Bates leads Alliance past Canfield

The Aviators rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HUDSON -- Last year, the Canfield High baseball team won both games that it played against Alliance, once in extra innings and the other time in bottom of the seventh inning.
Coty Bates, the Aviators' junior pitcher in Saturday's Division II regional semifinal at Hudson High, remembered those two setbacks and was determined to turn the tide this time around.
And he did, both on the mound and at the plate.
Bates pitched a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts and drove in what turned out to be the winning run in the fourth inning on a single, to lead Alliance to a 2-1 victory and into today's regional final -- just one win away from the Aviators' first trip to the state tournament.
"We lost two tough games to them last year and I just wanted to come out and pitch well today to give us a chance to win," said Bates, who made only one big mistake in the game -- giving up a solo homer to Joe Fox in the second inning that gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Canfield failed to capitalize on the second-inning rally, stranding two runners in the frame and seven overall.
"When we were down a run, it really didn't concern us because we've come back all year long," Alliance coach Jeff Graffice said.
"We never put too much emphasis on a single game and it's really paid off for us this year."
The Aviators (24-2) will play Notre Dame Cathedral Latin in the regional final today at 6 p.m.
NDCL defeated Parma Padua 4-2 in Saturday's other regional semifinal.
Today's game originally was scheduled for 2 p.m., but was reset to accommodate Alliance's graduation ceremonies.
Happy pitcher
Bates (7-2) is happy to be part of the win that put the Aviators on the threshold of school history.
"We're one win away from going to the state and that's something we have never done in school history," Bates said.
Canfield starter Andrew Turocy, who pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts, had a no-hitter going through the first three innings before Alliance rallied for two runs in the fourth.
Ronnie Hull led off the fourth with an infield single and was sacrificed to second by Brad King. But Hull was forced out at third on Brian Nordquist's grounder.
Andrew Hendershot followed with a single up the middle to score King to tie the game and Bates singled home Nordquist for the game-winner.
"I knew what Turocy was throwing me because he pretty much threw the same pitches to Andrew Hendershot," Bates said. "It was a fastball but I was just able to get my bat on it. Fortunately it got through the infield."
Canfield falters at plate
Bates held Canfield to two hits after the second inning.
Cardinals coach Matt Koenig said that one bad inning doomed his team.
"When you get to this caliber game, you just can't do that," Koenig said. "Those mistakes come back to kill you and it did just that today."
Koenig conceded Bates was outstanding.
"He's a great pitcher because he works ahead in the count," Koenig said. "He keeps ahead of the batters with curves and has a very solid fastball."
Turocy said that he "came out strong, struggled in the middle a little bit and finished strong."
He had high praise for Bates.
"He threw one heck of a game," Turocy said. "He made just one mistake. My hat's off to him for his performance today."