Newark Catholic baseball surges past Granville Christian, into OHSAA district final

NEWARK — Tanner Elwell's job at the top of the Newark Catholic baseball lineup is to work the pitcher, so the senior left fielder had to apologize for a first-pitch RBI single on Monday.

Granville Christian could not keep Elwell off the bases, and he set the table for what became the top-seeded Green Wave's 14-1 victory against the No. 11 Lions (8-8) in a Division IV district semifinal.

"All of the coaches yell at me for swinging at the first pitch," Elwell laughed. "Sometimes, it works out."

NC (21-6) plays No. 6 Cardington (13-13) for a district title at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Vernon Nazarene. Cardington shut out No. 4 Millersport 8-0.

Elwell reached base all four times, scoring the first run in a three-run first inning against GCA senior ace right-hander Joe Benvie. He had an RBI hit to deep short and later scored in a five-run third, and he scored following his third hit in a six-run fourth.

"When somebody's on base, our primary goal is to either move them over or score them," Elwell said. "Anytime there is someone on base, it is great to unload and get them moving."

GCA, playing in the program's first district semifinal, was at the top of its game in an 8-2 victory at Fisher Catholic last Wednesday. On Monday, Benvie struggled to find the zone, walking nine and Lions compounded their issues with allowing more free bases on several wild pitches and three errors.

"We talked about to not lose sight of where we ended up," GCA coach Greg Rhoads said. "We are building, and then to come play against a team like Newark Catholic, that's the bar. Now, we see where we have to get. What I appreciated, too, is there wasn't a quit. We found a way to score, did the little things we needed to do to get a run, and that's just building those good baseball habits."

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Eli Morris and Shae Mummey had RBI hits for NC in the first inning. Those three early runs proved to be plenty for junior right-hander Braylon Bates.

Bates allowed a two-out infield hit to Benvie in the first inning and walked sophomore Andrew Benvie with two outs in the second, but he was dominant through the first four innings. Andrew Benvie's leadoff triple in the fifth and a following RBI ground ball by junior Jayden Leija gave the Lions their only run against Bates.

"I was surprised because I usually come in and close the game, but they wanted me to start today," Bates said. "Eli has helped me out a lot. He is a like a player-coach to me. He has the speed, and I have the stuff, I guess."

Bates struck out eight, allowing two hits and one walk. NC went to its bench late with senior Warren Knowlton and Bates delivering back-to-back RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth, and junior right fielder Cormac Thress making a diving catch in foul territory for the final out in the top of the fifth.

"(Anden Zupancic-Fairburn and Bates) are not necessarily considered like a Nos. 1 and 2, but they are throwing like them, which is good," said NC coach John Cannizzaro, who now has Morris and Mummey both fresh for Wednesday. "We've established some pitching depth. We like the idea that they are around the strike zone all day. That can solve a lot of problems."

Joe Benvie and classmate Brendon Austin, two of five GCA seniors, wrapped up quite a school year. Two of the top students in their class, Benvie and Austin were key players on a 10-4-1 soccer team and led the basketball team to its best season since moving into the Ohio High School Athletic Association before last week's milestone on the diamond.

"It's just building on the steps for our school," Austin said. "They are building blocks for teams moving forward. We fought to the end, and you can't ask for anything else. ... We played loose (against Fisher Catholic), and it was probably the best game we've played all year. The first game, we lost 7-2 to them, and to come back and beat them just proves we can play with anybody."

GCA also graduates Riley McInturff, Roger Taylor and Jack Hood, who had a strong offensive season but missed Monday's game due to a tooth extraction. The Lions return plenty of talent, including freshmen Bentley Johnson and Jake Keiser, who start in the infield, and junior Zay Conrad, who came in from center field, and finished the bottom of the fourth inning on the mound.

NC meanwhile continues its pursuit of its first district title since 2019 after falling last season to Fisher Catholic. The Green Wave, who wrapped up the Licking County League-Cardinal Division title earlier this month, were focused on Monday.

"When you get to the playoffs, you start getting nervous for every game because you know you have a chance of not playing here again, so that hits you," Elwell said. "(Assistant coach Danny Mummey) said if you are not nervous before these games, there is something wrong with you."

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Catholic baseball surges past Granville Christian in OHSAA play