Baseball playoffs: Blazers ride Trobaugh's gem into state final

Tuesday

1A state semifinals

Clear Spring 1, Allegany 0

A school bus tire.

That was the only thing that was flat for Clear Spring.

The Blazers — especially pitcher Hutson Trobaugh — ran like a well-oiled machine in front of 608 fans at McCurdy Field in Frederick.

The Blazers didn’t throw a tire — even though their bus did — as Trobaugh thoroughly dominated No. 1-seeded Allegany with a two-hitter with 16 strikeouts to move Clear Spring into Saturday’s state final against Colonel Richardson at 1 p.m. at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf.

“Everything worked,” the junior left-hander said. “I felt great. After the first inning, I settled down. I wasn’t surprised at all.”

The Campers had no answers for Trobaugh once he hit his groove.

After allowing a two-out single to Allegany pitcher Griffin Madden — who had both Campers hits — in the first, Trobaugh struck out the next eight and 11 of the next 12 batters. He rolled through Allegany efficiently in just 94 pitches.

“Trobaugh followed the game plan,” Clear Spring coach Mark Shives said. “This was one of the best pitched games you are ever going to see. Both pitchers took the ball and were under control. It was a mistake-free game, with the exception of a couple of overthrows.

“This was one of those games that you just sat on a bucket and watched.”

Madden was almost as effective with his own complete game, allowing one run on five hits while striking out nine.

The game was scoreless until fifth when the Blazers manufactured a run.

“We did what we have done all year,” Shives said.

Chris Hose was hit by a Madden pitch to open the inning. He took his base, a little annoyed about being plunked, but it became the catalyst for the inning.

With a 1-1 count on Jakob Hull, Allegany catcher Josef Sneathen fired a high pickoff throw to first over Caedon Wallace’s head, which allowed Hose to take second.

Three pitches later, Hull hit a grounder to third baseman Alex Kennell, who threw to first for the out.

On the throw, Hose broke for third. Wallace, after recording the out, fired the ball back to third. The throw was wide, getting past the diving Kennell, which allowed Hose to score.

“I didn’t know what happened,” Hose said. “I ran on the throw and saw the kid dive. I heard (third-base) coach Brandon (Glazer) yell ‘get up’ and I went home.”

After crossing the plate, Hose knew the Blazers were in a good position.

“Yeah,” he said when asked if he thought one run was enough. “With Hut on the mound, I knew we’d be all right. We have been riding him all year. We believe in him. It was a big game and he controlled the big moments.”

From there, Trobaugh retired nine of the last 11 batters he faced. The only runners were a pair of hit by pitches in the fifth and seventh innings, both with two outs. Six of those nine outs were strikeouts.

Wallace hit into a fielder’s choice to short to end the game, starting a celebration for the Blazers, who reach the finals for the fourth time in school history — 1980, 1981 and 2010 — winning the title on the first trip.

The Blazers showed resiliency after a rough trip to the game.

“We were coming up Braddock Mountain and blew a tire,” Shives said. “We were on the side of the road and parents, who were traveling to the game, saw us. Each car took two or three kids with them to the field.

“I watched each one as he left the bus and the look on their face never changed. They weren’t bothered. That’s the way this team has been all year. They have been focused on what they needed to do.”

Clear Spring finished with five hits, led with Trobaugh with two, including fifth-inning triple after the run scored. The Blazers left six runners in scoring position from the second through fifth innings.

Friday

1A state quarterfinals

Clear Spring 5, South Carroll 0

It was unanimous.

The Blazers — to a man — were convinced they would get to the Cavaliers early in the Class 1A quarterfinal game.

The eyes had it.

The Blazers (15-6) picked up an early read on South Carroll pitcher Braden Cordrey in his warmups and immediately produced four runs in the first inning of a victory that sends Clear Spring into a showdown with top-seed Allegany in Tuesday's semifinals.

Hutson Trobaugh ignited the rally with a one-out home run to center field, a shot that sent South Carroll's Logan Miller tumbling over the fence in an effort to catch the drive.

It started a string of five straight Blazers reaching base, as eight batted in the opening inning.

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“He was opening up,” said Trobaugh, a left-handed hitter against the right-handed pitcher. “I had a clear view of the ball and saw it all the way. Everyone said that they could see the ball coming out of his hand.”

Clear Spring took a long, hard look at Cordrey as he took his warmup tosses. The Blazers' entire batting order stood in succession — from leadoff to No. 9 — along the first-base line with bats in hand to practice their timing.

They chirped about their good feelings as the game began.

After Jakob Hull opened with a solid lineout to center, Trobaugh connected with his big swing.

“It was an 0-2 pitch and he was quick to me with the first pitch,” he said. “After that one, it allowed me to get my timing.”

Clear Spring loaded the bases after the homer, setting up a two-run single by Kannon Shives and a sacrifice fly by Braeden Wade to balloon the lead to 4-0.

“They came off the bus ready to roll,” Clear Spring coach Mark Shives said. “I was a little upset we took our foot off the gas after that, but I had a senior on the mound. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he gutted through it. We have been riding him all year and hopefully we’ll be able to do it one more time (in the state final).”

The senior was Clayton Boyer, who had an uneven start by his standards, but got all the outs when needed over his 4 2/3 innings.

South Carroll produced eight base runners against Boyer during the outing — including five in scoring position — but couldn’t push a run across. Boyer was lifted with two outs in the fifth and two runners on.

“The heat got to me some. I haven’t pitched in it at all this year,” Boyer said. “There was a big hole on the mound and it was hot. I felt like I was falling down the mound.

“I wasn’t happy with the way it ended. I didn’t feel good about that, but I left still with my string of (28 2/3) scoreless innings this season.”

Wade entered and hit a batter to load the bases. Kannon Shives, a freshman, got the call and recorded the final seven outs to close out the win.

“Trobaugh’s homer was big,” Mark Shives said. “Boyer did what we expected. I was proud of his effort. We did what we have been doing all year — pitch it, pick it and hit the ball when it’s time.”

Clear Spring added an insurance run in the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Logan Helser.

Boyer allowed four hits, two walks and two hit batters to go with seven strikeouts.

The Blazers collected 10 hits, with eight of the nine hitters getting at least one. Kannon Shives and Malakai Cunningham led the way with two each.

Clear Spring will face Allegany at McCurdy Field on Tuesday at either 4 or 7 p.m.

Tuesday

Md. 1A West Region II final

Clear Spring 13, Catoctin 5

There’s a reason box scores don’t come with illustrations.

They're proof every hit isn’t exactly a line drive.

Clear Spring’s Kannon Shives and Braeden Wade might be thankful there isn’t any definitive visual proof of the balls they put into play Tuesday.

Then again, they may not care.

Shives and Wade struck two balls that may not have made it out of the infield if laid end to end. They were the two blows that gave the Blazers the lead and ignited an eight-run fifth inning that led to their victory over the top-seeded Cougars.

Shives’ dribbled single with the bases loaded broke a 1-1 tie, followed by Wade’s well-placed, soft fielder’s-choice grounder that led to a throwing error to make it 3-1. Both plays were key in moving the Blazers (15-6) into the state quarterfinals.

“That was a big turning point,” Shives said. “It gave us momentum.”

With the bases loaded and one out, the stage was set for shots heard around the world — or at least in Thurmont.

Instead, Shives and Ward came through with whispers.

Shives, a freshman, spent most of the game topping pitches thrown by Catoctin starter Dalton Williams. On a two-strike offering, he nipped another one, going about 30 feet along the third-base line. Logan Simanski couldn’t field it in time to prevent Hutson Trobaugh from scoring the go-ahead run.

“It was a situation where we could have used a bunt,” Shives said. “(Williams) came inside on my hands.”

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Wade followed with the bases still loaded. With the Catoctin infield playing in, Wade slapped a slow roller — again with two strikes — that remained on the grass. Cougars second baseman Jacob Bell charged to the first-base side for a scoop, but his wild throw to home allowed Logan Helser to score for a two-run advantage.

“It was a fight-off,” Wade said. “I got to two strikes and did what Coach (Mark Shives) has been telling me to do all year — shorten my swing and tried to go to the right side. He had beat me inside and I visualized what I had to do.”

Williams and the Cougars became a bit unnerved by all the traffic on the bases as the Blazers sent 12 hitters to the plate in the eight-run outburst. Malakai Cunningham and Helser each provided two-run doubles to help expand the lead to 9-1.

Trobaugh, the starting pitcher, battled through the first four innings, where he was dominant, yet vulnerable.

Clear Spring gave him a 1-0 lead in the third when Dawson Kehr popped a ball down the right-field line that became an RBI double that fell between a pair of diving Cougars.

Trobaugh put up zeroes until Joey McMannis clubbed a solo homer to left to lead off the fourth and tie the game.

After Clear Spring took control in the fifth, Catoctin used three doubles — by Bryont Green, Simanski and McMannis — to ignite a three-run sixth and get back within 9-4.

“I just went out and got into rhythm,” Trobaugh said of the earlier innings. “I knew I had my team behind me. Once we scored, I knew we had it when we went up. It felt good to get the cushion, but I started hanging pitches over the plate (in the sixth).”

Trobaugh left after 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Kehr pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run in the seventh on a hit, a walk and a hit batter while fanning two.

Clear Spring added four insurance runs against Catoctin relievers Simanski and Peyton Castellow. Trobaugh mashed an RBI double, Helser hit a two-run single and Kehr added a sacrifice fly.

The Blazers collected 12 hits, led by Helser with three hits and four RBIs. Trobaugh and Kehr had two hits and an RBI each, and Cunningham had two RBIs.

“We haven’t been hitting well all year,” Mark Shives said. “We have had good pitching and played good defense, but you could see it coming. Today’s game was all about contact and the top of our order came through today (6-for-9, eight runs scored, six RBIs).”

Clear Spring’s next opponent is to be determined. The state quarterfinalists will be reseeded, with the top four earning home games to be played either Friday or Saturday.

Saturday

Md. 1A West Region II semifinals

Clear Spring 5, Boonsboro 0

Paybacks are a … Boyer.

What once came around went around as Blazers starting pitcher Clayton Boyer settled a few scores with the Warriors.

With the help of a two-run lead before he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning, Boyer came out and shut down Boonsboro.

“I have everything against Boonsboro,” the senior left-hander said. “They have been smacking me around since I was a freshman. … This feels great. I loved going out with two runs in the top of the first inning. It made it easy.”

Clear Spring will travel to Catoctin for the region final on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Boyer held the Warriors (14-6) in check, allowing only four hits and two walks — to go with seven strikeouts — over six innings.

It was Boyer’s opportunity to come full circle, finishing where his high school career basically started.

“When he was a freshman, we put him in a game against Boonsboro and they got to him,” Clear Spring coach Mark Shives said. “Boonsboro was a powerhouse, but we put him in to get a feel for what it’s like to pitch a varsity game.

“Today, I really enjoyed watching him make the transformation from being that freshman to the senior pitcher he has become.”

The Blazers (14-6) got the timely hits that Boonsboro couldn’t find.

Clear Spring scored two in the first by cashing in following walks to Jakob Hull and Hutson Trobaugh to start the frame. Logan Helser hit an RBI single to right and Dawson Kehr grounded to third to plate the runs.

From there, Boyer handled Boonsboro, but it wasn’t as easy as the score might show.

Boyer switched into a different mode when the Warriors got runners on base. He escaped with runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and sixth innings to protect the shutout.

Boyer also benefitted in the first inning when Warriors leadoff hitter Mattie Koeneke was gunned down at the plate trying to score on a groundout.

“I just get mad,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Why are you on my base? Get out of here.’

“I’m usually pretty decent under pressure. It feels good. I’ve been pretty consistent all season. It took me some time to ramp up but now I’m here.”

Koeneke, Boonsboro’s starter, had a similar game but didn’t have the fortune Boyer enjoyed with runners on base. He pitched six innings, allowing four runs — two earned — on six hits and two walks while striking out seven.

The Blazers produced the timely hits, though.

Clear Spring doubled its lead in the fifth after Hull and Trobaugh led off with singles. They both scored on a two-out infield error.

The Blazers picked up an insurance run in the seventh against reliever Blake Kellerman. Hull led off with a single and took second on pinch-hitter Lane Poffenberger’s sacrifice bunt. Damien Pittsnogle hit a two-out single for an RBI.

Trobaugh pitched the seventh for Clear Spring, striking out the side to end the game.

Hull led the Blazers’ seven-hit attack with two, along with a walk, and scored three runs. Trobaugh scored the other two runs.

Michael Dyer doubled for Boonsboro.

Md. 3A West Region I semifinals

Thomas Johnson 8, South Hagerstown 5

Two days after upsetting Oakdale in the quarterfinals, the Rebels (5-15) stayed close against the host Patriots but came up short.

AJ Allen, Danny Orr and Ben Pearch — the top three hitters in Thomas Johnson's lineup — each had two hits. Only two of the Patriots' eight runs came via RBIs, as two runs scored on double steals, one scored on a wild pitch, one came home on a passed ball, one scored on an error and the final run came home on the last of South's three balks.

The Rebels cut Thomas Johnson's lead to 3-2 on freshman Cam Kelley's two-run double in the second inning, and cut the lead to 6-4 in the fourth on Connor Ceci's two-run single. Kadin Holmes added an RBI single in the seventh.

James Kershner hit two doubles and Ceci and Isaiah Licorish also had two hits each for South.

May 12

1A West Region II quarterfinals

Clear Spring 11, Hancock 1

Braeden Wade pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts, and Malakai Cunningham went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the Blazers (13-6) past the Panthers (4-12) in six innings.

Clear Spring sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored eight runs. The Blazers added a run in the second inning and two more in the sixth.

“Braeden Wade threw a great game,” Clear Spring coach Mark Shives said. “We kind of did what we wanted to do and came out hot. But then we got lethargic a little bit. I wasn’t real happy with that, but at this point of the year, it’s get in, get out, stay healthy and go to the next game.”

For Hancock, which scored its lone run in the fourth inning, Seth Bivens and Daniel Thomas each had two hits.

“Hats off to Hancock,” Shives said. “When you’re a small town like that, and you’re fighting to keep a program and a school afloat … those kids came in and they fought. We took an eight-run lead, and the kid on the mound (Blaire Ray) fought.

“I’m impressed with people who are good with the game and execute the game, and Hancock did that. It was an excellently-played game on both sides.”

Next up for Clear Spring is a trip to Boonsboro on Saturday for the semifinals at 10 a.m. The Blazers and Warriors split their two games in the regular season.

“They’re a good team, and they’ve been the hottest team in the county the past few years,” Shives said of Boonsboro. “It should be a good game. I’m looking forward to it. Two good teams, it should be a fun atmosphere.”

Boonsboro 8, Williamsport 1

Evan Weaver allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out eight in a six-inning start, and the host Warriors (14-5) took advantage of seven errors by the Wildcats (4-16) to pull away.

Boonsboro only had four hits but made the most of five walks and Williamsport's miscues. Matt Koeneke, Wyatt Jervis, Michael Dyer and Carter Stotelmyer each had a hit and an RBI.

The Warriors will host Clear Spring on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Brunswick 3, Smithsburg 0

Oliver Ellison pitched a five-hit shutout to lead the host Railroaders past the Leopards (10-9).

Joey Sweeney hit a two-run single in the sixth inning to provide the biggest blow for Brunswick.

3A West Region I quarterfinals

South Hagerstown 5, Oakdale 2

The sixth-seeded Rebels (5-14) went on the road and upset the third-seeded Bears.

James Kershner fired a three-hitter for South. Kadin Holmes homered, Bryson Hutzell hit two doubles. and Connor Ceci also had two hits.

The Rebels will travel to play second-seed Thomas Johnson on Saturday at noon.

Linganore 10, North Hagerstown 0

Michael Dodson held the Hubs (9-12) to one hit and two walks in a five-inning shutout as the host Lancers advanced.

Aden Hose had the lone hit for North.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Baseball playoffs: Blazers shut out South Carroll, get Allegany next