Survive and advance: Heath dodges Pleasant bid, reaches district final

HEATH ― Heath spent the entire game trying to figure out crafty Pleasant senior right-hander J.T. Snively, but suddenly, the light came on.

It was none too soon, either. After being limited to just one hit through six innings, pitcher Riley Baum singled, Jaiden Danby doubled into the right-center gap and the top-seeded Bulldogs escaped an upset bid by the visiting Spartans with a dramatic 2-1 Division III district semifinal win Tuesday at Dave Klontz Field.

"We were really tight," Baum admitted. "But then we finally loosened up in the seventh. (Snively) was hitting his spots, keeping us off balance and was sneaky with his pitches. But we never got down, and we always believe in ourselves."

Baum threw a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and the Bulldogs finally broke through for a run in the sixth when Tannar Patterson was hit by a pitch, stole second and raced all the way home on an errant pickoff attempt for a 1-0 lead.

But 13th-seeded Pleasant, a deceptive 10-14 while competing in the rugged Mid Ohio Athletic Conference, came in primed for the upset. And it nearly pulled it off, forcing Baum to throw 117 pitches.

Owen Lowry doubled in the top of the seventh and the Bulldogs uncharacteristically committed two straight errors, on a grounder to short and a throw that sailed into left field when Lowry was hung up at third after a missed squeeze bunt. Brennan Ringer then doubled to right, but Baum kept it at 1-1 with a bounce-back to the mound, setting the stage for the dramatics.

"We were down 1-0 with two outs in the seventh inning Thursday at Fairbanks, but came back to win 2-1," Spartans coach Nick Bailey said. "We almost did it again. We told our kids it does not matter how good you were or how mediocre you've been all year. It's how good you are on that day. We just wanted a chance at the end, and we had it. Credit to Heath for getting those big hits."

Snively, who allowed just three hits, fanned five and walked one, had Heath consistently beating the ball into the ground. Twice, he stranded runners at third base. In the sixth inning, after Dansby was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second by Wyatt Binckley, he struck out the next two hitters.

"He only throws about 75, but he can throw his curve and change in any count," Bailey said. "I think he got a couple of strikeouts on 3-2 pitches with curves. And he moves his fastball in and out."

Observed Heath coach Tom Warren: "He comes straight over the top, and we hadn't seen that. He threw a great game, and they made plays behind him. We had some bad at bats and weren't very patient early on. We were pressing a little bit."

Dansby more than made up for it with one big swing.

"He was down on himself after that first at bat, and I told him that it would be fine, that he would get another chance later," Baum said.

Dansby said he wasn't necessarily looking to hit the ball far.

"I was just trying to find a single somewhere, get Riley into scoring position at second, because I knew Wyatt would have a chance to hit him in," Dansby said. "But I got the pitch I wanted, an outside fastball, and was able to hit it into the gap."

Heath's deep group of seniors led the Bulldogs to the state semifinals last year and did not want the season to end prematurely on their home field. Baum said they did not take the Spartans lightly.

"We knew they would bring it. They had played a lot of Division I teams this year," he said. "I felt a little bit of pressure, but actually, I think I pitch better because I feed off the energy."

Added Dansby: "You never know with baseball. Anything can happen. I just know it was our last home game, and we wanted to end it with a big win. It doesn't matter how you do it. Just keep winning."

Warren knows all too well that records can be thrown out the window come tournament time. Surviving a scare may have given his veteran team a boost.

"We've played in some tough games this year," he said. "This was good for our confidence. We won a game where we weren't our best at the plate, or in the field. But we have speed, and it scored us two runs. Whatever it takes at this point."

Heath (23-2) will play third seed West Jefferson (18-6) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Olentangy Orange for the district title.

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Survive and advance: Heath dodges Pleasant bid, reaches district final