TOURNAMENT BASEBALL Seybert leads Columbiana to 1-0 victory

He pitched a three-hitter against seventh-ranked South Range.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BEAVER TOWNSHIP -- Not only were two of the best high school pitchers in the area locked in a mound duel, but they also were locked in a batters' duel -- what little of it that there was -- Tuesday at Green Beaver Complex.
Seniors Brett Seybert of Columbiana High and George Rohan of South Range were mowing down batters with strikeouts while keying their offenses in the Division III sectional tournament final.
The winner: Seybert and Columbiana, 1-0, to advance to the Cene Park District in Struthers.
Seybert pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and only one walk. He also got the only hit off Rohan to drive in Ryan Schmidt with the winning run in the first inning to enable the Clippers (13-7) to prevail. Schmidt walked and then stole second.
Rohan, in addition to his one-hitter, struck out 11 but walked six; and he also got two of the three hits off Seybert.
Throwing hard
"I had pretty good heat on the fastball. I had the curveball going [too] and the wind might have [helped] it," said Seybert (6-3, 235), who is headed for Milligan College in Milligan College, Tenn., to study English and play more baseball. "I didn't get tired. I got better later in the game."
Seybert said Rohan served him a curveball that didn't break on the first pitch for his winning hit.
"It kind of hung up there. I like to swing at the first pitch because they like to throw for a strike," Seybert said.
Szolek lauds Seybert
Coach Dan Szolek of South Range (15-4 and No. 7 in this week's poll of Ohio's Div. III teams) paid compliments galore to Seybert.
"He set up a lot of batters. He was phenomenal. He's the best pitcher we faced this year," Szolek said. "We took too many pitches, maybe only the fastballs. And when you do that, you start getting in a hole. Then you have to swing at pitchers' pitches."
Coach Bruce Wolfe of Columbiana said Seybert was throwing "fastball, fastball, fastball, with a curve mixed in once in awhile."
South Range blew a golden opportunity to get back into the game in the sixth inning. Ryan Maxwell opened with a single, but was then cut down trying to steal second base by catcher Shaun Ortiz.
Then another out later, Rohan's single to center rolled under centerfielder Eric Gustafson's leg for an error, enabling Rohan to leg it to third base, But Rohan's brother, Greg Rohan, struck out to end the threat.
"We had a bunt-and-run on that [Maxwell's steal attempt]. The batter [Hogie Walley] wasn't able to get the bat on the ball," Szolek said. "[But] I don't think he [the fielder] made the tag."
Wolfe said Ortiz has a strong throwing arm.
"Shaun threw two guys out at second base," Wolfe said. "Only [about] three runners stole on him [this season]. The kid has a cannon."
Wolfe said his team also blew scoring chances.
"We left the bases loaded twice," he said.
kovach@vindy.com