Donati dominates in relief
May 15—PENDLETON — After many nights of frustration watching the opponent find gaps in the defense for base hits, those good fortunes turned in Pendleton Heights' favor Friday evening at Bill Stoudt Field.
The Arabians strung together four straight hits during a four-run sixth inning rally and got outstanding relief work from senior Jadon Donati in a 6-3 comeback win over rival Lapel.
It was the second straight win for Pendleton Heights (10-13) while Lapel (11-12) slipped below the .500 mark for the first time with a second consecutive defeat.
After the Arabians had been stymied by Lapel starter Owen Imel for much of the first five innings, they got it going in the sixth frame, which came as little surprise to Bulldogs coach — and former PH assistant — Matt Campbell.
"It was timely hitting on their behalf," Campbell said. "Kudos to them. They did a great job. That's kind of what they're known for. You know what you're going to get, that solid defense, and they're going to play small ball when they get the opportunities and timely hitting.
Nursing a 3-2 lead, Imel retired the first batter of the sixth before he ran into trouble. Caleb Frakes, Maverik Mollenkopf and Hunter Eikenberry dropped consecutive singles over the infield to load the bases for senior Mitchell Cobb.
"We finally had some balls that we didn't hit very hard find some holes," acting PH coach Brad Schnepp said. "That was huge. We had a couple big hits that inning. We finally put it together and had a big inning."
Schnepp was filling in for head coach Matt Vosburgh, who was sitting out following a Wednesday evening ejection.
Cobb followed with the biggest hit of the inning, grounding a 2-2 pitch through the left side of the infield to score two runs and give the Arabians a 4-3 lead. With Ryan Graham at the plate, Eikenberry advanced to third on a wild pickoff attempt and scored on a throwing error from the outfield for a 5-3 lead. After Graham walked and Evan MacMillan was hit by a pitch, Donati capped the inning with a run-scoring flyball to plate Cobb.
That rally held up as the winning margin thanks to the work of Donati on the mound.
He entered in relief of starter Arturo Casas in the fourth with two Lapel runs in and the bases loaded. While he walked the first batter he faced, Isaac Bair, to force in a run, he got the dangerous Parker Allman to fly out and end the threat.
Over the next three innings, he allowed no hits and walked two more but struck out five — including four on called third strikes — thanks to an effective breaking ball.
"I just relied on the curveball really. I just threw it in there," Donati said.
Schnepp, the Arabians' pitching coach, said this is a role that could suit Donati during the upcoming postseason.
"As a pitching coach, we've been thinking about that for him. We think that will be a good role for him come sectional time," Schnepp said. "His curveball is so good it's really unhittable. When he's throwing strikes, he can get just about anybody out."
Brock Harper and Cam Gooding delivered RBI singles for Lapel during the fourth when the Bulldogs did all their scoring and took a 3-1 lead.
Eikenberry gave PH its first lead on a second-inning sacrifice fly, and the Arabians cut the deficit to one in the fourth when Clayton Turner scored on a wild pitch.
Both teams will play a pair of games Saturday. Lapel hosts Knightstown for a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. while the Arabians will head to Mooresville for a four-team tournament, playing the host school at 10 a.m. and a second game at either 2 or 4 p.m.
Contact Rob Hunt at
or 765-640-4886.