No one has doubted how interesting 33rd District semifinal baseball tournaments have been over the years.
This one was no different. The higher-seeded Ryle Raiders (24-10) and Conner Cougars (25-11) advanced to the championship game Monday at 5 p.m. back at Boone County. They both used explosive innings to overcome deficits.
Ryle 10, Boone County 3
The top-seeded Raiders took down the host Rebels (10-18-1) behind another nice performance on the mound from sophomore Dylan McIntyre (7-1).
McIntyre pitched six strong innings, striking out nine, walking one and allowing just one earned run. Junior Sam Eppley retired the side in the top of the seventh, striking out two to end the game.
“We know we have some horses in our pitching staff that can go against anybody in the state of Kentucky,” said Joe Aylor, Ryle head coach. “To see Dylan throwing the way he did was huge. It’s a nice step going into the postseason and just doing the right things with the plays. That’s the type of things you have to do if you’re going to make a serious run in this thing, which is what we’re hoping to do.”
The Ryle offense started rolling when the Raiders squared up Boone County junior starting pitcher Maddox Jones (3-3). The Raiders outhit the Rebels, 15-4 in the contest.
Jones pitched the first four innings before sophomore Trent Wilson pitched the last two. They combined to strike out two and walk two.
Every spot in the Ryle lineup collected at least one hit. Junior designated hitter Xavier Owens went 3-for-3 and walked once driving in one and scoring once. Junior left fielder Tate Cordrey went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in one. Senior center fielder Landon Sawyer went 2-for-2 with three RBI and scored twice with senior second baseman Roman Furuta going 2-for-3 with five RBI and scored once. Senior third baseman Keegan Flaherty scored twice.
Both teams committed one error. Boone County scored two unearned runs and Ryle had one.
“I struggled at the plate. But I had to come back with something so I stayed consistent in the field,” said Caleb Mann, Ryle junior first baseman. “It’s all about balance (stretching for balls). All the practice you do helps you get used to it.”
Ryle scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the third. Cordrey and Flaherty singled to lead off the inning and Lawyer drew a hit by pitch to load the bases. Furuta hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Furuta. Jones coaxed the next two Raiders to ground out limiting the damage.
The Rebels responded in the top of the fourth. It started when sophomore center fielder Elijah Burks reached on a dropped third strike with one out. Jones hit a hard one to center field that Sawyer made a nice running catch that turned out to be a key to the inning because junior catcher Chris Henson blasted his ninth home run over the wall in center to put the Rebels up 2-1.
“We knew Chris was the guy we had to worry about,” Aylor said. “Tip your cap to Boone. They put up a heck of a fight against us. I told all those guys after the game it wasn’t easy. We’ve talked all year about how we’re going to get down in the postseason. We have to stay calm and realize we have our turn coming up too. We did that after (Henson) hit that home run. We had full confidence we were going to come back and do it.”
That lead did not last long as the Raiders scored six in the bottom of the fourth to go up 7-2. Sophomore catcher Josh Caudill doubled to start the frame. Owens may have provided his biggest appearance in the game going down 0-2, but coming back to work a walk. That let senior right fielder Cody Hemmert come up and lay down a sacrifice bunt to move them up and Cordrey singled in pinch runner Eppley to tie the game 2-2.
“I’m up there to hit. I’m not looking for a walk, although it is very good,” Owens said. “I think it’s really important that I’m there to swing no matter what (the pitcher) is going to throw. If a walk comes, it comes. Hits are contagious. We’re looking to pick it back up Monday.”
After Cordrey stole second, Flaherty drew a walk to load the bases. Sawyer doubled to clear the bases putting the Raiders up 5-2. Furuta then singled in Sawyer. Two more singled reloaded the bases before Owens singled in freshman pinch runner Anthony Coppola to put Ryle up 7-2.
“I have a big role. I knew I had to put the team on my back for that big spot in the lineup,” Sawyer said. “I think I showed out. It was very clutch. It felt good when I hit it. I think the seniors did a good job keeping everyone calm after we were down.”
The Raiders extended the lead to 10-2. Flaherty reached on an error before Lawyer doubled him to third. Furuta then homered to right for his fifth of the season.
“We knew Ryle would make a run. Ryle is a heck of a team,” said Wayne Huff, Boone County head coach. “They’re probably one of the best teams in Northern Kentucky. They’re real athletic. They can score from everywhere in the lineup. They found holes. They barreled balls up. Unfortunately for us, it didn’t go to us. It found gaps. It’s a credit to them. We knew if we got the lead late in the game, we’d have a shot. (Down 10-2), we’re not a good enough hitting team to overcome a big lead like that. Credit (Ryle). They will compete for the 9th Region and have a shot to win it.”
Boone County scored once in the top of the third to make the final score. The Rebels loaded the bases and Henson grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Rossi.
It marked the final game for three Rebels in Robert Butler, Austin Warner and Andrew Zdarsky. Huff said the Rebels exceeded expectations with all the young players on the team.
“We lost 12 seniors coming into this year. We had two kids coming back with varsity experience,” Huff said. “We knew this would be a rough year. A lot of stuff we’re teaching now most kids will be learning on their freshmen teams. We have eighth graders playing varsity. Knocking off Conner and Campbell County – two teams that have a shot to win region – I think our guys overachieved. Next year, we hope to take the next step and be a little bit more competitive.”
Conner 15, Cooper 5 (6 innings)
The explosive inning for the Cougars came in the bottom of the fourth. They trailed the third-seeded Jaguars, 5-1. But Conner exploded for 12 runs sending 15 batters to the plate.
Cooper outhit Conner, 11-10. But Cooper (8-24) committed four errors to one for Conner and the Cougars scored 12 unearned runs. Conner also drew nine walks and yielded three.
“I was really concerned about Cooper because they can hit,” said Brad Arlinghaus, Conner head coach. “They had some big ones on us early. It’s tough in this district. It’s the toughest district in Northern Kentucky.”
Conner starter Brody Mangold pitched into the fourth inning before senior Cody Henson (1-2) took over and earned the win. Mangold struck out six and walked two with Henson striking out two and walking one. Henson kept the Jaguars from scoring more runs as the Conner defense made one error behind them.
“My goal was to go out there, throw strikes, try to get ground outs because I’m not a strikeout pitcher,” Henson said. “That’s what I do. You just have to breath, keep trusting yourself and not give up.”
Junior shortstop Rex Richter went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and scored twice to lead the Cougars. Senior right fielder Brayden Stidham went 2-for-4 with three RBI and scored once. Senior center fielder Ayden Lohr scored three runs and batted in four with senior left fielder Jackson Bucks scoring twice.
“It feels great to be back. It’s not one player. It’s an entire team,” Lohr said. “We came out here and picked up our pitcher who had an off day. We just have to keep on rolling.”
Cooper used five different players in the loss. Junior Eric Eaton (1-7) took the pitching loss. The five including senior starter Trevor Ollier combined to strike out four.
Senior third baseman James Crowe went 2-for-3 batting in two and Ollier went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Junior designated hitter Quincy Dillon went 2-for-4 with one RBI for Cooper.
Cooper scored the game’s first three runs in the top of the third. The Jaguars loaded the bases with Crowe hitting a sacrifice fly to center to score senior first baseman Logan Dean. Junior catcher Cohen Stone then singled in junior Mark Nowak before Ollier singled in junior outfielder Connor Robinson.
The Cougars earned one back in the bottom of the frame. With two out and the bases loaded, Henson reached on an error scoring Lohr.
The Jaguars added two more in the top of the fourth. With two out and two on, Crowe singled in junior left fielder Keaton Conrad before Dillon singled in Robinson. Henson stopped the rally striking out junior catcher Cohen Stone.
The first three batters reached in the bottom of the fourth for Conner. Lohr hit a sacrifice fly to left scoring freshman pinch runner Brady Bushman before Richter singled in senior pinch runner Carson Wood to make it 5-3 Cougars. Wood scored two runs running for senior catcher Luke Hubbard.
“Our bench can get going with pinch running,” Wood said. “My role has been to pinch run and just bring as much energy as I can to get some runs for the team. We just had to keep chipping away (at the Jaguar lead) and it exploded in the fourth inning.”
Bucks then scored on an error and Richter scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 5-5. But Cody Henson singled in twin brother Cory Henson and Stidham to give Conner the lead for good at 7-5.
The biggest hit of the inning came with two out. Lohr doubled to left field clearing the bases putting Conner up 11-5. Richter then doubled in Lohr before scoring on a balk to finish the scoring.
The Cougars earned the run-ruling in the bottom of the sixth. Bucks drew a hit by pitch and Lohr walked before Richter singled to loaded the bases. With one out, Stidham belted a single to left scoring Bucks and Lohr to end the game.
Cooper graduates nine seniors from the team. They are Dean, Colten Cornelius, Crowe, Chase Gartner, Jack Keeney, Jacob Keller, Gavin Lyle, Will Macke and Ollier.
Other Baseball Scores
34th District at Lloyd Memorial
Villa Madonna 12, Ludlow 1 (5 innings)
35th District at Holmes
Holmes 8, Covington Latin 5
Beechwood 16, Holmes 1 (3 innings)
Covington Catholic 4, Holy Cross 3
36th District at Highlands
Highlands 15, Dayton 0 (3 innings)
Newport Central Catholic 5, Bellevue 2
Softball Scores
Dixie Heights 12, Ashland Blazer 3
Montgomery County 12, Dixie Heights 2 (5 innings)
Boyle County 7, Notre Dame 2
Central Hardin 12, Notre Dame 0 (5 innings)
Paris 17, Holmes 2 (3 innings)
Villa Madonna 17, Ludlow 2 (4 innings)
Villa Madonna 30, Ludlow 10 (3 innings)
Boone County 10, Nelson County 0 (6 innings)
Elizabethtown 10, Boone County 0 (6 innings)