Jonathan Alder’s Andy Yoder (right) attempts to slide into the plate, but is tagged out by Hamilton Badin’s catcher. The Pioneers fell, 2-0, during the Division II regional championship game that was played at Mason High School.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Jonathan Alder head baseball coach Craig Kyle made it pretty simple in describing the Pioneers’ 2-0 loss to Hamilton Badin in Friday’s Division II regional final at Mason High School.
“They made one more play than we did,” he said.
Alder and Badin battled through five scoreless innings behind the pitching of the Pioneers’ Greg Kennedy and the Rams’ Beau Chaney.
That does not mean, however, Jonathan Alder did not have its chances in the early innings against Chaney.
The Pioneers, who finished the season with a 26-3 record, stranded seven runners on base through the first four innings, including a bases-loaded situation in the first.
“We had some lost opportunities and did not put the ball in play,” Kyle said.
On the other hand, Kennedy was dominating through the first five innings, giving up just two hits and at one point retiring 14 straight batters. He finished with seven strikeouts, no walks and allowed just four hits.
Kennedy’s performance came a day after two innings and 30 pitches during Alder’s 8-7 regional semifinal win over Kenton Ridge.
Kennedy told Kyle after that game that he was ready to come back the next day as the starting pitcher for the regional final.
“He was more than willing to come back,” Kyle said. “I wouldn’t want to put anyone else out there just because of the guts to want to pitch. He pitched well enough for us to win.”
Kyle then sighed a little bit and said, “I wish we could have got a couple of runs for him.”
It was Badin (26-6) that got the couple of runs Kyle was hoping to get.
The Rams immediately put pressure on the Pioneers in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Austin Vangen reached base on an error and Cooper Ollis laid down a perfect bunt for a single.
Chandler Taylor followed with a single that scored Vangen.
Kennedy was able to retire the next two batters, but another JA error allowed a second run to score.
The JA hurler got an end-of-the inning strikeout, but the damage had been done.
Badin closer Tyler Verdin, who came in to get the final out in the sixth inning in relief of Chaney, went back to the mound.
He sandwiched two strikeouts around an error and then got the final out on a pop fly to second.
It was some redemption for Verdin from what happened the previous year in the same situation.
The Rams lost last year’s regional final 2-1 when Dayton Chaminade-Julienne scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning off Verdin, who uses a side-arm motion to his pitching.
Kyle admitted Verdin’s style of pitching caused some problems for his team.
“They went from overhand with their starter to a slider across,” Kyle said.
Getting the first runs on the board is always the goal for a team.
The Pioneers flirted with that in the first inning.
Chase Chopin was hit by a pitch to start the game.
Grant Horne and Ashton Martin both laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached base when Badin misplayed the bunt.
The Rams, however, were able to record an out on Martin’s bunt when Horne was caught in a rundown between second and third.
A walk to Garrett Roach loaded the bases, but Chaney earned a strikeout for the second out.
The final out came on a fly ball to right field.
Alder nearly scored in the second inning.
Andy Yoder opened with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Mason Keaton.
Cam Potter laced a single to left, but Yoder was tagged out on a close play at the plate.
Back-to-back walks to Yoder and Keaton gave the Pioneers another scoring chance in the fourth inning.
JA, however, was once again denied.
“If I could explain it I would,” Kyle said of the missed chances. “We might have been pressing a little bit.”
The Pioneers had one more chance to score in the top of the sixth inning when Yoder stroked a one-out single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Keaton.
Verdin, though, notched an inning-ending strikeout, setting up Badin for the bottom of the sixth.
Horne, Chopin, Kennedy, Keaton, Yoder, Potter and Roach each played their final game for the Pioneers.
“Our seniors have led us all year,” Kyle said. “We were a close team that played for each other.”
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