Mon Feb 08 2010
By BRUCE HEFFLINGER
BOWLING GREEN -- Talk about squeezing by.
It took 15 innings, outstanding pitching and a two-out game-winning hit by Mark Sebring, but the Napoleon River Bandits are headed back to the American Legion State Tournament following a 2-1 marathon victory over Whitehouse in the District 1 championship game on Wednesday at Carter Park.
"This was baseball," said a relieved Napoleon head coach Shane Coleman after the four-hour win. "What an effort. What a championship game. This was fun for me."
Deadlocked at 1-1 since the sixth inning, the Bandits finally got the clutch hit they needed in the bottom of the 15th. With one out, Quinn Nofziger (Pettisville) doubled down the left-field line, his third hit of the game. After a strikeout, Anthony Kidston (North Central) was intentionally walked for the second consecutive at-bat.
Up came Sebring, who had walked in his previous plate appearance against Jordan Schwerer after going hitless in five at-bats against Whitehouse starter Mike Frank. Down 1-2 in the count, the Defiance High School graduate lined a single to center and Nofziger beat the throw home sending the Bandits to state for the eighth time in the 12-year history of the team.
"I was excited," Sebring said of his opportunity to win the game. "I was sitting on the fastball and drove it. It's the greatest feeling in the world."
Coleman was obviously happy for Sebring, who caught all 15 innings in the game.
"Seebs was a little disappointed in his plate appearances but we always talk about you never know when you might be that guy," Coleman said of being up with the game on the line. "Tonight he was that guy."
If not for two botched Whitehouse squeeze plays, Sebring may never have gotten his chance to play hero.
Two errors, a single and a wild pitch put the visitors on top 1-0 with no outs in the fourth inning and runners on second and third. After an infield ground out failed to produce a run, Josh Ward could not get down a suicide-squeeze bunt attempt resulting in the second out of the inning. A strikeout then ended the uprising.
Kidston tied the game in the sixth with a run-scoring single to plate Nofziger for the lone tally against Frank, who went 11 innings allowing six hits while fanning 11.
In the top of the ninth, Whitehouse appeared to go in front 2-1 when Sam Fischer put down a squeeze bunt with one out and the bases loaded. However, it was ruled the ball hit Fischer when he came out of the batter's box sending runners back to the bases with now two outs. A ground out got Napoleon pitcher Preston Zachrich out of the jam.
"It comes down to execution, it doesn't matter what side you're on," noted Coleman. "We took advantage of those (mistakes) and we were able to survive."
Great pitching by Zachrich kept the Bandits in the game. The left-hander, who will be a sophomore at the University of Findlay, gave up just three hits and one unearned run in 10 innings on the mound, fanning 14 and walking one before leaving in the 11th with what appeared to be a strained left arm.
"I wanted the ball," the Ayersville graduate said. "This was a big game and I figured I could do it.
"First-pitch strikes and a lot of off-speed pitches," Zachrich added about the keys to his fine showing. "This was probably my best outing of the year. I was a little nervous, but I battled and did what I could for the team."
Eric Sims (Fairview) shut down Whitehouse for one inning before being relieved by Lucas Willitzer (Tinora) following a lead-off walk to start the 12th inning. Willitzer picked up the victory, not permitting a hit while striking out eight in four innings.
"Preston pitched his tail off and Eric got us out of the jam (two on and one out in the 11th)," Coleman said. "Then Lucas had another outstanding performance. We've talked all year about pitching being a strength for us and it came into play tonight."
The state tournament in Athens starts on Monday morning with the draw slated for Sunday evening. This marks the fifth time in the past six years the River Bandits have captured the district championship and with it a berth at state.
"This ranks right up there with the most exciting games I've ever been involved in," concluded Coleman, who has led the Bandits for the past four seasons.
Linescore
Whitehouse 000 100 000 000 000 - 1 3 1
Napoleon 000 001 000 000 001 - 2 10 3
Records: Napoleon 43-11.
Winning pitcher: Lucas Willitzer (4 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 8 strikeouts, 1 walk). Others: Preston Zachrich (10 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 14 strikeouts, 1 walk), Eric Sims (1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 strikeouts, 2 walks).
Losing pitcher: Jordan Schwerer (32/3 innings 1 run, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts, 5 walks). Other: Mike Frank (11 innings, 1 run, 6 hits, 11 strikeouts, 3 walks).
Leading hitters: (Whitehouse, 3 hits) - Devin East 2 singles. (Napoleon, 10 hits) - Quinn Nofziger 2 singles, double, 2 runs; Austin Bower double.
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