The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Falcons pull it off once again
Firelands comes from behind to top Rocky River in district semi
Coming from behind has been the name of the game for Firelands, as they are now coming off two games where they have walked it off in the post season.
After a thrilling comeback win in a sectional final against Buckeye on may 10, the Falcons, who were down most of the game on May 15, topped Rocky River, 9-8, in eight innings at Ron Mott Field at Cuyahoga Community College after Kalvin Stull came through with an RBI single to right field.
“I knew when they intentionally walked Alex (Brill), I was going to take it a little personal,” Stull said. “I’ve been timing him up all day and I fouled a few early, so I figured if I just stay back and watch it I could do it.”
With the win, the Falcons advance to the Division II Parma District final. They will play Padua on May 16 at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.
Down, 8-7, in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second and two outs, Jacob Mullins was down to his last strike. Mullins did not panic and tied it with an RBI single to right field, making it an 8-8 ballgame.
“These guys never give up,” Firelands coach Dan Ransom said.
“I knew when they intentionally walked Alex (Brill), I was going to take it a little personal.”
— Firelands’ Kalvin Stull on his game-winning at-bat
“There was a couple of times where I was wondering if this could be it, but we just kept fighting and scrapping and hats off to those guys, because they just kept putting the ball in play.”
The tying run came after three and half scoreless innings from both teams, despite a combined 15 runs scored in the first four innings of the game.
“They were ranked No. 3 in the state,” Rocky River coach Darryl Sanders said. “We knew they were good. We were not nervous.”
The Falcons struck first with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, as Rocky River starting pitcher Jack White hit Stull with a pitch, making it 1-0.
Firelands made it 2-0 a batter later after Grant Price hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. However, a defensive lapse by Rocky River allowed a third run to score after an errant throw.
Aaron Myers then added one more run for Firelands in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to left field, making it, 4-0.
Rocky River answered back in the top of the second with a Tommy Kelly’s RBI single to right field, followed
by Owen Jaite a batter later with another RBI single to right, making it 4-2, Firelands.
However, the Pirates in the top of the second continued to chip away at the Falcons’ lead, as Jack White sprayed an RBI single to left field, cutting Firelands lead to 4-3.
Rocky River’s Ryan Dunning made it 4-4 a batter later, shooting an RBI double into the right field gap. The Pirates, however, would take a 6-4 lead in the top of the second after a series of walked runs.
Firelands responded right back in the bottom of the second with two more runs, making it 6-6, after a Brill fielder’s choice and a
Stull RBI.
“We just wanted to settle down and take it one pitch at a time,” said Sanders. “Our guys came up with some big hits, so we could give Jack some run support.”
The Pirates added two more to their lead in the top of the third with an RBI single to right field by Jaite, followed by an RBI ground out to short a batter later from Ross Hartman, giving Rocky River an 8-6 lead.
Stull would cut Rocky River’s lead to 8-7 with an RBI ground out to short in the bottom of the third.
Picking up the win for Firelands was Alex Brill, while Rocky River’s Ross Hartman picked up the loss.