Leipsic’s Tommy Offenbacher attempts to tag out a Fort Recovery runner on Friday night in the regional championship game.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
ELIDA – By the numbers, Fort Recovery appeared headed for a quick exit from the high school baseball tournament when the postseason began.
The Indians were a sixth seed who finished sixth in the Midwest Athletic Conference and spent much of the season hovering around the .500 mark.
But there they were, celebrating a Division IV regional championship after a stunning 5-1 win over No. 1-seeded Leipsic on Friday afternoon at Elida’s Ed Sandy Field.
Fort Recovery (15-12) will play Jeromesville Hillsdale next Saturday in a Division IV state semifinal at Canal Park in Akron.
Leipsic (25-3) appeared positioned for a trip to Akron after beating one of its biggest challengers, Lincolnview, in the district tournament, and having another highly regarded team, Minster, fall by the wayside when it was upset by Marion Local.
But Fort Recovery took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning Friday and the Vikings never caught up.
And one of the reasons for that was they struggled to catch up with the fastballs thrown by Fort Recovery pitcher Caden Grisez.
Grisez, the No. 2 pitcher for Fort Recovery, struck out seven, walked one and allowed only five hits.
“Caden is a really good No. 2. He did a phenomenal job on the mound and we played good defense and got the runs we needed,” Fort Recovery coach Kevin Eyink said.
“I think he was beating them with the fastball today. His fastball was really working today. He’s got a good curve and occasionally throws a knuckleball. He keeps them (hitters) off balance. But I think the fastball was the key today.”
Fort Recovery increased its lead to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. Leipsic put runners on first base and second base in the bottom of the third inning when Quin Schroeder and Tommy Offenbacher hit back-to-back singles but could not take advantage of that scoring opportunity.
The Vikings got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning but got just one run after loading the bases with no outs.
Leipsic coach Darren Henry said, “It was a great year. Fantastic. We just weren’t good enough today.”
Vikings dominate Riverdale
ELIDA — Even before the first pitch was thrown in Leipsic’s 10-0 win over Riverdale in a Division IV regional baseball semifinal on Thursday at Elida, the Vikings’ coach Darren Henry thought they looked like a team that was ready to play.
And it didn’t take long for Riverdale to discover the same thing in a game Leipsic dominated from start to finish.
The Vikings (25-2) scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, added three more in the second and third innings, got a single run in the fourth inning and closed the game out on the run rule with two runs in the fifth inning.
So, what did Henry see that made him believe Leipsic was eminently ready to play on Thursday afternoon?
“You can just tell. You can just tell. They were ready to go,” he said.
The first confirmation of Leipsic’s readiness came in the first inning when Quin Schroeder led off with a single, Tommy Offenbacher followed that with another single and Schroeder eventually scored on a passed ball for a quick 1-0 lead.
Schroeder said, “You could tell right off the bat. I got on base and then Tommy and got a run in the first inning. That’s always a good confidence booster. We came out today and didn’t let the moment affect us too much and I’m confident we’ll do it again tomorrow.”
Ethan Zeisloft, one of four seniors in Leipsic’s lineup, said “just getting the bats going from the start” was important. “Before we came here we took everything seriously and we were able to capitalize on it,” he said.
Offenbacher pitched a two-hitter, with both hits belonging to Riverdale starting pitcher Evan Reiter, who singled in the first inning and doubled in the third inning. Reiter allowed eight runs and eight hits before being relieved by Cameron Furr in the fifth inning.
“He loves to pitch. He’s going to come at you. He gives you everything he’s got out there. He was right around the plate all day today,” Henry said about Offenbacher. The junior right-hander also went 3 for 4 at the plate, including a two-run double in the fifth inning that ended the game.
Riverdale, 23-7 and playing in its first regional baseball tournament since 2000, also struggled on defense with six errors, two passed balls and a wild pitch.
Leipsic, playing in the regional for the third time in the last four seasons, did not commit an error.
“We have six guys who have played a lot of tournament baseball, they’ve played three and four years and that’s huge. They’re all good defensively. I think their tournament experience has helped us for sure,” Henry said. “We have three seniors and three juniors who have played a lot the last three or four years. They’ve played in the regionals, they’ve played in the district finals, they’ve faced good pitching and they’ve been good leaders for the young guys.”
