GV rolls past Mathews, advances to D-IV sectional final
May 15—It was the old adage of hitting being contagious for the Grand Valley baseball team against Mathews Tuesday in a Division IV sectional semifinal contest.
The Mustangs scored in each of the first three innings, including a five-run outburst in the second, in an 11-1 six-inning win and a trip to Thursday's sectional final at Mineral Ridge.
GV and Mathews played last week in a regular-season contest with GV claiming an 8-0 victory.
GV coach Zack Sirrine said his team hasn't always been consistent in the batter's box this season, so seeing the offense take charge early was a nice way to open post season play.
"Yeah, it's been kind of a struggle ours all year with getting consistent offense," Sirrine said. "But, we definitely did [Tuesday]. We've had good pitching, so it was good to come out and score some runs early and work with the lead."
GV received at least one hit from eight different players, including three from Peyton Plizga. Aiden Baker and Trenton Murdock each had a pair of hits.
Baker also drove in three runs, while Plizga had two RBIs.
Eric Ellsworth went all six innings on the mound to secure the win. He allowed one earned run on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts..
GV improvec to 8-14 overall on the season.
They will go against a Mineral Ridge team that brings a mark of 12-7.
GV will hand the ball to Plizga, its ace.
The sophomore set a school record this spring for the most strikeouts in a single season with 80.
Sirrine said anytime he is on the mound, his team knows they have a chance to win.
"We know they're [Mineral Ridge] a good team and they're definitely going to be a challenge for us," the coach said. "But, we got Peyton going and he's been really good for us all year, so we feel really confident with him on the mound."
The winner advances to the district tournament at Waddell Park — Wilder Field in Niles.
Four other county teams and Madison are also playing for sectional championships.
At 5 p.m. today, Geneva is at Marlington; Edgewood is at Alliance; Jefferson is at West Branch and Madison hosts Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in D-II.
Saint John hosts
Medina Christian at 5 p.m. on Thursday for a sectional title.
