound because that meant they were winning.
"I didn't want to lose. The seniors didn't want to lose. The younger guys didn't want to lose. So I knew I had to bring it home," O'Shea said.
O'Shea got the final three outs to add another trophy to the shelf and send the Tigers to Lexington for next week's state tournament. They will face Third Region winner Apollo at 5 p.m., Thursday, June 1, at Counter Clocks Field.
Plays of the game
Ultimately, Beechwood won the game with defense. In the sixth inning with two outs and Bluebirds on second and third, Drew Barth hit a shallow fly ball to center field. Tyler Fryman immediately tracked the ball, sprinting toward the infield to make a diving catch and prevent two runs from scoring.
"I just saw it off the bat, read it, ran in and dove and caught it," Fryman said.
After Highlands scored a run in the ninth, J.P. Donelan represented the tying run at first base. Donelan misread an attempted bunt by Brody Benke, slipping on the base path. Welch threw to first to pick him off and end the Bluebirds' rally.
"He almost waited too long to throw it, but yeah, it was a great play by Carson," Gray said. "(Donelan) slipped and he almost got back and I'm like, 'Throw it!'"
Standout players
Zach DeSylva: His fourth-inning base hit gave the Bluebirds life, scoring three runs.
Michael Detzel: He reached base twice and scored from second on consecutive wild pitches.
Landon Johnson: The tournament MVP reached base three times and scored one run.
Torin O'Shea: He recorded his third save of the year in the biggest game of the year.
Luke Schneider: He reached base three times and scored a run.
Senior shoutout
Highlands was a dark horse pick to win the region, much less advance to the championship game. They entered the tournament with a 19-14 record but had wins over Beechwood, Simon Kenton and Ryle to prove that they could make some noise.
After winning their 11th straight district tournament, the Bluebirds rallied past St. Henry and shut down Conner to appear in the championship game. They wouldn't have gotten there without the collective performances of Ryan DeBurger, J.P. Donelan, Elijah Hale, Nathan Hartle, Jack Hendrix, Brennan Kelsay and Logan Weber.
"We like where we are as a program, just blessed to be there, where we got kids who want to work hard," Baioni said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: KHSAA baseball: Beechwood wins 4th straight 9th Region title
