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Coldwater's Derek Dues (4) celebrates with his team after his three-run home run in the third inning.
ST. HENRY - Four combined home runs through the first four innings had fans at the Wally Post Athletic Complex anticipating a shootout between St. Henry and Coldwater.
However, the Cavaliers' pitching staff bunkered down and the bats did enough in a 7-3 win over the Redskins in a classic Midwest Athletic Conference game Thursday evening.
"We have a group of juniors and seniors who have been in some big games, and it was good to see them perform in a big game tonight," Coldwater coach Cory Klenke said.
St. Henry (8-1) opened the scoring in the first as Drew Langenkamp got ahold of Karsyn Homan's pitch and took it to centerfield for a 1-0 lead, just avoiding the leap of fielder Braxton Taylor. While both teams loaded the bases in the second inning, no runs came across and the lead was just one entering the third inning.
A one-out single from Caleb Schroer began a Coldwater (8-1) rally that eventually saw them take the lead. Taylor was hit on an inside pitch to set up Derek Dues with two on base. Just two pitches later, the junior crushed one to left field with a bang to give his team a 3-1 lead just like that.
St. Henry's Drew Langenkamp, left, tags out Coldwater's Cadin Obringer at home plate.
No lead was safe though, as St. Henry used a long ball of their own to tie in the home half of the third. Owen Zimmerman took an easy four-pitch walk to make way for cleanup hitter Jake Schwieterman. After the first two pitches were outside, the senior hit a towering fly ball to left field. With the help of the wind, it traveled over the fence to tie the game 3-3 through three innings.
It however did not take long for that momentum to swing back to the black-and-orange. With the top of the order up with one runner on, Homan followed the program and drove a pitch to left field and just over the wall. It gave the Cavs a 5-3 lead in the fourth, and was the final of the four homers through four innings.
"If you look at the stats, we're not a big home run team," Klenke said. "But on a night where the wind is blowing out, if you put a good swing on one, you might lose it over the fence. We had some good swings all game."
Delzeith and Homan settled down to business and pitched 1-2-3 frames in the fifth, just the second such case in the game, and the final full innings for both starters. St. Henry turned the ball over to Owen Zimmerman in the sixth, and the senior worked out of a bases loaded jam to keep the deficit at two.
Homan came out for the sixth inning but with the first two runners reaching, the Cavs looked to Rudy Kremer to get the job done. Two strikeouts and a grounder later, he walked off the mound to a mob of cheers from the dugout.
With Zimmerman still in to pitch the seventh, the Redskins were looking to hold the 5-3 score right where it was. Singles from Taylor and Dues set up Briggs Howell with two in scoring position. The first baseman did enough and earned a sac-fly to center to score Taylor. The lead grew again when Obringer ripped a single to drive in Dues, and the Cavs took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Kremer worked around a leadoff walk and picked up a strikeout en route to the win. He finished his two innings of work without allowing a hit while he got three Redskins to strikeout. Homan picked up the win after his five innings of work. He allowed three runs off seven hits and walked five, but three strikeouts aided the winning effort.
Coldwater's Caleb Schroer throws to first.
"We lost almost every inning to graduation last year, so we have guys who are making a name for themselves," Klenke said. "I like the progress we're making as a whole staff. It was good to see a quality start from Karsyn, and Rudy came in and did his job."
Delzeith took the loss, but finished a solid five innings with six strikeouts. All five runs were earned, while Zimmerman allowed the other two runs in his pair of innings.
"It's a setback, but we're going to come back tomorrow and work on some things we need to," Redskins coach Mike Gast said. "Then going back out there Saturday on the attack, that's what we're after."
