Ursuline is state-bound

The Irish are regional champions with a 12-15 record.
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzo@vindy.com & gt;By JOE SCALZO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MASSILLON -- The ball was still traveling and Kevin Barry had just started trotting and the Ursuline Irish were rolling and nobody knows when this crazy dream season is going to end, so he figured he might as well enjoy the moment.
So as he rounded first base after his fifth inning homer, Barry stuck his right index finger in the air and smiled.
No. 1? Sure. Why not? Nothing else about Ursuline's season makes sense, so after Monday's 5-3 Division III regional final win over Elyria Catholic, it's just crazy enough to be true.
"Unbelievable," Barry said. "I couldn't believe it."
What? The home run? The game? The season? All of it?
The Irish started the season 2-8. Three teams tied for the Steel Valley Conference title -- and Ursuline wasn't one of them. The Irish (12-15) could win the state title and still not finish with a winning record.
And yet, they're still playing. And every other area baseball team has gone home.
"I'm in disbelief," said winning pitcher Josh Conkey. "We're surprising everyone."
Even you?
"Even me a little," he said with a laugh.
Crunch time
It may not have matched last Friday's 12-inning marathon win over Cleveland Villa-Angela St. Joseph for pageantry, but Monday's game was plenty nerve-wracking. Especially in the seventh inning, when Elyria Catholic loaded the bases with two outs and seemed poised to replay the rally magic that had worked so well in the Panthers' come-from-behind win over Campbell Memorial in the regional semifinal on Sunday.
But as Ursuline coach Sean Durkin paced in front of the dugout and the players on the bench prayed from their knees and the fans held their breath, Conkey stayed calm.
Then he delivered, striking out Joe Bailosky to end the game. And as the Irish spilled out from the dugout, engulfing Conkey, Durkin squatted down and smiled. And assistant coach Bill Metzinger came up and planted a kiss on his bald head.
"I guess I don't know what to say about this team," Durkin said. "They're clutch, they've got courage, they've got character.
"I couldn't be prouder."
St. Henry next
The Irish advance to play St. Henry (27-3) at 10 a.m. Friday at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
And pay no attention to the records -- this Irish team is for real.
"I don't know if they're on a roll, but I know they're a lot better than their record," Elyria Catholic coach Todd Brubaker said. "That's not a 13-15 team."
Actually, they're not. But you know what he meant.
"We'll be cheering for them," Brubaker said, "and I don't know if this means anything, but the last three teams that beat us won the state title."
The Panthers lost to Heath, 7-2, in last year's Div. III state final. They lost to eventual state champion Tallmadge in the Div. II regional final in 2001 and in 2000 they lost to Ursuline, which went on to win the school's second state baseball title.
"There's some similarities," Durkin said of this team and the 2000 edition. "This team is pitching-dominated and so was that team."
But isn't this team a surprise?
"Not really," Durkin said. "We played some good teams during the regular season and really thought we had a good shot in the tournament."
Leading the way
Conkey had two hits, including a triple to start the game, scored twice and had an RBI. John Metzinger added two RBIs for the Irish.
For the Panthers (21-5), Jake Bailosky pitched the final five innings, giving up four runs on four hits to get the loss. Jay Fitch had three hits, including a double and an RBI, and Jeff Hladun added two hits.
Now Ursuline sits two wins away from a state title. And even when the Irish were struggling at the beginning of the season, Durkin knew this team could be special.
He just wondered if they knew.
"I was worried the kids wouldn't believe," he said. "But they stayed together and put together a good season.
"It's really remarkable."
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzok@vindy.com & gt;scalzo@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;