Big bats, mouths lift FR (05/17/07)

COLDWATER, Ohio - Sometimes it was hard to tell which was more entertaining, Fort Recovery's play on the field or the chatter coming from its dugout.

One thing is for sure though - the Indians are having fun.

Neither Fort Recovery's bats nor their mouths ever stopped Wednesday night as the Tribe racked up 15 hits in an 11-1, six-inning Division IV district semifinal baseball victory over the Antwerp Archers at Coldwater's Memorial Park.

The win sends the Indians, a squad with eight seniors, to the district championship game for the first time since 2001.

"I don't want it to end for these seniors. I don't want it to end for myself," said FRHS coach Aaron Vaughn, who is leaving the school to move home to the Akron, Ohio, area after this season. "I really think these guys are playing on emotion right now. When it comes to the tournament ... they're playing as hard as they can ... and being loud. That's what we want. We had some lulls during the season, but they're (doing it at the) right time ... This has been the most fun time in my 10 years of being a coach."

Fort Recovery will try to extend that enjoyment a bit longer, but will have to do so against the best team in Division IV. The Tribe will play top-ranked Minster (22-1) in the district championship game at Coldwater Friday at 7 p.m.

Minster won the first of the two lop-sided district semifinal games Wednesday 9-2 over Ottoville (10-13).

"We weren't really expecting it ... but I think everybody knew (we were capable)," said senior Kevin Schoenherr, who will get the start Friday, of the tournament run.

"It's a big challenge," Schoenherr added of Minster. "We beat them last year, so our hopes are still up."

The Indians, who stunned top-seeded Minster 3-2 in last season's sectional championship round, jumped on Antwerp in the first inning Wednesday and never relented.

Bobby Rammel led off the game with a single to left field, moved to second on Frank Thien's sacrifice bunt. After a Clint Tobe walk he and Rammel stole second and third. Toby Metzger took advantage, smashing a fly ball to deep center field.

The Archers' Seth Smith got turned around as he tried to track down the ball, which fell just to the left-field side of the 380 sign for a two-run triple. Curt Heitkamp knocked the first of his three doubles two batters later to complete the three-run first inning.

Antwerp (11-10) responded with a run in the bottom of the first inning, but that was all it would get off of Tribe freshman Greg Kahlig.

Meanwhile the Indian bats stayed hot.

Heitkamp went 4-for-4, adding RBI doubles in the three-run third inning and three-run sixth. He drove in three runs and scored three times.

Schoenherr added a fourth Fort Recovery double in the sixth inning as he racked up four RBIs.

"I can't say enough about the bottom of the order," said Vaughn after his No. 6 and 8 hitters combined for six hits, including four doubles, and seven RBIs. "Curt and Kevin have been working on going to right field. Kevin is starting to hit the ball that way, and if he goes with it he's a good hitter.

"The bottom of the lineup has to step up if you want to win games down the road. They have to come through, and they've done a great job the last couple of games."

Toby and Troy Metzger each had two hits and two runs, Rammel finished with two hits and three stolen bases and Tobe stole two bases and scored twice.

"They did a good job on our pitchers," said Antwerp coach Tim Peffley. "We threw our best pitchers at them, and they hit everybody. Credit them ... they played very well. They deserved to beat us tonight and hats off to coach Vaughn and Fort Recovery."

Heitkamp also came up big defensively as he helped Kahlig scatter eight Archer hits.

Antwerp got its chance to get back in the game when Josh Hahn looped a single to right field with runners on first and second and just one out in the third inning.

But Bryson North tried to score on the play, and Heitkamp's throw got to Rammel at the plate before he was halfway home. North tried to retreat to third base, but Rammel threw to Tony Diller for the second out of the inning and Kahlig got clean-up hitter Kyle Proxmire to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

"Curt's been huge for us in the sectional and district," said Vaughn. "We always say we put the guy with a great arm in right field. ... If you can ever stop momentum cutting someone down at third or at home, that just ... quiets them down. That's part of the battle."

Kahlig allowed runners to reach base in each of the next three innings, but denied them all. He struck out Holden Laney to end the fourth inning, got some help as Rammel gunned down North on a delayed steal attempt in the fifth and induced a game-ending double-play ball to shortstop Clint Tobe in the sixth.

In three playoff starts, Kahlig is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.02 and 15 strikeouts in 171/3 innings. He has allowed just one run each in the sectional championship and district semifinal victories over New Bremen and Antwerp.

"Bobby (Rammel) called a great game for him and he kind of just does what we ask him to do," said Vaughn of the freshman, who was backed by error-free defense for the second straight game. "As long as he works down and changes up his pitches and hits spots, he's fine. We'll make the plays behind him. ...

"We did a great job defensively and Greg pitched a great game."

Proxmire took the loss for Antwerp, giving up eight runs on 11 hits and four walks in five innings.

Hahn went 2-for-3 and scored the only Archer run. Mitch Fowler finished 2-for-3 as well, and Proxmire had an RBI double.[[In-content Ad]]