Camels Schumacher dazzles as Campbell County reaches region title game, Scott falls after fast start

With Tyler Schumacher bringing his ace stuff and the Campbell County bats providing some timely hitting, the Camels are on their way to Sunday’s 10th Region baseball championship.

Campbell County (24-13) took down George Rogers Clark 8-0 in Saturday’s semifinals at Bishop Brossart’s Mustang Athletic Complex, putting them in their first region title game since 2023.

Schumacher pitched a complete game two-hitter, striking out 10 and walking three. After a 3-0 count with runners on first and second in the bottom of the sixth, Schumacher dialed it up a notch and threw three straight fastballs to end the threat.

“I went out there when it was 3-0 and he said I’m going to throw three fastballs and they’re not going to hit it,” Camels coach Scott Schweitzer said.

It’s something Schumacher is no stranger to, leading the Camels coming into the game with a 7-1 record and a 1.16 ERA.

“There’s a reason why he’s the 10th Region Player of the Year,” Schweitzer said. “He commands the strike zone, he throws three or four pitches every time, he’ll tell you six, but ultimately he commands the zone and does a great job and he’s a competitor. You watch him, he gets a guy on first and second and it’s like he just turns it up another notch.”

The bats supporting him did more than enough, led by Trip Mercurio’s 2-for-5 effort at the plate with a triple, three RBI and two runs scored. Gavin Kramer went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Schumacher helped his own cause with an RBI as well.

“When we scored early it really brought us up because we have Tyler on the mound and he’s a dominant pitcher,” Mercurio said. “As you can see, it was hard for them to hit his fastball, his off speed.”

The Camels tallied 10 hits on the day and jumped out on George Rogers Clark early with two runs in the first and chased Cardinals starter Matt Frick from the game without recording an out as he let up a double, his defense behind him committed an error and then he had a hit by pitch and walked a batter before Carson Watkins entered.

Campbell County added three in the fourth highlighted by back-to-back RBI singles from Mercurio and Schumacher and another from Kramer. They added three more in the fifth on a Mercurio two-run triple and a Kramer RBI single.

Camels centerfielder Jackson Bittner preserved the shutout in the sixth when a single was hit up the middle and he threw out Cole Fithen out at home trying to score from second.

Schumacher then struck out Watkins to end the threat with an audible yell as he came off the mound.

“I was just like, you got to hit it, so I’m just gonna throw it, make you hit it,” Schumacher said. “You feel the adrenaline going, and you’re like, I’m gonna throw something really hard.”

The Camels group of 10 seniors were freshman when they last reached the region championship, an 11-1 loss to Harrison County. Now they’ll look to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2022.

“Make the plays. I think we had one error today on a tough play,” Schweitzer said. “Other than that, we don’t kick it around. We got a good chance to win every time we play. Got 10 seniors and usually there’s seven of them on the field at any time. So we’re senior laden and they know what to do. If we take care of the ball, we’ll be just fine.”

Montgomery County 8, Scott 5

With a 5-1 lead after two innings, Scott appeared to be in position for their first trip to the 10th Region championship game since 2016.

Montgomery County had other plans.

Facing an early four-run deficit, the Indians turned to ace Evan Copher with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. The move immediately changed the game, as Montgomery County stormed back for an 8-5 victory over Scott in the 10th Region semifinals Saturday at Bishop Brossart’s Mustang Athletic Complex.

After starter Jaimen Caba struggled through 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks, Montgomery County head coach Sam Sutton handed the ball to Copher in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

He did exactly that.

Copher struck out the final batter of the second inning and helped shift the momentum squarely toward the Indians. Montgomery County responded with two runs in the third and five more in the fourth, erasing the deficit and taking control of the game.

“1,000 percent it changed the momentum,” Sutton said. “This entire week with it being rained out, we’ve been going back and forth on who to start, Jaimen Caba or Copher. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to, and I wanted to go ahead and get Evan in before it went a little further than it needed to be.”

Copher worked just two innings, allowing one hit while striking out two. He needed only 23 pitches before being lifted, leaving him available for the region championship game against Campbell County.

Before the momentum shifted, Scott’s offense was rolling.

The Eagles plated all five of their runs in the second inning, collecting four hits in the frame. Hunter Allison drove in a run with a single, while Ty Cook and Blake Groneck each delivered two-run hits to give Scott a commanding lead.

“I feel like we were aggressive that inning,” Scott head coach Patrick Dragan said. “We attacked, got runners on and found a way to move them over. The rest of the game, some of the chances we had, we just didn’t execute the way we needed to.”

Once Copher settled things down, Montgomery County’s lineup took over.

Brody Roland drove home the Indians’ first run in the second before Abe Mullins sparked the comeback with a two-run double in the third. Mullins finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and played a key role in Montgomery County’s offensive surge.

The Indians seized control in a five-run fourth inning. Carter Poe tied the game with an RBI single before back-to-back bases-loaded walks gave Montgomery County its first lead. Mullins added another RBI single later in the inning, and Roland scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-5.

Meanwhile, Scott ace Ty Cook was unable to escape the fourth inning. The sophomore allowed eight earned runs on five hits and six walks before giving way to Jay Race.

“We have a lot of hitting machines and we’ve been preparing for Ty,” Sutton said. “He’s a good pitcher, but we trust our guys to hit. They had the green light. We got his pitch count up and got him out in the fourth inning.”

The Eagles managed just three hits after their five-run second inning and were held scoreless over the final five frames.

Scott’s season ends at 17-19. The Eagles graduate five seniors but return several experienced players, including sophomore ace Ty Cook.

Despite the loss, the program continued its upward trajectory under second-year head coach Patrick Dragan. After leading Scott to a regional quarterfinal appearance last season, Dragan guided the Eagles one step further this spring.

“I feel like we’re taking a shift,” Dragan said. “The guys have really bought into what we do, and I appreciate them fighting no matter who the coach is.”

Montgomery County advances to their second consecutive 10th Region championship game.

CAMPBELL COUNTY 8, GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 0

MONTGOMERY COUNTY 8, SCOTT 5