PENDLETON — A young and improving Pendleton Heights baseball team completed a marathon day Tuesday with its second consecutive sectional championship.
Senior Nick Hathcoat had three hits and scored three runs as the Arabians beat No. 10 Connersville 11-4 at the Pendleton Heights Field of Dreams to win their second game of the day and a sectional crown.
Pendleton broke open a 5-0 lead after two innings, but the Spartans – who overcame a 10-run deficit against Highland in Monday’s semifinal – closed it to 5-3 in the fourth.
Arabians center fielder Dezmon Nunn made an incredible diving catch with runners on second and third to end the inning, and Pendleton Heights never looked back.
The Arabians answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and scored four more in the fifth to put the game away.
Pendleton advanced to the title game thanks largely to the efforts of senior Nate Frazier.
The senior allowed just one run on four hits, and the Arabians defeated the Cougars 2-1. The effort was enough to push Pendleton Heights into the title game for the second year in a row.
“That was an outstanding performance in a really tough situation,” Arabians coach Bill Stoudt said. “It was a must game. He’s a senior, and he rose to the occasion.”
For a moment, it appeared as though Frazier’s day would come to an early end. A line drive by Kurt Castrodale glanced off Frazier’s leg. He recovered and made the throw to first to end the inning. A short while later, however, coaches called up to the press box for trainers to take a look at the injury.
“He pitched beautifully,” Stoudt said. “Especially after the first inning. A lot of kids would want to come out of the ballgame in a situation like that.”
Frazier’s battles continued in the bottom of the third. After a leadoff walk and a strikeout, he induced a ground ball that seemed to destined for a double play. Greenfield-Central’s Nick Grant beat the throw to first, however, to keep the inning alive.
Frazier threw a strike to Seth Revolt to start the next at-bat before the umpires called a mandatory 30-minute delay for lightning. As the storm passed through south Madison County, that delay stretched to 90 minutes, but there was never any thought given to removing Frazier from the game.
“He was going no matter what,” Stoudt said.
When played resumed, Grant stole second and scored on Revolt’s single. But Frazier dug in from there, and the Arabians’ offense found a way to do just enough to get the win.
Pendleton scored the tying run in the fifth after Brock Copeland drew a leadoff walk. Taylor Sullivan came on as a pinch runner and moved to second base on a balk. A pair of beautifully executed sacrifice bunts by Tyler Holloway and Mitch Patishall brought Sullivan home.
“That’s one thing we’ve done recently very, very well,” Stoudt said of the bunts. “We worked on it and worked on it and worked on it, and it’s finally starting to pay off. The deeper you go into the tournament, the more you have to bunt.”
A little luck helped the Arabians score the winning run in the sixth.
Nick Hathcoat doubled with one out but couldn’t advance on Ben Cronk’s fly out to right field. That brought cleanup hitter Dezmon Nunn to the plate. He hit a hard shot that bounced off Cougars shortstop Clark Pence’s glove.
Hathcoat, running on contact, scored from second.
From there, the game was in Frazier’s hands. And he wasn’t about to let go.
Five of Frazier’s eight strikeouts came after the delay, and he struck out the side in the seventh to end the game.
“He absolutely wanted it,” Stoudt said. “He’s a senior, and it’s over for him (whenever the Arabians lose). He’s paid his dues, and he wants to finish strong.”
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June 2, 2009
Arabians win second straight sectional title
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