'This is a hard one to swallow': Hillsdale baseball's season ends in regional final

GATES MILLS — The Hillsdale baseball team’s dream start to the Division IV Gilmour Academy Regional championship game slowly became a dream that will have the Falcons tossing in their sleep.

Tiffin Calvert overcame a five-run first inning by Hillsdale to eventually claim a state semifinals berth by scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a walk-off 9-8 victory Friday at Gilmour Academy.

“This is a hard one to swallow,” said Hillsdale coach Jason Snow. “We jump out to that five-run lead, and [Calvert] kept battling the whole way through. Give them credit. They hit the ball well for seven innings.

“We talk all the time about the little things in the game. Things like not making plays and walking guys and giving away free bases, and all of those came back to burn us today.”

Falcons explode for five runs in the first inning

Early on, the game looked like it might be a blowout for the Falcons (25-4), who erupted for five runs before Calvert even came to the plate.

Nick Kandel led off the game with a walk and promptly rode home on Jack Fickes’ laser shot over the fence in left field. Ethan Goodwin then left the yard with another blast over the fence near the foul pole to make it 3-0 Hillsdale just three batters into the game.

Caden Fickes and Jake Hoverstock both also scored in the first inning as Hillsdale sent all nine batters to the plate.

But Calvert answered with two runs and trailed 5-2 after one inning.

“They took advantage of those mistakes, and we just couldn’t stop it,” said Snow. “We’ve never really been in that spot where we kept putting pitchers into the game after walking the guys that we did. All you can say is that they never gave up and kept fighting back.”

Calvert scored single runs in the second and third innings and trailed 5-4 entering the fourth inning, when Hillsdale finally found some offense again.

With one out, another Kandel walk was followed by a Jack Fickes single. Goodwin’s RBI double and Caden Fickes’ RBI single pushed the lead back to 7-4 for Hillsdale.

But Calvert again answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, making it a 7-6 ballgame.

Sixth inning key to outcome

The Falcons got their final run of the game in the sixth inning as Caden Fickes’ double drove home Jack Fickes, who had walked.

But the bottom half of the sixth proved to be the dagger for Hillsdale.

Three walks, a hit batter and an infield single that rolled just 20 feet in front of the plate allowed the Senecas to tie the game.

After Hillsdale failed to score in the top half of the seventh, Calvert took their first and only lead of the game with a sharp single to left with the bases loaded.

Calvert had base runners in every inning, stranding 14 runners. If not for some slick fielding by Hillsdale, coupled with some shoddy base running by the Senecas, Calvert could have produced even more runs.

“Every inning they had pressure on us,” said Snow. “They ran themselves out of some innings, and we made some nice plays, too. And without those, who knows what could have happened. We left guys out there, too. We had second and third with one out and don’t score. Both teams had situations like that where they could have added on. Like I told the guys, ‘If we score eight [runs], we expect to win.’”

Jack Fickes had a home run and a single, while Goodwin added a home run and a double. Caden Fickes had a single and a double, and Max Vesper chipped in two singles.

Jake Hoverstock rapped a single in the five-run first. He also made two exceptional plays at shortstop, firing two darts to catcher Daniel Painter to record outs at home plate.

Calvert took advantage of 11 free passes (seven walks, four hit batters) off Falcons pitching.

Hillsdale says goodbye to its three seniors

The game marked the end of the high school careers for Caden Fickes, Goodwin and Mark Abel.

“Their whole goal individually was saying, ‘Do you think we can make it to state?’” Snow said about the contributions of his three seniors. “It is frustrating that we were that close for them. They had that opportunity but just did not get there.

“I explained to the team just what they have given us over their four years and the success they have helped to continue with our program.”

The seniors led by example, according to Snow.

“Hopefully, it will show our younger kids that you don’t just show up and hit,” he said. “You have to hit and hit and hit in the offseason because that is what those guys have done.

“Those three just knew how to win.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Hillsdale baseball loses to Calvert in D-IV regional final