Hauler's three-hit shutout lifts South Central to district title win over Seneca East

GALION − If you are a fan of pitching duals in baseball and you happened to be in attendance for the South Central-Seneca East Division IV district final in Galion on Friday evening, then you were in luck.

South Central junior Aaron Hauler and Seneca East sophomore Brady Bloom were at center stage and they both brought it. Unfortunately, only one could come out the winner and that was Hauler in this pitching matchup, as he tossed a three-hit shutout over the full seven innings on four strikeouts and three walks to earn the win and help lead the Trojans (17-8) to a 1-0 victory over Seneca East (16-14).

Bloom leveled up too, as he only gave up three hits, struck out one batter, walked one on zero earned runs in six innings.

South Central head coach Nick Kirk gave props to both guys.

More: South Central's eight-run, sixth inning moves Trojans past Plymouth into district final

"One of the biggest stages in high school for those kids. Both of them left it out there. Hats off to both of them," said Kirk. "Aaron's been working at this all offseason. He hasn't had the season that he's wanted but today he proved why he's one of our better pitchers."

"I mean two great pitchers today," said South Central senior shortstop and pitcher Eric Sanders. "It was amazing. (Aaron) pitched his butt off. He couldn't have done much better than he did. He was electric."

"My curveball felt great," said Hauler, who came into the game with a 6-1 record and 3.27 ERA. "It was working the whole game and my changeup actually came alive too. I didn't throw it much but it worked when I did."

Kirk said that Hauler did a fine job blending his curveball and fastball effectively.

"I think he was mixing in quite a bit," Kirk said. "Curveball seemed to be there. When it wasn't working and falling behind, he went to the fastball outside corner. I feel like he was hitting his spots today."

If there was anything noticeable with Hauler throughout the game, it was his calm and poise in such a tight game where every pitch was pivotal.

"I've been here before in my freshman year," Hauler said. "We played in the district final. Obviously, it's a little more nerve-wracking when you're playing as a freshman."

So, how did that one and only run for the Trojans come about?

In the bottom of the fifth inning, while South Central first baseman Bryan Chaffee was on third base, the umpire called a balk on Bloom and Chaffee scored to give the Trojans quite an unusual way to score in such an important game.

Kirk was asked if he thought early in the game the way both pitchers were throwing, if one or two runs would decide the outcome.

"Yes," he said. "About the third inning, we as a coaching staff were talking and I said, "This is going to be a 1-0 ballgame.' The way both pitchers were dealing, it was either going to be 1-0 or 2-1. We were on the other side of it this year."

"The run was crucial," Sanders said. "We were hoping to scratch a few more off but that one was enough."

After clinching South Central's first district title since 2007, this season's co-Firelands Conference champions gave their overview of the victory.

"It's huge, especially after last year," said Kirk. "A lot of people didn't see us making it this far. That's fine with us. We're just going to show up and let our baseball do the talking. These kids deserve it more than anything."

"It feels great because we missed it barely in my freshman year (2022) and I wanted it so bad for our seniors, so it feels great to do it," said Hauler.

"It means everything," Sanders said. "Just being able to do this and play the game I love. It means the world."

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: South Central's Hauler produces shutout win in district final win