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Crestview tops South Range in ITCL baseballl title showdown
Bryan’s bunt lifts
Rebels to ITCL
championship
By Steve WILAJ
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
Crestview coach Dan Hill considered a few things as his No. 3 hitter, Chris Bryan, stepped to the plate in the top of the sixth with runners on second and third, one out and the score tied at 1.
“We weren’t driving the ball to the outfield,” Hill said. “[South Range pitcher Greg Dunham] is such a good pitcher ... and with [Mike] McDonough on the mound, we thought one run would be enough at that point.”
So Hill called for a suicide squeeze — which Bryan executed perfectly.
Defeating the Raiders, 3-1, on Wednesday at South Range High, Bryan’s sixth-inning bunt broke the tie and scored the decisive two runs. McDonough did the rest as he earned a complete-game victory in the contest that decided the ITCL Upper Tier championship — Crestview’s first league title since 2002.
“It’s surreal,” said McDonough, a junior lefty and Ohio State commit who struck out 10 in seven innings. “We all got together and set goals and this was definitely one of them.”
McDonough downed South Range (13-8, 5-3) last Thursday as well, as he struck out 14 in a 1-0 win for the Rebels (15-5, 7-2).
Allowing just one run on three hits and three walks this time around, he outdueled Dunham. The Raiders starter surrendered three runs and struck out 10.
“Mike’s been sick all day and I think it was just a gutsy performance,” Hill said. “Do I think he was a little sharper against them last time? Maybe a little. But still, we’re gonna put our best against their best and it worked out for us.”
Crestview’s top of the sixth was sparked by a Tyler Fitzsimmons one-out infield single. Joel Fitzsimmons then reached on a throwing error as they advanced to second and third. That set the stage for Bryan’s squeeze.
“It was a little high and outside, but I had to do anything to get the run in,” Bryan said.
Dunham fielded the bunt, but his throw home skipped to the backstop as both Fitzsimmons scored.
“We were looking for it, but there’s just no defense to a good suicide squeeze,” Raiders coach Jim Hanek said. “They played a clean game today and McDonough pitched fantastically. He kept us off-balance and really commanded the ball.”
South Range got to McDonough briefly in the bottom of the third.
After the Rebels took a 1-0 lead in the top half on Riley Mackall’s RBI single, the Raiders loaded the bases with one out. Josh Fromel’s fielder’s choice brought home one run, but McDonough cruised from there on out.
“I knew in my mind it was gonna be harder because they had more of a scouting report on me,” he said. “But I moved my fastball around a lot and my curveball dropped well again.”
South Range’s Dylan Keller doubled in the fifth inning, but was left stranded.
Meanwhile, Jacob Wick and Daniel Moore also recorded hits for the Crestview squad that earned its first conference title in 14 years.
“Coach Hill’s main idea has been, ‘We not me,’” said Josh McGoogin, who scored the Rebels’ first run. “I think that came through tonight. The squeeze was a selfless play.”