Jay misses chance at OAC crown (05/20/03)

HUNTINGTON — When the Patriots finally got a hit, it brought players jumping off the bench in anticipation of the game-tying run. However, a perfect play left the Huntington North Vikings celebrating instead.

Huntington North turned in a rare 7-2-5 double play to keep its Olympic Athletic Conference baseball title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Jay County Monday at Huntington College.

“What a game,” said Huntington North coach Chad Daugherty. “They made us make the play. They did not die. Our left fielder couldn’t have made a better throw.”

The Class 3A No. 5 Patriots (16-3) trailed 1-0 after Thad Frame led off the sixth inning with a triple to center field. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Scott Tarnowski, and Jay County was left to try to claw back in its last at bat.

With his team hitless in the game against Levi Sell, Adam Homan drew a one-out walk in the seventh. He advanced to second and Nick Timmerman reached base safely when third baseman Ryan Zimmerman couldn’t get the ball out of his glove after fielding a slow grounder.

That brought up Chris Myers with the tying run in scoring position and the game-winner on base. Myers did his job, breaking a 16-inning hitless streak with a flare over Frame’s head at short and into left-center field.

Homan rounded third as left fielder Matt Hesting bare-handed the ball and threw home. His toss was right on target, and catcher Aaron Drummond put the tag on Homan — who had to wait near second base to make sure the ball cleared Frame — for the second out.

Still alert, Drummond then gunned down Timmerman trying to reach third base to finish the game.

Myers’ hit ended a mammoth drought for the Patriots, who were no-hit in a 2-1 win over Anderson Highland last week. They’re last hit came two games ago in the third inning of a 4-1 loss to Blackford.

The conference title will now be decided in a trio of games Friday. Jay County will play at Anderson Highland, while Huntington North visits Connersville for a double header. The Patriots are searching for their first OAC title since 1994, while the Vikings are the two-time defending champions.

“That’s all we can do,” said Jay County coach Lea Selvey as his team looks ahead to the Scots. “We just have to get our bats going a little bit. We played well enough tonight to win a championship.”

For all the difficulties the Patriots had at the plate, Huntington North was not much better.

The Vikings (17-7) notched just two hits against Josh Jellison, and had the same number of base runners (six) as Jay County. But, Frame’s hit was a big one.

The junior leadoff man crushed a ball through the humid evening air and just over the head of Chad Keen as he tried to track it down in deep center field. Frame cruised into third base with a triple, and a senior made sure his team’s conference title hopes would not die on Senior Night.

Tarnowski — who had the only other Huntington North hit, a bunt single in the first inning — lifted a fly ball to center field which easily scored Frame. Myers finally broke up the no hitter in the seventh, but the great defensive play from the Vikings made it a moot point.

Daugherty had praise for both pitchers, who gave their teams every opportunity to win with the conference title hanging in the balance.

“It’s a great effort by (Sell),” he said. “He was able to make some good pitches. He mixed it up real well, and he’s got great location.

“Jellison didn’t have his good stuff — it didn’t seem like he did — but he competed out there. We couldn’t put an inning together.”

Frame took the win, striking out six and walking three as he worked all seven innings.

Jellison allowed one run on two hits in six innings. He walked one in his first loss of the season, and his record now stands at 10-1.[[In-content Ad]]