Baseball playoffs: Clear Spring rolls past Catoctin, into state quarterfinals

Tuesday

Md. 1A West Region II final

Clear Spring 13, Catoctin 5

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

It’s 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 out of the infield if laid end to end. They were the two blows that 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 Heiser 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 Heiser 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.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Baseball playoffs: Clear Spring blanks Boonsboro to reach region final