53 Hours & 11 Innings: Fisher Cath. beats Berne Union, 5-4, in "Game of the Decade"

[formerfcfan]

Resilient Irish defeat archrival Rockets, extend MSL-Cardinal winning streak to 32

BEAVERS FIELD; Lancaster, OH – In the week leading up to Friday evening’s tilt between great rivals Fisher Catholic and Berne Union, it became apparent that the second game in the Mid-State League double round-robin would be as intense as the previous decision (Fisher Catholic 3, Berne Union 1) won on the arm of Chase Springer. The Irish (ranked #10 statewide in Division IV per the coaches' poll) had won nine straight games heading into Friday, while the Rockets were on a seven-game streak of their own and had outscored their opponents an astonishing 99-runs-to-8 in that span.

However, a stunning development in the middle of the week threw a big twist into the game-plan and storyline for the game. At around 3pm on Wednesday afternoon, Fisher Catholic head coach Jared Stewart announced that starting third baseman and pitching ace Aidan Harris, a senior, had just undergone emergency surgery for appendicitis.

“Getting the message from Aidan’s dad Wednesday was shocking, scary and concerning” said Stewart. “Aidan’s health was first and foremost our biggest concern. We wanted to make sure he was going to be alright.” With Fisher’s already-small roster of 13 being depleted down to 12, replacing Harris’s experience and leadership in the infield was a task easier said than done – especially as the Irish were heading into a lethal Berne Union batting order that sprung 87 hits (including twelve doubles and three triples) during their own seven-game reign of terror. Stewart knew the battle at Beavers would be tough. “Berne Union is one heck of a team. Coach [Chad] Cupp does a great job with them and always has them well-prepared. There is not a single easy out in their lineup.”

The events that followed on Friday evening lived up to the hype that combatants and followers of the storied Mid-State League rivalry knew to expect: after 344 combined pitches thrown between three FC and two BU pitchers, 11 innings of play and 53 hours after the announcement of Harris’s appendectomy, the Irish emerged victorious under the lights at Beavers Field -- after going down 3-0 early -- with a complete team performance across the entire batting order and fielding diagram.

The tilt between the Irish and Rockets kicked off with a major surprise on the lineup cards, as both teams went deep into their pitching rotations to pick a starter on the hill despite having other pitchers available: Nate Homan made his second start on the bump this season for the Rockets after an earlier ‘no decision’ in the 5-4 win versus Utica @ Chillicothe’s VA Memorial Stadium, while Fisher Catholic sophomore JJ Viau made his first varsity start on the hill. Viau was 1-0 as a pitcher after getting the win through six innings of relief work in the Irish’s 2-1 extra innings win at Meigs (who is sitting atop the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio division standings.) The Rockets jumped on Viau early: Dylan Winkler batted in Sammy Amnah on a 2-out RBI single in the first inning, before 8-hole hitter Garrett Carpenter belted a triple into left to start the second inning. After catcher Nate Nemeth batted in Carpenter on an infield error to notch the margin to a 2-0 Berne Union lead, the Irish called in Springer to relieve Viau.

Springer’s performance on the hill for FC was incredible, if not dominant – he only surrendered one hit and one earned run through his first five innings. “We were confident that Springer would come in and take control. He has pitched tremendously all season for us so far.”
But, the Rockets – down 4-3 and on their last out in the bottom of the seventh inning – would beat back Springer’s magnificence on the bump with their figurative backs against the wall. Homan (who was relieved in pitching by David Hurst in the fifth inning) pounded a 2-1 pitch to right field for a double, with Homan then getting batted-in on a Winkler single into shallow center field with a 1-2 count and on the Rockets’ last strike to send the game into extra innings.

Fisher Catholic, held scoreless through the first four innings, came alive in the fifth inning with brilliant and gutsy “small ball” strategy that proved to be the winning formula – the anchors of which came from the bottom third of the Irish batting order. Josh Burke led-off the charge with a single to left field, before stealing second base on an errant pick-off attempt. Sean Harp then successfully sacrifice-bunted Burke over to third base. Simon Messerly, a freshman making his varsity debut in the infield at second base (a pre-game defensive lineup adjustment made to account for the absence of Harris), was hit-by-pitch to put runners on the corners with one out. Mitchell Santino then drilled an RBI double to score Burke and advance Messerly to third base. With two outs, and on a 2-2 count, Nick Krooner destroyed a fastball into deep left-center field for a triple that evened the score at 3-3 before being batted in by shortstop Jack Tencza.

After the marathon of three-straight scoreless extra innings, once again the Irish small ball offense broke through with many of the same actors – but in different roles. Leadoff-man Springer walked on eight pitches, and this time it was Burke who ignited the rally in the 11th inning by laying down a pristine bunt to advance Springer into scoring position. The next batter, Harp, hit a blooper single that scored Springer home. For Stewart, the timeliness and efficiency of his 7-8-9 hitters all game was as impressive as their resilience throughout the entire game. “I can’t overstate how big the sacrifice bunt was that Josh got down in the 11th, and then for Sean to bat Chase in to score was clutch. I was extremely happy with how we executed it.” And when it came to Messerly, Stewart professed a particular pride in his 9-hole hitter and novice second baseman. “We threw Simon to the wolves and put him a spot that would be uncomfortable for many upperclassmen, let alone a freshman playing infield for the first time ever. I hugged him after the game and told him how proud of him I was for his gutsy performance. Despite an earlier defensive mistake, he did not hang his head and let it affect his game at the plate as he hit a single to follow up his earlier hit-by-pitch that was our second run.”

The left-handed senior Krooner, who previously had a remarkable diving catch in center-field to help seal out the win over Berne Union in the first game played between both schools earlier in the season, relieved Springer of pitching duties in the ninth inning due to the junior’s approach of the OHSAA single-day pitch count limit: going 2-and-2/3 innings, the southpaw fanned four Rockets – including the last two batters of the game. The tenacity of the Irish pitching-and-catching battery through roughly 200 Fisher Catholic pitches Friday evening, however, was made possible by the craft and talent of Santino (a Rio Grande baseball signee) – who allowed no passed balls in the playoff-caliber 3-hour duel that was greatly familiar in location and opponent, as he tagged the would-be tying run at the plate for the final out in the 2019 Division IV District Semi-Final victory over Berne Union at the same stadium. “I can’t say enough about the job Mitch has done for us behind the plate. With him back there, our pitchers have confidence to throw any pitch and know that it will be caught or blocked. Couple that with his strong and accurate arm, and teams often think twice about stealing on him.”

And for the Irish, perhaps the greatest sense of appreciation in their victory came in the motivation-and-emotion of the preceding 53 hours as it concerned the absence of Harris from the lineup. “When I relayed the news to the team, they took it in stride - and rather than getting down about it they actually used it as motivation to go out and win and continue the streak for their teammate” said Stewart. But even the restriction of being unable to play due to surgery recovery wasn’t enough to keep Harris from being in the dugout Friday night to provide support for his teammates, a remarkable display of leadership that moved Stewart. “Aidan somehow mustered enough strength after his surgery to come to the game and sit in a lawn chair in the dugout. Emotions were certainly high during the game, but Aidan was a calming force for the team. He kept our quality at-bats chart and intensely studied the tendencies of what was happening on every single pitch. Several times I looked over as I was heading out to coach third base, and he would have a whole group of players around him giving them tips for their upcoming at-bat. That’s the kind of teammate he is: emergency surgery Wednesday, but determined to be there for his guys 48 hours later.”

[formerfcfan]

I know that neither team befits the general SEOPs designation of 'local', but this is a story that is genuinely close to my heart for so many reasons. If the same roles of this story were played by local D4's (e.g. Clay and South Webster, Eastern and Southern), it would also meet the risen mercury of the moment and enjoyed by all.

I also wrote this myself, because our paper's sportswriter tried to do double-duty by covering this and the Fulton Relays afterwards only to end up leaving in the middle of this to cover the track meet. So nothing got written except for a brief recap that was basically coach submission.

Both teams have what it takes to advance to the Final Four out of Beavers'.

[danicalifornia]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a whale of a game and great leadership by Harris

[formerfcfan]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a whale of a game and great leadership by Harris

Thanks, brother -- felt like a Regional Final for sure. There is also the very curious tournament implication in the aftermath: this year there are two District Tournament competitions in the Central District, Division IV and the highest seeds will host the District Finals games as well. Having lost 3-1 the first time and now 5-4 to a shorthanded Irish, projected #3 seed Berne Union will have to decide on Selection Sunday (draw day) if they want to go into the bracket FC (projected #2 seed) picks or the Newark Catholic bracket (BU lost to the Green Wave 2-0 on Opening Day at Beavers.) Its as if this game was a warning shot from their rivals!


Thanks on Aidan, too. He is one heck of a kid who will be playing ball in the NAIA next year. I'm just glad he survived the ordeal on Wednesday. Freakin' appendixes, man! A vestigial organ that does nothing but cause problems.

[shoelace]

Incredible read, great work man! Sounds like a fun game with 2 very good teams.

[formerfcfan]

Incredible read, great work man! Sounds like a fun game with 2 very good teams.

Thanks, man!