Liberty Union returning to regional finals after hard-fought win vs. Ridgewood

Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

June 2, 2022 at 11:08 PM·4 min read

Liberty Union catcher Austin Ety, left, and pitcher Jacob Miller embrace after securing the final out of a 2-1 win against West Lafayette Ridgewood on Thursday in a Division III regional semifinal on Thursday at Mount Vernon High School.

MOUNT VERNON — Liberty Union’s Jacob Miller was in unfamiliar territory against West Lafayette Ridgewood during Thursday’s Division III regional semifinal.

The senior right-hander, who is considered one of the nation’s top high school pitchers and a projected first-round pick in the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft, trailed 1-0 in the second inning against the Generals.

It was an unearned run, but Miller, who was coming off a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a district final win, isn’t used to pitching while trailing. However, after the Generals scored, Miller was lights out the rest of the way.

The Lions scored a run in the fourth inning to tie it and then scratched out a run in the sixth to take the lead. Miller did the rest, striking out the side in the top of the seventh inning to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory in front of a large crowd at Mount Vernon High School.

Liberty Union (23-5) advances to its second consecutive regional final and will face Proctorville Fairland (21-5) at 3 p.m. Friday at Beavers Field with a state tournament appearance at stake.

Miller seemed to relish in the moment of such an intense game and got stronger as the game went along.

“These are the fun games,” Miller said. “These high-intensity, high-pressure games, this is easily the best game of the year. I feel like I perform my best in the bigger moments, and I feel like I went out there and I proved that today on the biggest stage so far.

“When we scored that second run and took the lead in the sixth, I told my guys the game was over," Miller added. "I knew they weren’t going to score another run, and I definitely felt like I was throwing a little harder in the seventh. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. But we kept battling through all the ups and downs and really showed that we deserve to be here.”

Jacob Miller fires a pitch during Liberty Union's 2-1 win against West Lafayette Ridgewood during a Division III regional semifinal on Thursday at Mount Vernon High School. Miller struck out 15 in a complete game as the Lions reached their second straight regional final.

Miller limited the Generals (16-12-1) to just one hit while striking out 15. Ridgewood scored its lone run on an error at third base and ensuing RBI double to the gap in right field from Kauelen Smith.

The Generals threatened in the sixth inning after Miller hit a batter, and another Liberty Union error and a passed ball put runners at second and third. Facing a full count, Miller shut the door with a big strikeout on a slider.

“We wanted to make (Miller) uncomfortable,” Ridgewood coach Chad Lahna said. “I’m not sure how many of those situations he has been in, but we got it early with Kauelen’s RBI double to go up. To their credit, they responded. We had another opportunity, but the ball didn’t go our way. Kudos to them for earning the win. That’s how baseball goes, but it was a well-played game. It’s the type of game you expect at this level.”

The Lions tied the game in the fourth when John Edwards led off the inning with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jon Wheeler. With two outs, senior catcher Austin Ety delivered with an RBI single.

Liberty Union;s John Edwards is congratulated by teammates Jon Wheeler, left, Jacob Miller and Bobby Savage after scoring the tying run during the fourth inning of a 2-1 win against West Lafayette Ridgewood in a Division III regional semifinal on Thursday at Mount Vernon High School.

In the sixth inning, Cayden Carroll led off with a single and, after a strikeout, Wheeler laid down a bunt on the first base side of the pitcher, who threw to first to get him out. But Carroll made a heads up play by not stopping at second when he noticed the third baseman wasn’t covering the bag. The first baseman threw errantly to third, allowing Carroll to scamper home for the go-ahead run.

“I was just trying to be aggressive on the bases," Carroll said. "And when I saw the bunt go down, I was looking immediately to see where the third baseman was, and as soon as I saw he was past the pitcher’s mound I knew I was taking third. I knew as soon as the throw went over the third basemen’s head that I was scoring and the was game was over, because I knew Jacob was going to go out and do what he does and shut the game down in the seventh.”

Ridgewood ace Chase Booth pitched a complete game and needed only 43 pitches to complete the first four innings. He allowed one earned run.

Liberty Union coach Justin Miller said his players showed a lot of mental fortitude.

“I am extremely proud of how mentally tough we were today,” Miller said. “We won the game because even when we got behind, we never lost faith, stayed focused, and that all comes from being mentally tough. We have talked about this moment every day for a year, to get back to a regional championship game again. It comes down to it being an expectation versus hope, and we expected to be back here because of all the hard work our guys have put in.”

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Liberty Union baseball returning to regional finals after comeback win

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