Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

HAMILTON — An over-used pitcher and an under-used hitter lifted the Talawanda High School baseball team to a memorable Division I sectional victory at Hamilton on Wednesday, May 14.

Todd Weiser threw 32/3 innings of shutout relief just one day after tossing five innings against Western Brown, and Steven Kuehn came off the bench to deliver a two-out, two-run pinch-hit single in the top of the ninth to give the Braves a 5-3 triumph.

The win moves Talawanda (18-9) into Friday's sectional championship against the winner of today's game between Middletown and defending state champion Lakota West.

"We're not surprised at all to be playing Friday," THS coach Pete Maus said. "Our goal is to be practicing Saturday."

For Hamilton (13-15), the loss marked a tough end to a tough season that saw Big Blue finish under .500 for the first time in coach Dan Bowling's 26-year tenure.

"Streaks are meant to be broken, I guess," Bowling said. "Our kids played hard and with a purpose today. We just seemed to invent ways to lose this year."

The Braves took their first lead of the game in the sixth inning when Randall McIntosh sliced an 0-2 fastball into right field for a two-out, two-run single that made it 3-2.

But McIntosh surrendered a pinch-hit RBI double to Blake Castator in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game, prompting Maus to go the bullpen to get Weiser.

"I thought a whole, whole, whole lot about it," Maus said of using his ace on back-to-back days. "We didn't want to do it, but Randall pitched too well to not have an opportunity to see the ballclub win."

It wasn't the first time Weiser has pitched on such short rest, but it was the first time of any significance.

"I pitched two games in one day before, but that was when I was 11," he said with a laugh.

Weiser wiggled out of a first-and-third jam in the bottom of the eighth to set the stage for Kuehn, who only had 11 previous at-bats this season.

"I don't get nervous," Kuehn said of his mind-set walking up to the plate in such a huge spot. "I just wanted to take a couple of pitches to see how fast (HHS reliever Eric Cook) was throwing."

Kuehn shot a 1-2 fastball back up the middle to score McIntosh and Josh Hogg, and Weiser survived Michael Wilkins' leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth by retiring the next three batters to seal the win.

Randy Mayes went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Andrew Ruecking went 3-for-5 as Hamilton outhit Talawanda 13-6. But Big Blue also left 13 runners on base.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

Vote for this story!