$100? $200? Answer to Knights woes could be priceless after falling in Sectional opener
"That's the $100 question," he said back then.
Twenty-five days later McDowell might want to up the ante to $200 for anyone with an answer after five more West Holmes errors handed the Black Bears an 8-4 win in the Division II Zanesville Sectional tournament opener at Gant Municipal Stadium on Tuesday, May 10, as River View improved to 15-7 on the season, advanced to Thursday's Sectional championship game against Indian Valley, and dropped the Knights to 12-7 on the year.
"We basically reverted back to that first game [against River View] and a couple other games we had this year," explained McDowell after watching the Knights relinquish a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth, committing their fourth error of the game and allowing the Black Bears to plate three runs to go up 4-2. "We threw the ball away, we didn't pick it clean, and it killed us."
It was a slow death, however, as West Holmes sophomore starting pitcher Gabe Snyder minimized the damage of the first three errors, working out of no out, bases loaded situations in the first and second, allowing only one run – on an RBI single from River View center fielder Jason Hammond in the top of inning number two – and erasing the fourth River View batter to reach via error by getting a perfectly turned 6-3 double play from sophomore shortstop Keaton Leppla ending the third.
"It's the big M, momentum," said McDowell, as River View tied the game in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by catcher Bryce Pepper, before plating two more on another error and a single by third baseman Nick Meyers. "If you make the plays the momentum stays on your side, I believe."
The momentum was firmly with the Knights after inning number one as they played small ball to perfection – with left fielder Mason James leading off with a base hit, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Steve Thomas, and coming home on an RBI knock off the bat of Leppla – also taking advantage of an error by Black Bears shortstop John Brillhart to bring home another run later in the inning on a run-scoring single from right fielder Garrett Mackey.
"If we make the plays behind him the momentum stays on our side and Gabe probably looks a little better and doesn't throw as many pitches," added McDowell, after removing his big lefty in favor of freshman southpaw Dillon "Butch" Baird in the fourth, following Meyers' RBI single and a walk to Black Bears second baseman Daniel Gwinn, which came on Snyder's 74th pitch.
Baird struck out River View right fielder Dylan Atkinson to get the Knights out of the fourth, but in the fifth he hit two batters, walked a third, and the defense committed back-to-back errors on the infield to put a bow on four more runs for the Black Bears.
"The second time through the order we were a little more patient at the plate and just tried to get that pitch so we could put the ball in play," said River View coach Rod Lindsey. "Their kids ended up making some mistakes, which were key for us as far as getting runs. And if we don't make our mistakes Michael [Adams] comes close to pitching a shutout."
Except for that perfectly manufactured run by West Holmes in the bottom of the first and the two the Knights tacked on in the top of the sixth when Mackey took one off the hip to reach base, catcher Cody Dial followed with a single two batters later, and second baseman Vayden Wood drove them both home by lacing a long single up the middle.
But while West Holmes would outhit River View 9-5 under the lights at Gant, the Knights were unable to bunch hits together as Adams finished the night with 10 strikeouts, getting Knights center fielder Joey Gonzalez and Snyder leading off the bottom of the seventh, before completing the 8-4 win by inducing backup right fielder Cody Messner to ground out to second.
"They're a pretty solid group of hitters," said Adams after the game. "We just had to come out and work out the errors and work out the mistakes in the field, and we did that. I got back, hit my spots, and from there we just settled down and played our game."
Unfortunately, by the time the Knights worked out their errors and worked out their mistakes in the field, they had already dug themselves into another hole they couldn't climb out of and they were unable to play their kind of game.
"The goal early was maybe a little more bunting," said McDowell, after watching his team execute perfectly to bring James across the plate with the game's first run. "But once we got behind and things started going, we had to just let them swing away and see what happens."
And what happened was West Holmes' 2011 post-season tournament run came to an end before it really even got started, as the Knights' campaign will come to an end following six more regular season games, including home-and-away make-ups against Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Ashland.
"Hopefully they want to finish strong and prove that we're not as bad as we looked today," said McDowell looking ahead.
In order to do that the Knights will have to figure out how to stop digging themselves into holes they're unable to climb out of.
If McDowell could have found the answer to how to do that prior to the Knights' rematch against River View, it would have been priceless.