Gallipolis beats Rock Hill in season finale

[jottings]

GAHS wins record 20th game, tops
OVC champion Rock Hill nine 13-3

Five Blue Devil seniors honored
Gallipolis concluded its 2012 regular baseball season Thursday by defeating visiting Rock Hill 13-3 in a five-inning non-league game on the Robert H. (Bob) Eastman Ballfield on senior night in Centenary.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, Gallipolis scored in every inning off three Redmen pitchers to post the mercy run rule triumph.

Brandon Taylor went the distance for Gallipolis, allowing three runs on four hits. Taylor, after a shaky first inning in which he threw 35 pitches, fanned five and walked four. GAHS made one error.

Jon Joseph started for Rock Hill. Evan Morris relieved him in the second inning. Jonah Cox pitched the final six batters in relief. All told, GAHS collected 13 runs on seven hits off the three RHHS hurlers. Rock Hill pitchers fanned three, walked 12 and hit two Blue Devil batters. The Redmen made three errors.

In Rock Hill’s first, Drew Kidd doubled to deep left with one out. Johathan Schob walked, followed by a single to left by Matt Jenkins giving the Redmen a 1-0 lead. Laden Delawder walked, forcing in a run and Jonathan Joseph singled to rightfield to make it 3-0. The Redmen batted around in the inning.

Gallipolis batted around in the first to knot the score at 3-3. Ty Warnimont opened with a sharp double to center, and stole second. John Faro walked, followed by a double to rightfield by Justin Bailey to make it 3-1. Jimmy Clagg walked to load the bases. Drew Young’s sacrifice fly to right made it 3-2. After Gus Graham fanned, Brandon Taylor was hit by a pitched ball to load the sacks again. Bryant Bokovitz walked to force in a run and Kyle Saunders fanned to end the first inning that took nearly one hour to play.

Gallipolis sent 11 men to the plate in the second inning with six of them scoring to make it 9-3. GAHS scored one run in the third, one in the fourth and ended the game with two in the fifth.

Four Redmen had one hit apiece Thursday—Drew Kidd, Jon Schob, Matt Jenkins and Jon Joseph.

For GAHS, Warnimont and Kyle Saunders led the way with two hits apiece. Justin Bailey, Drew Young, and Brandon Taylor also had GAHS safeties. Kyle Saunders had three RBI’s for GAHS. Jimmy Clagg, Drew Young and Brandon Taylor had two RBI’s each.

GAHS stole six bases in the triumph.

Gallipolis improved to 20-6 overall (9-1 SEOAL champs) while Rock Hill dropped to 17-6 overall (10-0 OVC champs). The victory was Gallia Academy’s first 20-win season in the school’s history.

GAHS will be off for a week before playing the winner of the May 7 sectional opener Warren Local-Chillicothe in a sectional final on Eastman Field on Thursday, May 10 at 5 p.m. Winner of the May 10 game will advance to the district tourney in Chillicothe on May 17 at 7 p.m.

Admission for the sectional tourney game in Centenary next Thursday will be $6 per person. There will be no pre-sale of tourney tickets.
League passes or senior citizen cards will not be accepted at the gate for tournament games.

Prior to Thursday’s contest, five Blue Devil seniors were honored by the GAHS coaching staff before playing their final regular season home game. Honored were Zack Thomas, Drew Young, Brandon Taylor. Kyle Saunders and Bryant Bokovitz.

In nine years as head coach of the Blue Devils, Richie Corvin’s teams have won 134 games, lost 87, won three SEOAL titles and compiled a 63-35 SEOAL record.

Since 1941, GAHS has never won a district title, one of the goals of this year’s team.

Linescore:
Rock Hill……….300 00 – 3-4-3
Gallipolis……….361 12 – 13-7-1
Batteries—Rock Hill: Joseph (L), Morris (2nd), Cox (4th) & Kidd. Gallipolis: Taylor (W) & Warnimont.

[radioman]

Congrats to the devils,on a record setting season, a special
Shout out to the seniors, may your road to the playoffs
Be a memorable one, thanks for the memories
Go blue. Huntington park!!'

[jungleman]

It doesnt surprise me about the success this team is having.I know a lot of these kids were on the travel team [Gallipolis Sluggers] back in the day.My son was on that team even though we dont live in gallipolis.You could tell back then that if all these kids stuck together and continued to play , they would be a speical group.So i hope they go far come tournament time .Good Luck