Creekside storms back from 10-1 deficit

July 19, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

STRUTHERS

Creekside Fitness manager Terry Landis has been coaching baseball for 42 years and he said Saturday’s game with the Ohio Longhorns, without question, ranks in the top five of any game he’s seen.

Trailing 10-1 after three-and-a-half innings, Creekside scored 10 unanswered runs to defeat the Longhorns, 11-10 in nine innings during NABF Senior Division elimination-round action at Bob Cene Park.

The win vaults Creekside (4-1, 35-7) into today’s semifinal round against the Michigan Bulls (3-1), a 13-1 winner over the Akron A’s in five innings.

Ohio Glaciers, Youngstown’s other entry, was eliminated earlier in the day by the Akron A’s, 8-7.

Bill Krull’s single in the bottom of the ninth scored Scott Sada with the game-winning run while Mitch Wood, who had three hits (including two doubles), scored twice and drove in three runs, picked up the win in relief.

“He [Longhorns pitcher Alex Dhaymer] started me with an off-speed pitch that missed and then followed with a fastball that also missed,” Krull said. “I was looking for another off-speed pitch and hoping to go to the right side or up the middle in order to get Scott to third base. When he put the ball where I like it, my natural reaction was to turn on it and the ball just found the hole.”

Sada had three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. He walked to get the inning started for Creekside.

“I wasn’t patient in my previous at-bat, so I was happy to be able to work the count for a walk,” Sada said. “I was a little surprised to get the steal sign, but that put us in scoring position and then once Bill’s ball cleared the infield, they waved me home.”

The Longhorns struck big in the opening frame, sending 10 batters to the plate and took a 6-0 lead.

Alec Shaheen’s triple plated two runs, Will Woods’ single accounted for two more. Christian Owens and Brandon Talion, each of whom reached on errors, raced home after hits by Justin Hovorka, who singled, and Arpit Agrawal, who doubled.

The Longhorns added two more runs in the third inning for an 8-0 margin, the first score coming when Bobby Dixon’s double sent Woods across the dish and the other when Owens’ single, his second in as many innings, enabled Dixon to race home.

Creekside got one of the runs back in its half of the third when Sada led off with a single and later scored on an outfield error with two away.

Ohio Longhorns increased their advantage to 10-1 with two more tallies in the fourth inning, the big blow a two-run single by Dixon that scored Agrawal and Nate Jones.

Creekside sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth and scored four times to cut the lead in half, 10-5.

“The fourth inning was big because that’s when we cut into the lead. Our offense got going, defense played well and everyone just kicked it up a notch,” Landis said.

Wood and Krull each had run-scoring doubles while Sada’s sacrifice fly sent Brady Minetti home, and Kip DeShields’ single then plated Krull.

Creekside then sent seven more batters to the dish in the fifth, adding three more runs to cut the deficit to 10-8.

Wood’s second double in as many innings accounted for one run, a single by Sada drove in another while Jay Scala, who led off the inning by walking, came in on the Longhorns’ fourth miscue.

DeShields led off the sixth for Creekside with a single, went to third when Brandon Kahen followed with a double. DeShields scored on Chase Thurber’s infield grounder to cut the deficit to 10-9.

Wood’s single in the seventh scored Brady Minetti (who had four hits on the day) to force extra innings.

“I thought we were done when it was 10-1, but our coaches gave us an earful in the third inning and it seemed to wake everyone up,” Wood said.

The championship game is set for 2 p.m.