RHSL All-Stars advance to championship series
Published 10:19 pm Sunday, July 8, 2018
Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com
MAUMEE — As the Bee Gees sang during the disco era, “Staylin’ Alive.”
The Rock Hill Senior League All-Stars lost to East Holmes 5-0 on Sunday and dropped into the loser’s bracket.
But Rock Hill bounced back with a 10-6 win over Mason and kept its state championship hopes alive.
Rock Hill will play East Holmes at 1 p.m. on Monday. Rock Hill needs two wins in order to claim the state championship.
East Holmes scored five unearned runs thanks to four errors and two balks to win the first game.
Hayden Harper was 2-3, Evan Cremeans 1-2 and Jordan Griffith 1-4 as Rock Hill had four hits.
Rock Hill put on its hitting shoes in the second game with nine hits led by Dakota Dodds who was 3-4 with two doubles and Jake Schwab who was also 3-4 with two doubles and was on base four times.
The game was scoreless until Rock Hill got seven runs in the top of the third.
Schwab reached on an error, Evan Cremeans was safe on a fielder’s choice, Jordan Griffith walked and Brayden Friends reached on an error for a run.
Dodds doubled home a run, Hayden Harper singled for an RBI, Caleb Dillon walked, Logan Hankins hit by a pitch and Schwab got the big hit as he unloaded a bases-clearing double.
After Mason got three runs in the bottom of the inning, Rock Hill added two runs in the fifth to lead 9-3.
Harper walked and Dillon’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away to put runners on second and third. Dodds singled in a run and a wild pitch scored Dillon.
Mason got three more runs in the sixth, but Rock Hill added an insurance run in the seventh when Schwab doubled, Cremeans grounded out and Griffith had an RBI single.
Nick Blankenship was the winning pitcher as he struck out six and walked four.
First Game
East Holmes 310 010 0 = 5 3 4
Rock Hill 000 000 0 = 0 4 4
Cory Hosetler and Kalman. Brayden Friend, Logan Hankins (2) and Hayden Harper. W-Hostetler. L-Friend (K-1, BB-2). Hankins (K-4, BB-0). Hitting-RH: Hayden Harper 2-3, Jordan Griffith 1-4, Evan Cremeans 1-2.
Second Game
Rock Hill 007 020 1 = 10 9 1
Mason 003 003 0 = 6 8 2
Nick Blankenship, Caleb Dillon (2), Blankenship (3) and Hayden Harper. Miswayee, Richards (3) and Laughlin. W-Blankenship (K-6, BB-4). Dillon (K-2, BB-1). L-Miswayee. Hitting-RH: Dakota Dodds 3-4 2-2B, Jake Schwab 3-4 2-2B, Hayden Harper 1-2, Logan Hankins 1-3, Jordan Griffith 1-4.