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Chippewa’s Ellis outduels Crestview’s Dickey
By MIKE McLAIN
MASSILLON
Without a rooting interest, you could easily say that the 1-0 win by the Doylestown Chippewa Chipps over the Crestview Rebels was a joy to watch.
Because of the uniform he was wearing, Rebels coach Dan Hill couldn’t always agree with that statement. There was nothing joyful about a run-producing single by Chippewa’s Vince Suso that appeared to land on the left-field foul line in the top of the seventh inning. The hit drove in Gary Thonen with the deciding run in a semifinal of the Massillon Division III regional Friday at Schroeder Field.
Starting pitcher Drew Ellis retired the Rebels in order in the bottom of the seventh for a win that put Chippewa (20-6) in a regional final at 10 a.m. today against the Champion Golden Flashes (25-3). Champion beat Lutheran West 9-3 in another semifinal.
“If you’re a fan and you like defense, it was a great game to watch,” Hill said.
The game featured outstanding efforts by Ellis and Rebels starting pitcher Dylan Dickey. Ellis allowed four hits, struck out four and walked one. Dickey finished his high school career with a four-hit effort, striking out three and walking one.
It was truly a game in which neither starter deserved a loss. Both consistently stayed ahead in the counts. Dickey didn’t allow a base runner beyond second until the seventh. Ellis didn’t allow any runner to reach third base.
“Take nothing away from him [Ellis],” Dickey said. “He pitched a fantastic game. They got a couple of hits they needed and they finished the game. It’s nice to have a battle like that.”
The Rebels’ best scoring chance came when Caleb Hill walked with one out in the first and Tyler Hurd singled with two outs. Ellis then struck out Dylan Duff.
Crestview (15-12) was hurt by an inability to advance runners in the fifth and sixth. Kaden Davis singled leading off the fifth. Peyton Wolfe was retired when a bunt attempt was caught in foul territory by catcher Luke Brown. Tyler Fitzsimmons led off the sixth with a single, but Caleb Hill grounded into a double play after failing to advance Fitzsimmons with a bunt.
“We’re standing there, and I said, ‘We have to get on, get over and get in or we need a two-base hit,’ ” Dan Hill said.
Dickey struck out Ray Petit leading off the top of the seventh. Cole Thompson then lined to Huff in center field. Huff went to the ground in trying to make the catch, but he wasn’t able to maintain possession. The play was ruled an error, which made the run unearned.
Thompson was retired on a fielder’s choice, with Thonen reaching first. Spencer Bailey singled, setting up Suso’s game-winning hit.
“It wasn’t an overpowering hit,” Dan Hill said. “It had eyes and it found a spot.”
Dickey expressed pride for being part of the first team to win a district championship in school history. That won’t make the loss any easier to take.
“It’s tough to get over,” Dickey said. “I’m going to probably stay on this one for a couple of months. I’ll never get to play on this field with these guys again.”
Dan Hill was choked with emotion talking about the memorable season and what the future holds.
“We build on everything,” Dan Hill said. “We build on the two league titles from a couple of years ago. I know we’ll build on this district championship. It’s a great opportunity right now to be at Crestview. Our football team has been highly successful. Our track teams have been highly successful. Now our baseball team has picked up the slack, and I know our basketball program is going to turn it around. It’s building on all those things.”