Sports
Bison Advance to Sectional Final With 8-2 Win Over St. Joseph
Error leads to four Bison runs against depleted Vikings squad
A key drop by St. Joseph right fielder Brandon Foote turned what should have been the third out of the inning into a two-RBI triple for Beachwood’s Jared Weiss. The Bison plated two more and never looked back as they advanced to the sectional final with an 8-2 win over the Vikings on Saturday.
There is no doubt that the rainout on Thursday put St. Joseph at a disadvantage. The Vikings only had nine players, just two of them varsity, because their prom was on Friday. Three were pulled from working at a track meet to make the game at the last minute.
“I think it's ridiculous for the state of Ohio to schedule tournament games in May on Fridays and Saturdays when everybody has prom and graduation,” St. Joseph head coach Scott Gray said. “It’s not because we lost; it just isn’t fair for everybody.”
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The Bison got off to a shaky start; Beachwood pitcher Josh Schwarz walked four batters and it resulted in an easy run for St. Joseph. Jeremiah Bates then sent a shot into right field that plated Wellington Phillip, but John Fialko was thrown out at the plate for the final out.
Schwarz settled down after the first, racking up a total of 10 strikeouts over five innings. After a rough first inning, Schwarz only walked two more and gave up one hit over the next four.
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“He pitched really well after that first inning,” Beachwood head coach Ben Singer said. “He got the ball down in the zone and then he was effective. Once he got into the flow of the game they didn’t get to him.”
Beachwood’s Andrew Somogyi pitched strong in the final two innings, giving up two hits, two walks and striking out four. Somogyi was also key in putting the game away, providing a two-RBI blooper into left that plated Todd Goldberg and David Stern.
Beachwood advances to the sectional final against Independence, which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday in Independence.
Being conference rivals, there is sure to be a familiarity.
“We know Independence very well,” Singer said. “We can’t make mistakes and give them runs, we just have to play good fundamental baseball.”
The winner earns a trip to the district tournament in Euclid on Thursday. Be sure to check highschoolsports.net for any changes in the schedule.