PLAIN CITY – So many little plays could have gone either way for Bloom-Carroll during Thursday’s Central District Division II district seminal against Jonathan Alder.
The No. 5 seed Bulldogs seemed to be on the cusp of breaking open a close game in the third inning, but the second-seeded Pioneers were able to make just enough plays to keep Bloom-Carroll within striking distance.
In an evenly matched battle, Jonathan Alder pulled out a hard-fought 6-5 victory on a two-RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in front of a huge crowd on Monday.
The Bulldogs battled but could never seize the moment when they had a chance to gain more separation early in the game, while Bloom-Carroll created enough to have the score tied at 5-5 in the fourth inning – and it stayed that way until the seventh – it wasn’t quite enough.
“Baseball is like life. One bounce here, one bounce there, and things could have gone a different way for us,” Bloom-Carroll coach Jason Vest said. “We had runners at second and third, up 5-2. We had two balls where the third basemen bobbled both, but he made a play. Six inches one way or the other and the game is probably over, but that’s just how it works. We did a nice job coming back and taking the lead, our energy was good, but we didn’t get the big hit late in the game when we needed it.”
Battle from start to finish
Bloom-Carroll jumped on the Pioneers in the top first inning when Brody Bishop hit a one-out triple, and after Tryce Chaffin was walked, Markus Roberson delivered a single to plate Bishop. The Bulldogs had a chance to add on, but they left two runners stranded in scoring position.
Jonathan Alder (27-2) plated a run in the first and second innings to take a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived. Bishop led off the inning with a walk, Chaffin was hit by a pitch, and Roberson delivered once again with a two-run double. Carsten Deibel singled to score another run to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead.
Bloom-Carroll pushed the lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth inning on an infield hit that scored Caleb Hinkel, who reached earlier in the inning on a single.
The Pioneers would promptly tie the score in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs three hits.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh thanks to the outstanding relief pitching of senior Andrew Hall, who pitched the final five innings. The Pioneers’ game-winning hit came on a bloop single into short right field. Roberson started and pitched the first two innings.
Bloom-Carroll finished with seven hits and were led by Roberson, who reached base four times, including two walks, a single, a double and three RBIs.
The Bulldogs finished with an 18-13 overall record, and after started the season 1-7, they were able to turn things around and win the Mid-State League-Buckeye Division outright championship with a 12-2 mark. Chaffin reached base three times, scored a run and had a double.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group,” Vest said. “We had a lot of injuries this season, but we had so many different kids step up, and you couldn’t be prouder as a coach because the next guy always picked up his teammate. You saw that today, from start to finish, we continued to battle.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
Local News
Comments / 0