Jonathan Alder’s Grant Horne slides headfirst into the plate with the game-winning run against Bloom-Carroll. The Pioneers won the Division II district semifinal game, 6-5.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
—
The baseball teams from Jonathan Alder and Bloom-Carroll have had a very competitive history that has stretched over a number of years.
“I don’t know how many times we’ve played them in the post-season, but it seems like it’s been a lot,” said Pioneer head coach Craig Kyle.
The games have usually been down-to-the-wire type of contests and Monday evening’s Division II district semifinal on the Pioneers’ diamond wasn’t any different.
JA (25-2), the No. 2 seed, needed a walk-off run in the home half of the seventh inning to edge fifth-seeded Bloom-Carroll 6-5.
Jonathan Alder trailed 5-2 after the Bulldogs plated a run in the visitors’ portion of the fourth inning.
The home team rallied for a trio of scores in the bottom of the frame to knot the battle at 5-5.
The next 2 ½ innings were scoreless, which sent the Pioneers into the bottom of the seventh and the score still deadlocked.
Bulldog relief pitcher Andrew Hall induced a fly ball for the first out of the frame.
He then issued a free pass to Grant Horne.
Ashton Martin put down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Horne into scoring position at second base.
Garrett Roach was intentionally walked in order to try and set up an inning-ending double play.
That brought Jace Schrock to the plate.
Hall’s first two pitches produced a 1-1 count.
The Bloom-Carroll righty then sent a breaking ball over the plate.
“It was a curve ball and that’s the pitch I was expecting,” Schrock said after the game. “I wanted to go away with the pitch and that’s what I was able to do.”
Schrock sent the ball into the area of right-centerfield.
The Pioneers’ dugout and fans erupted in celebration as Horne rapidly rounded third and made a head-first slide into the plate for the game-winning run.
“It’s always a battle when these two teams play,” said Kyle. “Every time we play, it seems that one play here or one play there is the difference. We were just able to make one more play tonight.
“I have so much respect for Bloom-Carroll’s baseball program,” said the Alder coach. “I don’t care what division, they are always one of the best teams in the Central District and maybe in the entire state.”
The intensity of the contest was on display the entire evening.
The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first against Alder starting pitcher Martin.
With one down, Brody Bishop worked a full count before blasting a triple.
Trace Chaffin was issued an intentional free pass in order to set up a double play.
Marcus Roberson, the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher, instead singled to drive in the visitors’ first run.
Martin, however, got out of further problems with a pair of strikeouts.
JA responded with the tying run in the home half of the inning.
Chase Chopin drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on Horne’s sacrifice bunt.
With two out, he scored on Garrett Roach’s base hit.
Alder continued to play small ball in taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second.
Greg Kennedy led off with a single and advanced on Andy Yoder’s sacrifice bunt.
Roberson’s wild pitch sent Kennedy to third.
Roberson put a strikeout in the book, but Cam Potter singled to the opposite field and drove in the go-ahead run for a 2-1 lead.
A fly ball out ended the frame.
Things started to unravel a bit for the Pioneers when Bloom-Carroll plated three runs in the top of the third.
Martin plunked the first two batters he faced.
Roberson doubled in both runners.
Martin walked another batter before getting the first out of the inning on a K.
Carson Diebel’s single, however, notched the Bulldogs’ third run for a 4-2 margin.
A fielder’s choice and ground ball ended the inning with the visitors’ stranding a pair of runners on base.
Hall came on in relief of Roberson in the bottom of the third and kept JA off the scoreboard.
Tyler Barton was summoned from the bullpen to take over duties on the bump for Alder in the top of the fourth.
Things got a bit more problematic for the Pioneers when BC tacked on another run.
A single and intentional walk put runners at the corners for the Bulldogs with two out.
Ethan Moore drilled the ball down the third-base line to give Bloom-Carroll a 5-2 spread.
The Pioneers got back into the game with their three runs in the home half of the fourth.
Kennedy lazered a sharp single down the third base line.
Yoder followed with a base hit.
The Bulldogs misplayed Keaton’s bunt into an error which plated an Alder run.
Potter’s squeeze bunt brought in a score that narrowed JA’s deficit to 5-4.
Two batters later, Horne singled to tie the game at 5-all.
The inning ended when Horne was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double.
Neither relief pitcher had much trouble during the fifth and sixth innings.
Barton then put the Bulldogs down in order in the top half of the seventh.
That set up the Pioneers’ seventh-inning heroics that propelled them into the district championship game.
Jonathan Alder will face another long-time rival when the title game is played today (beginning at 5 p.m.) at Grove City High School.
The seventh-seeded Red Raiders of London upset No. 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson, 2-0, during Monday’s other district semifinal.
The Pioneers and London face each other twice during each regular season as foes in the Central Buckeye Conference’s Kenton Trail Division.
Jonathan Alder won the 2024 division championship with a 16-0 record.
The Red Raiders tied Kenton Ridge for runner-up honors with an 11-5 mark.
London boasts an overall record of 22-7.
“We’ve played a couple of good games against London this year,” said Kyle.
Alder has defeated the Red Raiders twice by scores of 2-0 and 7-4.
BC 103 100 0-5 8 1
JA 110 300 1-6 6 0
WP: Barton
LP: Hall