Bitter end to impressive run for Ohio Hawks0x4ae4c3900x35793c70 0x3f4370e00x41148ea00x3575e250Four unearned runs lead to 5-2 loss to Indiana in semifinals of Central Regional

  • By Dave Mast
  • August 9, 2012
  • 527
Bitter end to impressive run for Ohio Hawks0x4ae4c3900x35793c70 0x3f4370e00x41148ea00x3575e250Four unearned runs lead to 5-2 loss to Indiana in semifinals of Central Regional
                        
0x34cd93e0Little things. There are times when not doing little things tend not to make a huge difference in life, like forgetting to turn off a light. But in a game like baseball, little things are oftentimes the undoing of a team’s hopes and dreams. The Ohio Hawks were right where they wanted to be in the semifinals of the Senior League Little League Central Regional baseball tournament in Peru, Ill. on Wednesday, August 8. Having improbably worked their way into the No. 1 seed, they were facing No. 4 seeded Indiana for the right to play in the championship game. 0x34cd9500However, one bad inning, in which Indiana plated four unearned runs, proved to be a major factor in the Hawks’ 5-2 loss to Indiana, and it was some little things that made a huge difference. 0x34cd96b0After gaining a 1-0 advantage in the first inning after Jordan Yoder doubled and scored when Kendall Borntrager reached on an error, Ohio starter Clyde Yoder was busy keeping that lead intact through two innings, thanks in large part to a pair of excellent catches in the outfield by Kyle Troyer and Yoder in the second inning. But then came the fateful third inning in which the little things reared third ugly heads and bit Ohio big time. After retiring the first hitter on a groundout to Zach Lowe at second, Yoder proceeded to walk the next two hitters at the top of the Indiana lineup. Little thing number one. Then Indiana starting pitcher Luke Avery scorched a two-hopper right at third baseman Brandt Miller. Hit hard, it was a play which Miller himself will tell you he has to make. But instead, the ball went between his legs and down the left field line, scoring one, putting runners on the corner. “That was a hard hit ball but it is a play that needs to be made,” said Ohio manager Mike Yoder. “That was a tailor-made double play ball.” Little thing number two. With runners on the corner, Miller redeemed himself by snaring the next grounder and firing to the plate where Kevin Yoder tagged out a sliding Carlson Smith for the second out. But James Sulman launched a triple to the gap in right-center, scoring a pair, and then trotted home two pitches later when Yoder uncorked a wild pitch to make it 4-1. Little thing number three. 0x34cd9790Ohio looked like it was going to answer in the fourth, after Eric Hershberger walked with one out and Miller slapped a liner to center. But sometimes baseball can be a sport in which bad things come despite doing something great. 0x34cd9970Lowe hit an absolute scorcher, but Indiana’s second baseman moved a few steps up the middle, fielded it, flipped it to second and Indiana turned a double play to escape unscathed. Indiana would score again in the fifth, but the Hawks were not finished yet. In the top of the sixth Avery lost his control, and walked Borntrager, Troyer and Eric Hershberger to begin the inning. It could have been the makings of a huge inning. Miller produced a run with a grounder to the right side to make it 5-2. But Lowe struck out and Clyde Yoder fouled out to third to end the threat. “We needed someone to step up there and get a key hit, and we didn’t get one,” said Yoder. “That really could have been a big inning and we could have put the pressure on them.” Little thing number four. Yoder cruised through the sixth, and in the seventh the Hawks had one last shot. Taylor Raber drew a walk, but Jordan Yoder, who had been spectacular all tournament, struck out for out number one. Todd Ropp ripped a single, but then Ohio got a bit unlucky again when Borntrager hammered a bullet right at the right fielder for out number two. Troyer struck out, and the team from East Holmes was heading back to Ohio, their dreams unfulfilled. “The kids were very disappointed because they knew we didn’t play our best baseball,” said Yoder. “We basically beat ourselves. We aren’t a big team that is so talented that we can afford to make these kinds of mistakes. Give their kid credit, he pitched a great game, and so did Clyde. He gave us a chance to win. Those little things just made a world of difference.” Still, Yoder said it was a tremendous experience for the kids, and playing against that caliber of talent is only going to make them better in the long run. 0x34cd9a50“We had a great run, and played some good baseball for the most part,” said Yoder. “We saw some pretty good pitching, and we did a lot of good things out here. Even the fact that we earned the No. 1 seed was more than I expected. These kids should be proud of themselves.” 0x34cd9ad0Indiana would go on to play Michigan in the finals, the team from Grand Rapids having snuck past Illinois, the team which defeated the Hawks in pool play, by a 7-5 score. Michigan would then get a great pitching performance to take down Indiana 5-1 to become the Central Region representative at the World Series in Bangor, Maine. 0x34cd9f60It was a role which could have been Ohio’s, if not for the little things.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load