SPORTS

Redmen rout Shelby for district baseball championship

Rob McCurdy
Reporter

MADISON TOWNSHIP – Bellevue jumped on Shelby early and jumped on the Whippets late, the result being a 10-3 Division II baseball district championship clinching victory Saturday afternoon at Madison High School.

"I thought the big thing for us was to try to get going early," Bellevue coach Andy Dennings said. "We were able to get up 4-0 in the first couple innings and that kind of set the tone."

Senior shortstop Dylan Dewitt set that tone with an RBI double in the top of the first for the Redmen (23-4). Ahead 2-0 in the second, freshman second baseman Bryce Ray ripped a two-run double to double the score.

"Our coach told us to come out swinging (as) the away team to get out in front of those guys," DeWitt said.

The four runs would prove to be enough. The Northern Ohio League champions will now play Parma Heights Holy Name at Bowling Green's Carter Park Thursday at 5 p.m.

"They played better than us," Shelby coach Jon Amicone said. "I know that sounds simple, but in every facet of the game they played better than us. Ultimately that's why they are the district champions and we're the runners-up. They're a tremendous team."

ARMSTRONG OUT: Shelby freshman Brennam Armstrong injured his hip Thursday afternoon in his first at-bat against Ontario and sat out the rest of that game. The plan was to pitch him in the title contest Saturday, but he couldn't go as a starter.

"When he couldn't go, you have to go down in your rotation a little deeper than you want to in a championship game," Amicone said. "All our pitchers that we put in there, they competed at a high level and that's all you can ask. They didn't back down from the challenge and tried to throw strikes, and we didn't do anything to back our pitchers up."

Sophomore Garrett Caudill, senior Josh Lykins and junior Mason Wells pitched for Shelby (16-10), walking eight, allowing 11 hits, hitting four batters and striking out one.

Bellevue got two hits and three RBI from Dewitt, while Ray and Jake Strayer had two hits, and Triston Snezek recorded three hits. Kyle Geary scored three times.

LOST CONTROL: The Whippets made it interesting in the fourth inning, cutting the lead in half when Snezek lost command of his pitches. He hit four batters, committed a balk and gave up a two-run single to Wells.

"We hit 'em with curveballs. We hit 'em with fastballs. We were at a point where we were getting outs on them. We wanted them to put the ball in play," Dennings said of Snezek's bout of wildness. "I guess he got a little bit flustered, and we tried to work out of it and we did. We saved ourselves a little bit."

Snezek got out of the jam with a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning with a 4-2 lead.

"Getting out of that jam with a double play, I thought that was a big part. Coming in, we kept the sticks rolling and played better defense the rest of the way," Dewitt said.

In the sixth, Bellevue got the two runs back on a pair of hits and an error and broke it open with a four-run seventh inning. Colton Slaven worked the last three innings for the Redmen, striking out three and walking three. He and Snezek both gave up two hits.

"This is what we were building for. It was time for us to take the next step. These kids have put a lot of work in, and they deserve this. We played well all year and have been very consistent. I'm very happy for them," Dennings said.

BUILDING BLOCK: Amicone said they came to win the district championship and that it stings to come up short.

"I think after a couple of days and we look back on the season, I think we'll be a little happier about how we progressed throughout the year.

rmccurdy@gannett.com

419-521-7241

Twitter: @McMotorsport