DIVISION II 7 in 7th dusts Poland comeback

The Bulldogs had wiped out a 6-2 deficit in the sixth inning.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Just when it appeared the Poland High baseball team had constructed a magical comeback, the Tallmadge wrecking crew demolished the Bulldogs' dreams of at least one more game.
Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning in Friday's Division II regional semifinal at Cene Park, the Bulldogs capitalized on two errors by Blue Devils shortstop Gian Testa for four unearned runs.
The joy of the rally quickly collapsed in the seventh inning as Tallmadge walloped the Bulldogs for seven runs and a 13-6 victory to end Poland's (21-5) season.
"That was a pretty ugly regional semifinal, wasn't it?" said Tallmadge coach Don Seekers, referring to the eight errors the teams split. "I didn't expect my senior shortstop to boot two, but he came back big later."
Seeker was referring to Testa's seventh-inning bases-loaded single that drove in Tallmadge's 11th and 12th runs.
Rally
Long before that, Tom Peters launched Poland's sixth-inning comeback with a base hit to left. Pinch-runner Rick DiMuzio took second on Anthony Fuller's one-out single.
Pinch-hitter Bill Christian hit the ball sharply to Testa and the ball bounced off his chest to load the bases. Dan Bertolini sent an 0-2 pitch to Testa who threw wide of second base, allowing two runs to score.
"I rushed it too much," Testa said. "[Second baseman] Timmy [Detweiler] ran to the back of the bag and I threw it wide to the inside."
David Koval connected for a hard smash that deflected off third baseman Mike Oliver's glove for a two-run double.
Koval, who got a huge jump off second before Jonathan Habuda's liner to left fielder Brandon Caipen, was erased on the inning-ending double play.
"We showed good character by not quitting," Poland coach Steve Rohan said. "We did all that with one out. We thought the momentum had changed our way."
Reversal of fortune
Instead, the playoff-tested Blue Devils, who been to state the past two years, took charge.
"My kids are usually pretty quiet, but after that inning, they were mad at themselves, they were fired up," Seeker said. "There were four or five guys ready to hit in the top of the seventh inning."
It didn't take long for the Blue Devils to regain control as the Blue Devils sent 12 batters to the plate. Casey Jirsa's lead-off single was followed by an error on Cory Hindel's sacrifice bunt.
"We returned a few of the favors they had given us," Rohan said. "When we didn't field the bunt, we didn't make a fundamental play that you have to make at this level."
Pat Conley's bloop single that fell at the edge of the outfield grass to right preceded Rich Sickler's two-run single to left. Oliver and Testa's RBI hits capped the seven-run uprising.
"It was a classic case of their hitting the ball where we weren't," Rohan said. "It's not like they hit the ball hard off [reliever Cole] Budinsky."
Seeker said, "We know as well as anyone that you have to get a little bit lucky [to advance]. Two years ago, we won four one-run games to get to Columbus."
Jirsa's first-inning double of Poland starter John Hay scored Caipen with Tallmadge's first run.
Poland took its only lead of the game in the bottom of the first when Shane Davis reached base on an error, Sean Clayton walked and Peters hit a two-out double to right-center field.
Tallmadge regained the lead in the third inning on Caipen's two-run homer, the eighth over-the-fence homer at Cene.