Bulldogs lose in 10-inning thriller
Hoban pitching outduels Bloom-carroll for 2-1 win
AKRON — Seven innings wasn’t enough to solve the Division II baseball state championship game.
In a tight pitchers’ duel between Bloom-carroll’s Joshua Moore and Archbishop Hoban’s Noah Lafine, each team mustered just one run in the first seven innings to force the game to extra innings.
It wasn’t until the 10th inning that Hoban broke through to win 2-1 and capture the state title. After being walked to start the frame, Matt Terzola worked his way to third base on two wild pitches and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly from Mike Ciavolella.
After a scoreless first three innings, including one 1-2-3 inning for Moore, Hoban (23-9) got on the board in the top of the fourth when Nolan Holmgren scored as Caleb Kepler hit a sacrifice fly to right field with the bases loaded and no outs. Moore recovered and didn’t give up another run in the inning.
Bloom-carroll (28-5) had a few opportunities to strike first earlier in the game, twice leaving a runner on third base and leaving three runners on base total in the first four innings. But Lafine, a Vanderbilt commit, was able to
shut the door each time the Bulldogs threatened.
To lead off the sixth inning, sophomore left fielder Ayden Anderson doubled down the left field line for Bloomcarroll’s first extra-base hit of the day. Lafine walked the next batter, senior right fielder Nic Feasel, on six pitches, and began to show signs of trouble for the first time all day.
Lafine recovered to strike out Moore, though a wild pitch got past Holmgren at catcher to advance the runners to second and third.
Just four pitches later, another wild pitch allowed Anderson to score from third and tie the game. And right when it looked like Lafine was about to get out of the inning and only give up one run, junior third baseman Joe Winters was walked to keep the threat alive for Bloom-carroll.
But before the Bulldogs could take the lead, Lafine got K.J. Benedict to line out to second base to keep the game tied at one run apiece.
In the top of the seventh, Moore again set the Knights down in order in his fourth straight 1-2-3 inning. Hoban brought out Dillon Walsh to pitch in the bottom of the frame, ending Lafine’s outing. Walsh retired all three batters in order to send the game to extra innings.
After hitting Terzola to put the leadoff man on base, Moore recovered and recorded three straight outs. Junior shortstop C.J. Carmichael made a highlightreel stop on a ground ball and dove to get the final out of the frame at second base.
In the bottom half of the frame, Walsh once again set down the Bulldogs in order.
To start the ninth, Bloom-carroll sent Feasel out in relief of Moore. After allowing a leadoff single and another hit with two outs, Feasel finished unscathed to give his team a chance to walk off with the win.
As the leadoff batter in the bottom of the ninth, Parks laced a single to right field. But Winters popped out to first base, and then Benedict flew out to center field. A groundout from Beau Wisecarver ended the frame for the Bulldogs.
In the 10th, two wild pitches brought Terzola to third base with no outs after a leadoff walk. Ciavolella made strong contact to fly out to right field, with just enough on it to score Terzola and give the Knights the lead, 2-1. It was the only run they scored in the frame, but it was the only run they needed.
Walsh recorded yet another 1-2-3 inning to seal Hoban’s first state championship in school history. bjohnson@dispatch.com @Baileyajohnson_